D CIRCULAR 21, U. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



EUROPE 



The principal wood-consuming countries of western Europe depend 

 upon imports to meet a large part of their present needs. Just 

 before the World War, Great Britain imported 97 per cent of the 

 timber she consumed (not counting firewood). France, Germany, 

 Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands imported approximately 30, 47, 

 65, 77, and 82 per cent, respectively. The only European countries 

 that have any prospect of increasing their output of timber for any 

 considerable period, or even of continuing to export at the present 

 rate, are Sweden, Finland, Russia, and possibly Czechoslovakia, 

 Rumania, and Yugoslavia. Taking Europe as a whole, there is a 

 small surplus of timber production over consumption, amounting to 

 possibly 360,000,000 cubic feet annually. As imports of hardwoods 

 somewhat exceed exports, the net surplus of softwoods may be as 

 much as 450,000,000 to 500,000,000 cubic feet. This is only about 5 

 per cent of the amount of softwood required by Europe each year. 

 Considering that the requirements tend to increase, and that any 

 enlargement of output from the northern forests is likely to be 

 gradual, it is obvious that outside countries can not look to Europe 

 for any considerable quantity of timber in the future. 



ASIA 



Asia, considering its enormous population, consumes very little 

 wood, and most of that is for fuel. With practically half of the 

 world's population, the entire continent uses only one-seventh of the 

 wood consumed by the world, and one-sixteenth of the saw timber. 

 Yet most of the Asiatic countries now depend partly upon imports 

 for their softwoods, and only Siberia has a large surplus. 



The forests of western Siberia are more accessible to Europe than 

 to the Pacific Ocean, and any surplus over local needs will naturally 

 go to European consumers. Eastern Siberia has vast areas of forest 

 and is reputed to have enormous stores of virgin timber, but the 

 forests are largely unexplored and little is known about their actual 

 condition. Though eastern Asia and Australia still depend on North 

 America and Europe for most of their imported softwoods, it is likely 

 that Siberia will eventually supply a large part of their needs and 

 will also send to more distant markets some of the high-grade timber 

 that can stand heavy transportation costs. Expansion of the lumber 

 industry is likely to take place rather slowly, however, and mean- 

 while the timber needs of Siberia itself and of the rest of Asia are 

 almost certain to increase rapidly as the countries develop industrially. 

 It is highly improbable that there will ever be a large surplus avail- 

 able for the United States. Even if there should be, the handicap 

 of distance would tend to prevent Siberian competition from destroy- 

 ing the market for home-grown timber. 



AFRICA 



While the equatorial forests of Africa are extensive, they do not 

 contain enough softwood timber to furnish even the small amounts 

 required locally for construction purposes. African countries import 

 nearly all of their softwoods from Europe and North America. 



