AMERICA AND THE WORLD 's WOODPILE 



13 



pean rate. Moreover, the other timber-consuming countries will 

 demand even more wood from us than they get now, provided it is 

 available. Europe can not increase her timber production sufficiently 

 to keep pace with her increasing needs, for the growth on much of 

 her forest area is already approximately as much as the land is 

 capable of producing. 



The only forest regions of the United States that can possibly 

 grow more timber than is needed locally are the Pacific coast region 

 and the southeastern pine and hardwood belts. The kinds of tim- 

 ber produced in these regions are well and favorably known to con- 

 sumers all over the world. Being close to the ocean, both regions 

 will have the advantage of relatively low transportation costs. They 

 will be able, therefore, to get fairly high stumpage prices and still 

 compete with less accessible exporting regions, such as the interior 

 of Russia and Siberia. In most of northern and western Europe and 

 in some parts of the United States stumpage values are already 

 high enough to cover the cost of growing timber. Elsewhere they 

 have been kept down by the competition of natural-grown timber, 

 which the owners acquired cheaply and which, in order to liquidate 

 their investments, they are willing to sell far below the cost of re- 

 placement. By the time new timber crops can be grown, this virgin 

 timber will be so far depleted that it will cease to be a factor in the 

 situation. 



It is clear that the United States can be entirely independent of 

 other regions for her ordinary timber needs. She has vast forest- 

 producing areas that are not required for agriculture. She has cli- 

 mate, soil, and a great variety of fast-growing and valuable timber 

 trees, probably unequaled by any other country in either Temperate 

 Zone. She has the largest market for forest products right at home. 

 It would be folly to throw away these wonderful natural oppor- 

 tunities and economic advantages. It would be worse than folly to 

 rely upon distant and possibly illusory timber supplies, and to make 

 future generations of Americans depend upon foreign countries for 

 essential materials that can be produced to advantage at home. 



SOME IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT THE FORESTS OF THE WORLD 

 Table 1. — Comparison of forests in grand divisions of the earth 



Continent 



Distribution of the 

 world's forest lands 



Land 

 area in 

 forest 



Forest 

 area per 



100 in- 

 habitants 



Asia 



Square 



miles 

 3, 275, 023 

 3, 269, 828 

 2, 256, 483 

 1,246,028 

 1, 209, 559 



442, 905 



Per cent 

 28.0 

 28.0 

 19.3 

 10.6 

 10.3 

 3.8 



Per cent 

 21.6 

 44.0 

 26.8 

 10.7 

 31.1 

 15. 1 



Acres 

 240 



South America . . . 



3,245 

 998 



North America 



Africa.. 



560 



Europe 



170 



Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania .. 



3 470 







Total 



11,699,826 



100.0 



22 5 425 









