It is safe then to estimate that the original forests of the United 

 States covered 850 milHon acres and contained 5,200 billion board 

 feet of saw timber according to present standards of utilization. In 

 addition there were probably 100 million acres of scrubby forest and 

 brush land, chiefly in the West, which has been and still is a source 

 of much post and fuel material. 



PKESENT FORESTS. 



The original forests of the United States have been reduced by 

 cutting, clearing, and fire from an acreage of 850 million to one of 

 not more than 550 million, with a total stand of some 2,500 billion 

 board feet. The Northern forest now contains perhaps 90 million 

 acres and 300 billion feet of timber, or 60 per cent of its original area 

 and 30 per cent of the original stand; the Southern forest, 150 million 

 acres and 500 billion feet, or 68 per cent of its former area and 50 per 

 cent of its stand; the Central forest, 130 million acres and 300 billion 

 feet, or 46 per cent of the original area and 21 per cent of the stand; 

 the Kocky Mountain forest, 100 milHon acres and 300 billion feet, or 

 91 per cent of the original area and 75 per cent of the stand; and the 

 Pacific forest, 80 million acres and 1,100 billion feet, or 89 per cent 

 of the original area and 79 per cent of the stand. The stand of 

 timber in ever}^ region has been reduced in even greater proportion 

 than has the actual forest acreage. This is particularly true in the 

 Central States, where the hardwoods predominated. They occupied 

 much rich agricultural land and were consequently cleared to make 

 way for farms more than they were cut for lumber. 



Table 1 brings together in comparative form the preceding estimates 

 upon the original and present forest acreage and stand. 



Table 1. 



-Estimate of the area and stand of the original and present forests of the United 

 States. 





Original forest. 



Present forest. 



Region. 



Area. 



Stand. 



Area. 



Stand. 



Per cent 

 of origi- 

 nal area. 



Per cent 

 of origi- 

 nal stand. 



Nortliem. 



Million 

 acres. 

 150 

 220 

 280 

 110 

 90 



Billion 

 feet. 

 1,000 

 1,000 

 1,400 

 400 

 1,400 



Mtlli(m 



acres. 



90 



150 



130 



100 



80 



Billion 



feet. 

 300 

 500 

 300 

 300 

 1,100 



Per cent. 

 60 

 68 

 46 

 91 

 89 



Per cent. 

 30 



Southern 



50 



Central 



21 



Rocky Mountain 



75 



Pacific 



79 







Total 



850 



5,200 



550 



2,500 



65 



48 







[Clr. 166] 



