TIMBER RESOURCES OF NORTH AMERICA AND THE WORLD 



347 



World War II seriously disrupted European 

 imports of softwood forest products. The consider- 

 able volume normally imported into free Europe 

 from the countries now under Communist influence 

 has been greatly reduced, although strenuous ef- 

 forts are being made in some quarters to renew this 

 trade. In the case of the United Kingdom, dollar 

 shortages have discouraged imports from Canada. 

 The net results of this reduced supply of softwood 

 timber in free Europe has been a sharp increase 

 in the price of softwood forest products and a 

 reduction in consumption. 



Looking ahead to 1960 it is estimated that, even 

 assuming a conservative rate of economic growth 

 and 1950 prices, the requirement for all industrial 

 wood in Europe (excluding USSR but including 

 satellite countries) is expected to reach 6.9 billion 

 cubic feet. The corresponding figure for 1950 was 

 5.9 billion cubic feet. Under present policies and 

 programs, European production of industrial wood 

 by that time will not exceed 5.5 billion cubic feet. 

 From this it would appear that, for several dec- 

 ades at least, almost the entire softwood surplus 

 of exporting countries, such as Sweden, Finland, 

 and Norway, could be utilized within Europe. 



United States Can Continue To Im- 

 port BUT Expansion of Exports 

 Limited by Domestic Needs 



The United States has long been a net importer 

 in respect to pulpwood, woodpulp, and paper. 

 Up to about 1940, however, it has maintained a 

 net export balance in both hardwood and soft- 

 wood lumber (table 192). Now, with lumber ex- 

 ports sharply reduced, and with imports higher 

 than in any earlier period, this country is also a 

 net importer of lumber. Imports of softwood 

 lumber and newsprint paper have increased par- 

 ticularly sharpljr since World War II. Since 1950 

 imports of softwood lumber have averaged about 

 2.6 billion board-feet or 8 percent of domestic 

 softwood consumption. In the same period, im- 

 ports of newsprint paper reached about 5 million 

 tons a year — 83 percent of consumption. Our 

 imports of both of these items come chiefly from 

 Canada, as does our 2-million-ton import of wood- 

 pulp, and our 1.5- to 2.0-million-cord import of 

 pulpwood. Hardwood lumber — of which imports 

 between 1950 and 1954 averaged 236 million 

 board-feet and exports 130 million — comprises a 

 much smaller volume of trade than softwood lum- 

 ber and pulp and paper products. 



Looking to the future, interest centers on soft- 

 wood trade. Although important segments of the 

 Free World face a shortage in softwood timber, 

 the United States is in a favorable position with 



respect to supplies from undeveloped regions. 

 Proximity and established trade relations might 

 enable the United States to obtain substantial 

 additional amounts annually from Canada and 

 there are untapped resources in Interior Alaska. 

 Supplementary supplies from these sources may 

 help in meeting expanding needs of the American 

 economy in the years ahead. 



Table 192. — United States : Imports and exports of 

 principal forest products, by specified years 



IMPORTS 





Soft- 



Hard- 



All wood- 



News- 



Pulp- 



Year 



wood 



wood 



pulp 



print 



wood 





lumber 



lumber 





paper 







Billion 



Billion 



Million 



Million 



Million 





bd.-ft. 



bd.-ft. 



tons 1 



tons ' 



cords 



1925 



1.73 



0. 11 



1. 66 



1. 45 



1. 09 



1930 



1. 15 



.04 



1.83 



2. 28 



1. 10 



1935 



. 38 



. 06 



1. 93 



2. 28 



1. 04 



1940 



.61 



. 12 



1. 22 



2.76 



1. 44 



1945 



.88 



. 16 



1.75 



2. 67 



1.73 



1950 



3. 14 



. 28 



2. 39 



4. 86 



1. 83 



1951 



2.26 



. 25 



2.36 



4. 96 



2. 51 



1952 



2. 27 



. 21 



1. 94 



5.03 



2. 31 



1953 



2.53 



. 23 



2. 16 



5.00 



1.55 



1954 



2. 85 



. 21 



2. 05 



4.99 



1. 60 



EXPORTS 



1925- 

 1930. 

 1935_ 

 1940_ 

 1945_ 

 1950_ 

 1951_ 

 1952_ 

 1953. 

 1954. 



2. 19 



0.37 



0.04 



0.02 



1. 91 



. 42 



. 05 



.01 



1.00 



.31 



. 17 



. 02 



.75 



. 17 



. 48 



.04 



. 29 



. 12 



. 14 



.04 



. 41 



. 11 



. 10 



.04 



.88 



. 12 



. 20 



.07 



.57 



. 16 



. 21 



. 11 



.51 



. 13 



. 16 



.05 



.58 



. 13 



. 44 



. 14 



0. 01 

 . 13 

 .02 

 . 06 

 . 04 

 . 03 

 . 01 

 . 02 

 . 01 

 .04 



' 2,000 pounds. 



Whether the United States will be able to in- 

 crease its exports of timber products to help meet 

 the widespread need in other parts of the world 

 will depend on the relative needs of its own ex- 

 panding economy. Domestic requirements as es- 

 timated for 1975 and 2000 will tax our own sup- 

 plies to the utmost, even allowing for continued 

 imports, at present levels, of pulp and paper and 

 other special items. True, we hold a dominant 

 position in the Free World's timber economy in 

 terms of forest area, timber volume, productive 

 capacit}^, and output of timber products. But 

 our needs are great and will grow in response to 

 our expanding population and other factors. Thus 

 while we may be able to effect some slight increases 

 in timber products for needy nations, it is unlikely 

 that we will be able to expand our exports to an}' 

 substantial degree, particularly if our own needs 

 are as great as expected 



