THE FOREST RESOURCES OF THE WORLD. 



17 



The principal forest areas are in the eastern and western provinces, 

 the central part of Canada being occupied by large treeless prairies. 



The forests of Canada belong chiefly to the provincial governments 

 and to the railroads. In Manitoba and in the Northwestern Terri- 

 tories the forests are the property of the Dominion government and 

 of Indian tribes. 



ANNUAL CUT AND CONSUMPTION 



The total annual cut as given by the census of 1891, amounts to 

 2,045,073,072 cubic feet, distributed among the different products 

 as follows: 



Quantity. 



Cubic feet. 



Square timber. 



Logs, masts, and spars 



Staves 



Railroad ties and fence poles 



Telegraph poles .- 



Fire, lath, and pulp wood and bark. 

 Shingles 



.pieces. 



.pieces . 



..do... 



.cords. 

 M. 



Total. 



865,896 



48,852,225 



92,260 



39,048,162 



303,861 

 11,439,541 



939,736 



43,294,800 



407,101,875 



791,128 



117,144,486 



3,282,175 



1,464,061,248 



9,397,360 



2,045,073,072 



The exports were estimated at 613,000,000 cubic feet, which left 

 1,432,073,072 cubic feet for home consumption. This made a per 

 capita consumption of 296.2 cubic feet. For the last eighteen years 

 the cut has increased enormously. Professor Fernow estimates the 

 present cut at about 2,400,000,000 cubic feet of finished material, 

 which represents not less than 3,000,000,000 cubic feet as it grows in 

 the forest^ or about 17 cubic feet per acre. If to this be added the 

 enormous loss of timber through fire, a loss estimated by some to be 

 equal to nearly ten times the amount cut, the drain is at present 

 probably greater than their productive powers; their exploitation is 

 at the expense of the forest capital itself. There are no figures show- 

 ing the growth per acre, but it is probably at best not more than 20 

 cubic feet. Schhch " gives the total cut of wood for the year 1900, 

 as given in the census report of 1901, as 1,211,209,625 cubic feet, 

 of which 503,527,545 cubic feet were in the form of timber and 

 707,682,080 cubic feet firewood. This figure, however, can not be 

 the complete returns for the total cut because it is much smaller 

 than the amount given by the census of 1891; the cut since then has 

 increased. 



TIMBER PRICES. 



Table 5, on the follov/ing page, conveys an idea of the prices for 

 the different kinds of wood derived from various species, based on the 

 data obtained in the year 1900. 



« Forest Policy in the British Empire, Vol. I of his Manual of Forestry. 

 55826°— Bull. 83—10 % 



