42 



FORESTS, FOREST LANDS AND FOREST PRODUCTS. 



The total amount of merchantable long-leaf pine now standing in 

 the State is. about 3,103,000,000 feet. The estimate of Mr. Kid- 

 der, of Wilmington, N. C, prepared for the United States Census 

 Department, fixes the amount of timber, standing, on May 31, 

 1880, in the counties south of the Neuse river, at 5,229,000,000 

 feet. This, compared with the amount now standing in the same 

 counties, shows a decrease of 2,000,000,000 feet in the amount of 

 merchantable pine in thirteen and one-half years. At this rate of 

 decrease in less than twenty years the long-leaf forests will be a 

 thing of the past. The rate of decrease is, however, one of con- 

 stant acceleration, since the yearly output of the mills is increas- 

 ing and there is a much larger amount of abandoned orchard at 

 the mercy of wind and fire. 



At the end of twenty years there may remain scattered bodies 

 of this pine remote from transportation facilities or too small to be 

 profitably sawn, but there will be nothing more. The length of 

 time the long-leaf pine will last can be stated with more certainty 

 than in case of the loblolly pine, because in the case of the former 

 there is no appreciable addition of merchantable timber from 

 second growth woods. 



The total amount of merchantable pine of all kinds {loblolly, 

 long-leaf, short-leaf and sacanna) in these Eastern North Carolina 

 counties can be placed at about 8,200,000,000 feet, board measure. 



The amount of standing swamp timber cannot be estimated with 

 any degree of accuracy, since no average can be arrived at for the 

 cut per acre, and only approximate figures can be gotten for the 

 acreage. Cypress, for instance, will cut from 500 to 5,0!)0 feet to 

 the acre as a general thing, but numerous reports were made by 

 trustworthy lumbermen of cuts running from 15,000 to 20,0(^0 feet 

 to the acre. There is a very wide range given for the amount of 

 white cedar to the acre, but not so wide as that for cypress. The 

 water oak and chestnut oak lands usually have a more uniform 

 growth, and will cut from 1,500 to 3,000 feet to the acre. One of 

 the chief difficulties connected with the handling of this oak, 

 where such has been attempted, is that when green it has a greater 

 specific gravity than water and cannot be floated out unless rafted 

 with lighter woods. The same is true of the elm, hickory and 

 much of the gum. 



