CHAPTER II 
THE world's forest SUPPLY. QUANTITIES OF TIMBER USED. 
TIMBER IMPORTS INTO GREAT BRITAIN 
Forest Area of Europe— United States— Canada —India— Australia— 
Japan — Africa— South America — Quantities of Timber used in 
United States and Other Countries— Waning Supply of American 
Hardwoods -Great "Waste in Converting Timber— Afforestation — 
Physical Advantages of Forests— Imports of Timber into Great 
Britain. 
The forest area of Europe is about 734,000,000 
acres. Russia, including Finland, stands well first with 
nearly 500,000,000 acres, and when we add 826,000,000 
under Crown management in her Asiatic dominions, 
this will probably make Russia the largest forest-bear- 
ing country in the world. Next come Sweden and 
Austria-Hungary, each with about 42,000,000, Germany 
34,000,000, Norway 16,000,000 acres. These are 
the countries from which the chief soft timber supplies 
come to Great Britain. France and Spain have each 
forests covering about 20,000,000 acres, although they are 
not to any extent exporting countries, leaving about 
60,000,000 acres amongst the other European countries. 
It may surprise some to know that there are slightly over 
2,500,000 acres of woodland in Great Britain, but it forms 
the smallest percentage of any country in Europe and 
probably in the world, being only about 4 per cent. 
Denmark comes next, with about 4^ per cent., the per- 
centage gradually increasing until in the case of Norway 
T. c 
