In the following table the industries using wood in part have been classified according to an a Includes carriages and wagon factory prodnet, children's carriages and sleds, steam and street cars, coffins and burial caskets, chairs, b Includes agricultural implements, billiard tables, railroad and street car repairs, furniture repairs, washing machines and wringers, e Includes blacksmithing and wheelwrighting, bridges, brooms and brushes, gunpowder, artist's materials, windmills, toys and games, While these values are produced by the mere exploitation of the natural resource and their While by the methods and on the basis of the census it is possible to arrive at an approximate statement of the consumption, it is much more difficult to arrive at a statement of the quantity growing in the virgin forest, especially since with the reduction of supplies the method of use changes, and what was not marketable before becomes available. The really valuable portion of the natural forest growth forms only a fraction of the whole wood growth, and the amounts of such valuable material per acre vary within exceedingly wide limits, from nothing at all to the 200,000 feet B. M. or more per acre occasionally to be found in the Pacific coast forests. The acreage, therefore, under forest cover gives no idea of the available supplies; the condition of this cover is the important factor. There was never at any time sufficient money appropriated to the Division to venture even on a partial investigation of this condition, except in one case, when circumstances made it possible to ascertain with tolerable precision the forest conditions of Wisconsin. Nothing less than a thoroughly organized canvass, which might cost $250,000 to $300,000, would promise any reliable, practically exhaustive information. In the absence of such a canvass a very rough and probably very liberal estimate of the amount of the timber standing in the various regions of the country ready for the ax would give the following figures: Southern States Northern States Pacific coast Rocky Mountains Total.. FEET B. M. 700, 000, 000, 000 500, 000, 000, 000 1, 000, 000, 000, 000 100, 000, 000, 000 2,300, 000, 000, 000 In comparison with the supply on hand we must place the total annual ent of material requiring bolt or log size, which is estimated at about 40,000,000,000 feet B. M., more or less. That is to say, there is at best not sixty years' supply in sight, a shorter time than it takes to grow a tree suitable for milling purposes. In this cut the various regions participate in about the following proportions: New England and North Atlantic States Central States.. Lake Region Southern States FEET B. M. 6, 000, 000, 000 5, 000, 000, 000 13, 000, 000, 000 10, 000, 000, 000 Pacific States.. Miscellaneous Segregating the cut by kinds, we may make the following divisions: White pine... 4, 000, 000, 000 2, 000, 000, 000 FEET B. M. 12, 000, 000, 000 From this statement it appears that three-fourths of our consumption is of coniferous material. It is, therefore, of interest to know more precisely how the supply of this most important portion of our requirements stands. In reply to a resolution of the Senate dated April 14, 1897, the writer canvassed the probabilities in this direction, at least for the Eastern States. The results are still less assuring than the above statement of total supply and consumption; for this canvass brings the available coniferous supply in the States east of the Rocky Mountains to 400,000,000,000 feet, B. M., with which to satisfy a yearly demand of about 30,000,000,000 feet, B. M.' While these figures, referring to log material, represent that portion of the forest growth which is the most valuable and has taken the longest time to grow, there is, besides the consumption for fuel, an immense amount wasted by fire, improper use, necessary and unnecessary waste. The consumption of fuel to the extent of probably 180,000,000 cords, of fence material, etc., the waste in the woods and at the mills and loss by fire, bring the total annual wood consumption of the United States easily to 25,000,000,000 cubic feet, or since the area under wood has been ascertained to be about 500,000,000 acres, the consumption is at the rate of 50 cubic feet per acre, a figure nearly corresponding to the yield per acre realized as annual growth in the well kept forests of Prussia, where the reproduction is secured by skillful management. The consumption, now 350 cubic feet per capita, increases from decade to decade in greater proportion than the population; and new industries, like the wood pulp industry, add constantly to the demand. Estimates of value of forest products used in 1860, 1870, and 1880. [Including all raw, partially manufactured, wholly manufactured wood products, fuel, and naval stores; estimated upon the basis of census figures, and other sources of information.] This would show an increase of over 30 per cent in our consumption from decade to decade. Other statistics bearing on this phase of the subject and a fuller discussion are to be found in the Appendix. From these statements, the compilation of which has become possible through the existence of the Division of Forestry, even if they were overdrawn to a considerable extent, it would appear that the first reason for the existence of a Government agency to look after the forestry interests is well founded. Some ignorant people-ignorant both as to the requirements of the wood industries and as to the condition and character of our forest resources-have claimed that the natural growth of young trees, without any attention, following the operations of the lumbermen, would suffice to replace that which is removed and would continue to furnish the required material. The observant student, not to speak of the professional forester, can readily see that culling the valuable kinds and leaving the inferior tree weeds in possession of the soil prevents in many cases any reproduction of the valuable species. In other cases where the production of valuable kinds does take place, as, for instance, with the Southern pines, where the young growth is not killed by fires, the development is so unsatis factory that where with proper attention a new crop might be available for the saw in seventy to one hundred years, twice the time will be required to make clear lumber of good quality. In most cases recurring fires retard this natural regrowth still further or prevent it altogether. There is at least one State, the State of Wisconsin, for which it became practicable for the Division of Forestry to secure more accurate data as to the conditions of the forest resources and as to the results of the rough exploitation to which it is subjected in the absence of forestry methods. This survey is published in Bulletin No. 16 of the Division. The conditions are typical of a large part of our lumbering regions, and a brief résumé will accentuate the need of attention on the part of the Government: The State of Wisconsin, with a population of about 2,000,000, a taxable property of about $600,000,000, has a home consumption of over 600,000,000 feet B. M. of lumber, besides enormous quantities of other wood material, 1 See Senate Doc. No. 40, first session Fifty-fifth Congress, and fuller discussion in Appendix. which, if imported, would cost the State over $25,000,000. Of its northern half, a land surface of over 18,000,000 acres, only 7 per cent is cultivated, the rest forming one continuous body of forest and waste land. From this area there have been cut during the last sixty years more than 85,000,000,000 feet B. M. of pine lumber alone, and the annual cut during the past ten years exceeded on the average 3,000,000,000 feet per year. The lumber industries exploiting this resource represented in 1890 one-sixth of the total taxable property in the State, paid to over 55,000 men the sum of over $15,000,000 in wages, and the value of their products was equal to more than one-third the entire output of agriculture in the State. Of the original stand of about 130,000,000,000 feet of pine abont 17,000,000,000 feet are left, besides about 12,000,000,000 feet of hemlock and 16,000,000,000 feet of hard woods. The annual growth, which at present amounts to about 900,000,000 feet and of which only 250,000,000 feet is marketable pine and over 500,000,000 feet hard woods, is largely balanced by natural decay of the old, overripe timber. In almost every town of this region logging has been carried on and over 8,000,000 of the 17,000,000 acres are "cut-over" lands, largely burned over and waste. It would not be overstating it to say that 4,000,000 acres of these cut-over lands are for the present and must be for a long time in the future a desert, useless for any purpose. The wooded area proper is steadily being reduced by logging and to a smaller extent by clearing. At present nothing is done either to protect or restock the denuded cut-over lands, of which fully 80 per cent are now unproductive waste land, and probably will remain so for a long time. This policy causes a continuous and ever-growing loss to the Commonwealth, amounting at present to about 800,000,000 feet per year of useful and muchneeded material, besides gradually but surely driving from the State the industries which have been most conspicuous in its development, depriving a cold country of a valuable factor in its climatic conditions, and affecting detrimentally the character of the main drainage channels of the State. The second reason for the establishment of the Division of Forestry is based on a consideration of the broad interest which attaches to the forest cover on account of its influence on waterflow, soil and climatic conditions, and is of even more moment than the question of material supplies. In spite of the facts, which have become clear to most other civilized nations, namely, that a forest cover on the slopes of mountains prevents erosion and equalizes waterflow, reduces danger from floods, and decreases extremes in high and low water stages, in spite of these well known observations, the Government of the United States has persisted in allowing its vast public timber domain on the western mountain ranges to be destroyed by fire and otherwise, and spends millions of dollars annually in river and harbor bills to dig out the eroded farms, which have been swept into the river for lack of the protection of the soil at head waters and along shores. Untold misery and poverty is inflicted upon the settlers in the lower vaileys by this mattention. Instead of curing the evil by rational forest management, recourse is had to river improvements which can only be temporary, and are excessively expensive. Even the celebrated inaugurator of the jetty system, Captain Eads, came finally to the conclusion that the cure of the Mississippi floods was to be applied to the head waters and upper river shores rather than at the mouth of the river. The Division has not failed to bring together all the available information, both of experience and experiment, which goes to confirm the relation of forest cover to waterflow, soil, and climate, presenting it in various reports, a final and full discussion of the subject being contained in Bulletin No. 7, Division of Forestry. Since this relation, the influence of forests on surrounding conditions, is rightly claimed to impose upon the Government the duty to protect and preserve the forest cover on mountain slopes, a résumé of the present status of this question of forest influences is appended to this report. The knowledge of the amelioration of climatic conditions which it is possible to secure by tree growth has induced the Federal Government to encourage the growing of groves on the forestless plains and prairies under the so-called timber culture act. If that act had been framed with more knowledge of the requirements of tree growth, in other words, if the Division of Forestry, with expert advice, had been in existence and had been called upon to frame the regulations, the law would have proved less of a failure than it has; less waste of energy and less disappointment would have been the share of the deluded settlers who were trying to satisfy the requirements of the law. It is well known that the law was abolished owing to the unsatisfactory results. Nevertheless, tree planting in the forestless regions for the sake of ameliorating climatic conditions is and will be one of the occupations of the settlers of those regions. To assist these efforts has also been one of the objects for which the Division was established. The third reason for the establishment of a Government agency to study and report on forestry was that this art was until that time entirely unknown in this country; even the very word was absent from our dictionaries. While the necessity for its application for the reasons stated was believed to exist, its methods were absolutely unknown. Not only was it not practiced anywhere in this country, but where such an art was known to exist, its requirements being misunderstood, forest owners were unwilling to apply it, believing it unnecessary and unprofitable. To enlighten these skeptics as to the methods of rational forest management and as to its desirability was to be the office of the Division of Forestry. The Division, then, was to be a bureau of information and investigation to report on all questions pertaining to the subject with a view of enlightening the people and inducing them to apply the teachings of forestry. It was by statute limited in its functions, which were to be educational, not administrative or executive. Moreover, for most of the time, the appropriations were too scanty to permit of any very comprehensive inquiries or experiments. The character of its functions is perhaps best learned from the wording of the acts, changing from time to time, in which Congress made appropriations for the Division. READING OF APPROPRIATION CLAUSES FOR REPORTS ON FORESTRY AND DIVISION OF FORESTRY. 1877. For purchase and distribution of new and valuable seeds and plants, sixty thousand dollars: Provided, That two thousand dollars of the above amount shall be expended by the Commissioner of Agriculture as compensation to some man of approved attainments, who is practically well acquainted with methods of statistical inquiry and who has evinced an intimate acquaintance with questions relating to the national wants in regard to timber, to prosecute investigations and inquiries with the view of ascertaining the annual amount of consumption, importation, and exportation of timber and other forest products, the probable supply for future wants, the means best adapted to their preservation and renewal, the influence of forests upon climate, and the measures that have been successfully applied in foreign countries or that may be deemed applicable in this country for the preservation and restoration or planting of forests; and to report upon the same to the Commissioner of Agriculture, to be by him in a separate report transmitted to Congress. For expense of putting up the same, for labor, bagging paper, twine, gum, and other necessary materials, five thousand dollars; in all, sixty-five thousand dollars.—(From legislative, executive, and judicial appropriation bill for fiscal year ending June 30, 1877, approved August 15, 1876. Third paragraph of section making appropriation for Department of Agriculture. First session, Forty-fourth Congress.) 1887. For compensation of chief of Forestry Division, two thousand dollars; for the purpose of enabling the Commissioner of Agriculture to experiment and to continue an investigation and report upon the subject of forestry, and the collection and distribution of valuable economic forest-tree seeds and plants, eight thousand dollars; in all, ten thousand dollars.—(Aet making appropriation for Department of Agriculture for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1887, and for other purposes, approved June 30, 1886.) 1890. Division of Forestry.—For the purpose of enabling the Secretary of Agriculture to experiment and continue an investigation and report upon the subject of forestry, and for traveling and other necessary expenses in the investigation and the collection and distribution of valuable economic forest-tree seeds and plants. 1891. Report on Forestry.-Division of Forestry: For the purpose of enabling the Secretary of Agriculture to experiment and continue an investigation and report upon the subject of forestry and for experiments in the production of rainfall, and for traveling and other necessary expenses in the investigation and the collection and distribution of valuable economic forest-tree seeds and plants. 1893. Division of Forestry.--For the purpose of enabling the Secretary of Agriculture to experiment and continue an investigation and report upon the subject of forestry, and for traveling and other necessary expenses in the investigation and the collection of valuable economic forest-tree seeds and plants. 1895. Division of Forestry.-For the purpose of enabling the Secretary of Agriculture to experiment and continue an investigation and report upon the subject of forestry and timbers, and for traveling and other necessary expenses in the investigation and the collection and distribution of valuable economic forest-tree seeds and plants. 1898. Division of Forestry.-For the purpose of enabling the Secretary of Agriculture to experiment and continue an investigation and report upon the subject of forestry and timbers, and for traveling and other necessary expenses in the investigation and collection and distribution of valuable economic forest-tree seeds and plants: Provided, That the Secretary of Agriculture shall make a special and detailed report at the beginning of the next session of Congress upon the forestry investigations and work of the Division of Forestry, showing the results and the practical utility of the investigations. CHARACTER OF THE WORK OF THE DIVISION. Having come to the conclusion that a Division of Forestry without forests, i. e., without control of forest property, even for experimental purposes, can act simply as a bureau of information and advice, the following considerations naturally occur: The object of establishing such a bureau was undoubtedly to influence a reform movement in the treatment of our forest resources, and hence the information furnished should be of such a nature as to induce the owner of timber lands and the consumer of forest products to change their ways. Undoubtedly the Government also |