WORLD’S TIMBER MARKET.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9069, 8 February 1908, Page 7

WORLD’S TIMBER MARKET.

An article in the World’s Work by Mr James Young makes some suggestions as to the possibility of avoiding what seems a real danger. In Great Britain (says an English writer) we have arboriculture, but no sylviculture; we grow the best of ornamental timber, but_ little or no commercial timber. Yet our wood supply area is well’on for 3,000,000 acres, conducted at a loss because of bad management; and last year we paid £25,000,000 for timber to Russia aloae—a sum which, by sylviculture.as intelligent as that of other nations might in “time save every year. Russia, however, will not long have timber for outsiders ; and indiscreet cutting has caused and will cause her much loss. AustroHungary still produces much timber; but Sweden, of all European countries, has most intelligently t»alised the need for and .importance of sylviculture, though her 48,000,000 forest-acres cannot possibly do the work of hundreds of milliois. Twenty-five years hence, at the present rate of cutting, the Uniied States will have no timber left to cut, or at all events no more than enough for herself. Moreover, her forests have been cruelly .destroyed by fires, which have also materially lessened Canada’s output of timber. Canada is supposed to have far more forest-land than she really has, much of what is classed as such being only “scrub-land”; and Great Britain takes far less timber from the Dominion now than she did thirty years ago, though she steadily uses more and more wood, and this in spite of its steadily advancing price. Our bill for wood pulp last year was nearly £3,000,000. Of these there are still many in Central and South America, and in certain parts.of Africa. Moreover.— “In our own islands we have spare land which, if carefully laid out, would produce as much timber as we at present import. Twenty-one million acres of waste, heather and rough pasture, is the area of land in the United Kingdom at present suitable for afforestation, and this, instead of being, as it is at present, worth a few shillings, should be worth pounds per acre. ” The sylvicutlural possibilities of the Highlands are recognised, and locally much discussed. But not only must there be demonstration areas for the benefit of those practically interested in afforestation, as well as lectures on forestry, but the' State, the writer thinks, should remit rates and taxes on wooded lands until they become remunerative, abate traupsort rates, and have a system of loans to those anxious to devote their attention to timbergrowing but unable to do so through lack of capital.