The World's Timber Supply.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 416, 2 November 1889, Page 3

The World's Timber Supply.

A s'Kady and ever mci easing demand on , a constantly diminishing timber supply in all the civilised countries is beginning to have a visible effect. Jn a careful article ] the Lumber World states that despite the j systematic efforts of the various Euiopean countries to maintain by forestry regulations an adequate supply, the whole wooded area of Europe has dwindled to 500,000,000 acres, cr less than one-fifth of the area of the Continent, while the demand goes on increasing as the population increases in density and consequent poverty, , forcing them to use b. tuber, as a cheaper material than brick and stone, to build house*. Norway and Sweden have parted with neatly all their available forest?. Northern Russia has been stripped so bare that at present the single city of St Petersburg demands more than that country can spare. The fostered German forests yield an ever decreasing supply, which constantly deteriorates in quality. Bohemia, Galicia, Transylvania, and some adjaoenb sections still possess considerable areas of forest, but they are inaccessible mountain regions, with neither railroads nor navigable streams to make the timber available. The forestß on the shores of the Adriatic have disap peared. France and Spain, Portugal and Italy, Turkey and Southern Russia have little or no timber that is available. Great Biitain long ago ceased to depend to any extent upon her own small woodland areas for timber. In the United States the consumption of timber goes on at an amazing i"ate, each year seeing hundreds of thousands of acres stripped of forests. Canada has large wooded areas yet, but the demand upon them makes it only a question of time when they shallbostripped. Asiatic, African, and South Ameiicau forests are still important, but at pre&ent they are unavailable because of their remoteness from the ccntics of consumption. The civilised world will soon awake to the fact that its timber supply is exhausted to a serious degree, but as yet there ?eems to be but little appreciation of the true state of affairs.