information abont tbe extension, nature, production, etc. of tbe
forests, both in the various districts of the country, and in the
tributary districts of the various rivers. These matters, which, on
account of the lack of uniformity in the nature of the country,
present peculiar difficulties in their study, cannot here be treated
in detail; moreover, the forest statistics, on several points, are
still rather a neglected subject in this country, inasmuch as it is
necessary to a large extent to build upon approximate estimates,
no detailed information being available.
Both the annual production and the new growth vary greatly
The production is estimated at 344,000,000 cub. feet for the whole
country, or 203 cub. feet per acre forest. Of this quantity, about
one fifth is exported, the rest consumed in the country. With a
population of about 2 ,000,000 there is an annual average consumption
for each individual in the country of 137 cub. feet
and a forest area of 8.42 acres. In the fifteen southern counties
(see the chart, nos. 1—1’5), the new growth varies from 22.8 cub.
feet per acre in the south-east of Norway, to 18.2 cub. feet
in the West Country and in southern Trondhjem county, and
11.4 cub. feet in northern Trondhjem, and for the whole fifteen
counties it amounts on an average to 20.7 cub. feet per acre
of forest. But, at the same time, the cutting down of the
forests, in these same counties, is estimated at 2 1.7 cub. feet to
each acre of forest. In the three northernmost counties also
(chart, nos. 16—18), the cutting down goes on somewhat faster
than the growth. The result is that on an average for the
whole country the forests are made to yield more than their annual
new growth.
Nor, has the ratio in which our most important forest trees
occur been very thoroughly examined into. I t is presumed that
about three fourths of the forest area of the country is covered
with conifers, and one fourth with foliage trees. The pine, the
original coniferous tree of the country, may still be considered as
very prominent in the great forests in the southern parts of the
country, and on the slopes of the Dovrefjeld. But from this point
(about 62 N. L.) to the polar circle and in the south-eastern part
of the country the bulk of the forests consists Of spruce which has
immigrated later across the low mountains forming the frontier
towards the east, and now forms extensive forests out to the very
coast line. The limit of the pine,, as a rule; is about '330 feet
higher than that of the spruce; but in some places- it has been
observed that the spruce grows up to the same height above sea-
level as the pine and in the districts near the Swedish frontièr
even higher. ' . .
As already stated, the time required by the conifers to reach
timber size varies greatly in this country, where climatic and other
conditions vaty so very much on account of the great distances
and the ruggedness of the country. In Southern Norway the
pine, when from 75 to 100 years old, is as a rule • sufficiently
large to yield timber of from 23 to 25 feet in length and 9 or 10
inches in diameter at the top. The spruce can, under favourable
conditions of growth, yield timber of the same size somewhat
earlier, and may be ripe for cutting down at an age of 70
or 80 years. But for the whole country, the period of growth
for trees ripe for felling, may be placed somewhat higher, namely,
for the pine at about 150 years, and for the spruce at 120—150
years. In the mountains and in the northern part of the country,
the period of growth may be extended to 200 years and more.
The height rarely exceeds 100 feet, and it decreases towards the
coast and northwards, in such a manner, however, that in thé
northernmost pine forests of the country, in the 70th degree of
latitude, the height of the trees may still be 60 or 65 feet:
Seeding years, as a rule, come for the pine and the spruce at
intervals of three or five years, generally more frequently in the
southern part of the country, and more rarely in the northern.
The germinating power of the seed is great, often more than 90 ?/o.
Our coniferous trees satisfy for the greater part the needs of the
country, as far as concerns building material, fuel and material
for fencing. Of the timber intended for sale, considerable quantities
are sold abroad, partly as round timber (spars, pit props,
etc.), partly as balks, partly prepared, as sawn or planed timber
and staves. The still further improvement of export timber has
of late been tried with great success, and a market has been
found abroad for entirely completed building material, windows,
doors, etc. The Norwegian spruce contains a relatively small
quantity of resin, and is therefore increasingly employed in the
production of mechanical and chemical wood pulp, an industry
which has gradually gained such importance, that in some places
it has begun to threaten the very existence of the forests. The
spruce bark is used for tanning. In many places of the country