Abstract
IN an article in NATURE of December 10, 1914, p. 393, it was shown how dependent we were upon foreign countries for our supplies of pitwood, without which coal-mining could not be carried on. About half the total amount of pitwood exported in normal times into the United Kingdom comes from Baltic ports; and as a result of the action of Germany in declaring pitwood contraband, the supplies from this source have practically ceased, what now arrives from Scandinavia being merely small cargoes from Gottenburg, Christiania, and other ports outside the Baltic. The important supply of pitwood from France, Spain, and Portugal still continues, though at enhanced prices; and in case of need, large quantities can be obtained from Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, etc. Nevertheless, it became necessary to ascertain the available amount of homegrown timber suitable for use in mining; and an inquiry into the subject was undertaken by the -forestry branch of the Board of Agriculture, the report of which has been, issued with great promptitude. From this it appears that the total area of woodlands in England, 1,884,000 acres, is capable of yielding 380,000 tons of pitwood annually by normal fellings; and that by anticipating the fellings of the next five years almost 3,400,000 tons of pitwrood are available in England and Wales alone. Scotland by similar extraordinary fellings could supply about 2,500,000 tons; so that with the aid of a small quantity from Ireland, about 6,000,000 tons of pitwood could be felled, enough to keep the collieries going for eighteen months, as their average annual consumption of pitwood is approximately 4,500,000 tons.
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Home Forestry and the War . Nature 95, 176–177 (1915). https://doi.org/10.1038/095176a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/095176a0