Cæsar’s and Strabo’s descriptions agree that Great Britain was a densely
wooded country. The forest area seems to have been reduced much less
through long-continued use, than through destruction by fire and
pasture, and by subsequent formation of moors, so that it is now,
excepting that of Portugal, the smallest of any European nation in
proportion to total area, and, excepting that of Holland, in proportion
to population.
Of the 121,380 square miles, which Great Britain and Ireland represent,
less than 4 per cent., or 3 million acres, (880,000 in Scotland, 303,000
in Ireland) are forested, one-fourteenth of an acre per capita; but
there are nearly 33% of waste lands, namely over 12 million acres of
heaths, moors and other waste lands capable of forest growth, and
another 12 million acres partly or doubtfully so, while the
agricultural land in crops and pasture comprises about 48 million
acres. The waste areas re-forested, it is believed, could meet the
consumption now supplied by importations. Notably in Scotland, extensive
heaths and moors of many hundred square miles in the Northern Highlands
and the Grampian mountains--well wooded in olden times, the woods having
been eradicated supposedly for strategic reasons--are now without farms
or forests, and are mainly used for shooting preserves. In the last
thirty years, the land under tillage has continuously decreased, and now
represents less than 25 per cent. of the whole land area, grasslands
occupying 38 per cent.
The agricultural land as well as the mountain and heath lands, are to
the largest extent owned by large proprietors (in 1876, 11,000 persons
owned 72 per cent. of the total area of the British Islands). With the
exception of 67,000 acres of crownlands, the entire forest area is owned
privately, and that mostly by large landed proprietors, there being no
communal ownership, except that the municipality of London owns a forest
area (Epping Forest) devoted to pleasure, and the Water Board of
Liverpool has begun to plant some of its catchment basins.
Practically the entire wood supply is imported, and the rate of
importation is rapidly increasing. While in 1864 it was 3.4 million
tons, in 1892, 7.8 million tons worth 92 million dollars; in 1899, 10
million tons and 125 million dollars; in 1902, it had grown to 138
million dollars, and in 1906 to 141 million (700 million cubic feet) in
which $7.4 million of wood manufactures, against which an export of $19
million mainly wood manufactures, must be offset. This makes England
the largest wood importer in the world, Germany coming next, and the
amount paid to other countries exceeds the value of her pig iron output.
Nearly 90 per cent. of the import is coniferous material, from Sweden,
Russia and Canada. The home product, mostly oak ties, mineprops, etc.,
satisfies about one-sixth of the consumption. In addition to timber and
lumber, over 10 million dollars of wood pulp, and 60 million dollars of
by-products are imported. The total wood consumption per capita is
between 12 and 14 cubic feet, half of what it was 50 years ago.
* * * * *
Pine is the only native conifer of timber value, and oak is the most
important native deciduous tree, found mostly in coppice or in old,
overmature, straggling pasture woods. Compact larger forest areas are
entirely absent, but there are many small plantations and parks. For,
while Englishmen have not been foresters, they have been active
treeplanters, and the mild climate has permitted the introduction of
many exotics, especially American conifers. Most of these plantings have
been for park and game purposes. The most noted forest plantations are
found in Scotland, among them the larch plantations of the Duke of
Athole (begun in 1728), of at one time over 10,000 acres, the ducal
woodlands now covering over 20,000 acres; the pinery of 25,000 acres,
belonging to the Countess of Sealfield, the best managed forest
property, partly in natural regeneration, and others. But these
plantations too are mostly widely spaced and trimmed, hence not
producing timber of much value, so that timber of British production is
usually ruled out by architects.