Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1900-12-08
RICH IN ITS FORESTS
PHILIPPINES ABOUND
WITH VALUABLE TREES
Over 500 Species--All Forests Made
Of Mixed Varieties Previous Laws
Allowed IndiScriminate
Cutting.

washington, NOV. 2b.-l ne dlNlSlOES
of customs and insular affairs of tic
War Depaf,ment has made puDl'c a
summary of the first report of the
Philippine Bureau OF Froestry. organ
lied in its present form under an order
OF the military Governor, datci April
"a, 1900. Its first work was conhned
to ascertaining the conditions of the
records received from the Spanish Gov
eminent. under which that bureau had
not only had the care of the forests. hat
also the survey of the public lands.
The laws in force at the time Of Am
erican occupation are said to be in
line with the most advanced legislation
of Europe, but were not fully enforced,
and licensed the cutting of any and
everything. The result was that valu-
able rubber. gutta percha, and ylang.
ylang trees were taken, and even tie
most valuable used as frewood.
The old regulations were translated
and revised, taking effect in their new
form on July LIST last. They provide 20.
system of licensing by which per
mits to cut timber can be secured, INC
fees being based upon the different
varieties. of which 1896 are named in the
order. After the regulations were pro-
mulgated more than fifty additional
species of trees became known, and
others are being brought to the know
ledge of the bureau almost every week.
The director, Captain Ahern, estimates
the total number OF tree species in no
archipelago at nearly 500
There are no pure forests of any one
species, rarely more than three or four
trees of one variety being found group
ed together, so that lumberman look
ing for a shipload of one kind of tim
Der would find 1t practically impossible
to cut that and no other and cargoe3
must be assembled from different
points. Captain Ahern states that from
different sources OF information he Is
led to believe the public forest lands
comprise from one-fourth to possibly
one-half the area Of the Philippines, or
from 20,000,000 to 100000 acres.
There are fully 100000 acres of virgin
forest owned by the state in the ISL
ands of Mindoro and Paragua. The ISL
and of Mindanao, with an area of some
10000, 900 acres lis almost entirely COW
cred with timber, and even in the prov
ince of Cayagan. in Luzon, there are
more than 100000 acres of forest.
In many other provinces of Luzon.
especially in the country close to Ma
Mia, much timber has been cut, and to
I'LL large contracts the lumber men are
Obliged to go quite distance from
the city in order to find a suita Bile
tract.
Captain Ahern mentions tracts #
virgin forests TO be seen on the south
ern islands, where from 10000 to 10000
cubic feet of magnificent timber per
acre was standing, with trees more
than $50 feet In height. the trunks clear
OF branches for sixty feet and more
than four feet in diameter. He states
that in these forests there are millions
Of cubic feet of timber which should
be cut in order to thin this dense
growth. so that the maximum annual
growth could be obtained.
There are large variety of valuable
gum, rubber and gutta percha trees.
seventeen dye woods and the ylang-
ylang, the oil from blossoms of which
latter tree is the base of so many per-
fumes.
There are no forest roads or river
driveways in the islands considered
worthy Of mention. At present the
trees are felled far from any road and
hauled out very slowly by one or more
carabao, with the result that many
tracts are left untouched