Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1901-03-08
Over 4o, 600, 600 Acres Of Fine Timber
Lands With Over 400 Species
of Timber.
Two Hundred Trained Lumbermen Sent
to Philippines at Request of Taft
Commission.
A Bureau of Forestry Established in
the Islands With a Competent
Chief in Charge.

~
ment of agriculture has selected from it's
working force two trained lumbermen
with some knowledge of forestry, to be
sent to the Philippine islands in compli-
ance with cable request of the Taft
Philippine commission. The persons Sc
lected for this work are Mr.. Grant Bruce,
formerly state forester in New York.
and Mr.. Edward Hamilton. Both of
these men are expert lumbermen with
some training in forestry, and have been
selected in view of their special fitness
for the Philippine work.
A bureau of forestry was established
in the Philippines in April, 1900, with
Capt. George P. Ahern, Ninth United
States Infantry, in charge. The work
of this bureau has convinced the Taft
commission of the great Importance of
the timber lands as natural source of
wealth and of the necessity of putting
the bureau on substantial footing and
handling these woodlands under scien-
tific forest methods. Furthermore, it is
evident that the cutting of timber under
proper regulations will provide large
and increasing annual revenue to the
government. 1t has been found neces-
sary to permit the cutting of timber to
supply the pressing needs, but care has
been taken at the same time that the
cutting should be done in manner
that would work no injury to the future
growth Of the forests. These consider
ations led the commission to cable to
Washington for trained foresters to
assist in putting the service on a more
satisfactory footing.
Under the Spanish administration the
timber lands of the Philippine Islands
were in charge of department of fores-
try, which was organized in 1868. The
personnel Of the department was made
up of expert foresters, rangers, clerks,
draughtsmen. etc., the higher officials
being selected from the Spanish corps of
engineers.
After Captain Ahern was appointed
he received authority to appoint small
number of foresters, rangers and clerks
By September his office force had been
doubled in order to handle the work of
the bureau properly. The call for ac-
tivity on the part of those in charge of
the bureau of forestry was emphasized
at once by the lumber famine in Manila
and other important towns, owing to the
destruction of buildings during the war
and the increased demand for good
dwelling houses resulting from the large
influx of Americans. For these reasons
the telling of trees and the marketing of
lumber had to begin soon after the es-
tablishment of the bureau. Captain
Ahern is in constant communication
with the division of forestry for assis-
tance and cooperation with the Philip
pine bureau of forestry.
The work of that bureau was confined
for some months to the Island of Luzon,
but recently has been carried to other
points in the archipelago. The present
plan of the bureau is to cover all the i'm
portant forests as the development of the
working force will permit. One great
drawback which is retarding the work
of the bureau, is the lack of capable and
active subordinate officials. 1t is diff
cult to find men familiar with the forest
conditions and the uses of the woods of
the Philippines, who are entirely salts
factory in other respects. 1t is believed
that the best means of securing COM
petent and efficient force is to employ
new men and train them on the ground
as speedily as possible. In this work
Messrs. Bruce and Hamilton will be able
to render valuable assistance.
The bureau was recently reorganized
so as to consist of an officer in charge,
an inspector, botanist, chief clerk
and stenographer, translator, law
clerk. record clerk, 10 assistant fores-
ters and 20 rangers. 1t is the intention
Of the, officer in charge to work up for
est service on the lines Of the work car
ried on in the u. s. department of agri-
culture, through its division Of forestry.
The wholesale destruction Of timber viii
be stopped, and the cutting will proceed
under regulations looking TO the future
yields of the forests The FIRE question
win also receive close attention.
Captain Ahern, in recent report,
calls attention to several obstacles in the
way Of Immediate success in numbering
In the Philippine islands, the most seri-