Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-04-17
FORESTRY IN THE PHILIPPINES
Graduates of American Forestry
Schools Sent to the Islands.


When the United States took pos
session of Manila the decripit Spanish
bureau o. forestry was handed over to
our care. Then came the difficult task
of reorganizing the bureau and estab-
lsbing an efficient forestry service I'M
der American guidance The man Sc,
lected for this work was Capt George
=. Ahern, of the 9Th infantry, Who was
appointed director of the forestry bu-
reau at Manila, and the success which
mas been attained shows the wise
choice made in the appointment. Capt
Ahern is graduate of West Point and
of the Yale law school, and has for
some years been an enthusiastic al
vocate of forestry in, this country.
Under his energetic management the
success of the Philippine forestry
service is assured.
Ii soon became evident that the
great need of the Philippine bureau
of forestry was a corps of young
Americans, with a forestry training
which would enable them to fully de-
velop the great natural forest re-
| sources of the islands. 1t was with
the view of Obtaining these men that
the Taft Philippine commission sent
Capt, Ahern to the United States in
May of the past year, AS a result of
this visit six professionally educated
foresters sailed for Manila November
l, and another sailed early in FebrI-
airy. This number, although small,
will make quite a gap in the ranks OF
the small band of foresters now exist
ing in this country We have now,
however, two fully organized schools
of forestry, one at Cornell with IS
students and one at Yale With 80 stu
dents; hence we may soon hope to
have supply of professional forest
ers sufficient for the existing demand,
The inducements and opportunities
offered by the Philippine forestry sery-
| ice are, however, sufficiently alluriag
to draw a small per centage of our
graduates for some time to come
The New York state college of for.
estry this year furnishes the largest
quota of men for the Philippine serv-
| ice. Its contribution consists of two
members of the senior class, Messrs.
| Clarke and Klemme, who were suf-
| ficiently advanced to pass the civil
service examinations; Mr.. Hagger, a
| German trained forester who has been
manager of the college forest in the
Adirondacks; and Mr.. Bryant, the first
student to receive a forestry degree
from an American forest school. who
leaves a position with the New York
state fish, forest and game commits
sion. From the United States
bureau of forestry Capt. Ahern So
ford and Griffith and of s. N. Nicely, 6
civil engineer.
The duties of these men will be O
varied nature. Briefly stated, theil
first work will be to learn what they
have in the way of forest products
determine the possible uses of tho
woods. and to look up markets for the
forest products. A stop, too. must bt
put to the illegal cutting and selling
of the rich tropical woods. Under the
present conditions much timber is
cut on government land and no reVe-
nue. paid on it, At Manila laboratory
for the study of timber physics and
for wood-testing will be established, in
which will be determined the values
and properties of the many woods
found on the islands. In addition, a
botanical classification of the existing
! species Will be carried on There are
at present sos species classified and
over so varieties of the rubber tree
identified but much work is yet to be
done along these lines.
That the bureau will be successful
from financial standpoint is evident
from recently published figures: The
Spanish forestry bureau at its best
never collected over $12,500 per month
(Mexican money!. Under the Ameri-
can regime $4,000 (gold) per month
was received at the very start while
the total received in revenues during
the first fiscal year was $4,000 Al
present the revenues are about $50, 900
| (Mexican) per month";. A. Sterling