The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-27
FORESTS OF THE
PHILIPPINES
Character, Extent and Oppor
tunities Outlined by Gov
eminent Forester.
Special to The Globe

Special to The Globe
WASHINGTON. D. c., Jan. 26.-Gif~
ford PinchOt chief of the bureau of
forestry, has returned from the Philip.
pines, where he was sent last August
by Secretary Wilson at the request of
the secretary of war, to report on the
forest policy of the islands.
A personal examination of the Phil
ippine forests and q study of market
conditions have convinced Mr.. Pinchot
of the value OF the timber and of the
very great opportunities zon the islands
for government forestry. Both for for
estry and for foresters," he says, "the
Philippine offer the finest field know
of. The forestry bureau of the islands
under Capt. George P. Ahern, has
charge of the development of valuable
forests composed of trees the names of
which are mostly unfamiliar to Ameri-
cans and of whose habits we know
comparatively nothing An unlimited
Held for profitable study is offered the
young foresters now entering the Phil
tpptne service. The objection that the
Islands are dangerously unhealthy is a
mistaken one. l believe that a man
who takes care of himself may work
With entire safety in the Philippines"
On gunboat placed at his disposal
by Gov. Taft, Mr.. Pinchot, in com
pany with Capt. Ahern, made a trip Of
5000 miles among the islands. The
sailing was done at night, when posi-
BILE; landings were made in the day.
and the forests of allsthe larger islands
and of many of the smaller ones We're
examined.
Probably more than half the area OF
the islands is in forest" says Mr..
Ptnchot "The best timber I saw was In
Mindanao, on the road built by the
army from the coast to Linao, where
the hghting with the Moros has been
going on. There the best trees are $50
to IT'S feet high, with clear lengths Of
80 to 100 feet, and diameters Of to
feet. The forest is dense and inter
woven with creepers, and progress
through 1T is often impossible without
cutting way. The islands contain
large areas without forest as along the
railroad from Manila to Dagupan.
Nearly the whole island of Cebu and
parts Of Panay are without forests. On
the other hand, Mindanao and Paragua
are nearly all in forest.
The pine of the Benguet province is
about the only tree which an American
in the Philippines will recognize AL
though nearly 700 species have been
described and classified, doubtless
many Philippine trees still remain un-
known. Very many of the timbers are
fine cabinet woods; nearly ali are
heavy, and many sink in water. At
present their use is limited entirely by
their ability to withstand the attacks
of the teredo and the white ant.
LAUNDERING is problem on the ISL
ands. The death of nearly all the car
1bou has in some places reduced the
industry to the employment of hand
labor entirely, which is scarce and un-
satisfactory. What numbering is now
going on is Of the most primitive sort.
| have Seen heavy logs hauled with
tackles by hand. A considerable part
of the timber used on the islands is i'm
ported from the United States"
Mr.. Pinchot journeyed to the Philip
pines by way of Russia, where he
found an efficient and highly developed
system of government forestry. He
visited the forest schools Of St. Peters
burg and Moscow, met the forest Off
Gals and made trips with them into the
woods. He also observed the planting
on the steppes.
OF the Russian forests Mr.. Pinchct
says: They are very good, as a whole.
though not to be compared with those
of our own Pacific coast Across Rus
STA and Siberia, from Moscow to the
borders of Manchuria, one is never out
of sight of trees"
Mr.. PInchot will make a complete re.
port Of his observations in the Philip
mines