298 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



able for cabinet purposes, for dyes and extracts, and for 

 special uses requiring extreme hardness and durability. 

 Crude and costly methods of lumbering have been resjjon- 

 sible for the misconception. Under the existing conditions 

 only those woods which met no competition in the market 

 could be handled at a profit. Thorough investigations, 



LOGGING IN ECUADOR 



It is estimated that the forest area of Ecuador embraces about 376,050 squari- 

 kilometers, of which 241,662 are of tropical hardwoods: 84,878 square kilometL-rs 

 of subtropical hardwoods; and 49,510 square kilometers of mahoj^any forests. 

 There is practically no importation of foreign timber into Ecuador, owing to the 

 heavy protection of the home industry. Guayaquil was once famous as a ship- 

 building center and exporter of lumber, and efforts are being made by the 

 Government to revive the lumber industry and to develop the splendid resources 

 of the country's forestal wealth. 



which have been made recently, conclusively show that 

 modem methods of logging will reverse that imusual con- 

 dition and woods which it has been cheaper to import 

 from countries thousands of miles away will be replaced 

 by native woods of superior quality and at a cheaper price. 

 The world needs vast quantities of wood, and no spot 

 on the earth with abundant forest wealth is too remote to 

 prevent a jjrofitable harvesting of the timber crops. Quan- 

 tity of the product, coupled with size and quality, are the 

 only factors determining or limiting the degree of utiliza- 

 tion. With the Amazon basin to draw on, South America 

 has the wonderful opportunity of becoming the center of 

 the world's lumber industry. If the various governments 

 will organize forest services and train their young men as 

 foresters, the wealth of this region will flow into their 

 treasuries. South America's future and many of the great 

 problems of forest administration in Europe and North 

 America depend on how tliis forest is treated. If it is 

 destroyed, as the forests of Argentina, Paraguay, and 

 southern Brazil are being destroyed, it will mean economic 

 niin, probably also absolute physical ruin, to land, climate, 

 property, and life on a great part of the southern continent. 

 If, on the other hand, it is protected and properly utilized, 

 South America becomes the center of the world's pros- 

 perity in the years to come. The saving of this forest also 



means that Europe and North America will have time to 

 repair their damaged forests, to perfect their organization, 

 so as to meet the demands without destroying the capital. 

 Only by obtaining great supplies from these virgin forests 

 of South America can this crucial time in the great struggle 

 for forest conservation be safely passed. 



The Yale Forest School is doing the world a service in 

 establishing courses that will make it possible for students 

 from foreign coimtries to get an education in the kind of 

 forestry they will be called upon to practice. Upon grad- 

 uation such men can return to their own countries and be 

 the leaders in the forestry movement there. They can 

 carry on propaganda work that will aid in educating the 

 public to the need of a strong forest conservation policy. 

 They will be equipped to organize forestry departments to 



THE JEQUITIBA TREE OF BRAZIL 



This magnificent giant of the Brazilian forests, known as the jequitiba branco 

 iCourntari speciosa), often attains a diameter of 5 to 7 meters and a height of 

 over 30 meters. It is said that instances are known where the trunk of a single 

 tree produced more than 8 metric tons of wood. The wood, which is of whitish 

 color, is soft and very light, and is extensively used in making boxes, cases and 

 crates, and as a substitute for pine. 



carry out the policy when adopted. They will urge the 

 estabUshment of forest schools in connection with the 

 govemmcnt or universities so that, as the forestry move- 

 ment grows, the country will be in a position to train its 

 own foresters. They will be trained to do investigative 

 work. The courses in lumljcring will acquaint them with 

 the modern methods which must be apphed. In short, they 

 will be equipped to establish the forests on the ideal basis — 

 one of permanent, maximum yield. 



[Editor's Note. — Most of the information and many complete statements in this article are taken from articles by Dr. H. N. Whit- 

 ford, Assistant Professor of Tropical Forestry at Yale University, Mr. H. M. Curran, Special Lecturer on South American Forests at Yale, and 

 Mr, Raphael Zon, Chief of Forest Investigations of the United States Forest Service, and the photographs are from the Pan American Union. 



