76 AMERICAN FORESTRY 



species, possibly Furaccc). Also of can easily be penetrated anywhere with 



great importance are Apitong (Diptcro- little or no cutting. 



carpus GrandiHorus) and Tanguile The forest floor is almost free from 



(Sliorca Polyspcrma) , the former be- weeds and is covered with a very thin 



ing found in groups on almost all situ- leaf litter. There is no mat of partly 



ations up to alwut 2,500 feet, the latter decomposed leaves as in a temperate 



as scattered individuals above 700 feet forest, and no layer of humus. The 



elevation. soil (a clay, with about twenty to 



In addition to these, there is Bagtican twenty-five per cent sand), is fresh to 

 Lavan (Parashorea Plicata) and White moist, and is thoroughly mixed with a 

 Lavan (Pciitacjiia Contorta, also called large proportion of humus, which keeps 

 Shorca Contorta), neither of which oc- it in excellent physical condition, 

 curs in large enough quantities to be of All this is due to the extremely rapid 

 much importance. These trees all grow forces of decay, on account of the 

 to large sizes, with great, spreading abundant heat and moisture. Thus we 

 buttresses, but clean and cylindrical have a combination of factors which 

 stems for great heights above the but- make as perfect conditions of growth 

 tresses. Thus they have an excellent as can be found anywhere in the world, 

 form for sawing, and yield lumber It is believed by the chief of the Branch 

 which is especially characterized by of Investigation that trees reach three 

 the practical absence of knots. They feet in diameter within less than 100 

 would average approximately thirty- years in this forest, 

 three inches in diameter above the but- The principal types are briefly as fol- 

 tresses by 100 feet or more in clear lows : On the flats and lower slopes 

 length, trees of five feet in diameter we find chiefly Red Lavan and Almon, 

 above the buttresses and 120 feet clear mixed with Apitong, this last occurring 

 being not uncommon. The average somewhat in groups on account of its 

 volume per acre, from an estimate made more light-demanding nature. From 

 by the Bureau of Forestry, is 50,000 about 800 to 2,500 feet elevation. Tan- 

 board-feet, of which, unfortunately, guile comes in and, though scattering, 

 about thirty-five to forty per cent is is so common that it forms the key-tree 

 unsound on account of the large num- of the type. Red Lavan, Almon, and 

 ber of over-mature trees. Apitong are also abundant. On this 



The most striking feature of the for- type, at about 1,800 feet, we begin to 



est, from a silvicultural point of view, get a layer of humus about an inch and 



is its uneven-aged character, with the a half thick, just as in temperate for- 



trees of difi^erent ages so evenly dis- ests. The trees here become shorter 



tributed that all ages would be repre- boled. 



sented on a sixteenth of an acre, in- Above 2,500 feet to about 3,000 feet, 

 stead of tending to form groups, as in we find a number of smaller, short- 

 most uneven-aged forests, except those boled, crooked trees, chiefly of the fam- 

 in text-books. The canopy formed is ily of Ericacca, of no commercial im- 

 complete. portance. Among them occurs the tree 



The undergrowth is chiefly creeping fern, a picturesque survivor of a family 



bamboo, Bejuco (the rattan of com- widely distributed in a former geolog- 



merce, and extremely useful in a hun- ical period. Here we find a thick layer 



dred different ways) ; an Oncaspcrma of moss covering the forest floor, 



species (a cane with spines), Pinanda Above 3,400 feet to the top of the 



(a small palm), Palma Brava (Liv- mountains at about 5,200 feet, prac- 



ingstonia Whipcordii, reaching a height tically the only tree is the Cypress 



of sixty to seventy feet), and a num- (Dacrydium species, belonging to the 



ber of other palms and canes. Al- Taxacece). This is so crooked and 



though fairly thick in places, it is no- gnarled and so thickly covered, even to 



where as dense as the tropical under- the ends of the branches, with moss in 



growth of the popular imagination. It whicli bushes and even its own seed- 



