281 



Wood Cutting. 



In some parts of tlie islands, human agency has contributed 

 largely to forest destruction. In the early days the ])rimitive 

 sugar mills were almost entirely dependent on wood for the fuel 

 used in their furnaces before the improved methods of grinding 

 produced a bagasse that could be used at once under the boilers 

 and naturally the plantation managers turned to the most access- 

 ible fuel supply, which was the native forest. The removal of 

 thousands of oxcart loads of native wood for this pur])ose add- 

 ed to the general forest destruction. Some of this cutting was 

 justified because the ax was followed by the plow and the land 

 utilized for agricultural purposes. It is a matter of common- 

 sense economy always to put the land to its highest use and 

 where good soil is available and the raising of crops upon it 

 feasible, it should most certainly be used for the purpose which 

 will give the greatest return in the long run. In the clearing of 

 such lands, however, too much carelessness was displayed in 

 drawing the line up to which agricultural crops could be raised 

 successfully and too little care given to the remaining forest. In 

 consequence, a great many of the plantations would today have a 

 far better and more permanent water supply and would not have 

 such destructive floods in the rainy season had the forests back 

 of them been given greater protection from the start and not 

 been allowed to deteriorate in any respect. 



Fire. 



Fire has done its share of destruction in the more arid regions 

 and in the humid forests whenever a drought has dried out the 

 woods sufficiently for fire to run. 



Insects and Fungi. 



These primary causes of forest destruction have been closely 

 followed up by such attendant ills as insect and fungi attack and 

 the invasion of faster growing introduced weeds and grasses 

 which have formed such a compact ground cover that the native 

 trees have not been able to reestablish themselves by natural 

 reproduction. 



The Present Forest. 



These agencies, working in combination or independently, have 

 driven the native forest back and altered the area of original 

 virgin forest so materially during the past 150 years that it has 

 been reduced to about 25% of the total land area of the Territory. 

 This record of forest destruction is surpassed in only a few other 

 similar islands. The original forest area of Cuba has been re- 

 duced to 20% of its total area, while of the once extensive 



