HARDWOOD RECORD 



25 



Composition and Volume of Vhilippine Forests 



The economic aspect of the predominance 

 of dipterocarp (commercial) forests in the 

 Philippines is significant, as this type repre- 

 sents from 50 to 95 per cent of the total 

 volume. The high percentage of the mem- 

 bers of one family, in many places approach- 

 ing pure stands, and the comparatively high 

 bulk per unit of surface, make lumbering on 

 a large scale with modern appliances pos- 

 sible. Making liberal allowances for un- 

 sound timber, the areas investigated are esti- 

 mated to run from 8,000 to 30,000 board 

 feet per acre, while individual acres will 

 often yield as much as 100,000 board feet. 

 The volume of the dipterocarp forests, includ- 

 ing all species, is about 200,000,000,000 feet 

 of lumber, board measure. 



The dipterocarp woods may be divided into 

 three groups. Of these, the lauans are more 

 or less similar to the white pine of this 

 country, as to mechanical structure, though 

 they are somewhat harder. Trees of this 

 group are used locally for light, general con- 

 struction, and will probably replace imported 

 woods of similar character. The apitongs, 

 the second group, seem more allied to the 

 hard pines in wood characteristics, and are 

 used for heavier classes of construction. The 

 third group, the yacals, are hard and dura- 

 ble, and are generally used for all construc- 

 tion purposes, particularly where durability 

 in contact with the soil is essential. The 

 great bulk of the dipterocarp forests is, how- 

 ever, composed of the first two groups. Of 

 the species outside of the dipterocarp family, 

 probably one-half is composed of trees 

 whose wood would grade with these two 

 groups. 



The impression is general that tropical for- 

 ests yield woods which cannot compare with 

 the conifers of temperate regions. It is 



true of the Philippine forests that, with the 

 exception of a very limited stand of pine, the 

 species are mostly broad -leaved, and would in 

 the United States be classed as hardwoods. 

 The physical characteristics of the wood, 

 however, are more similar to the pine and 

 other conifers. 



The idea referred to, that the tropics pro- 

 duce nothing but hardwoods suitable for spe- 

 cial purposes, as teak for shipbuilding and 

 mahogany for fine cabinet work and finish, 

 is due, in most cases, to a number of causes. 

 The first of these is the wood-destroying 

 forces, which are developed to a much greater 

 extent in the tropics than in temperate re- 

 gions. This development is augmented by 

 continual heat and moisture, and, in addi- 

 tion to the fungi thus created, the presence 

 of vast swarms of white ants is of great 

 detriment to untreated timbers and all classes 

 of wood. The second cause can be stated as 

 being the prevailing low prices paid for 

 other than fancy woods for use in special 

 purposes. The crude methods in vogue ren- 

 der logging operations extremely expensive, 

 and it is only due to the high prices received 

 for rare woods that this class of trees is 

 taken out at all. "With the cost of operating 

 remaining the same for cheaper species, and 

 the price, on the other hand, maintaining a 

 much lower level, it is readily seen that these 

 trees must be left entirely alone until the 

 introduction of more modern and economical 

 methods. The last two causes to be enume- 

 rated are, the fact that the large demand for 

 cheap construction timber is filled by bamboo 

 stems and palms, and the fact that no wide- 

 spread attempt has ever been made to place 

 the ordinary run of construction woods of the 

 tropics on the market of temperate regions. 



It is known from the above that the volume 



per acre of the dipterocarp forests of the 

 Philippines would easily warraat lumbering 

 operations on a large scale, and the supply 

 is suifieient to allow of a large per cent of 

 export of the cheaper classes of timber. 

 Probably in the course of time such woods 

 will be introduced to the foreign markets in 

 temperate regions and will command a price 

 that will allow them to compete successfully 

 with timber of a like grade. That it is not 

 done at the present time is due to certain un- 

 avoidable economic conditions, which will in 

 time be overcome. 



Proceedings of National Lumber Manufac- 

 turers' Association in Eook Form 



.\t the recent .innual meetin;^ of the Natioual 

 Lumber Macufacturers* Associatiou resolutions 

 were passed to the effect that the proceedings of 

 that convention should be published in book 

 form, which book is now completed. It is 6x!> 

 inches, printed on good quality paper and cloth 

 bound, stamped in gold. There are about 300 

 pages, which are properly indexed for ready 

 reference. Manager Bronson has fixed the price 

 at 50 cents, which just covers the cost of print- 

 ing and mailing, and as there is but a limited 

 edition, he urges that those desiring copies com- 

 municate with the association, or with his office 

 in the Fisher Building, Chicago, as early as pos- 

 sible. 



The contents of the book are of particular 

 value and interest to timber owners or lumber 

 producers or to any one in any way connected 

 with the lumber business or with forestry. Ex- 

 haustive articles on various important topics- 

 were read at the New Orleans meeting by au- 

 thorities on the various subjects covered, and 

 these articles are printed in fuU in the proceed- 

 ings. Some of the topics covered are Timber 

 Land Taxation, Private Forestry, Lumber Pro- 

 duction of the United States, Utilization of 

 Waste in Forest and Mill, Freight Classification. 

 Forest Fire Prevention and Control, The Future 

 of Stumpage and Lumber Values, Uniform In- 

 spection and others of equal Interest. 



TYPICAL PHILIPPINE FOREST SCENES. 



