The Philippine Bureau of Forestry. 605 



At the close of 1908 there were only four foresters in charge 

 of the ten districts — now reduced to three, with two foresters in 

 one of the three. The administrative work in control of public 

 forests was found to be unsatisfactory, due to insufficient force, 

 and to the privilege of free use of timber granted October, 1905, 

 for a period of five years. It was impossible with the limited 

 administrative force to control the abuse of the free use privilege, 

 and trespass of all kinds, especially the making of caingins or 

 clearings in public forests without permit. The need for more 

 intensive management and protection of public forests became 

 very evident. 



In the meantime the Division of Investigation, with a force of 

 three American foresters and some native rangers, had completed, 

 by the close of 1908, a land classification map, so essential as a 

 basis for properly organizing the public forests for administra- 

 tion, of nearly half the archipelago. These maps showed the 

 location and distribution of the following four broad vegetative 

 types : commercial forest ; non-commercial and second growth ; 

 grass lands ; agricultural lands. By this time there had also been 

 collected an immense amount of botanical material and wood 

 specimens, and a knowledge obtained of the relative amount and 

 commercial value of the different species of timber. Several 

 working plans had also been made, and special examinations of 

 tracts for concessions to large lumber companies. The possi- 

 bilities for lumbering were more extensively advertised. 



The work of the Division of Investigation, especially in the way 

 of mapping, formed a basis for more intensive organization and 

 administration of Philippine forests, and in 1909 this work was 

 commenced. Two provinces (Bataan and Negros) were taken 

 in hand that year for the organization of more intensive forest 

 control, with an American forester in charge of each. 



In the future several provinces are to be taken in hand each 

 year and organized along similar intensive lines. The area in 

 charge of a single forester is about 500,000 acres in one province 

 and 300,000 acres in the other. Under the forester are five to 

 ten rangers and ten to twenty guards. The work of organizing 

 the different forests is under the Division of Investigation and 

 each forest to be subsequently transferred to the Division of Ad- 



