506 United States. 



of trees, mostly heavy woods, composing the forest, 

 some 160 are marketable at home and in China; yet 

 almost fifty per cent, of the home consumption is 

 imported from the States, owing to absence or in- 

 accessibility of softwoods, and high cost due to ex- 

 cessive expense of present logging methods. 



When the United States took charge of the islands it 

 was found that the Spaniards had since 1863 a forestry 

 service, manned by Spanish foresters, and in the lower 

 ranks by Filipinos. To be sure, the activities of this 

 forestry bureau went hardly beyond the collection of 

 dues for timber licenses, which yielded little more than 

 the cost of the service,although on paper excellent in- 

 structions were found elaborated. 



It so happened that an officer of the American 

 army, Captain George P. Ahern, had for some time 

 given attention to forestry matters in the States, and 

 he naturally was placed in charge of this bureau, in 

 1900. There were found to be around one million 

 acres private and church property, the rest being con- 

 sidered State lands, but all private owners were re- 

 quired to register their holdings before being allowed 

 to exercise their rights. A system of licenses for 

 cutting timber, and of free use permits to the poor 

 population was continued after Spanish models. Not 

 only was an efficient administration gradually se- 

 cured, but the technical side of dendrological and 

 silvicultural knowledge was developed as rapidly as 

 possible under the able administration of Captain 

 Ahern, a continuously growing literature being the 

 result. 



