54 REPORT OF FORESTRY BUREAU, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 

 RECOMMENDATIONS. 



Two great obstacles are encountered in providing for a forestry erv- 

 ice of these islands, namely, a lack of properly trained officials ftnd, 

 second, a great variety of unknown tree species. 



The United States this year inaugurates the scientific exploitatjm of 

 50,000,000 acres of public forest land. The few foresters now ji the 

 States will be offered inducements to enter that service. 



Fifty trained foresters would find ample work in the Philippirt for- 

 ests at the present time, but it is doubtful if appeals to the foestry 

 service in Germany, India, and Java would result in securing alf a 

 dozen men. The great objection offered by these men, as I have tated 

 before, will be that no provision is made for retirement for disbility 

 or for age. Life in the Tropics, and especially in a tropical foisst, is 

 not without considerable danger, and a foreigner can hardly be ex ected 

 to leave the forestry service in his own country to go to strang< lands 

 where pernicious malaria or dysentery may incapacitate him w:hin a 

 few months after his arrival. 



These forests can be properly cared for as soon as trained fojesters 

 are provided. 



It is believed that a personal visit to Germany, India, and Jva by 

 some one interested in this service, and with authority to employ Jwould 

 result in securing a few men. 



The next difficulty will be found in finding a market for the 

 hundred varieties of native woods found within a comparative! 



everal 

 small 



area in almost any part of these islands. 



The first step "in this direction is now being made. One hundred 

 varieties of native woods have been selected, polished, and labelid, and 

 shipped to the United States, where they are to be placed on exhibition 

 at the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, and later to be permaiently 

 placed in the Agricultural Department at Washington. The exhibi- 

 tion of these hard woods will interest our furniture makers, aijd may 

 tend to divert buyers from Central and South America to the Philip- 

 pines. A vast amount of hard wood is imported into the UnitedStates 

 each year at a high price. There is no reason why many of the Philip- 

 pine varieties of fine quality should not find a ready market with the 

 furniture makers. 



Many fine varieties of native woods are not popular in the Philip- 

 pines on account of their nonresistance to the white ant and climate, 

 which objections would not be met with in the United States. 



The regulations provide for the felling of all trees by selection. 

 Objections will be made by the lumbermen that there is no marketfor the 

 400 or 500 varieties of tree species thus selected. The duty of and ing 

 a market for such varieties thus devolves upon the forestry bureau. 

 There are at present samples of more than 450 varieties of natire tree 

 species in the office at Manila. Each month will find more varieties 

 added to this number, and in time, after investigation of the qualitv of 

 these woods as to strength and durability, more varieties will become 

 popular in the market. 



The forestry school should be inaugurated as soon as possible at 

 Manila for the purpose of training the present forestry officials. 

 Very respectfully, 



GEORGE P. AHERN, 

 Captain Ninth U. S. Infantry, in Charge of Bureau. 



The SECRETARY OF WAR. 



