1362 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



the country may be conveniently divided into three dis- 

 tricts. The first of these is' the great tropical forest 

 belt. This covers almost the entire peninsula of Yuca- 

 tan, as well as the small states of the southeast which 

 border on the Gulf of Campeche. Some tropical woods 

 are also found along the Pacific littoral in the far south- 

 west. 



The second area is the Temperate Zone Forest Belt. 

 This is located in the northwestern section of the Re- 

 public, extending northward almost to the American 

 border. It begins from 100 to 150 miles west of the 

 Pacific coast, and extends eastward over a large strip of 

 territory. Between these two districts is the Treeless 

 Belt, some of which is cultivated, but much of which is 

 arid. 



It is from the Tropical Forest Belt that logwood and 

 the other dye woods come. Logwood is found in the 

 southern part of the State of Yucatan, which is in the 

 extreme north of the peninsula of that name along the 

 Gulf of Campeche, and over the entire eastern section of 

 the peninsula. Its exploitation has been neglected for 

 several years. Since the demand for the product was 

 revived, however, several ineffective attempts have been 

 made to resurrect the industry in the Peninsula of Yuca- 

 tan. These in many instances have not survived the 

 effort to obtain sufficient labor. In the forests of Quin- 

 tana Roo there are piles of cut logwood which are not 

 available because laborers cannot be obtained to haul 

 them. This difficulty, coupled with the inaccessibility of 

 the product, makes exploitation very difficult, and to a 

 large extent impracticable at the present market price. 

 A lack of vessels is another difficulty which must be met 

 when the product finally reaches the town of export. 

 This logwood is used for dyeing materials and in the 

 manufacture of ink. The largest exportation of the 

 product at present is from the State of Tabasco, which 

 borders on the Gulf of Campeche. This is practically 

 the only export of the state. During two months in 

 1916, 4,371 tons were exported, valued at $327,127. All 

 of it was shipped to the United States. 



In the Tropical Forest Belt are also found mahogany, 

 ebony and other precious woods. Along the Gulf of 

 Campeche, particularly in the southwestern part of the 

 Peninsula of Yucatan, are great forests of mahogany 

 and Spanish cedar. These are chiefly in the hands of 

 American and native companies, who export considerable 

 quantities. From July, 1911, to June, 1912, mahogany 

 and Spanish cedar, valued at $1,236,000, were shipped 

 from the small town of Carmen alone. Large areas of 

 the cedar are also found in the interior of the peninsula, 

 but a lack of transportation facilities has made their ex- 

 ploitation almost impossible up to the present time. All 

 along the eastern coast of the Republic, particularly in 

 the southeast, although to a lesser extent further north 

 as well, are found tracts of mahogany in paying quanti- 

 ties. The State of Nuevo Leon, which is situated in the 

 extreme northeast some distance from the coast of the 

 Gulf of Mexico, has the chief area of ebony, which is 

 being exploited rapidly. To the east of Nuevo Leon, di- 



rectly on the coast, are large forests of mahogany which 

 have not yet been developed. 



By far the largest part of the forest products already 

 exported have come from the Tropical Forest Belt. The 

 Temperate Zone Forest Belt has until very recently been 

 practically undeveloped, and it is from this region that a 

 great increase in the lumber industry may be expected. 

 This area is a broad belt in the northwestern part of the 

 Republic, with its western edge about 150 miles from the 

 Pacific Ocean. The Sierras which traverse Mexico from 

 north to south are well wooded on both their eastern and 

 western slopes. Pine is the commercially important tim- 

 ber, the principal varieties of which, in the order of 

 importance, are yellow short leaf, yellow long leaf and 

 Weymouth. Some oaks, cedars (the kind generally 

 known as cedars in temperate zones) and other hard- 

 woods occur. Thirty-six separate and distinct varieties 

 of hardwoods have been found in the region. In the 

 short leaf pine, trees are quite common measuring from 

 four to four and one-half feet in diameter and running 

 60 feet without a limb. Spruce and fir are also found in 

 quantity, although pine constitutes approximately three- 

 fourths of the Temperate Zone Forest Belt. The rich 

 timber resources have scarcely been touched, mainly be- 

 cause of inadequate transportation facilities. In the 

 whole region, covering approximately 75,000 square 

 miles, there are less than 1,000 miles of railroads. When 

 new roads which are contemplated or in course of con- 

 struction have been completed vast tracts of virgin forest 

 land will be ready for exploitation. 



One must not imagine, however, that there is at 

 present no development of this belt. Some exportation 

 is now taking place, the timber being mostly white pine 

 of an excellent quality. Turpentine and rosin of a high 

 grade are secured as by-products. In the State of Chi- 

 huahua, for example, which is one of the leading lumber 

 states of the Temperate Zone area, the forest products 

 of the State for 1909 amounted to $1,214,784, consisting 

 principally of pine, $574,236; oak, $548,766, and mes- 

 quite, $43,991. 



From all of this it may be seen that Mexico has large 

 areas of timber, both of the cabinet and of the com- 

 mercial woods. Here are splendid opportunities for the 

 investment of American capital, if the problems raised 

 by a lack of labor and of transportation facilities can be 

 successfully overcome. The woods of the Temperate 

 Zone Forest Belt are said to rival in quality those of the 

 United States, and it is only a matter of time when both 

 forest belts will be exploited on a large scale. Is this 

 development to be carried on by American interests, 

 or by the European capitalists who already domi- 

 nate Mexico financially? American business men must 

 decide. 



CONSIDER THE WOODLOT TO KEEP 

 IT PRODUCTIVE 



