NOTES ON THE BENGUET PINE 



Interesting Description of One of the Two 

 Pines Indigenous to the Philippines 



BY 



WILLIAM M. MAULE 



Forester, Philippine Bureau of Forestry. 



CARLY BOTANISTS recognized 

 *-"' several species of pines indigen- 

 ous to the Philippines, but, so far as 

 known at present, we have only two 

 representatives, viz : Pinus iiisularis 

 and Pinus merkusii. Of these two 

 species the former is by far the more 

 abundant and widely distributed and is 

 now counted among our commercial 

 woods. 



Pinus insularis, because of its 

 abundance and use in Benguet Prov- 

 ince, has come to be known as "Ben- 

 guet pine." Its habitat is restricted to 

 the higher mountain region, at eleva- 

 tions rarely less than 1,600 feet above 

 the sea, in the provinces of Benguet, 

 Lepanto-Bontoc, Abra. and Nueva 

 Viscaya, where, owing to topography 

 and to local conditions, the stands are 

 irregular, both in density and in out- 

 line. 



Again we find it localized within a 

 small area on Mt. Iba, in central Zam- 

 bales, which is probably its southern 

 limit. 



In northern Zambales, on the upper 

 slopes of the same Cordillera, Pinus 

 merkusii covers an area of about 1,000 

 acres and is not known to occur else- 

 where in the archipelago. The latter 

 species, aside from the simple fact of 

 its occurrence, is otherwise interesting 

 from its having been reserved during 

 the Spanish regime, when it was 

 known as the "Kings' pine" (Los 

 pinos del Rey). Notwithstanding this 

 decree, they were utilized to a small 

 extent in the manufacture of naval 

 stores. 



The restricted manner in which the 

 pines occur is no doubt due to altitude, 

 with the acompanying high tempera- 



tures. The best stands are those oc- 

 cupying the protected valleys and 

 slopes where the soil is deeper and 

 trees are less exposed to strong winds. 

 On such sites the stands are more 

 compact, with greater clear length. On 

 the ridges and elsewhere in exposed 

 positions the stands partake of a more 

 open character, with trees of low 

 spreading crowns and short, heavy- 

 boles. 



The soil is a uniform reddish clay 

 loam, and, owing to the constant mois- 

 ture attendant to high altitudes, rarely 

 becomes dry. Surface rocks are not 

 abundant except in certain areas where 

 they outcrop as a result of former 

 volcanic action. A portion of these 

 are hard and resist erosion well, but 

 the greater amount are of a soft char- 

 acter and yield readily to atmospheric 

 action. 



In the zone where the pine attains 

 its best development, pure stands are 

 the rule, with a sprinkling of tree ferns 

 and small broad-leaf trees along the 

 streams. 



On descending the slopes below an 

 altitude of 1,800 feet, a gradual transi- 

 tion is apparent; the stands become 

 more open and irregular, with at first 

 a sparse mixture of broad-leaf species, 

 and, finally, at about 1,500 feet, the 

 pine disappears. 



FORM. 



The different forms which the pine 

 assumes on various sites makes it diffi- 

 cult to recognize the typical tree. 

 Under most favorable conditions of 

 soil and situation, and where fires have 

 not entered, one finds stands growing 

 in almost as close order as is charac- 

 teristic of the white pine (Pinus stro- 



