OPPORTUNITIES FOR LUMBERING IN 

 THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 



BY 



CAPTAIN GEORGE P. AHERN 



Chief Philippine Bureau of Forestry 



1 N 1876 the Spanish officials estimated the forest area 

 of the Philippines at 51,537,243 acres. In 1890 

 Fernando Castro estimated it at 48,112,920 acres. 



The forests of these islands are unlike those usually 

 found in temperate climes, in that no one species, 

 except the genus pinus, is found in pure different 

 stands. A stand containing forty species or more to 

 the acre is not uncommon. Such forests are naturally 

 cut by the so-called "selection" system. The trees 

 removed in selection cuttings are those from 24 to 40 

 inches, thus leaving in the forest only young trees too 

 small to cut, and over-mature trees, which are generally 

 defective and which should have been the first ones 

 removed, as the timber of the same becomes less 

 valuable each year. The seeds of these old trees 

 the source of reproduction generally do not repro- 

 duce as vigorous seedlings as do seeds from trees in 

 the prime of life. 



Under the native methods of lumbering, after the 

 felling of the medium-sized trees of desirable classes, 

 we generally find left on each acre a great number of 

 trees which have very little present merchantable value. 

 These present a serious difficulty in that these trees 

 frequently bear a greater amount of seed, and at an 

 earlier age than do trees of the better species. In mark- 

 ing and selecting trees for felling, the forester attempts 



