AMERICAN FOREST CONGRESS 177 



lands have shown a desire to register their titles with 

 the Bureau. The officials at our sixty forest stations 

 throughout the islands keep a sharp supervision over 

 the logging operations on private estates. The fear 

 of confiscation of the land on account of non-payment 

 of taxes, brings to the public notice the holders of all 

 land in the islands. On account of the high prices 

 of native timber during the past five years, all persons 

 who claim any woodland have presented their titles 

 for registration in the Bureau. But one large tract 

 (50,000 acres), owned by the religious order known 

 as the Recoletos, in the Island of Mindoro, has not 

 been registered. 



The private woodlands throughout the islands have 

 been pretty thoroughly cut over during the past five 

 years, and are not nearly so well timbered as the public 

 forests. 



The Bureau of Forestry has an office in Manila, 

 which controls all operations in the forests, assisted 

 by officials situated at the sixty forest stations scat- 

 tered throughout the islands. These stations are so 

 selected that the officials in charge of the district can 

 readily supervise the operations of all persons gather- 

 ing forest products. 



The forest laws and regulations of the islands are 

 based on provisions of the act of Congress of July I, 

 1902, entitled "An Act temporarily to provide for the 

 administration of the affairs of civil government in 

 the Philippine Islands, and for other purposes." Sec- 

 tions 17 and 18 of said act provide as follows : 



"Sec. 17. That timber, trees, forests, and forest 

 products on lands leased or demised by the government 

 of the Philippine Islands under the provisions of this 

 act shall not be cut, destroyed, removed, or appro- 

 priated except by special permission of said govern- 

 ment and under such regulations as it may prescribe. 



