16 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



TIMBER RESOURCES OF THE ISLAND 



MUCH VALUABLE TIMBER YET REMAINS— A HUNT FOR HARDWOOD— THE 



CUBAN WALNUT 



The forest areas of the island are mainly in 

 the Santiago consular district, and although 

 during the last decade immense areas have 

 been cleared for cultivation, it is estimated 

 that about one-seventh of the cultivable area 

 of Camaguey and Oriente Provinces yet 

 remains in primeval forests. While un- 

 doubtedly there still exists in the Cuban 

 forests much valuable timber, they have been 

 depleted to a great extent of those valuable 

 woods for which there is a demand in foreign 

 markets, expecially cedar and mahogany. The 

 Government exercises control over the forests, 

 whether of public or private ownership, and 

 no timber can be cut for any purpose without 

 permit being obtained from the chief of the 

 bureau of forestry of the district in which the 

 timber is located. Notwithstanding the 

 stringent laws and regulations adopted to pre- 

 vent the cutting of timber on lands by persons 

 who have no right thereto, the forests on lands 

 belonging to the State have been robbed and 

 in a great measure stripped of their most valu- 

 able products. Much of the land classified as 

 forest or timberland has long since been stripped 

 of all timber of marketable value, and at the 

 present rate of extraction with no effort at 

 refore.station, it will not be long until no mer- 

 chantable timber will be found in the island. 



There were exported from the consular 

 district to the United States during the calen- 

 dar year 1913 mahogany logs containing in 

 the aggregate 4,063,280 board feet, the de- 

 clared value of which was $243,814, and cedar 

 logs containing 6,750,000 feet, valued at $371,- 

 250. The declared value of all other hard- 

 woods in the rough was $47,291. There 

 were also exported to the United States cedar 

 strips used for the manufacture of cigar boxes, 

 valued at $102,254, and 685 tons of lignum- 

 vitae worth $18,181.' — United States Consular 

 Report. 



HUNTING HARD WOODS 



In the August number of American Forestry, 

 is a brief description by E. V. Preston of a 

 journey recently made into Camaguey Pro- 

 vince, Cuba, in order to examine a large tract 

 of hardwood timber. Most of the woods re- 

 ferred to are of syjecies but little known in the 

 United States. Mr Preston says: 



"I recently spent some time in examining a 

 tract of timber in Camaguey Province, Cuba. 

 To reach this tract we were obliged to leave 

 the railroad and travel by horseback for a 

 distance of 40 miles. This part of the trip 

 led us over a level counti-y which for the first 

 5 miles was largely planted in cane fields and 

 grapefruit gi'oves. After that the country 

 became wild, with settlements miles apart and 

 no roads except cart trails through the woods. 

 The timber was all small and of little value 



except for railroad ties and fence posts. The 

 underbrush and vines were so thick that we 

 could not go through without cutting away 

 with a machette. 



The royal palm also grows plentifully on 

 these lands. The natives use this tree for their 

 houses, the leaves for roof and sides, and the 

 woody shell of the trunk split up into strips 

 for the frame. A little native Cuban told me 

 that four or five trees would supply seed 

 enough to raise and fatten one hog. The 

 natives also find the tree serviceable for 

 making beehives, using a section of the out- 

 side shell about 30 inches long. The inside 

 of the trunks of the palms are pithy and soft 

 and easily removed, leaving the hard, woody 

 shell. The honey business is verj^ large among 

 the natives, many having several hundred 

 swarms. 



Arriving at the tract of timber we sought, 

 which contained 640 cabaUarias (a caballaria 

 is 33 1-3 acres), we found a much better class 

 and stand of timber than any we saw on the 

 journey. The royal palms grew thickly and 

 the underbrush and vines had to be cut away 

 before we could leave the cart trails to go into 

 the timber. 



The different species of hardwood timber 

 found on these lands are acano, Spanish cedar, 

 acuje , mahogany, jique, guaymaro, Jucaro, 

 sabacu, majagua, morura, Cuban oak, and a 

 species of rosewood and ebony. 



The acacno trees grow to a large size, the 

 wootl is hard and very beautiful, resembling 

 rosewood. The morura is used for cart hubs. 

 Jique is durable and never decays. .Jucaro 

 is a dark-colored wood used for cart spokes. 

 Sabacu is used for felloes and counter tops. 

 Ocuje is used for furniture. Majagua is used 

 for furniture, cart tongues, etc. All of these 

 species run from 16 inches in diamter at the 

 stump to 48 inches and from 20 feet to 48 feet 

 to the limbs. The mahogany and cedar run 

 from 18 inches in diameter up, but are mostly 

 short bodies from 20 to 30 feet long. The 

 ebony is small, from 8 to 12 inches in diameter 

 and short bodied. 



These lands will cut from 2,500 feet to 

 5,000 feet per acre of good saw logs of the dif- 

 ferent varieties. There is also quite a quan- 

 tity of tie timber and fence-post timber. At 

 least 60 per cent of the standing timber is 

 ocuje, the balance about equally divided 

 among the other varieties. 



I saw where large mahogany and cedar had 

 been cut and hewn on these lands, I should 

 judge more than 100 years ago. This timber 

 must have been hauled to the seashore, which 

 is 12 or 15 miles to the north. Most of this 

 tract of land is level and fertile, part of the 

 tract, however, is on a mountain side prob- 

 ably 2,000 feet high. 



