420 The Philippine Journal of Science mm 



billion board feet of standing timber in the Philippines is es- 

 timated to be dipterocarp. The large size of the individual 

 trees, the density of the stand, and the readiness with which the 

 market receives the timber for construction and finishing work 

 of all kinds make the forest an extremely important one to the 

 logger; and capital has already been invested in the commercial 

 development of this forest to a very considerable extent. Other 

 timber of greater value for cabinetwork and interior finish is 

 found in the Philippines, as throughout the tropics, but not in 

 sufficiently heavy stands to warrant the investment of large 

 amounts of capital. Certain grades of dipterocarp timber are, 

 however, eminently suited to take the place of such woods as 

 walnut and mahogany, while other grades furnish excellent 

 construction timber; these two uses make the exploitation of 

 the forests on a large scale a certainty. If the destruction that 

 has attended the exploitation of valuable forests in other coun- 

 tries is not to be repeated here it will be necessary to obtain 

 a thorough understanding of their growth and reproduction, 

 from which can be deduced a rational system of silvicultural 

 management. 



The importance of the sal forest, a dipterocarp type of India 

 and Burma, has long been recognized by Indian foresters who 

 have prepared elaborate plans for its management. In general, 

 however, the importance of the dipterocarp type has not been 

 recognized, but from data at hand it seems probable that it 

 is just as important throughout the Indo-Malayan region as 

 a whole as in the Philippines. The impression has prevailed 

 that the tropics furnish only very heavy hardwoods and cannot 

 be counted on for soft and medium-hard construction timbers, 

 which constitute the bulk of these used throughout the world. 

 Thus Femow '- says : 



Most of the woods of the tropics are very hard, fit primarily for 

 ornamental use and hence less necessary. Possibly a change in the methods 

 of the use of wood may also change the relative economic values, but 

 at present the vast forests of the tropical countries are of relatively 

 little importance in the discussion of wood supply for the world. 



It seems evident that this statement does not apply to the 

 Indo-Malayan region and certainly not to the Philippines nor 

 to the sal forests of India and Burma. The dipterocarps, in 

 general, are soft and medium-hard woods, and without doubt 

 occur in suflBcient quantities partially to meet the world's demand. 

 That they are not more generally used for construction purposes 



"Fernow, B. E., A brief history of forestry. University Press, Toronto; 

 Forestry Quarterly, Canibi-idge, Mass. (1911), 4. 



