10 CIRCULAR 21, II. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



in supplying the world's timber. Even now they furnish only about 

 15 per cent of the firewood, and less than 3 per cent of the larger 

 timber. Besides the local consumption, chiefly for firewood and 

 framing for houses and huts, woods possessing special qualities have 

 been exported to the northern countries. These include special woods 

 such as lignum-vitae, teak, and greenheart ; fine cabinet woods such 

 as mahogany, boxwood, ebony, and satinwood; dyewoods such as 

 logwood and brazilwood; and quebracho and other woods rich in 

 tannin. 



In consequence, the idea has become widespread in the Northern 

 Hemisphere that the tropical forests are chiefly composed of these 

 and other kinds of hard, heavy, deeply colored woods, suitable for 

 furniture and a few special uses, but not for general construction. 

 During recent years, however, explorations have begun to dispel this 

 belief. It is known now that there are many excellent construction 

 woods, some of which are claimed to be superior to the woods of 

 conifers for use in the Tropics, because more resistant to decay and 

 to termites. As the tropical-forest regions are penetrated by rail- 

 roads and otherwise opened up and as primitive methods of logging 

 gradually give way to modern machine methods the output of timber 

 may be expected to increase greatly. 



There are many difficulties, however, to be overcome before the 

 tropical forests become important sources of timber for the varied 

 needs of the industrial countries. They must be opened up by ade- 

 quate systems of cheap transportation. There must be adequate sup- 

 plies of efficient labor, both to construct the transportation facilities 

 and to exploit the forests. (This is not the case in most tropical- 

 forest regions now.) These regions must be made more healthful 

 living and working places for white men and others accustomed to 

 or capable of carrying on woods work on a large scale by modern 

 methods. A profitable outlet must be found for the many different 

 kinds of timber that occur in the stands, in order to keep logging 

 costs reasonably low and to leave the forests in a productive condi- 

 tion. Only a few of the numerous species have yet entered the world 

 markets, and little or nothing is known of the properties and possible 

 utilization of the others. A long period of study will be required to 

 learn those properties and uses, and the best methods of manufacture 

 and utilization— in many cases quite different from the methods em- 

 ployed with the woods now in use. It will also be necessary to edu- 

 cate the wood-consuming peoples to change their established tastes 

 and habits, so that they will accept the new woods. These things 

 will all take time. Meanwhile the timber requirements of the tropical 

 countries themselves will doubtless grow as their industries develop, 

 while their most accessible forests will probably be destroyed or 

 rendered less productive, just as has happened in other regions pass- 

 ing through a corresponding stage of economic development. 



The United States, as well as other northern countries, will prob- 

 ably get more and more timber from the tropical forests. ^ We may 

 even depend on the Tropics for a large proportion of the high-grade 

 hardwoods and other special timbers, when our own virgin supplies 

 are exhausted. But for the bulk of our requirements, particularly 

 ordinary construction timber and other comparatively low-grade 

 material, no reliance can be placed on the Tropics. The problem 



