HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
11
Philippine Forest Consessions
MIHILE thero are 200,000,000,000
Vaf board feet or merchantable lum
ber standing on the 60,000 square
mile of Philippine public forests, in
1913 thero were milled the small tot.il
of 80,000,000 feet, of which less than
one-eighth was exported. Major A hern
the insular director of forestry, believes
there is an export market awaiting the
establishment of milling enterprises,
. which would take 300,000,000 feet year
It, mainly of four woods lauan, api
tong, guipo and yacal. These trees grow
to a very large size, a large number are
found on- a limited area and their ex
traction affords an attractive enterprise
for a modern logging and milling opera
tion.
Theso public forest lands in the Philip
pines are not sold, but aro developed
under a licenso system. Yearly licenses
re ordinarily given small operators for
. limited areas. The larger tracts aro of
fered in the form of 20-ycar exclusive
licenses, which provide for tho removal
of timber and minor forest products
without affecting the titlo to the land.
At present 11 such exclusive licenses,
popularly called concessions, aro in
operation, representing American, Brit
ish, Chinese, German, Spanish and Fili
pino capital. A recent timber conces
sion was granted to a Chinese company
that will find no difficulty in disposing
of its products through its connections
in China, wilile the British and German
interests find their markets for Philip
pine woods in India and Europe, as well
as in China. .
Tho United States Forest Bureau now
has available a number of tracts, rang
. rag in size from 35 to 300 squares miles,
with ono or two of much larger size,
waiting applications.
; Aid to Investigators.
A. person considering such an invest
ment is affordod wery opportunity for
investigation: The Bureau of Forestry
desires each applicant or his authorized
representative to visit the tract person
ally in company with one of the fores
ters, or that he have an experienced
lumberman do so, in order that he may
see the stand of timber, the facilities
for haulage and transportation, the loca
tion of mill Bites, and ascertain for him
self the local labor SMpply.
The concessions themselves cost noth
ing; the charges being in tho form of
stumpage fees, payable upon removal
of the product, and running from $1 to
$5 per thousand feet. Whoa an appli
cation, complying at least with the
minimum requirements as to the size of
the mill and tho annual output, lias been
received, the tract is advertised for a
period of four months. In awarding the
concession preference is given to the
bidder offering to install the most com
plete and effective plant and giving the
best security for performance.
Capacity of Mills.
The concessions aro given for tracts
large in proportion to tho capacity of
the mills installed, in order that the
futuro condition of tho forost will not
suffer. The amount of the annual pro
duction stipulated takes into considera
tion both the present amount of over
mature timber and tho amount annually
maturing, and in other ways the regu
lations seek to conserve the forest
wealth while rendering availablo the
mature timber with the fewest possible
restrictions.
One of the important elements is suf
ficient capital to install machinery capa
ble of handling tho large hardwood
logs, for which some of the earlier
plants proved hardly . adequate, and to
permit a proper seasoning of tho product,
The Philippine Government requires that
the concessionaire give a very modest
security in proportion to the amount of
raw material placed at his disposition.
Certified Check Required.
When a bid is submitted, a deposit of
a certified check, usually for $5,000, is
required, and then after the award is
made, the equipment on the ground and
the concessionaire about to begin opera
tions, the certified check may be re
placed by satisfactory form of bond.
One of the important functions of the
insular Bureau of Forestry is that of
making available to investors the fullest
information, and lumber men visiting
the islands will not only secure general
data from its headquarters at Manila,
but will supplement this in the various
localities by the co-operation of the for
estry men in the field.
The Bureau of Insular Affairs at
Washington has general descriptions and
maps showing tho location of a num
ber of tho tracts availablo, which will
furnish preliminary data to tnoso who
may be in a position to be interested in
developing this most promising field for
hardwood lumber.
Protecting the Forests
WHILE community interest in pro
venting loss of lives and resources
through forest fires has been
pretty well taught in recent years, and
most people also know that fires in the
Pacific Northwest have been greatly
reduced by organized patrol systems,
few realize the extent of the machinery
maintained every Summer by the va
rious protective agencies. An army of
fully 2000 trained forest firemen is
omployed in Oregon, Washington, Idaho
and Montana throughout the most dan
gerous months, besides many men serv
ing voluntarily in connection with other
duties and emergency labor hired on
large fires.
Of this regular patrol force, the ma
jority is employed by timber owners'
patrol associations and by the Govern
ment on the national forests. The Gov
ernment also contributes about $30,000
a year to the states mentioned to assist
in protecting the headwaters of navi
gable streams outside the national for
eels, which, with the state appropria
tions, provides nearly 200 men under
state control.
In the beginning of this movement a
few years ago, patrol and fire fighting
were the only considerations. It soon
became apparent that here, as in any
business, proper equipment and system
add to both economy and efficiency.
Rapid development is being made of
facilities for finding and handling fires.
Thousands of miles of trail and tele
phone lines have b5en constructed, spe
cial tools invented, and men trained as
specialists in different lines of fire pre
venting and control. For example the
burning of logging slashings, to remove
hazard later, is largely entrusted to
men with particular experience in this
line.
Among the most interesting develop
ments is that of lookout stations on
high peaks, where men have no other
duty than to locate the first signs of
fire by means of special instruments
and telephone the exact bearing to
headquarters from which instructions
arc sent for its control. Cross-bearings
reported from different lookouts are in
tersected on the map so the fire can
be located with great exactness, how
ever distant. This year experiments
aro being made with forecasts of dan
gerous dry winds, telegraphed forest of
ficials by the Weather Bureau, so every
precaution may be taken before their
arrival.
These perfections in the modern sci
ence of forest fire prevention are sav
ing the people of the Northwestern
states millions of dollars annually in
resources, property and lives, 'and; their
cost is insignificant when regarded as
insurance. They are, bowever, less im
portant than care not to start fires is
the first place and the greatest con
tribution is made by the settler who is
careful in burning slash, the camper
who puts out his Tire before leaving,
the smoker who never drops burning
matches or tobacco, and the loggzt or
railroad who keeps spark screens in
good repair.
Read and rely on statement made by ma
advertisers.
rOU WANT THE BEST SPRAYER
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triad the Mot ma
am tamr befcoe on hojv.
There it man yam emAt to
know. hV.WT.
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Catalogue 87
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