Forest - An important segment in the Philippine economy
Media
Part of Forestry Leaves
- Title
- Forest - An important segment in the Philippine economy
- Language
- English
- Year
- 1952
- Rights
-
- Fulltext
- FOREST-An Important Segment in the Philippine Economy By Dr. ROLAND R. RENNE Chief of the United States Special Technical and Economic Mission to the Philippines :. Today, fo;rests are a vanishing source of orably situated .as the Philippines in t~ wealth. in many parts of the world. Be- her supply. sides· the economic losses in shortages of In the United States, we ar,e fully. aware w.ood supply and far~reaching ill-effects from of the _great i,nroads. that recent·. ~tional an;<.eroded ·soil cover, replace:.-:aertt of forests e.mergencies-two World Wars-hi:tve made. by artificial planting requires many years on. our forest ~apital. The drain on .. our. of. time and large· expenditures of· money. forests as fires, insects, lumber produc~()n, We are most fortunate here in the Phil- wood for indust~ial and farm uses, continues ippinesto have our forest cover still largely to ·.reach an. increas4ig large volUJile~ .· Mo.re· intact. And this is due to· under Use rather and more, in future year~, will t~r utU.. than over use of thes·e valuable resources. ization in the , U¢ted States be dependent It :is recognized that throughout Southeast on small-sized . timber grown on a short ro-. Asia there is no country possessing a greater tation peripd and . originating from natural ~d more diversified forest wealth than is and artificial restocking of cut-over fo~es~ represented by the forest stands indigenous lands. That great ~d ~~eming endless reto the Philippines. . The total volume of servoir of old or original growth timber in <;oinmercia1' .. timber in the Phllippines has the United States which was such an obstalieen estimated at . 440 billion board feet cle to land clearing operations by the ~arly and these native forests are made up of settlers two hundred years ago, has now hundreds of tree species valuable ·for ·a diminished .to ·comparatively small geogr~ \tide.:variety of Q.Ses. What an opportunity phical p;itches throughout the country and far.. maintafuing the sustained growth of by another, generation or two will have bethee foresii:s wheri we consider that under come in ~ge part only a ~emory. We ·~e go:od forest management practices it has been seeing the last of th.ese majestic oaks, yellow calculated that upwards of 14 billion board poplars, pin,es ~4 firs that could produce feet of timber can be- . cut annually for an the wide~ clear and select grades of Jumindefinite period without over,.cuttmg this her upon which. so :Qluch of our prosperous growing stoCk. Today, our forest drain in lumber trade for many years has be~n based. the: 'Philippines, representing principally You still possess .in the Philippin~s· a subtimber cut for domestic use and for export, stantial proportion of this claS~ of t~ber: is approximately a billion· and quarter board Development of the forest resources . of feet per year or only 9 per cent of the the Philippines is an important part of the amount that can properly be removed each ECA. We do not wish to see repeat~ here. year and still' 'maintain these forests under a certain· lack of planning that we exper-· high standards of management and produc- ienced in the United States in those earlier tion. Few nations in the world are so fav- days when forest exploitation was to "cut GRADUATION l$SUE--April, 1952 Pap-. ,7 out and get out." Rather, we want to encourage a strong public opinion appreciative of the forest wealth of this country and supported by a progressive program of "good forest housekeeping'' that will contribute so much through the years · to prosperity of the people. It is felt that a forest products laboratory equipped with modern timber testing and research facilities for determining the working character of these native woods will go a long way toward placing these woods in a more favorable marketing position. Inquiries are coming in constantly from local and foreign sources as to the adaptability of our Philippine woods for particular fields of use. Such research as can be provided by this laboratory will stimulate new industries, large and small, and make for positive benefits through wider employment opportunity and larger financial earnings by such industries and the trade they generate. Tlitis forest products research program applies with equal force to secondary forest products, bamboo, rattan, natural gums, waxes, tannins, etc., all of which represent a high financial potential through research in stimulating business and trade. The overall program in building plans and equipment schedules for the laboratory are now well in hand and it is hoped by another year this institution will be 'on a functioning basis. In the field of forest management, the MSA envisions an opportunity to work in close cooperation with the Bureau of Forestry on timber management programs for con-:ession and other cut-over areas where the restocking of such lands with tree species of high recognized value is needed. Inspite of the abundance of our forest resources it is recognized that Nature should be given a helping hand through expansion of forest nurseries and reforestation so that selected varieties of trees not reproducing themselves naturally and abundantly can be established through planting on permanent forest lands to be administered by the Bureau. This could include large industrial plantations of Papi our native Benguet Pine (Pinus insularis) on now non-productive forest lands to provide a softwood timber supply for wood pulp and paper manufacturing, as well as lumber products. Consideration is to be given by MSA to the establishment of forest experiment stations in several parts of the nation in order that more accurate knowledge may be obtained on the growth, reproduction and silvical characteristics of our Philippine trees. Such studies require much time to make but are essential if forest management and production .is placed on a firm foundation. A stock taking or inventory of the Philippine forest cover should also be made to determine the amount of standing stumpage by timber species, their geographical distribution throughout the country and their annual growth increment. Behind any well-conceived forest management program for the forests of the Philippines stands the need of fire protection. In the mountain areas of Luzon and in Mindanao, fires during the dry season do much. damage to forest plantations because of lack of proper facilities for prompt detection and means of suppression. This situation should be remedied through the procurement of suitable fire fighting tools and; motorized equipment, also a training pro-l gram for fire fighting crews. The College of Forestry at Los Baiios. has had an enviable record in the prepara-· tion and training of professional forestersi since its founding some forty years ago. American foresters have long had close asso-: ciation with this institution. Rehabilitation of the buildings at the College of Forestry so seriously damaged in the last days oJ the war is now an active project in the MSA program. Building plans have already been prepared and approved for the reconstruction of the main college building; a new administration building, a new dormitol')l, a seed house, three new faCulty houses and a guest house. Construction of these buil~ (Continued on page 31) FOBESTRY LEAVES FOREST-AN IMPORTANT ... (Continued from page 8) ings is expected to get under way in the near future. It is realized that the full effectiveness of the work of the Bur. of Forestry is in many ways handicapped through lack of sufficient appropriations. Travel allowances of field personnel are inadequate to safeguard· properly the forests from illegal exploitation. Much timber is destroyed without financial benefit to the Government because of itinerant squatters on public forest lands. We in the MSA are cognizant of these conditions and wish to offer every assistance to the Bureau of Forestry in furthering their correction. The Bureau of Forestry has a large responsibility in serving as the official custodian for: the protection and wise use and management of the forest wealth of this country. The effectiveness of that 'st~ wardship' has a most definite bearing on the Philippine economy both today and on down the years. This responsibility, it is believed, could very well be shared in greater degree with the public through special organized channels for dispensing information. The Bureau of Forestry has a "real story to tell" and one that with the help of a better informed public can go far toward alleviating financial anxieties concerned with the bureau's administration activities. The secret of life is not to do what you like, but to like what you do. -World Treasury of Proverbs * * * * If someone betray3 you once, it's his fault. If he betrays you twice, its your fault. -Rumanian Proverb * * * * He who marries might be sori-y. He who .does not will be sorry. -Czechoslovakian Proverb GRADUATION ISSUE-April, 1952 HOW TO PREPARE ... (Continued from page 19) material for compost. This has the advantage of the pile not to erode at the sides and scatter but the big drawback is the inconvenience of spading to blend the material and removing the . humus once ready for use. The temperature in the Philippines is fairly high throughout the years to favor the development within the pile of the organisms which are essential in good humus formation. The m(,>st important factor to control is moisture within the pile. The pile should be kept moist at all times, a condition which will not only favor the development of bacteria and other organisms but also encourage de~position. During the rainy season, thete is ~ot much need of spraying except of course ,during the spell of prolonged dry weat.ner. During the dry season, occasional spraying is neces~ary in order to keep the pile moist. Sta. Clara Lumber Co. Inc; Exporters of Philippine Mahogany and Dealers 1n Lumber and Kiln Dried Lumber Mill and Forest: Gingoog, Misamis Oriental Page 31