Timber Industry in Far Eastern Asia.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 April 1922, Page 3

Timber Industry in Far Eastern Asia.

An interesting review of the timber industry in the countries of Ear Eastern Asia is contained in a lec-ent issue o! Finance and Commerce (Shanghai). Prom the details published it appears that both pinewoods and hardwoods—such as oak, beech, alder, plane, sycamore, chestnut, ash, elm—are found in North China, Manchuria, Siberia, and Japan : while hardwoods —mahogany, teak, mnna, etc.--are found in gieat abundance in India. Bmnia, Alalay Stales, South China, boriico, Dutch Ka-t Indies, Philippine Islands, and Southern Japan. China is rather lacking in accessible timber owing to the density of the population, the hard winter climate in most parts of the country, and the lack of public interest in forestry. In most of the other countries there is such an abundance of timber that —with the exception of Japan—forestry measures are not of pressing importance, hut, nevertheless, in all the colonies of the European Powers steps arc being taken to maintain the natural supplies. In India and Burma the important timbers are teak, which is especially prized for shipbuilding, Furniture, etc; sal, forming extensive forests along the base of the Himalayas from Assam to Sutlei, and in the eastern part of Central imlia; deodar, blnekwood, sissu, satinwood, sandalwood, red sanderswood, and ebony. In Ceylon, ebony, ealamander, satinwood, and some forty dillerent species of timber suitable lor structural purposes, grow in the interior of the island, while a large amount of teak is found in, and exported from, Siam. The region comprising East Imties and Malaysia abounds in heavy hardwoods, and the biggest trade is done in Borneo cedar, Borneo ironwood, Borneo cnmpliorwood, kiuin, and sohigan bain. There arc more than twenty other varieties of less importance. The cellar is used for furniture of various qualities, iron wood has the merit oi being able to withstand great changes ol moisture and temperature, and is vor\ resistant to teredo and insecTs; tinselagan hatu wood is of good constructional quality; hut kruin wood decays in contact with soil. In China, common Chinese fir gives a light, fragratd, easily worked wood ; Cliiile.se pine is ooiutiioniy used for carving, being close grained and durable; while fir, which is a hard, heavy and tough wood, is exported in great quantities in the form of poles from the south-central China coast, especially the Fukien province. Other timbers are ginkgo, mininu, canipliui wood, walnut, Chinese mahogany, willow, sycamore, maple, persimmon, ehonv, sandalwood, tallow tree, mulberry, varnish tree, and cypress. Great quantities of soft wood exist in Manchuria. In 1920, 300,000 cubic feet of hardwood was exported Iron) China, together with 30,000,003 square feet of softwood and nearly 1,500,000 fir poles. In ,lanan, pirn s, oak, maple, beach and camphor are found in great abundance, while in Siberia the acreage of forest land lias been estimated as high as 2,000,000 acres, including immense areas of pine, larch, cedar, birch, willow, alder and poplar. The distance from the coast, is, however, a difficulty in regard to the export of this bountiful supply.