Taiwan Today

Trees Cover More Than Half Of Taiwan and Exploitation Of This Important Source of Wealth Has Scarcely Started

Taiwan is known as the “Forest Kingdom”. Except for the western coastal plain, the island once was entirely covered by forests. In the last 300 years, Chinese settlers have cleared the lowland areas and much of the foothills. However, forested land still totals 5,200,792 acres, or 55 per cent of the total area.

Because of subtropical location plus high elevations, the plant types of Taiwan are diverse and abundant. The mountains are higher than those of South China, Japan or the Philippines. Vegetation zones range from tropical to alpine.

The flora of Taiwan resemble those of the Chinese mainland. Low-altitude tropical flora are closely related to those of West China and alpine flora to those of the Sino-Himalayan region.

The island has more than 200 tree species of economic value. They include spruce and fir, yellow and red cypress, hemlock, camphor, machilus, and acacia. Cypress is the most valuable. It is distributed from 4,920 to 8,984 feet above sea level. Hemlock, one of the most important conifer types, grows at between 6,560 and 9,840 feet. At high elevations, hemlock mixes with fir and at lower elevations with hardwoods. The hardwood family is distributed from sea level to 6,560 feet and is more accessible than the conifers. There are tropical, subtropical, and temperate stands.

Taiwan has forest stock of 8,450,232,005 cubic feet. Conifers make up 3,440,716,685 cubic feet and hardwoods 5,009,515,320 cubic feet. Bamboo is found everywhere. The stock totals 15,810,008,850 cubic feet. With loans provided by the Sino-American Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction, bamboo growers have greatly increased production, including that of edible bamboo shoots.

Most of the forest land is state-owned. Private logging is confined to the more accessible forests. The Taiwan Forestry Bureau has a staff of 2,016 regular employees and 5,316 workers. It has 89 fire lookouts, 1,863 miles of telephone lines, 82 fire patrol units, an airborne fire-fighting unit, and 43,000 pieces of fire-fighting equipment. Fire losses have been sharply reduced in recent years.

The Forestry Bureau is divided into 12 districts, which produced 35.4 million cubic feet of logs in 1966. Largest producer among the districts is Lanyang in northeastern Taiwan, which includes the five logging areas of Ilan, Taipingshan, Lotung, Lanao, and Tachushui. The Lanyang district has 8 logging stations, 2 sawmills, a machinery re pair shop, forest railway system, and lumber yard. District land totals 437,284 acres. About 2,965 acres will be reforested this year, compared with a previous annual average of 1,633 acres. Reforested land now totals nearly 24,600 acres.

Aftermath of War

Lanyang’s log production was 2,738,671 cubic feet in 1966. The value was US$2,329,108. The logging station on 6,369-foot Mt. Taiping is the leading Lanyang producer with about 141,000 cubic feet annually. Logging was started on Taipingshan by the Japanese in 1914. A forest railroad was built in 1921. The Japanese cut trees without regard to conservation during World War II, and the Forestry Bureau says the mountain can be logged for only five or six more years. Cableways, railroad, and trucks are used to move out the logs. Cutting has been materially speeded since the introduction of the power chain saw in 1962.

Nearly 98,841 acres of Taiwan forest land are not scheduled for exploitation because of greater value in recreation and flood, erosion, and wind control.

Reforestation Plan

The Forestry Bureau has a 10-year reforestation plan covering all area of 172,970 acres. Poorly stocked stands will be converted into high-value, fast-growing forests to supply the demand for lumber.

The best natural forests are found at elevations of 4,920 feet or higher and make up 30 per cent of the forest area. About 43 per cent of the most valuable forests are lacking in roads and inaccessible to loggers. The Forestry Bureau will build 32 forest roads with total length of 820 miles over a period of 25 years.

Taiwan exports cypress logs, bamboo, furniture, wood handicrafts, plywood, railway ties, and rattan products. Plywood alone earned US$58 million to rank fourth as a foreign exchange earner in 1966. Output was 950 million cubic feet in terms of 1/8” plywood. About 92 per cent is exported, mostly to the United States and Canada.

However, the principal raw material is lauan and it comes from the Philippines, principally, as well as North Borneo and Singapore. The government is encouraging the use of domestic woods but without great success. One reason is the shortage in domestic supply.

Many Paper Mills

Taiwan has more than 100 paper mills. However, most of the pulp is imported. In 1966, imports of paper and pulp cost US$7.5 million. In five years, the industry will require 26,500,000 cubic feet of raw materials for pulp. Loggers could have provided a maximum of 17,657,000 cubic feet in 1966 and most of this was not forthcoming. To feed the booming paper and pulp industry, Taiwan needs to convert at least 24,710 acres of forest land annually for use as pulp.

Camphor production in Taiwan will be terminated soon. The tree stock is nearly exhausted and the growing time for replacement would be 35 years. Synthetic camphor has destroyed the market for Taiwan’s natural product. Camphor reforestation is not economically worthwhile.

Mountain Recreation

Recreation has become big business for the Forestry Bureau. Since 1958, the government has followed a multiple-use forestry policy that includes the development of forest playgrounds, camping areas, ski slopes, and trails. Scenic areas situated within forest reserves include Yangmingshan, Shihmen Dam and Reservoir, Sun Moon Lake, Wulai, Wushe, Lishan, Alishan, Kenting Park, and Taroko Gorge. Principal developments are occurring at:

-Alishan Recreational Area. The 7,544-foot Mt. Ali is easily reached by narrow-gauge railroad from Chiayi. The 4-hour trip, which now can be comfortably made in diesel-powered tourist trains, is a tourist attraction in itself. The ascent is through tropical, subtropical, temperate, and sub-arctic vegetation. The development plan of the Forestry Bureau will require five years and cost US$37.5 million. Three diesel trains already have been placed in service and a lodge constructed. More roads will be built, camping and picnic areas developed, and aborigine villages improved.

-Hohuanshan Ski Ground. The 10,496- foot Mt. Hohuan is snow-capped during the January-February winter. A ski slope has been developed and a 1,322-foot lift constructed.

-Wulai Forest Park. Wulai is less than an hour’s drive from Taipei and is the closest place to see aborigine life and dancing. Forty-four miles of road will be built to link the scenic places of the area. Hotels and camping sites will be constructed or improved.

-Tzunan Forest Recreation Area. Near Hualien on the east coast, this area has Mt. Liyu and a lake. Parks, pavilions, and a hostel already have been constructed.

-Hengchun Peninsula Forest Recreation Area. This is at the southern tip of the island. With Kenting Park as the center, it includes Mutan, Szuchungchi, the tropical forests that run down to the sea near Hsiang-chao bay, and Oluanpi. Facilities will include those for picnicking and swimming.

Many Peaks to Climb

Mountaineering is increasingly popular in Taiwan and has drawn climbers from Japan and from the island’s foreign community. To encourage this form of recreation, roads will be built on Yushan, Hsuehshan, Tapachienshan, and Siukuluanshan. There will be plenty of peaks left without such easy access. The island’s total of peaks over 10,000 feet is 48. Yushan (Mt. Morrison) is East Asia’s highest at nearly 13,000 feet.

To make sure that forests are used to best advantage, research is being carried out by the Taiwan Forest Research Institute and the forestry departments of the National Taiwan University and Provincial Chung Hsing University. Topics include the introduction of new species, forest management, product utilization, propagation and planting, soils, and ecology.

Taiwan forestry lags behind that of the United States, Europe, Japan, and New Zealand. The first forestry agency on the island was the Taiwan Logging Bureau, established by the Manchu government in 1873. Japan took over the island in 1895, set up a forestry section in the Governor-General’s Office, and established 29 forest zones. The Japanese logging program stressed conservation until the excessive cutting brought on by the requirements of World War II.

Since the island’s 1945 retrocession to the Republic of China, forest development has faced obstacles of inadequately trained personnel, lack of funds, and the rugged in-accessibility of the Taiwan mountains. Progress had been made, however, and at an accelerating rate. With more than half the island tree-covered, forests must be considered one of Taiwan’s most important natural resources. Both forest protection and exploitation are sure to receive increasing attention in the years just ahead.