THE GEORGE AND KNYSNA FORESTS. 7'i 



The district of Knysna contains perhaps the most typical 

 type of forest, as it does the greatest area. The largest forest — 

 known as the Main Forest — covers the ridge extending from 

 Buffels Nek to Harkerville — a distance of about thirteen miles. 

 Clearly, therefore, the forest does not owe its origin to telluric 

 water. 



Eastwards and westwards of Knysna the forest patches 

 decrease in size, the individual patches being more isolated, and 

 generally situated on protected slopes and in ravines and along 

 water courses. Possibly owing to more unfavourable conditions 

 — less rainfall — they are unable to withstand the frequent injury 

 from fire to which they are exposed. 



The high forest zone lies between 500 and 2,000 feet above 

 sea-level, but in places the forest extends down to sea-level 

 principally along the river banks, and above the 2,000 feet upper 

 limit patches of forest occur in the deep mountain ravines well 

 protected from sun and wind. A further characteristic of the 

 forests is that they usually occur on the southern and eastern 

 slopes of the foothills, the best patches usually being on the 

 eastern slopes of the kopjes forming the foothills. 



The forest is usually only of one type, in favourable 

 localities containing trees 140 feet high ; in less favourable situa- 

 tions the height decreases, and along the coast, where rainfall is 

 deficient, the high forest may not be more than 12 to 20 feet 

 high. 



Principal Cause of Injury and Natural Protection. 



From a study of the typical example of the annual rainfall, 

 namely, that of Buffels Nek, it would seem that at no period does 

 the rainfall diminish to an extent seriously to injure the develop- 

 ment of the forest trees. Indeed, the size of many trees, and 

 the uniformly good quality of the timber cut from them shows 

 that growth has been regular over long periods. 



If one leaves out of consideration injury caused by game, 

 rodents, insects, woody parasites and fungi, the most serious 

 factor militating against the natural maintenance and extension 

 of the high forest is that of fire either caused by natural means 

 or by the agency of man. In ordinary seasons the high forests 

 may be said to be free from injury by fire, but at seasons of low 

 rainfall combined with desiccating winds, and the consequent 

 inflammable nature of the vegetation, a very serious danger 

 arises. At such seasons a fire may, and does, cause serious 

 injury. The injury most frequently is confined to the N. and 

 W. perimeters, rarely on the S. or S.E. If the period of dry 

 weather has been protracted, a fire penetrates far into the forest, 

 but otherwise only the perimeter is injured. One or two fires 

 may not be serious, but it is their frequency which is the trouble. 

 A fire may at first only slightly injure the forest curtain, but, 

 unfortunately, as a result of the burning a luxurious weed 



