Scmth African Forestry 609 



Forest Distribution and Composition 



It is not surprising that native forests did not cover large areas 

 in South Africa. By far the greater part of the country, as may 

 be gathered from the descriptions given of the climatic regions, 

 is absolutely treeless. Such forests as do occur are chiefly open, 

 dry-land scrub types, known locally as bush veld or thorn veld. 

 Here acacias predominate. Of the many species occurring, of 

 which only a few, and these only in scattered specimens, possess 

 quahties or reach sizes to give them value for timber may be 

 mentioned as amongst the most useftd the wild olive (Olea ver- 

 rucosa), the Karree-boom {Rhus lancea and viminalis) the Camel 

 thorn {Acacia giraffae), Knoppies-doom {Acacia pollens), Aapies- 

 doom {Acacia burkei), African teak {Adina galpini) and Kaja- 

 tenhout {Pterocarpus angolensis). 



These scrub forests, occtu-ring as they do in an otherwise bare 

 country, were used extensively from the earliest pioneer days for 

 fencing, fuel, mining timbers, buildings and material for vehicles 

 and implements. The original area could not have exceeded a 

 few milHon acres. The land on which scrub forests occurred has 

 passed chiefly into private hands or native reservations. The 

 species are slow growing, not virile in reproduction, and so scat- 

 tered that large areas must be run over to produce sufficient 

 timber even for local uses. The inevitable result has been the 

 destruction of the most important areas of scrub forest in spite of 

 its value to the settlers for shelter, soil protection in a coimtry 

 where erosion is very rapid and destructive, and as a source of 

 small serviceable poles. 



About 120,000 acres of scrub forest have been preserved by the 

 Government in forest reservations. 



The timber forests were from the earHest days even more 

 limited in area than the scrub forests. The original area was 

 probably between 500,000 and 1,000,000 acres. These patches, 

 rich in species as has been stated, occurred in small areas favored 

 with rainfall, scattered on the slopes and in the ravines of the 

 moimtain escarpment which rises 100 miles wide along the north- 

 ern and eastern African coast. Though the pioneers first pene- 

 trated this belt and destroyed much of the forest, they were 

 always looking for more accessible plains where cattle would 

 flourish. The bulk of the population has drifted past the forest 



