South African Forestry 617 



American softwoods and are therefore left to impede the forest. 

 The small area of the forests and the small quantities of the various 

 unused species render the question of extracting them from 

 comparatively inaccessible situations and using them very diffi- 

 cult indeed. 



Silvicultural Management 



The native tree species of South Africa are strikingly slower in 

 growth than the successful exotics. This fact alone will tend 

 to give the indigenous forests less importance in management than 

 will soon be asstimed by the plantations. It has been estimated 

 that no more than 10 to 20 cubic feet per acre per year is the best 

 to be expected from the most promising indigenous forests. 



Fire is not a great enemy, the chief trouble in this direction has 

 been from shiftless cultivation encroaching on and causing fires 

 within the reservations. Fire protection, in addition to the patrol 

 of the permanent staff, nearly all of whom have comparatively 

 small areas, has been by planting fire breaks of wattle and by 

 clearing and biu-ning fire lines. The latter policy is considered the 

 more successful. The total area burned over in 1914 to 1915 

 including plantations, was 212 acres. 



An effort has been made to improve the indigenous forests by 

 interplanting with exotic species. Altogether 1,300,000 trees have 

 been so planted on 6600 acres. This work is considered to be 

 experimental, as the results to be obtained from planting rapidly- 

 growing, moisture-demanding species in the indigenous forests are 

 uncertain. 



The destruction of forests by the nimierous natives cutting sap- 

 Hngs for hut poles has been stopped by estabHshing plantations 

 of exotics to meet this demand. 



The area of indigenous forest in South Africa is so small that 

 planting must be relied upon for a large proportion of future re- 

 quirements. The fact that indigenous species are very hard and 

 dense, being in general unsuitable for common building piu-poses, 

 are also slow growing, and are in the main only adapted for growth 

 in the more hiimid portions of the country, has led the foresters 

 in charge of planting work to depend upon exotic species. 



Planting was first undertaken in Cape Province. An extensive 

 arbor etimi was formed, in which trees from all similar regions of 

 the earth were tried, special attention being paid to Mediterranean 



