37 



45. POSSIBLE BAMBOO-PULP AREAS. There are two areas which hold 

 out a reasonable prospect of successful working at present : 



(1) Njoro area, estimated at 40 sq. miles, on the slopes of the Mau 

 between Njoro and Elburgon. The area, which is about 8 miles from 

 Njoro railway station (458 miles from Mombasa) should not be difficult 

 to work. The water supply is said to be sufficient. 



(2) Kikuyu escarpment area, estimated at not less than 50 sq. miles, 

 between the Chania river and the escarpment above Kijabe on the 

 Uganda railway. This area, which I have visited, is the one referred to 

 above as having been taken as a basis for the preparation of a rough 

 estimate of the cost of production of bamboo pulp. 



The following area will be worth investigating if the bamboo-pulp 

 industry gains a footing in Kenya Colony : 



(3) Kinangop area. About 40 sq. miles, on the upper slopes of the 

 Western Aberdares above Kinangop plateau, 25 to 30 miles from Naivasha 

 station. The country is hilly, but the bamboo could be extracted by 

 slides or ropeways. Water is plentiful but fuel may be a difficulty. 



There are large areas on the eastern slopes of the Aberdares and the 

 western and south-western slopes of Mount Kenya which might be made 

 accessible by means of light railways, but these propositions are hardly worth 

 investigating at present. 



Areas at present inaccessible are those on the northern, eastern and south- 

 eastern slopes of Mount Kenya, on Elgon, and on the northern part of the 

 Aberdare range. 



There is a considerable area of bamboo forest north-east of Londiani, 

 but it lies in the Equator Saw Mill Company's concession. 



17. THE FOREST DEPARTMENT. 



46. WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT. The Forest Department of the then 

 British East Africa Protectorate had its beginning in 1902. Its earlier 

 energies were rightly devoted, as far as circumstances permitted, to saving 

 the natural forests from destruction, an undertaking which is always 

 unpopular and which meets with opposition wherever it conflicts with per- 

 sonal interests. But for the shorthandedness of the Department this work 

 would have made greater progress than it has done, and in certain cases, 

 particularly in the earlier years, it would have been more successful had 

 Government adopted a stronger attitude in preventing the alienation or 

 destruction of valuable forest tracts. During the course of my visit to the 

 Colony I was struck by the amount of intelligent interest in forest questions 

 shown both by administrative officers and by settlers, many of whom are under 

 no misapprehension as to the necessity for conserving the forests and carry- 

 ing out further afforestation where required. There is little reason to doubt 

 that in adopting a strong forest policy Government will receive whole-hearted 

 support from a considerable portion of the non -official community. 



In the various sections of this report an endeavour has been made to show 

 in what particulars the progress of forest work up to date has been satis- 

 factory or backward and these may be briefly summarized. The Forest 

 Department may be congratulated on the efficiency with which it has con- 

 ducted its plantation work and organized supplies of plants to the public : 

 it has made creditable progress in the botanical determination of the various 

 trees and shrubs : the reservation and demarcation of forest tracts, though 



