LOGGING IN SOUTHERN NIGERIA. 



A. Harold Unwin, Assistant Conservator of Forests, 

 Benin City, South Nigeria. 



In a previous article* some account of the forestry and timber 

 operations in West Africa was given. Logging in every country 

 is a most fascinating work, both to take part in and to watch. 

 In this tropical country the vegetation in the real forest belt is 

 so dense that before actual felling operations can begin a large 

 clearing is made near the river, which is to be used for floating 

 logs. Here are native huts for the wood cutters, including a 

 mat-roofed house for the white manager in charge. Such a view, 

 with the typical "bush" in the background, is shewn in illustra- 

 tion number one. 



It must be remembered, too, that in such a forest, only 

 perhaps one tree in a hundred is a mahogany of mature growth, 

 which makes it extremely difficult to control the varying felling 

 parties, each under its native foreman. The trees having been 

 felled, "roads" are made, i. e., the bush is cut up to 6 feet from 

 the ground, and any very bad hollows filled in with small billets 

 of wood. The whole gives the appearance of a large tunnel-like ar- 

 bour. The swamps which occur at intervals have to be bridged by 

 ramming in a number of small stakes and fastening with various 

 vine stalks and crosspieces, making the whole a strong, though 

 very elastic structure. Illustration number two shews one of 

 these fully half a mile long. In crossing one, about a year ago, 

 the writer saw a carrier go clean through, leaving his load, which 

 he was carrying on his head, on the bridge. He was subsequently 

 pulled out of the reeds and mud into which he had fallen. 



In the ordinary bush, skids, made of small billets of very 

 hard wood, are laid on the tracks already cut. Along these the 

 logs are drawn by other gangs of natives. A log 4 feet square 

 and, say, 12 feet long on an average, takes 70 or 80 "boys," 

 as the haulers are termed, to drag it at all, and then only with 

 pauses ev^ery now and then and continuous shouts from the 

 foreman, and a kind of "song" from the men. When a log 

 really gets stuck, and this is not seldom, levers are supplied at 

 the back and a tremendous lot of "human" energy uselessly 

 expended. It is very difficult to get natives to haul together. 

 Illustration three, though a poser, shews this to advantage. 



* Canadian Forestry Journal, Vol. I, pp. 173 - 175. 



