40 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 



been forgotten either. So far very little revenue has been received 

 for timber-felling fees, which means really that in the past the forests 

 have been destroyed, and now only small quantities can be cut. It 

 does indeed make one pause and think what immense forests must 

 have existed in the days of 1827, when so many loads of timber were 

 exported, as shown in the table on p. 64. If those forests had been 

 preserved then, they would be yielding high returns now, and the 

 Department would be self-supporting, instead of having money 

 invested first in plantations before returns are obtained. However, 

 now that the Department has been formed, a definite Forest Ordinance 

 has been passed, under which Forest Reserves can be made, and the 

 future of the existing forests is thus assured. Sooner or later all of 

 them will yield a monetary return, besides benefiting the country 

 climatically and preserving the soil. 



One can really look upon Forestry as a kind of Endowment 

 Assurance, with returns which may begin at once with existing forests, 

 or later with afforestation begun now. The return is always sure, 

 more especially now, with continually rising timber prices. In 

 Sierra Leone, of course, for some years money will have to be put into 

 Forestry work before adequate returns can be made, owing to the 

 reckless mismanagement of the forest in the early part of the nine- 

 teenth century. For the purpose of easy reference, a list of some of 

 the most important timber trees is appended, and with both the 

 Mendi and Timani names, when it is possible to give these, and 

 an English equivalent is also given where one uses a name suggestive 

 of the use of the timber. 



So far the Department has not leased any areas for the exploita- 

 tion of timber for export or local use, though there are several areas 

 available, such as the peninsular forest. Even an organization of 

 the sawyers and boat-builders would be a useful work, and machinery 

 for cutting the various woods would lead to greater production and 

 a saving of timber, of which so much is now wasted. Again, the 

 enormous demand for firewood in Freetown, most of which is water- 

 borne, could be more advantageously met with a small sawmill or 

 movable plant in connection with the other wood-using industries 

 already named. The mangrove swamps would provide material 

 ready at hand for conversion. The railway requires firewood at 

 certain points ; there again is scope for improved methods of dealing 

 with it, yielding profit both to the contractor and to the Forest 

 Department. 



