CHAPTER X 



THE FORESTS AND TIMBER PRODUCTION OF 

 THE BRITISH SPHERE OF THE CAMEROONS 



Running parallel with the Nigerian boundary, a strip averaging 

 75 to 90 miles in width, and running back from the coast about 

 300 miles, we have the British sphere of the Cameroons, in all, an area 

 of about 31,000 square miles. From the forest-zone point of view 

 this land area can be divided into really three different zones. First 

 of all, nearest the coast, there is Victoria, the Cameroon Mountains, 

 followed by the bank of the Mungo. Past the crest of Kuppe 

 and the Manengube Mountains and onwards along the Mbo, 

 Foto and Bambuto Ranges round to the headquarters of the Cross 

 River and to the Nigerian boundary, we have about 7,000 square 

 miles of an almost unbroken evergreen forest zone. 



The second area comprises a beautiful open grassland with 

 only scattered trees, covering largely the Chang, Bamenda, Kontsha 

 and more northern districts of the British sphere, in all about 

 17,000 square miles. 



The third section comprises the heavy evergreen and deciduous 

 forests on the banks of the more northern rivers, such as the Mo, 

 the Cam, and covers approximately an area of 7,000 square miles. 



From the forestry point of view, the most accessible, and there- 

 fore the most valuable, of these areas are situated in the first-named 

 zone, therefore we will consider this area more in detail. 



To begin with, it can be subdivided into three almost distinct 

 forest divisions ; following the watersheds or basins of (1) the 

 Mungo River, (2) the Cross River, (3) the Akwayefe, Ndian, Moko, 

 Me me Rivers and the Rio del Rey district. Taking the third area first, 

 we have comparatively large areas of forest covering both level and 

 hilly country up to an elevation of about 3,000 feet, but with the sides 

 of the valleys less timbered than in the Mungo River forest zone. 

 Amongst the species of trees which have been felled and exported 

 from this area are the following : Mahogany Sarcocephalus, Bitter 

 Bark, Saccoglottis Gabunensis, Light Mahogany, Khaya Euryphylla, 

 Ebony, Diospyros Kamerunensis, Red Iron wood or Bongossi, Lophira 

 procera, Long-capsuled Mahogany, Entandrophragma Rederi. 



Amongst the more prevalent trees of the lower lying land, including 



