. [GOLD COAST REPORT ON FORESTS. 17 



invaded by grass, and the conversion, under present conditions, 

 is but a matter of a few years. This belt of mixed deciduous 

 forests gradually and almost imperceptibly passes, as one pro- 

 ceeds further up the line, into the typical moist evergreen 

 tropical forest (tropical rain forest of Schiniper) so common along 

 the West Coast of Africa wherever the rainfall is sufficiently 

 heavy to favour that type of vegetation. Gaiyin Krom (the 

 saw-mills) is situated in the midst of such an evergreen moist 

 forest. The land rises rather abruptly shortly after leaving 

 Sekondi, and then continues with a more or less undulating 

 character up to the saw-mills. The difference in level between 

 Sekondi and this place is, however, slight, and only amounts 

 to a few hundred feet. The saw-mills have been established 

 mainly for the purpose of supplying the mines with converted 

 timber of local origin, but the demands of the larger towns, 

 such as Sekondi and Kumasi, for such produce have not beeu 

 overlooked, and every endeavour is being made to satisfy local 

 wants. The mills are fitted with one large circular saw and 

 some small auxiliary ones. They are of a rather antiquated 

 pattern, but appear to serve their purpose fairly well. The 

 bulk of the timber converted is procured from the tree known to 

 the natives as Kaku, a species of Lophira, probably L. procera, 

 the wood of which is hard and extremely durable, more so than 

 any other West African timber. It is especially suited for 

 sleepers, of which large quantities are turned out by the mills, 

 and for underground structures that are exposed to much 

 moisture. Logs of mahogany, cedar, and odoum (Iroko) also 

 are cut up for local use, and occasionally trimmed for export to 

 Europe. The mills no doubt serve a very useful purpose, and 

 .should be encouraged. There is great scope out here for the 

 creation of a regular demand for local woods to replace the large 

 quantities of foreign produce imported from Europe. The West 

 African forests contain several excellent species of timber trees 

 that can furnish all that is desired in the way of woods suitable 

 for furniture and other constructive purposes ; and it should be 

 possible with proper management to place such woods on the 

 local markets at a less cost than the imported material. Such a 

 demand for local produce would enable several kinds of wood 

 to be utilised on the Coast, woods which, though they do not 

 command a ready sale in Europe, have a good reputation on the 

 West Coast for durability and general usefulness. 



Up to the present only a very few of the different species of 

 timber trees composing the West African forests have been 

 exploited for the European market. The balance, which contains 

 several useful kinds, has been practically left untouched. A 

 local trade in the latter would utilise material which is standing 

 wasting in the forests, and render of some value large tracts of 

 forest land that are at present worthless so far as the timber 

 industry is concerned. 



Hitherto, only timber cut from the various species of Khaya 

 (mahoganies), Pseudocedrela (cedars), the N'yankom (Heritiera 

 utilis), Bosse (species of Guarea), and the Pebedum (Lovoa 

 Klaineana), has been exported in any quantities to Europe, gene- 



12315 B 



