GOLD COAST REPORT ON FORESTS. 53 



rule, nothing like as great as those incurred in making similar 

 obstructions navigable to boats. 



If the worst comes to the worst, there is always the alternative, 

 in the case of the forests drained by the Offin and its feeder the 

 Adra, to collect the timber floated down the two streams at the 

 point where the railway bridge crosses the former, and then to 

 send it down the railway to Sekondi. This, however, will involve 

 additional handling of the logs, and all such handling means 

 extra expense. For this reason it may, in the case of Uftin tim- 

 ber, be advisable for the railway authorities to reduce their 

 freights. 



As regards the protection of the forests themselves, the main 

 dangers to guard against are, first, the depletion of the forests 

 from over-exploitation ; and, secondly, their destruction by the 

 natives for farming- purposes. The former can be met by fixing 

 a minimum girth for the more important species that are being 

 exploited for trade purposes, and the latter by selecting and 

 taking up as Forest Reserves the richest areas and protecting 

 them strictly against all fellings except such are made under 

 the technical supervision and management of a properly con- 

 stituted Forest Department. On no account, except under the 

 strictest professional supervision, should farming be allowed on 

 such areas, nor should farming, as a right, be admitted in the 

 Reserves. 



The damage done to the forests by farming is far greater than 

 that due to over-exploitation, because the latter is limited to 

 certain species only, whilst the former makes a clean sweep of 

 everything, and these clearings are then very often re-occupied 

 by species (that happen to thus get a favourable start in the 

 struggle for existence) other than those that formerly occupied 

 the area. The character of the " secondary " forest that springs 

 up is thus very often different from that which previously 

 occupied the land ; moreover, the proportionate numbers of the 

 various species are frequently altered as the result of such clear- 

 ings and the alterations are in general more favourable to those 

 species that do not at present happen to be of any economic value 

 to man. 



When all is said and done, reservation is by far the most 

 satisfactory method of ensuring the protection of any particular 

 forest, because under proper organisation the protection is com- 

 plete and supervision concentrated. Thio is not possible when 

 merely a few of the more valuable species are protected (by fixing 

 a minimum felling girth or by selection for felling) generally 

 all over the country. 



Nor must it be concluded that wholesale reservation is neces- 

 sary in order to ensure the permanent existence of forests suffi- 

 ciently extensive to meet the ordinary demands for forest produce. 

 Experience has shown that from 35 per cent, to 40 per cent, 

 of the total wooded area only need be taken up as reserves, even 

 when such reserves include the forests that may require protec- 

 tion, in order to preserve the climatic factors of the locality. 

 There is thus ample unreserved land left at the disposal of the 

 natives for farming purposes. 



