GOLD COAST REPORT ON FORESTS. 145 



This will bring the Forest Establishment up to the following 

 strength : 







One Conservator 1,00050 1,200 



Duty pay 200 



One Deputy Conservator . . . 70050 900 



Duty pay 140 



Five Senior Assistant Conservators... 450 25 650 



Duty pay 90 



Eight Junior Assistant Conservators 300 25 400 



The cost of this Establishment will for the first year amount 

 to 7,140, a sum that will be more than covered by forest revenue. 



2. Native Staff (Subordinate Forest Service). This should 

 consist of : 



Forest Rangers. 



i. Forest Rangers of the first grade, with salaries of 



72 per annum, 

 ii. Forest Rangers of the second grade, or Deputy 



Rangers, on salaries of 60 per annum. 

 Foresters. 



i. Foresters, first grade, on 48 per annum, 

 ii. Foresters, second grade, on 36 per annum. 



Forest Guards. 



i. Forest Guards, first grade, on 24 per annum. 

 ii. Forest Guards, second grade, on 18 per annum. 



The actual number of men required cannot be estimated for 

 with any accuracy at present, and the matter can be deferred 

 till the European Staff has been appointed. An annual expendi- 

 ture of 1,500 on the Native Staff should provide for all the 

 men that will be required during the first few years. 



B. Selection of Areas for Reservation. 



The exploration of the forest areas, with a view to selecting 

 the best for Reserves, will form the most important duty of the 

 European Staff. As the process is one that takes a long time 

 to complete, it should be started as soon as ever a department has 

 been established ; it is of the utmost importance that as much 

 as possible of the richest forests should be reserved before they 

 have been damaged by the native farmers or over-exploited for 

 the export trade. Every dry season the forests should be 

 systematically explored, and proposals submitted for the reserva- 

 tion of the best ones, and this selection should be left to the 

 more experienced Senior Assistant Conservators. 



Special attention should be paid first to areas covered with 

 high forest that shows few T , if any, signs of having been modified 

 by the action of man during the past. Of such areas, those 

 should be selected for reservation that contain a fair proportion 

 of any or all of the following species of valuable plants : 



(a 1 .) Mahoganies, of the genus Khaya. 



(ft 1 .) Cedars, of the genus Pseudocedrela. 



(c l .) Cedars, of the genus Loroa. 



12315 K 



