22 



SCIENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



AREA OF FORESTS SOUTH AFRICA. 



The following statement shows the area of forests in South Africa 

 brought up to May, 1905. This area includes the whole of South 

 Africa south of the Zambesi, with the exception of Rhodesia and 

 the Portuguese Territory, for which data are wanting. Though 

 there is much open forest in the Portuguese low country, and the 

 whole of the Rhodesian plateau is more or less covered with open 

 forest, it is believed that in neither country is there any appreciable 

 area of dense forest comparable to the Yellowwood forest of Cape 

 Colony, Natal and the Transvaal. This does not mean that there 

 is no valuable forest in Rhodesia. The Wanki Forest, yielding 

 Rhodesian Teak, may be cited as one of probably great economic 

 value, but the areas that it is intended to reserve as forests in 

 Rhodesia have not yet been demarcated, and I have no data, even 

 approximately, of their size. 



If we allow another 27,500 acres for forests in the Transkei not 

 yet brought on to the Reserves, that would make a total of 529,902 

 acres of Government timber forest in Cape Colony : there are 

 413,408 acres of Yellowwood forest and 18,035 acres of timber 

 plantations exclusive of wattles. 



The following may thus be stated as the approximate areas 

 under timber forest in South Africa : 



Cape 



Natal (excluding scrub forests) : 



Old Natal 



Zululand 



40,000 

 50,000 



Acres. 

 529,902 



90,000 



