26 



Allowing one acre per person for food crops the area in any one year 

 within the forest zone required for domestic agriculture is, say, 900,000 

 acres, or, approximately, 1,406 square miles. Assuming that a return 

 is made to an area previously farmed after a rest averaging seven years, 

 and that the same area is kept under food crops for an average of three 

 years, 5,624 square miles of forest country is required for food crops 

 for the inhabitants within the forest zone. 



It is very difficult to form any idea of the area under cocoa, but 

 from a consideration of the average number of pounds of beans produced 

 by a tree, the usual number of trees to the acre, and the export of beans 

 during the past few years, a total of 800 square miles is considered 

 well within the figure. 



Adding, therefore, the area required for food farms, namely, 5,624 

 square miles, to that required for cocoa, a total of 6,424 square miles is 

 arrived at, required for agricultural purposes within the forest zone. 

 In addition, there is the area under kola and oil palm within the forest 

 zone, and also the food farms which supply large centres such as Accra 

 and Cape Coast, which are themselves outside the forest. No estimate 

 can be given of these, but as they must be taken into consideration, 

 the total of 6,424 square miles may safely be increased to 7,000 square 

 miles. 



Here must also be considered the question of forest fuel supply 

 to the mines and railways, both services of pre-eminent importance 

 to the country, and therefore to be assisted in every way. The factor 

 governing the extent of the country which these industries require 

 to tap is the price of imported coal as opposed to local fuel, a most 

 difficult point on which to arrive at any conclusion. It is necessary, 

 however, to hazard an opinion, but this is best expressed by assigning 

 for fuel exploitation for these two services the maximum area which 

 it is considered likely to be exploited. The figures below provide 

 therefore some sort of guide. Involved in this question is the manner 

 in which the forest poHcy of the countiy is affected, for these areas, 

 when worked out, are practically clear cut. With the exception of 

 the northern part of the railway lines and the Obuasi and Bebianeha 

 mining areas, the areas of possible exploitation all lie within the 

 Evergreen Forest, and when worked out and abandoned should re- 

 afforest themselves naturally, or provide easily cleared agricultural 

 areas to the saving of good forest. It does not appear, therefore, 

 that any reservations need be made in respect to these areas which are 

 not expected to exceed the figures given below, and their denudation 

 of forest should not therefore cause any harm, except on steep hill 

 slopes. 



The case of the northern part of the railway fines and the Obuasi 

 and Bebianeha mining areas, is different, for they lie within the 



