40 WEST AFRICAN FORESTS AND FORESTRY 
been forgotten either. So far very little revenue has been received 
for timber-felling fees, which means really that in the past the forests 
have been destroyed, and now only small quantities can be cut. It 
does indeed make one pause and think what immense forests must 
have existed in the days of 1827, when so many loads of timber were 
exported, as shown in the table on p. 64. If those forests had been 
preserved then, they would be yielding high returns now, and the 
Department would be self-supporting, instead of having money 
invested first in plantations before returns are obtained. However, 
now that the Department has been formed, a definite Forest Ordinance 
has been passed, under which Forest Reserves can be made, and the 
future of the existing forests is thus assured. Sooner or later all of 
them will yield a monetary return, besides benefiting the country 
climatically and preserving the soil. 
One can really look upon Forestry as a kind of Endowment 
Assurance, with returns which may begin at once with existing forests, 
or later with afforestation begun now. The return is always sure, 
more especially now, with continually rising timber prices. In 
Sierra Leone, of course, for some years money will have to be put into 
Forestry work before adequate returns can be made, owing to the 
reckless mismanagement of the forest in the early part of the nine- 
teenth century. For the purpose of easy reference, a list of some of 
the most important timber trees is appended, and with both the 
Mendi and Timani names, when it is possible to give these, and 
an English equivalent is also given where one uses a name suggestive 
of the use of the timber. 
So far the Department has not leased any areas for the exploita- 
tion of timber for export or local use, though there are several areas 
available, such as the peninsular forest. Even an organization of 
the sawyers and boat-builders would be a useful work, and machinery 
for cutting the various woods would lead to greater production and 
a saving of timber, of which so much is now wasted. Again, the 
enormous demand for firewood in Freetown, most of which is water- 
borne, could be more advantageously met with a small sawmill or 
movable plant in connection with the other wood-using industries 
already named. The mangrove swamps would provide material 
ready at hand for conversion. The railway requires firewood at 
certain points ; there again is scope for improved methods of dealing 
with it, yielding profit both to the contractor and to the Forest 
Department. 
