CHAPTER VI 
THE GOLD COAST 
Arza, 80,000 square miles. 
During 1909, a most interesting and exhaustive Report on the 
Forest of the Gold Coast. as well as Ashanti and the Northern Terri- 
tories, was written by Mr. H. N. Thompson, the Chief Conservator of 
Forests of Nigeria. As a result of this Report, a Forest Department 
was formed in 1910. This Forest Department now consists of a 
Conservator, Deputy, and three Assistant Conservators of Forests. 
However, legislation for the proper preservation of the forest and 
creation of Forest Reserves has not been passed, so that the scope of 
the Forest Department’s usefulness has been much curtailed. 
It would be quite superfluous here to try and describe the forests 
in such a masterly fashion as has been done by Mr. Thompson, but 
anyone who is interested in the Gold Coast Forests should read the 
Report for themselves. It will suffice to give an outline of the main 
features of the Forest Administration and a general description of 
the forests. 
With the author’s permission I have given a list of the timber- 
trees, together with the botanical names, so far as they are known. 
The people of this very rich country have in a short-sighted way 
very much hindered real progress in Forestry by refusing to assist in 
the creation of Forest Reserves. Forest Reserves are, of course, 
simply forest permanently set aside for the production of timber or 
other such forest products. The people of the Gold Coast have, 
apparently, judging by extracts from the local Press, got the idea 
into their heads that the making of a Forest Reserve necessarily means 
the ownership of the land on which the forest stands passing into the 
possession of the Government. This, of course, is quite a contrary 
view to the true conception of a Forest Reserve, which is an area set 
apart by the Supreme Government as a forest for the permanent 
production of timber, etc., and usually managed by the Forest Depart- 
ment of the country. It may be a State forest, a communal forest, 
a municipal forest, or even a private forest which -is thus placed 
under Forest Laws as a Forest Reserve. The user (that is, the man 
who has the right of usufruct in it) is not generally in a position to 
protect it thoroughly, and to some extent foregoes present temporary 
profits for future permanent returns. 
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