CHAPTER X 
THE FORESTS AND TIMBER PRODUCTION OF 
THE BRITISH SPHERE OF THE CAMEROONS 
Runnine parallel with the Nigerian boundary, a strip averaging 
75 to 90 miles in width, and running back from the coast about 
300 miles, we have the British sphere of the Cameroons, in all, an area 
of about 31,000 square miles. From the forest-zone point of view 
this land area can be divided into really three different zones. First 
of all, nearest the coast, there is Victoria, the Cameroon Mountains, 
followed by the bank of the Mungo. Past the crest of Kuppe 
and the Manengube Mountains and onwards along the Mbo, 
Foto and Bambuto Ranges round to the headquarters of the Cross 
River and to the Nigerian boundary, we have about 7,000 square 
miles of an almost unbroken evergreen forest zone. 
The second area comprises a beautiful open grassland with 
only scattered trees, covering largely the Chang, Bamenda, Kontsha 
and more northern districts of the British sphere, in all about 
17,000 square miles. _ 
The third section comprises the heavy evergreen and deciduous 
forests on the banks of the more northern rivers, such as the Mo, 
the Cam, and covers approximately an area of 7,000 square miles. 
From the forestry point of view, the most accessible, and there- 
fore the most valuable, of these areas are situated in the first-named 
zone, therefore we will consider this area more in detail. 
To begin with, it can be subdivided into three almost distinct 
forest divisions; following the watersheds or basins of (1) the 
Mungo River, (2) the Cross River, (3) the Akwayefe, Ndian, Moko, 
Meme Rivers and the Rio del Rey district. Taking the third arca first, 
we have comparatively large areas of forest covering both level and 
hilly country up to an elevation of about 3,000 feet, but with the sides 
of the valleys less timbered than in the Mungo River forest zone. 
Amongst the species of trees which have been felled and exported 
from this area are the following: Mahogany Sarcocephalus, Bitter 
Bark, Saccoglottis Gabunensis, Light Mahogany, Khaya Huryphylia, 
Ebony, Diospyros Kamerunensis, Red Ironwood or Bongossi, Lophira 
procera, Long-capsuled Mahogany, Entandrophragma Rederi. 
Amongst the more prevalent trees of the lower lying land, including’ 
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