3 
C. — Northern Division. 
No. 
Reserve. 
Nature of Jungle. 
« 
Area. 
No. of Inspec- 
tions made by 
Forest Ranger 
during the year 
1897. 
No. of Bakau 
Passes issued 
during the year 
1897. 
No. of Passes 
for Wood issu- 
ed during the 
year 1897. 
No. of Arrests 
made during 
the year 18^7. 
a, r. p. 
1 
North Seletar Reserve, 
Jungle, lalang and 
4 
bakau, 
1,492 1 08 
5 
21 
5 
2 
Chan Chu Kang Re- 
a 
serve, ... 
Jungle, 
813 3 08 
S 
• ■ . 
2 
* » * 
3 
Ang Mo Kio Reserve, 
Brushwood and la- 
lang, 
296 0 02 
4 
» » ■ 
1 
4 
Sempang Reserve, 
Jungle, 
5 0 00 
3 
... 
... 
... 
Total,... 
2,607 0 *8 
17 
21 
7 
1 
Remarks. — Two men in charge. Quarters at 8£ mile post, Thomson Road. 
A boat with sail, etc. kept at Sungei Seletar. There was afire in July at old nur- 
sery in Chan Chu Kang Reserve when 350 small rengas trees and 100 glam trees 
were burnt. They were of no value, as they had never been transplanted and were 
consequently stunted. The cause of this fire was never discovered. The extension 
of North Seletar Forest Reserve was gazetted at the end of 1896, but, owing to press 
of work in the Survey Office, it has not yet been surveyed and demarcated. This 
should be done at once so that it can be duly guarded. 
Revenue derived from Forest Reserves (Northern Division) during i8gy. 
$ c. 
Twenty-one Bakau Passes, ... s ... ... 84 00 
Fees for 920 Kelong Rollers,... ... .... 20 50 
Sale of 8 trees, 3' in diameter, ... ... 18 20 
One arrest case for wood-cutting, fine inflicted $15.00 
(not paid), ... ... ... 
Total, ... $122 70 
4. I do not understand the principle on which a good many of these Reserves 
have been kept, and the irregularity of their boundaries greatly increases the trouble 
of guarding them. 
Bukit Timah and Changi, with small portions of Kranji and Seletar, are practi- 
cally the only Reserves containing big jungle, and these, with the bakau swamps, are, 
therefore, the only Reserves of value. 
The rest are composed of brushwood swamp and lalang, and I am doubtful if they 
are worth reserving. 
5. The Forest Guards have been constantly engaged during the year in keeping 
up the paths marking the boundaries of the Reserves, making and repairing bridges, 
and going on rounds. During the year, all the Reserves were marked out near the 
roads and at other places by tin labels with “ Forest Reserve ” painted on them, 
affixed to posts or trees, in place of the old boards which had become rotten and 
decayed. 
No attempt at re-afforestation has been made, and I very much question, with the 
poor soil of Singapore, whether it would be worth trying, except on a very extensive 
scale. 
W. C. MICHELL, 
Acting Collector of Land Revenue - 
