5.
24
offences" could be eliminated, typhoon damage to forests
would be considerably less in this Colony.
On the "leased forest lots" it is becoming very evident that there is a tendency to extract considerably more than the 10% allowed by the permit, for commercial purposes. This may be a passing phase due to abnormal conditions but it
will be difficult to check.
Taken together these difficulties provide formidable
obstacles to economic forestry in this Colony.
M
(d) Future Development - Possible From the previous
paragraphs it must be evident that the Colony could produce
timber, sufficient at any rate for its local fuel needs.
Examination of Crown Forests and "fung shui" groves are
sufficient proof of this. The latter contain the oldest
trees in the Colony and some of them, such as Camphor, Pine,
etc. are excellent specimens. It should be possible to
afforest 50-60% of the Colony area with good timber, to the
benefit of the water supply and the agricultural areas, in
addition to prospective timber returns. Such work would, of course, need large expenditure on afforestation work..
However, it must be remembered that, in most cases, it is
easier to obtain a profitable return from a forest in situ
than it is from a forest which has first to be planted.
The one involves expenditure in extraction only the other in
planting and maintenance in the first place and in
extraction later on.
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(e) Future Development Probable. The factor which looms
largest in probable future developments is Grass. This enters to a very great degree into the peasant economic life. It provides "feed" for animals, fuel for cooking and last
but not least, manure in the shape of ashes (these are
mixed with dung) for the rice fields, etc. To ensure good
grass during the next growing season, the illegal practice
of burning the hillsides is still carried on, the object
being to eliminate shrubby growth from the areas and to