Abstract
THE Annual Report of the Kenya Forest Department for the year ending Dec. 31, 1930, affords pleasurable reading for all those interested in the progress of forestry conservation and development in the Empire. The whole Colony enjoyed good rains, and a record acreage of new plantations, 4429 acres, was made. Excellent growth both of the new and old plantations was recorded, and there were no forest fires of any consequence. The economic slump, as is a common experience in forestry operations, resulted in a considerable drop in the revenue from timber and from the sale of young trees and seeds. For the first time the revenue from firewood actually exceeded that from timber. This factor alone would justify the far-seeing policy of the Colony's administrators in supporting a correct forest administration. It is of interest to note that the management of the intensively worked forests of the Nairobi District was placed on a satisfactory basis during the year by the completion of detailed working plans. The Chinese tung oil tree, Aleurites Fordii, has been previously alluded to in NATURE, and it was mentioned at the time that experiments were being carried out to ascertain the possibilities of growing the tree commercially in several of the Colonies. Great interest is being shown in this tree by farmers in Kenya, and the Forest Department has acted as agent in the distribution of the seed. A few experimental trees have been planted, since it was first grown in the Department's arboretum in 1922, at practically every forest station, to test the suitability of the various districts, but the trees are as yet too young to give definite indications.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Forestry in Kenya. Nature 129, 274 (1932). https://doi.org/10.1038/129274c0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/129274c0