Annual report on Sarawak.

Date:
[1950]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on Sarawak. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    77/230 (page 43)
    A certain quantity of timber was also sent to Singapore various Bornean ports, New Zealand, South Africa and Ceylon. The main source of this timber was the Bejano-, which contains one of the few harbours in the country capable of accommodating ocean-going vessels and which has a lar<>e hinterland carrying vast areas of rich forest. Owing, how¬ ever, to dwindling supplies, the further export °of the celebrated hardwood belian was prohibited towards the end of the year. Apart from its general duty of the supervision of forest industries, the main task of the Forest Department at present is the selection and reservation of land to be kept under forests in perpetuity, both for the permanent production of timber and other products and for the prevention of erosion and floods Hitherto, owing to shortage of staff and other reasons only slow progress has been made, but the work has now been considerably facilitated by a 'Colonial Development and Wel¬ fare grant By the end of 1950, a total of 3,442 square mdes had been reserved, but this figure will be more than doubled by the inclusion of other areas now in process of constitution. Work on the intensive exploration of the Bejano- delta egun m 1949 and carried out in co-operation with other Departments, was completed during the year, and has made possible a complete land utilization plan for an area of some ’ ' 0 s^a]re mi^es- Of this area, approximately 760 square miles will be kept permanently under forest of the peat-swamp and mangrove types. Further large areas to the north of this area are now to be examined. Forestry research is at present concerned mainly with experimental plantations, with a view to the reclamation of impoverished soils and the rehabilitation of forests degraded by shifting cultivation. Both mahogany (Swietenia macro- phylla) and ru rowing (Casuarina sumatrana) show consider¬ able promise of success. The latter species is not a timber tree but yields firewood of a very high quality and may therefore be of great value in densely populated localities. It is still considered too early, however, to embark on any large-scale projects of this nature. For the first time since 1941 it was found possible to devote some time to the training of the subordinate field staff, and a short, practical course in surveying, silviculture and