in the recent history of the forest, and they do not make allowance for the possibility that
particular soil conditions or rainfall gradients may be responsible to a greater or lesser
extent for the occurrence of particular species in particular locations. Also, perhaps most
importantly in the case of Budongo, they do not account for a possible role of elephants
in bringing about the dominance of Cynometrabecause elephants do more damage to
young trees of other species than to Cynometra(Shiel 1996, 1999a,b, 2001, 2003; Shiel
and Burslem 2003).
Timber
Eggeling’s study provided a useful model for understanding the ecology of the Budongo
Forest. It also provided a scientific basis for the management of this forest during the
40-odd years (1930–1970) when British foresters were in charge. Much silvicultural
work was undertaken during this period, mainly centred around the idea that by removing
the dominant species,Cynometra alexandri, from the forest, Mixed Forest would be
able to flourish without being overtaken and as a result the mahoganies,Khayaand
Entandrophragma, which thrive in Mixed Forest and are much less common in
Cynometraforest, would grow in abundance.
Four sawmills were established in Budongo Forest during the time of the British
Protectorate, and a huge amount of revenue was generated by this one forest. Synnott
(1972) reported that at that time ‘over 10 million board feet, about 24,000 cubic metres,
mainly mahoganies’ were being produced annually by the Budongo mills. The value of
this timber was over 10 million Ugandan shillings per annum on the local and export
markets (in 1972 there were 14 Ugandan shillings to the pound sterling, so this was the
equivalent of £714 285 then, or perhaps about 10 times that amount today). In addition
to the mahoganies,Milicia excelsawas a popular timber tree of the highest quality and
indeed the licence fee for cutting Miliciawas higher than for the mahoganies, which
occupied second place in the fee structure (R. Plumptre, pers. comm.). Cynometra
alexandriwas also cut once heavy sawmilling machinery using saws with hardened
teeth had been introduced (this species is durable, being hard and close-grained with a
dark, red-brown appearance. It is thus excellent for flooring, and indeed the floor of the
Royal Festival Hall in London is made of Budongo Cynometra. In the late 1960s,
14 The Budongo Forest
Table 1.1: Timber production in Budongo Forest, 1930–1989
(from Plumptre 1996).
Decade Total volume (m^3 ) Volume/area Percentage
(m^3 /ha) mahogany
1930–39 66016 32.2 71.3
1940–49 170080 42.9 68.3
1950–59 151334 42.1 74.9
1960–69 247110 25.1 65.8
1970–79 171836 38.0 66.0
1980–89 66251 24.9 61.9