PLANTATIONS A VALUABLE ASSET TO THE COUNTY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 283, 10 September 1938, Page 10

PLANTATIONS A VALUABLE ASSET TO THE COUNTY

NO. 11. When those councillors sixty years ago insisted so strongly that the Lands Department was wrong in. wishing to sell the reserves of the Ashburton County they did good work for posterity. Their main idea was to plant the reserves with trees so that protection from the fierce north-west gales would he afforded and that the plantations in time would attract the moisture from the air and bring water to the thirsty soil. These reserves were chosen in different parts of the County in amount according to the acreage of plains land. Thus we have some of our most profitable reserves on excellent cropping ground, too good altogether for the purpose the councillors anticipated them for. When it is shown that in the County we have' 13,340 acres of Reserves and most of them bringing in revenue some large, some small it will be readily understood that during the slump period 1925-29 to 1932-33 when the forest products alone brought in approximately £2500 a year, with the addition of the rent from unplanted reserves running down, as the farmers’ finances ran down, from £3673 to £IBO2 and all these went into the general fund to hold the rates as low as possible during t-lie stressful time, there was gold in trees and relief from what might have been an unbearable burden. The profits, too, were such that the programme of expenditure for plantation work was kept up—again more or less. The total receipts during these live years from Forest Products and Leases were, to the nearest £, £27,616 and the expenditure £20,266, so that the prudence of our councillors saved the ratepayers the sum of £7350 while at the same time plantation establishment was carried uii. All honour to our foreseeing, stiff-backed pioneers!

Much of my information comes from reports on these plantations supplied in 1929 by Forest Guards J. Johnson and A. C. Forbes, and, in 1933, by Mr C. T. Sando, B.For.Sc., which were made available to me by Mr G. Kelly, County Clerk—the information to them

also being supplied by the Clerk from bis excellent records. From a table compiled ig 1933 there is a wonderful fund of information. It show's where all the reserves are, how many acres are planted and how many unplanted, the description of the trees in the plantations, mature arid immature. The following table alone is interesting:—

Actually up-to-date (September, 1938) the area planted is 4887 acres. A rough arid ready guide for those in-

Great Saving to the Ratepayers

Specially written for the “Guardian” by John Brown, “Lowcliffe,” Ashburton. (Copyright,)

terested is to remember that the Ashburton County has 5000 acres of plantations from its 13,000 acres of reserves. An analysis of the foregoing taolo shows clearly that the reserves laid aside in the wheat-growing districts have paid better to lease in the meantime to good tenants at good rents, rather than to turn into plantations. These reserves can he sold, I understand, by the Council if the necessity should arise, hut the money obtained must lie used in purchasing other lands for plantation purposes. Most of the plantations are on the lighter classes of soil in the County — usually a good shallow stoney loam on a shingle bottom —and the earliest planted, round about 1881 and 1882. liad more beauty about them than those of to-day. Then the pioneers, with memories of “Home” still persisting planted more of a variety of trees. Reserve 2564, for instance, on the Ashburton side of the Mayfield Bridge on the road to Mount Somers was planted from 1886-90, an area of 115 acres. In the plantation were P. radiata, P. laricio; P. pinaster; P. austriaca; Picea excelsa ; L. europaea, iPts. douglasii; O. macrocarpa; C. lawsoniana; acacia. Thie Question of Milling. i But mixtures of trees prove difficult when milling time comes. The stronger growing trees, too, stunt the others, and now that a source of income is more to he desired than formerly (private owners nave done enormous amount of planting on tlieir own properties and thus relieved the pressure on the County plantations as shelter belts) the trees planted are those that experience has shown to he -most profitable. This change began to come about Trom 1890 onwards until to-day the pinus radiata among the pines, the eucalyptus viminalis among tho eucalypts, the larch and the Oregon pine seem to fill the bill. While saying that, it does not mean to say that all people think alike, hut on reading of the trees in the late; implanted reserves it is apparent what the trend has been. In November and December, 1928, there were storms which proved costly to the Council. After heavy rains tending to loosen the soil round the

roots of the pines, there came fierce north-west gales and whore plantations w'ere wrecked. It was this wreckage that, presumably, stirred the Council to get reports on what to do. Sa,w-iniliihg plants and fire-wood splitting have been going on for some years among the upheaval «uut that they have had the experience of these the Council’s workmen know how 1 to luihdie them, but it w-as a fearsome job for them to tackle to begin with. It is now recognised that blocks of the same-type trees should be grouni and that to save “wind-throw',” round the plantations should be planted “wind-mantles” of other trees with braiiches well down to the ground to protect tile inner trees. The macrocarpa 1 notice is specially recommended for this purpose, though the Lawsonia in better ground does equally well. Notice the euphonistic terms ■ 'windthrow” and “wind mantle” l Uses of Pinus Insignis. The ordinary pinus insignis or radiatri is likely to be of great value for years to come for most? temporary work, and for fastness of grow'th and amount of timber —from properly attended plantations —no tree on our plains is more suitable to the shingly soil. The larch plantations—at the foothills, for instance —will soon be used to supply pit-props and stakes. The viminalis gum has proved suitable for stakes and posts that are intended for perhaps 10 years’ use. The Douglas Fir (oregon) is coming into its own. It is a magnificent tree when full grown and has proven itself to he

very valuable timber. The wattles have come to little good, and oaks and silver birches are more or less of only sentimental value. During some years of hard frosts the gums in the district suffered badly, and they have also suffered from insect pests of more than, one kind — fortunately coped with by some of the Government entomologists. The horntail borer is the only insect attacking to any extent the pines, and it shows signs of spreading into healthy stands. The Council is thoroughly alive to the protection of their plantations from fires and a system has been evolved whereby at short notice the Council’s lire engine and fire-fighters can be rushed out to combat the deadly peril. Yearly, too, fine-belts of ploughed land are drawn out to prevent these fires. Our pioneers did well by us, and all should now do their part. To protect these magnificent blocks of trees, to go through the County with eyes open to the beauty of them, to plant, yourself, and to become a lover of trees as you most certainly will become—these things we must do for our fathers’ sake.

'Total area llnplahted a. r. Pa. r. p. Shepherd’s Bush 4209 3 14 2901 3 12 llangitata 440 0 17 190 2 0 Westerfield 2532 1 15 1687 3 23 Alford 1572 1 22 1309 2 28 Hutt 403 3 28 164 0 0 Spaxton 600 3 17 375 3 12 Hinds 680 1 13 248 2 38 Coldstream 215 3 0 123 0 0 Wakanui 233 0 25 195 1 11 Ashburton 1768 3 19 1305 1 20 Ilakaia 588 1 17 505 3 22 Across Uangitata .. 88 2 0 88 2 0 13,340 1 24 9096 2 6 The total area planted in 1933 was thus:— Total area . 13,340 1 27 Area not planted 9096 2 06 4243 3 21