PROFITABLE TREE-PLANTING.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 167, 14 July 1916, Page 2

PROFITABLE TREE-PLANTING.

AFFORESTATION ON OUR CATCHMENT AREA. (By S. I. CLARKE.) The decision of the Auckland City Council, as the result of the discussion of the question of the afforestation of the catchment area of the municipal water supply, illustrates the risks involved in local government, where the decision of a matter requiring the widest public inquiry and the fullest technical knowledge is in the hands of a public body, which, in the absence of such knowledge among its members, and even in spite of the opinions of experts whose aid had been invoked, comes to a -conclusion which must have been based on local sentiment rather than on practical issues. And as the conservation and continued purity of the public water supply is in the very forefront of questions of public importance, it is desirable that public -attention should be urgently directed to the proposed action of the City Council, as embodied in the resolution of the meeting of the 15th. ult., when it was decided to plant the above area with "native trees, and other evergreen 'shrubs.'" This appears to have found support mainly from the sentimental reason that our New Zealand flora "could be planted with nmch better effect." It ia to be noted that one of the strongest opponents of the report of the committee favouring the planting of eucalypts is reported as saying that "the eucalyptus tree was the last one tiat should be selected in any experiment in forestry." This statement is entirely out of accord with all Tecent experience and accredited inquiry, as' •may be seen by reference to tie report of the Royal Commission on forestry, 1913, and especially to Appendix C of the same report. The statement of the same objector, that "if they -weTe planting for commercial purposes be would support it," raises the all-important question of utility versus sentiment. Why not plant' for commercial purposes? It is just on this point that I ask to be allowed to try to arouse public attention, and to obtain the sympathetic hearing of the Auckland City Council. "Primarily the aim of tho City Council should be to protect tne surface of the ground from erosion by the alternative action of the sun and the rain, which result can be attained by planting anything which will grow and thrive on the area. Secondarily the aim of the Council as guardians of the public interests should.'be to do this work at the least cost, and in such a way as to Becure a return for the money expended if it is possible. Let us examine the question from these two points of view. In the first-place, the area (approximately 2,000 acres) is too large to allow' the matter to be settled on the question of natural beauty, which is, after alt, very much a question of taste. While it is true that our native tTces as individual specimens and at close quarters, are beautiful to look upon, yet in the mass and at such distances as are involved in the area in question, there ia a uniformity in the duhicss of colour which is quite out of accord with the old saying that "variety is enarming." and any well ordered scheinc of forestry would readily produce as good results so far as natural beauty is concernedy '.•■•;■. Now it is undeniable that timber trees planted for use aiid for profit would form as good a protective covering as, if not better than, tine indigenous growth; and as the City Council's expert told ..the aßembled councillors that the planting of native flora would cost double the amount of the eucalyptus, and as other timber trees can be planted equally cheap with the Australian gum tree, it is worth wMle to compare results from a financial standpoint, which I will tabulate on a separate sheet I will here anticipate the objection which may. ')e made that the expense of covering the area by strewing it with ti-trce seeds, and leaving the rest to nature, would be small. But thie would be to invite disaster from periodic fires and to ensure pollution by wfld pigs and other undesirable denizens of the bush; while a properly planted area would of necessity involve proper supervision. The commercial results work out as follows: The basis of the calculation is from the Forestry Commission's report, and the trees the wqll-knqwn llontcr.ey_ pine,-or pinus radiata. Xhavc estimated returns from the Auckland water reserve-area of'nbout 2,000 acres, showing the financial results ■which may be expected from planting trees which come to early maturity, and which produce large amounts of timber, such as Pinus radiata (or insignis). The basis' is a thirty-five years rotation of yield :— ' EXPENDITURE. 2000' acres planted at £S per acre. ■ • at 4} per tout, compound Interest for thirty-live year 5...'.......:.. £74,672 lipiit.il valne of land at £2 per acre at 4J per cent for thlrty-flvc years compound Interest £14,669 Annual maintenance charges at £8 per acre at 4$ per cent compound Interest for tliirty-flvc years .: 45,897 Total.approximateexpenditure '£136,238 , ESTIMATED RECEIPTS. 2000 acres, yielding 150,000 ft: per acre, at 2/ per hundred feet £300.000 Deduct expenditure ....:....::... 138 238 Balance to profit ; £161,762 Native trees and other evergreen ebrube, expenditure as above, plus double cost planting, £189,000. Returns nil: To the loss due to expenditure during the period of £189,000 must be added the failure to realise the -profit of £101,762,, leaving a total loss of the large sum of £3G0,768. There is the farther fact to be considered that the retail value of this large amount of timber with all its necessaiy distribution of labour, could not be less than twelve shillings (12/) per hundred, and would almost certainly be very nrach more, but at tne above price it would result in the distribution of nearly two millions sterling among the community during tie realisation of the returns.