CONSIDER THE FOREST.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 238, 5 October 1916, Page 11

CONSIDER THE FOREST.

COHSERVATTON BEFOBE I HEPLANTING. IMPORTANCE OF DEMARCATION. ECONOMY OF SUBURBAN FORESTS. A COST OF UTVING FACTOR. MR. D. E. HUTCHEvS' MISSION. For the past ten months Mr. D. E. Hutchins, formerly of the India Forestry Service and of the South African Forestry Department, has been in New Zealand collecting data for a "report to the Prime Minister on forest conservation in the Dominion. Mr. Jlutchins has now completed his observations except in regard to our noblest aird most valuable forest giant, the kauri, and gave to a -"Star" representative this morning an interesting resume of the conclusions he has arrived at respecting forest growth and conservation in this country. "Most of my life," he remarked, "has • ibeen spent in South' Africa, where the forests are so much like the forests of New Zealand that a photograph of one could be generally taken for that of the other. The majority of the best timbers of each country belong to the genus podocarpus, consisting "of trees allied to the yews. Of this class aTe the matai, miro, *totara, and black and white pine. .The result of my investigations here has been, as in South Africa, that plantingis expensive, and that the important thing, therefore, is the preservation of the native forest, especially when that forest consists of timbers so valuable ac the kauri.

ANTI-PRESERVATION ARGUMENTS. -Two reasons have been urged against {he preservation of native forest—first, that the native timbers grow too slowly', and secondly, that the reproduction is too uncertain to be depended upon. As to these points, I have found in the couree of my touring, together with reading data recording the growth of "Sew Zealand timbers, particularly the research of Mr. Cheeseman, and fisures left by the late Mr. Kirk, that = the average growth of the best timber trees in New Zealand forests is decidedly faster than the average of the five chief timber trees of Europe. I "For the figures regarding the New Zealand trees I have taken all the data recorded, together with the counting of rings of trees in the forest, and also°the growth of native trees wherever they have been planted, such as in the Auckland Domain and the New Plymouth Botanic Gardens. Comparing all this with the standard yield tables of European forest trees, there is no question respecting the conclusion.

FORESTRY AND REPRODUCTION. Respecting natural reproduction, the timbers of the New Zealand forests are not so free in reproduction as those of some of the forests in Europe, hut on the other hand the rate is better than the average of reproduction in South Africa, and b one of those matters which require experience and careful study on the ground. Happily it is most certain in the best timber of Nerw Zealand—the kauri. It is true this natural reproducbut that is e fa#.J art. He marks tinnier before ii is felled, and also with the view ot-suiting the miller's convenience and of ensuring reproduction.

FOREST DEMARCATION. "There can te no doiibt, of said Mr Hutchins, "that the destruction of native forests has been reckless in 2tfew Zealand, wjhile, what ie equally regrettable, there hae been no forest demarcation as in. otiher countries. In India, Japan, in t/h e United States of America, and in our most recent colony. British East Africa, forest demarcation has beencthe first step taken in scientific forestry. By forest demarcation is to be understood the systematic eurvev oi the forests and the separation on" the ground of areas best suited to remain permanently iv forest from that area best suited for settlement. The demarcation upon these two areas naturalK receivee different treatment. The permanent forest area has the timber worked with the view of working" off the old mature timber and of ensuring forest reproduction. The settlement area is worked with the -new of utilising the timber and then making the area available for settlement.- Some important advances have been made in demarcation in Australia. Victoria has had 4.000,000 acres of forest eet aside permanently for the last eight years, while New.South Wales expecte to have 5,000,000 acres ot State-forest permanently secured for the nation by the end of the present year.

SENTIMENT AND PROFIT. Scientific forest conservation i e necessary in New Zealand, not only from t'.ie eentimental point c£ view of preserving its beautiful forests, not merely from the climatic point of view of reducing floods and of arresting erosion, but from the point of view of pounds, shillings and pence and of employment. Before the war -broke out, in round uumtes £500,----000 was being paid in New Zealand yearly for imported timber, and that half million will very soon rise to a million •with the increase of population and the decrease of forests. A million a year going out of this country is a serious thing, not only for the finances, but for New Zealand's industries and employment. It must be remembered that the timber industry employs more hands than any other single industry in the Dominion, and other industries depend on it indirectly, such as •housebuilding and carpentering, which require cheap and abundant timber, and the tanneries, which require supplies of wattle bark. It ie certain that if the right sort of wattle Were introduced generally into the forests it would spread a≤ it has done in South Africa.

WATTLE INSTEAD OF BRAMBLE. . It is well known that at tihe present moment there ie an export of over £250,000 worth of Tvattle bark from Natal yearly, derived entirely from wattle which has been planted. LaboUT is cheaper there than in New Zealand, so that fwthile wattle planting here ac a financial proposition even in poor soil is doubtful, if wattles were introduced into the forests and left to spread the cost of production would be reduced to the cost of stripping. You should, in fact, 'be planting wattle to replace the gonse and bramble which now too often takes possession on the bare mountain sides ■where - the forest 'has been recklessly destroyed without demarcation. There is also the paper pulp industry, and here again you require to introduce for spreading conifers and poplars; while, laet3y,'it amist io remembered "that the destruction of forests neaT towne is certainly a factor in the increased coet of living. - .

VALUE OF SUBURBAN FORESTS. Tie price of timber depends on the ftitanee it liae to be brought, aad fixe-

££? eeo ™ es -*» «n» prohibitive in price In Europe-we i«ve only to look *■■'-££ •-?** map *° «* kow.faraete are fetnbuted right Thereare •. valuable timber .foreete on suitable poor coiL of course, "Bat situated ft *° Such. foresU m New Zealand -would go a long way towards reducing the cost of living fey ■providing cheap firewood and TraUding timber. . Suet forests have often been conveniently, termed suburban iorests, since they have formed part of the life of the large towns as playgrounds for the people as well as sources for obtaining cheap firewood and timber. These snbU f , orests y°u vill find near almost all the large capitals of Europe as Paris, Vwmna., Berlin, and Brussels. The best known of these suburbanf oreste to English people is that near Brussels, where one actually steps out of one of the chief streets of Brussels, the "Avenue Louise, into th e Foret de Soignes. Now th.s forest is no park, kept up at considerable expense and involving restricU °™; .T^s largeforest—theeecondlargest State forest of Belgium, where everyone is free to enter and do as they Bke— °f co^ money to keep up, returns to the State a net yearly revenue of nearly £1 per a<. re . J tne other suburban forests of Europe are in the of frJT l^° n ; 1 aefc revenues of from £1 to £2 per acre yearly.

DEMARCATION AT WAIPOUA. Mr- Sutehins explained that he » now on his way to inspect the Waipoua State forest-the last of the good kauri for ests, in order to lay down a forest demarcation which will serve as an illustration of what is being done in forest demarcation in other countries in which he has had experience—first in India, then ,n South Africa, and more recently in our new colony of British East Ainca.

-They ihave formed a Forest League in WeUmgton the secretary .being Mr*E. C. Jack, of the Farmers' Union. Mr T Cheeseman, curator of the Auckland Museum, has been appointed a member of the committee. The present catastrophe in >iew Zealand forestry has been brought about by ignorance of the methods adopted in other countries It is useless to blame the Government, as in a democratic country it can only follow public opinion. It is to he hoped that a branch of the League will be formed in Auckland to bring before the public what is being done in other countries m forestry. For instance, in South Africa, -where conditions in many respects climatically resemble New Zealand, the timber has been .worked and -the forest preserved successfully fox the last 33 years."