FOOD FROM FORESTS

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 267, 10 November 1937, Page 21

FOOD FROM FORESTS

TREES IN WARTIME. LONDON*. Tn the event «if war. Britain's forests could not only supply fuel but food and clothes as well, for the entire population for several months. An official of the Forest Products Research Station at Princes Risborotigh (Bucks) said this week: "We could make alcohol, sugar and clothing from wood: in fact, we could make almost anything from wood if we had to. Our forest reserves would help to tide over a good emergency. Great research is going on in Germany. We are watching these experiments closely." Cattle food and food for human consumption made from wood are already on the market in Germany. Trees wiil also supply sugar, wood alcohol, wood fuel for cars, clothes, glycerine (for explosives), crystallised glucose, grease, proteins and carbo-hydrates. Economic production has not yet been attained, but it is significant that 90 per ccnt of the trees being planted by the Forestry Commission are conifers (softwood), the type most suitable for the extraction of by-products. An official of the Forestry Commission said. "We have acquired more than 998,000 acres of land, of which C 12.800 acres are plantable. We have ourselves planted 310,000 acres, local authorities and private individuals have planted 116,000 more with the aid of our grants."