FOREST GLORY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 270, 13 November 1937, Page 7

FOREST GLORY.

WAITAKERE HAVOC.

BIRD LIFE DISAPPEARS.

WARNING OF FIRE MENACE.

Where birds held chorus in lofty tre» tops or feasted on the berries of tin bush, where ferns and moss formed '< cool, moist carpet on the shady floo beneath, or where streams nuirmurei down sheltered valleys there is to-dai the sound of axe and saw, of log haitle and timber jack in the Waitaken Ranges. Down scarred slopes and acros clearings big tree trunks are dragged at the ends of straining wire hawsers on the first stage of the journey to the timber mills.

The ranges, once a scene of unspoiled forest splendour, are losing their crown-! ing glory. Ridges so recently clothed with magnificent native bush bear mute signs of the havoc wrought by modern methods of timber working, and the winds whip in gusts up valleys and along roadways to complete the destruction of the last traces of forest growth. Soon bracken, gorse and blackberry will spread along these slopes, and the final stage will be reached in the eclipse of natural beauty which to j. past generation made the Waitakeres a panorama of loveliness. Panorama of the City. Of course, there will still remain that other panorama, the view of the city, the garden-like suburbs, the twin harbours and the island-studded gulf, and: motorists will be there in thousands to enjoy the vista of urban, rural and; coastal grandeur, but the charm of the. ranges themselves will be largely gone. Only the water catchment areas, a fewcity reserves and perhaps an occasional! clump of trees preserved by private owners will remain as a reminder of the bush-clad spurs, slopes and peaks where the timber industry has taken such toll.

For a space of years it seemed that f destruction had been at last arrested,/ but within the past twelve months or so operations have been resumed with renewed vigour and on a scale which suggests that it will not be long before the work is complete. Along the West Coast Koad. on the route to Pilia and Anawhata, tnere is now little green bush to be seen. On one block of 100 acres, where rimu, kauri and other timber trees have been removed, preparations are in progress by a city firm to take but the rata, tall manuka and firewood timber until the last tree has vanished. As the work I proceeds green, leafy branches will be l| lopped oft" and left on the slope*, where r in midsummer they will be an ever--present menace of lire. A match carelessly dropped, or a picnic tire nut pro-1 ■ perly put out may lie the means ofj r -starting a blaze which will sweep through| e hundreds of acres, threaten cottages and, s jperhaps, invade the city's watersheds. d: "A Tremendous Danger." n] "The bush is being mutilated in a e ]way which is a tremendous danger to property owners," said the occupant of a house on the ranges, with seven acres d!of trees around it. He explained that l-immediately it became generally known d that the city or the Government was contemplating action to take over the e ranges as a forest reserve, many owners a of inillable trees entered into negotiae tions with Auckland timber companies, J and felling began. There appeared to ben .. a general rush to make the most outh i. of the properties. 1 From McElwain's Corner to Piha, a 1 distance of six miles, the freehold land ( f was being rapidly denuded of the remain- . ing bush. Kauris, kali ika teas, totaras,, i rimus and other trees were being chopped out and taken away. "Bird life has disappeared," he continued. "There is no longer the sound t of the tui or the kaka, which were once > plentiful. The native crows which were "lthere in numbers have also disappeared, lj frightened off by the noise of falling l H trees, the roar of lorries and the shouts "■ of the bushinen. The miro berries, their e ichief food, are rare, and only hawks '•and rosellas are now commonly seen." X il| Still Beautiful Areas. e| A statement that there were still e.beautiful areas which could be saved 'ejwas made to-day by Miss L. M. Cranl.jwell, botanist of the Auckland Museum,

I who said the bush was not only tttm supreme beauty of the ranges, but also I had an equalising effect upon the climate. The soil was poor and of little use one* the trees were cut, and the hillsides quickly became overrun with bracken and noxious weeds. "The opening up of the ranges with roads and scenic drives lets the wind , into the bush," remarked Miss Cranwell, "and that is the great enemy of the trees. It dries out the undergrowth and causes it to die. and the protection which is so important to the big trees is lost. The dust nuisance is still worse. It is, therefore, very desirable that all the roads among the trees should be tarsea led." As to the eflVt-t <m climate she <aid Auckland needed bush-covered hills to ■ tlie west to help precipitate rain from the Tasman and to maintain the flow of .! water into the city's impounding dams.