AFFORESTATION.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16363, 7 November 1918, Page 5

AFFORESTATION.

ADDRESS BY MR W. H. SKINNER. - Before a well-attended meeting of the Philosophical Institute of' Canterbury, last night, Mr W. H. Skinner, Commissioner of Crown Land*, and president of the Institute, gave somo interesting and very valuable "Notes on Afforestation." Mr Skinner said that the wholesale denudation of a very large proportion of thei forest area of the .Dominion had created many serious problems which were looming up threateningly, and must be dealt with in tho near future. The announcement made by the Prime Minister that a Department of Forestry would bo established had raised new hopes amongst tho small band of enthusiasts whose persistent efforts in the past had countcd for little against the overpowering odds of vested interestsand political dodgery. The waste of tiinbor had been appalling and criminal, and no discrimination tad been made between valuable timber and mere bu£li of.no particular mercantile value. Tho West Coast of the South Island, generally considered to be the Ei Dorado of future timber cutters, by the latest report of the Lands and Survey Department. (1917) stated to liavo only 20 years' cutting at a very modest rate. After describing, the "forest primeval," which existed in the Do-, minion fifty years ago, Mr Skinner strongly advocated tho preservation of existing, high and broken bush-covered country for climatic reasons. The oldorder had passed; what, lay before them ? Surely the rehabilitation of the denuded area with a new- covering of vegetation. That could only be done, effectively, and to any purpose, by the State taking a real, live control, by putting asiuo firmly all political and vested interests, and. by_ tackling the business with determination and scientific thoroughness. Hitherto the arforestatinn undertaken by the Government had been only half-hearted; since 1896 (when the State initiated its scheme) to March 31st, 1017, the area planted was 29,992 acres, an average: ol 1420 acres yearly: ofthis total -0,10.acres were in tho North Islantl an 9833 acres in the South Isiand. \\nen they considered how near they weri. to a timber famine, the rate ol planting was absurdly slow, and a trenic t dously more vigorous programme shon bo entered upon by the reorganised Department of Forestry. The Government- recently had a report- I )lv J. )!ire •bv an outside expert regarding allot c--tation, and he (Mr Skinner) understood that lie had made a strong pronouncement as to hi.- preference ■ for ous trees for afforestation purposes. - y experience," said Mr Skinner. ing a long period of close observatio of the native flora, convinces me tnac the indigenous trees are not £>y •> means as suitable for this purp°se_< certain of the imported ones. m finding of the Koyal Commission o Jf ores try, 1913, states the case accurately and concisely in this connexion.

Mr Skinner then quoted paragraph 7, page xlv., of the report, which stated, inter alia, that the planting of indigenous trees, especially totara and puriri, would be commercially profitable, was altogether erroneous. English oak would grow twice as fast as puriri when both were under the samo conditions. Tho kauri, Mr Skinner went on to say, was the king of New Zealand trees, but thero were two pronounced disadvantages about it- from an afforestation point of view—its geographical limitations, and its extreme slowness of growth; there were much tho samo disadvantages in respect of puriri. He did not say that the kauri and puriri should not ue planted; but ho maintained that they coQld not bo considered in any great schemo of afforestation where rapiditv of reproduction was an essential. Tho mam plantation must consist of foreign trees, selected from various regions of species known to flourish in New Zealand Subsidiary planting could and should bo made of our own more valuable timber trees in certain favoured localities, but thiß latter could not bo considered in the light of a mercantile venture, but more in the direction of an experiment, and for the preservation of our native An* interesting discussion followed, most of the speakers supporting 31r Skinner's remarks regarding the unsuitability of the Dominion's indigenous trees for afforestation purposes. Air Skinner was accorded a hearty vote or thanks for his address.