FOREST WORKS PLANNED

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22464, 27 July 1938, Page 12

FOREST WORKS PLANNED

FIVE-YEAR PROGRAMME

NEW LAND TO BE BOUGHT PROPOSAL FOR STATE-OWNED INDUSTRIES [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, July 26. A five-year programme of forest works, extending from the present yeai until 1943, is outlined in the annual report of the Director of Forestry (Mr A. D. McGavock), for the year ended March 31 last, which was tabled in the House of Representatives to-day by the Commissioner of State Forests (the Hon. F. Langstone). The principal features of the proposed programme are as follows: Acquisition of 33,000 acres, mostly of Crown lands for the creation of new forests, and the extension and consolidation of existing State exotic forests Afforestation with exotics of 82,000 acres, including 33.000 acres to be acquired for that purpose. Reafforestation of 1G.500 acres of cutover indigenous forest land. Silvicultural operations. thinning, pruning, etc., over 330.000 acres of State .exotic forests. Improvement of housing conditions for forest workers by substitution by well-equipped huts for lent accommodaEs°tablishment of Stale-owned forest industries, including sawmills, box factorics. planing mills. w “ d .^“ er tion plants, etc., to act as demonstiation, control, and salvage units in exotic and indigenous forests. Placing under a working plan the management of all State exotic forests to which State-owned forest industries are attached, /all State kauri forests and suitable a.-mmistraiive units m the silver beecn . rests of f s °ulhland, the rimu pole type lorests of Westland, and the mixed rimu forests of the North Island. ~ , lrir Substitution, wherever possible, of iof sales for block. , Disposal of standing timber. “Plant and Reserve” Still Valid The report states that developments of recent years, instead of indicating anv need for an amendment of me "plant and reserve” policy formulated 20 years ago. re-emphasise the impouance of maintaining adequate forests. “At the same time, the establishment of .extensive areas of exotic forests has engendered a false sense of security about the timber supplies oi the distant future, ana there sufficient appreciation of the fact that experience with exotics in both ami North America has not been altosuccessful/’ says the report. 1is therefore necessary to urge that indigenous forests should be regarded as more suitable for stable f°fcst management than exotics, and that, as a long-range policy, the use of indigenous species and the adaptation of virgin forest composition, both for wood production and for protection should be regarded as the essence of New Zealand forestry. „ ~ “In accordance with, this policy, the report adds, “it is proposed that fire protection and clear cutting under block sale shall be supplemented by experimental silviculture, and, m particular, the selective logging of all commercial forests carrying a good stock of young or immature timber. Likewise. in the management of exotic forests. the application of silvicultural treatment for the improvement of the forest, combined with exploratory utilisation work, will become the dominant activities during, the next five years.” IfQark Available It is stated later in the report that the five-year plan proposals will provide work of about 103,000 man months, equivalent to the employment of 1700 men for five years. At March 31 last, the total area of land of all classes under forest reservation had risen to approximately 8.122,700 acres, a gross increase for the year of 157,301 acres. The forest estate of the Dominion now formed nearly 12J per cent, of the superficial area of New Zealand, although forest authorities held that in an insular country such as New Zealand 25 per cent., double the present area, would not be too large to ensure a reasonable margin of safety.