The Dominion’s Forests

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22467, 30 July 1938, Page 14

The Dominion’s Forests

The annual report of the Director of Forestry, laid before Parliament during the week, outlines a five-year programme of land purchase, afforestation with exotics, reafforestation of cutout native forest areas, establishment of State forest industries, and reorganised management of State forests. These items and others make the programme an ambitious one, in which a great deal more than the continuation and extension of established schemes is involved. A significant point is raised by the warning that “ a false “ sense of security about the timber supplies of “ the distant future ” has been engendered by the heavy plantation of exotics through a long period of years. The director declares that it is not yet sufficiently well understood that “ ex- “ perience with exotics in both Europe and “ North America has not been altogether successful”; and he therefore urges that “ indi- “ genous forests should be regarded as more “suitable for stable forest management than “ exotics.” This announcement is not less wise because it comes late in the day, and ought certainly not to be frowned upon because it means that old hopes must be largely discounted, old methods be largely modified, and the experiments and departures of a revised, policy be undertaken.' The director’s view will not be questioned by competent foresters. But it is necessary to say that these indications of new aims and methods and of very far-reach-ing operations can only be interpreted as strong arguments for the reopening of the School of Forestry. The reasons why it was closed were never made very clear. The cost was about £2OOO a year. The plea that there was not room enough in the forestry service for the graduates of the school was a poor one, because it could only mean that expert training in forestry was not valiked sufficiently or that the service was already fully staffed with trained men. But the merits of an old decision are of less importance than the needs of a new situation. The Dominion cannot have the benefit of a sound policy in forestry and of forestry programmes well carried out, unless it is training men to study the problems involved, plan accordingly, and work out the plan. The training school at Canterbury College was closed some years ago. The references in the report to policy and programme alike show that the time has come to reopen it.