SECOND CROP CUT IN FORESTS

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28972, 13 August 1959, Page 6

SECOND CROP CUT IN FORESTS

Milestone In Timber

Development

(New Zealand Press Association) ROTORUA, August 12.

For the first time in the history of the exotic forests, both State and private, in the Rotorua Taupo districts a second crop is being cut and used as a merchantable product, says the conservator of forests in Rotorua (Mr A. P Thomson).

The area referred to by Mr Thomson, not far from the Waiotapu headquarters, was planted in 1912 with radiata ana clear-felled in 1938-40.

The first crop taken was cut at a small pilot mill at Waiotapu and the timber used in building the Waipa mill. The area regenerated well and was first thinned when about four or five years old, and again at nine or 10. Now. at 20 years, the first thinning of merchantable produce ,s oemg conducted, and the logs cut at Waipa. The area is not being clear-felled. About 80 trees an acre are being left, and selected trees, 40 or 50 of them in each acre, will be pruned to a height of 32ft, with the object of gaining long lengths of clean timber suitable for plywood. Present operations are yielding 20,000 board feet to the acre, which is the result of the developed methods of forest management. The earlier stand in the same area would not have yielded as much timber. Mr Thomson said that this taking of the second crop from a forest block was a real miler in the history of exotic forests.