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Press, Volume CII, Issue 30128, 11 May 1963, Page 6

'pHIS is a scene in the 1 Harper-Avoca region of the Canterbury high country. Mr J. T. Holloway, officer in charge of the forest and range experiment station of the Forest Service at Rangiora and officer in charge of the service’s protection forestry branch, told a meeting at his new headquarters at Rangiora this week that vegetation studies in catchments like this one indicated that control was being achieved of noxious animals which were being brought down to low levels, with an accompanying favourable vegetation response. In the Waimakariri, also, Mr Holloway said that there were the beginnings of a good vegetation response. Mr Holloway refuted statements made recently that basic research on amimals was necessary before it was possible to control them. This

was not so, he said, but research was necessary to cheapen control measures, to make them more effective and to forecast problems. The need for control, he said, was determined by the effect of animals on vegetation and soil. In some areas control of animals alone would not be sufficient and research was needed to determine what should be done. While some agencies were interested in repairing these problem areas with grass Mr Holloway said that there would still be more than enough country left for his organisation to deal with. His organisation was not interested in any large scale planting project but was simply concerned with being able to answer questions about what sort of vegetation could be grown on this country. At higher altitudes he said that there was no indication

that native species would come back in a reasonable period of time. They had thus turned to exotics and there was evidence that they could be taken far beyond the point Of the natives. Of some 280 exotic species the vast majority had been a complete failure but some 10 showed promise for use in the high altitudes and these were now being checked. The need was for something that would establish easily, grow rapidly and form good cover. Because some of these species might also grow well lower down and create a weed problem on these areas one or two species had been discarded. Lodgepole pine, the species that had so far proved the most valuable species tried, being easiest to establish and growing higher up the mountain than anything else, had a weed potential under certain circumstances and a study now being made of those circumstances and the particular strain that had a weed potential. In the meantime a caution was issued about its use.