CANTERBURY TIMBER

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30146, 1 June 1963, Page 13

CANTERBURY TIMBER

New Uses Urged

Some revolutionary measures were needed in Canterbury to overcome the serious under - development of the province’s timber stands, the New Zealand Forest Service’s director of forest management (Mr A P. Thomson) said in Christchurch yesterday. Propely used, Canterbury’s timber could probably support a small, wood-pro-cessing industry such as a pulp and paper mill, he said

In both output and in the converting, grading, processing and marketing of radiata —which was first cut into sawn timber in Canterbury the province had fallen far aehmd the North Island, said Mr Thomson "The inefficient structure • the industry is seen in the

fact that there are no fewer •han 57 sawmills here cutting a total of only 35.000.000 board feet ” Canerbury forests could irobably sustain an additional cut of between 3.000.000 and 5.000.000 cubic feet each year Mr Thomson said Canterbury relied to a great extent on timber from •he West Coast, but as iresent over-cutting there meant the West Coast output would never increase, and as 'arger amounts of this timber were going north, the supply to Canterbury must dwindle, laid Mr Thomson "Now ts the time for Canterbury—in its own !n--•erests—to turn its attention to the resources on its doorstep and bring its timber usage into line with the rest of New Zealand." be said.