Timber Production Fell Last Year

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30155, 12 June 1963, Page 16

Timber Production Fell Last Year

(New Zearirfd Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 11, Sawn timber production for the year ended March 31 fell by 49 million board feet, native timber being down by 43 million feet, and exotic timber ny six million board feet. These figures were released tonight by the Minister of Forests (Mr Gerard).

A summary of the annual returns from sawmillers showed the increasing part that exotic timber was playing in the industry, he said. The first year that exotic timber production exceeded that of native timber was 1960, yet today it approached 60 per cent, of all timber produced. While the nation’s total of all timber produced was down, exotic timber production in the North Island did not fall.

“The exotic industry is now well established in the North Island, and with the efficiency of its large modern sawmills and marketing set-up should continue to expand,” said Mr Gerard.

“It must give great confidence to this section of the industry to find that in spite of a quiet year the North Island mills were still able to increase production by four million board feet” Dwindling Resources

Mr Gerard also said native resources available from private holdings were dwindling, particularly in the North Island. Of recent ydars more than one-third of the annual cut of native timber in the North Island had come from private holdings, and this year It dropped by 14 million board feet. In many districts, supplies from small holdings were nearing exhaustion, he said.

Comparing the areas, the figures (in board feet) show that Rotorua was easily the biggest producer with a total of 295,504, followed by Wellington with 99,548, 65,169 of Rotorua’s total being made up of indigenous timber, and 66.908 of Wellington’s total The third largest producer was Auckland, with 77,392. The New Zealand total of 643-404 compares with 692,590 in 1961-62, and 714,090 in 1960-61. Both the North Island and the South Island totals showed a drop on previous years’ figures. The North Island total of 472,440 compared with 497,399 the previous year and 529,091 in 1960-61. The South Island total also fell by a similar amount to 170,960.