Growing Hazard At Eyre well Forest

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30559, 30 September 1964, Page 18

Growing Hazard At Eyre well Forest

The 19,268-acre Eyrewell State Forest would be a fantastic fire hazard if the dry weather persisted, said Mr T. E. C. Bridge, senior forest ranger in Christchurch of the Forest Service, yesterday. Mr Bridge said that the 9000 acres of pines blown down in the storm nearly six months ago were mostly still green, but if there was no rain they would die and soon drv out.

“Eyrewell’s our big worry,” said Mr Bridge. “If this keeps up we'll have a very early fire hazard.” The fire season will open tomorrow, when the Forest Service puts up its 24-hour look-outs again—two at Eyrewell and one each at the Hanmer Springs, Ashley, and Balmoral forests. Mr Bridge said that the public roads through the Eyrewell forest were closed last month with the co-opera-tion of local authorities, and the public were being kept out altogether. The roads would stay closed until the Eyrewell emergency was over.

“There’s too much at stake there to risk allowing pic-

nickers in the forest,” he said. “Our organisation has been geared for the fire season. There will be patrols through the forest every evening half an hour after the contractors I finish work, and there is a nosmoking rule, except for ; smokos in predetermined ) places. The men are not allowed to boil billies.” Mr Bridge said that a most careful watch would be kept continuously. “If a fire started there,” he said, “we’d be lucky to stop it” Eyrewell and Balmoral (which had a devastating fire in 1955) were the two most hazardous forests in New Zealand.

At the Eyrewell fqrest there was a fire-fighting gang of six to eight men with a fire unit on duty throughout the day. and within call at night. In the rural districts around the forests no fires could be lit without permits after tomorrow.