Forest Sprayed With Paint

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30631, 23 December 1964, Page 1

Forest Sprayed With Paint

Forest Service officers have been spraying white paint from the air on to the wind-thrown timber at Eyrewell Forest to test the coverage they can expect from aerialsprayed insecticides. Mr H. H. Wilson, the senior forester, said yesterday that a close watch was being kept on bark beetles, which could loosen the bark on the fallen trees and cause them to dry out, and possibly induce the spread of fungus. The fungus damaged the radiata timber with a blue sap stain. At the moment, said Mr Wilson, the beetles were under the fallen logs, where they could not be treated. But they came out on to the tops of the logs to mate, and a continuous watch was being kept. When the insect population rose to a dangerous level, the timber would be sprayed. The spraying test was done with diluted white plastic paint, sprayed from a Cessna 185 aircraft flown by Rural Aviation of New Plymouth. Squares of glass, 3in by 3in, were placed on a number of the tree trunks to measure the coverage of paint falling through the branches. The paint was applied at varying rates over two 10acre blocks. “I think we got a good coverage,” said Mr Wilson, “but that is for the experts to decide.”

The glass squares will be checked by entymologists. Mr Wilson said research workers were looking into the question of the most suitable spray for use on the bark beetles at Eyrewell. He said the beetles ate only the cambium layer under the bark, and attacked the trees when they were half > dead.