FOREST AREAS NOW “PRETTY DRY”

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30636, 30 December 1964, Page 11

FOREST AREAS NOW “PRETTY DRY”

Everything was “pretty dry” in Canterbury’s forest areas, but yesterday’s northeasterly wind had lowered the fire hazard to some extent, said Mr H. H. Wilson, forester for the New Zealand Forest Service in Christchurch, yesterday. However, if the wind swung to the north-west the situation would become “very acute, very quickly,” he said.

Balmoral Forest was always bad as it did not receive much of the easterly. A fire hazard existed at Ashley and Geraldine; but it was not yet acute, though it could become so if the wind swung to the north-west.

At Eyrewell, a big area of slash left in the wake of salvage operations was drying very sharply and was a real worry.

The north-easterly yesterday was a cooling wind and had kept relative humidities comparatively high, but a north-west wind brought with it usually low humidities and an increased fire risk.

The greatest danger spots in forests were areas adjacent to public roads and it was in such areas the Forest Service kept particularly careful watch, he said. The public, because of the fire risk, were asked not to leave fires, but to extinguish any fires thoroughly. Motorists were asked not to throw cigarette butts from moving cars.

People were asked not to light fires in prohibited areas and to use specially-built fireplaces in roadside picnic spots.