Threat To Timber Salvage Pact

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30745, 8 May 1965, Page 18

Threat To Timber Salvage Pact

When 10,000 acres of Pinus radiata was blown down in the Eyrewell State Forest in March last year, an understanding was reached among forest owners, logging contractors, and sawmillers, to stop all further felling until the fallen timber at Eyrewell was salvaged.

The’ Canterbury Sawmillers’ Association is now concerned that this arrangement might break down —with still six months’ work at Eyrewell ahead. “Some fanners in Canterbury have recently been felling standing timber on their properties and offering it for sale to local sawmills,” said Mr R. C. Halliday, chairman of the association.

If a sawmill bought such timber and cut it up. it would mean a breach of the agreement that all Canterbury sawmills should cut only Eyrewell logs as long as they were salvageable, Mr Halliday said.

“A month ago we had a (case of a Springs-Ellesmere i farmer offering 55,000 ft of i radiata pine logs to a Christjchurch sawmill,” said Mr HalI liday. “This places the saw- | miller in a difficult position, i because he would like to regain his goodwill with the ! farming community, but is morally bound to refuse the offer.” Similar cases were occurring in the Ashburton area. “I appeal to the fanning community to assist the sawmilling industry by not felling green standing timber and pressing for its removal from their properties," Mr Halliday said. If this sort of thing increased it could spread like wildfire —and any large-scale move away from Eyrewell operations at the moment would seriously affect the success of the salvage there, said Mr Halliday.

"There are 36 sawmills throughout Canterbury, all of them hard at work cutting up Eyrewell logs—and likely to be at maximum production for six months yet.” he said. Of the 27m cubic feet of radiata pine blown down at Eyrewell, it was originally estimated that 12m cubic feet would be recoverable. Now. this estimate of salvageable timber has been increased to 19m cubic feet, Mr Halliday said.