Diseases In Exotic Forests

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32217, 9 February 1970, Page 14

Diseases In Exotic Forests

Sir, —In 1966 the DirectorGeneral of Forests (Mr A. L. Poole) expressed the view that the introduction of the Kenya needle-cast disease might well affect the productivity and management of New Zealand’s pine forests. Requests were made to nurserymen in the affected areas to restrict the movement of pine tree stock to avoid a build-up of the fungus. Mr Poole himself stated that the “spread of the disease is normally by wind-carried spores, effective under certain conditions of high humidity, mist, or low cloud.” One wonders, then, as to the wisdom of Mr Poole’s proposal to fell portions of the Nelson native beech forests and replant with exotics. Most exotics, like the pine species, are dis-ease-prone and subject to wind-fall damage, and are poor land stabilisers.—Yours, etC " VULCAN. February 2, 1970. [The Director-General of Forests (Mr A. L. Poole) replies: “The needle - cast disease referred to has not spread as much as was initially expected because of the control measures applied to infected stands and to the restrictions placed on movement of nursery stock. Similar steps will ensure that exotic species planted in Nelson will be highly productive. Under proper management and with a ready outlet for forest produce any wind damage in the future will be of less consequence. Evidence on badly eroded country on the East Coast is that pines are good land stabilisers. They are in Europe.”]