Beech schemes sought for 600,000 acres

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33521, 30 April 1974, Page 1

Beech schemes sought for 600,000 acres

(A’ew Zealand Press Association * WELLINGTON, April 29. Almost 600.000 acres of South Island beech forests are involved in Government plans Io study proposals for use of the wood.

Xdvertisements for proposals would . he published this week, the Minister of i

Forests (Mr Moyle) announced today.

A spokesman for the Minister’s office said in response to an inquiry that the areas involved were 168.880 acres on the West Coast and 127.000 acres in Southland. However, wood might be' taken from a smaller acreage because some stands of beech might become publ : i reserves, the spokesman j added. Question asked The Government had failed' to say what sort of proposal it would consider for development of the beech resources, the Opposition spokesman on the environment. Mr V. S. Young (Egmonti said today. "An important question is whether the Government's plan is to emphasise the; establishment of large in-i oigenous production forests based on regeneration of' beech, or whether the utilisa-, tion scheme demands the' widespread replacement of; virgin forests with native; species.’’ said Mr Young in a i statement. “If the Government has •nv information on what s rt of proposal best meets; the regional and national Interest, it must inform those, concerned, who could submit

offers to the Government.; ’ Surely, the public is entitled < to the same information. ; ‘‘Labour’s dilemma is that 11 it has imposed upon itself |1 the impossible task of satis- i fying irreconcilable promises i: made to the West Coast and : Southland on the one hand, and to conservation interests; on the other,” said Mr Young. Ii The announcement by the)

Minister was premature, said the chairman of Action for Environment (Mr B. G. Henderson). “There is still in- ■ sufficient data to decide which, if any, of these forest areas should be used. “Information is still being [collected on the wildlife of [these regions, and what is ■ now known is not sufficient [for the size and location of reserves to be decided.” . “The better use of timber resources could be achieved without a large and environmentally destructive pulp ‘mill,” said Mr Henderson.