Fears on forestry “exaggerated”

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33534, 15 May 1974, Page 2

Fears on forestry “exaggerated”

(New Zealand Press Association’

NEW PLYMOUTH. May 14.

A concerted effort to manage as much native forest as possible was required to sustain indigenous wood production, said the Minister of Forests (Mr Movie) todav.

Opening the conference of the Institute of Foresters, Mr Moyle said that foresters should pool their ideas to help form an indigenous forest plan for New Zealand. “We must think very carefully what we are to do with areas that cannot be managed as production forests.” Various groups and individuals were afraid that exotic forestry was grabbing much good land, Mr Moyle said. Although these fears were highly exaggerated, they could be dispelled only by foresters gaining public support for their activities. ECONOMIC VALUE Mr Moyle said he believed the replacement of indigenous sawn timber with radiata pine and other exotic species was the greatest single force in forest conservation. Almost 90 per cent of New Zealand’s roundwood production was from exotic forests, and last year a record 102,000 acres were planted. Many people believed the country had enough exotic wood to meet its own needs, but they had not grasped the significance to the economv of a sizable, growing export trade

I “Forestry is returning more per acre than some of the ■ traditional uses of our land/ [said Mr Moyle, i “I’d like to see a rapid iconversion of. our unideveloped rural areas to the best suited form of productive use, be it forestry oi ■ farming.” NO ABUNDANCE New Zealand had moved from an era of abundance of wood for establishment and expansion of industries to a period when production would be governed mainly by supply. Better use must be made of the available raw material, said Mr Moyle. The president of the institute (Mr J. K. Spiers) said that an increasingly educated public, with an awakened need for relaxation, had developed new interests in the environment. The forester was appalled that after what he considered was a long historical association with conservation, and

■ outstanding success in production the public distrusted. I his motives and equated him! :with uninhibited exploiters. EDUCATION There was a challenge in (educating urban dwellers in (forest recreation as these I people could possibly destroy (what they wanted’ to preserve if left to themselves. Indigenous New Zealand forest lacked colour and new colourful species should be introduced, he said.