Plan for wilderness area deferred

Press, 6 November 1978, Page 2

Plan for wilderness area deferred

The proposal to create a wilderness area in the North--West Nelson State forest ■over about 83,000 ha would be deferred for five years, -the Minister of Lands (Mr V. IS. Young) told an election meeting in Greymouth on I Friday evening, j Mr Young, who was. ! speaking in support of the National Party candidate for) the West Coast seat, Mr G. K. A. Ferguson, said the; Mines Department would be called upon to prepare a: mineral survey of the northwest Nelson region. There had been suggestions that to create a wilder-, ness area would perma- : nently lock away mineral, potential and exploration. The five-year period would allow that potential to be determined. In the meantime, the area would continue to be managed with a forest park;

status allowing both the! Mines Department and pri-i vate prospecting companies- . to undertake surveys. “Let us find what is there,! then decide the future of the; area,” said Mr Young. “We! ; will not make decisions hastily.” He told the meeting that s'; the Government had guaranteed a cut of 215,000 cubic . metres of timber to the in■dustry on the West Coast, (that being in excess of! 11 what had been logged in ■ each year recently. However, it did mean; • that the industry had to ab-: -sorb a certain quantity of beech timber rather than con-: l.ventionai native timbers. The; .-real value of native timbers; I was now starting to come. ■ through, said Mr Young. Itwas hard to defend the use i of native timber, such as ! kahikatea, for concrete boxLing. j