Buller forests

Press, 17 April 1982, Page 14

Buller forests

Sir.—The Principal Forester at Hokitika claims that “constraints of staff . . ~ finance and time” require confinement of public meetings on the Forest Service’s draft Buller management plan to the region concerned ‘ (April 2). May I, through your columns, ask Mr Allan for direct answers to four further questions? (1) How many thousands of taxpayers’ dollars did the Forest Service spend in preparing and printing its large, full-colour glossy pamphlet explaining how it wishes to mismanage the Paparoa forests? (2) How much did the Forest Service spend on its helicopter junket trip to the Paparoas for radio, press and television journalists last December? (3) What percentage of submissions on the North and South Westland management plans last year came from outside North and South Westland? (4) Would the Forest Service be prepared to send one or more speakers to Christchurch if a public meeting were organised to discuss the management plan?—Yours, etc.,

D. J. ROUND. April 5, 1982.

[For the Forest Service, the principal forester, Mr Peter Allan, replies: “Preparation of management plans for State forest land is a statutory requirement The Minister of Forests instructed the Director-General of Forests to encourage public involvement in writing regional management plans for State Forests on the West Coast. For the Buller plan, it was decided that the most costefficient method of involving the public was: (1) Making a draft regional forest management plan available over a period of four months for perusal in Forest Service offices and for purchase. (2) On-site explanation to representatives of the news media of what the management plan proposes so that they, in turn, can interpret it to the public throughout New Zealand.- (3) Publishing a coloured brochure to supplement the management plan and explain in pictorial form what the plan is largely saying. (4) Holding public meetings within the region to inform those most directly affected by the management of the forests. The coloured bro-

chures, “Something for Everyone,” published at a cost of 50 cents each have been well received: 10,000 were printed. Submissions to the North and South Westland forest management plans were: 57 per cent from the North Island; 9 per cent from the regions concerned; and 34 per cent from the rest of the South Island and overseas. We do not have the wherewithal to hold public meetings outside the regions concerned.”]