Sharp rise in cost of rimu in recent years

Press, 14 November 1984, Page 11

Sharp rise in cost of rimu in recent years

PA Nelson The value of rimu wood sold for decorative work in Auckland has soared from $lBl a cubic metre to $2lOO a cubic metre since restrictions in 1977 cut the volume of native trees milled by 57 per cent, says the Parliamentary under-secretary for forests, Mr David Butcher.

“What was regarded as waste material from trees logged from about 1910 is now being sold to craftsmen for $2OOO to $2500 a cubic metre,” said Mr Butcher. •

He told the annual meeting of the Nelson branch of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society that the implications of this for native timber on private land were obvious. The conservation movement and the timber industry had a common interest in the use of some native timbers on a sustained yield basis.

Mr Butcher said the Minister of Forests, Mr Wetere, would be visiting the West Coast beech reserves later this month and would probably make an announcement on proposals for the use of those trees. Brit Mr Butcher emphasised that the Government would refuse uneconomic use of the beech forests and that the milling pro-

posal did not affect the proposals for a reserve on the west bank of the Maruia River (66 km south-west of Murchison). “The Minister of Forests is currently engaged in attempts to have the consent for prospecting on the west bank of the Maruia revoked,” said Mr Butcher. While the Government had urged reservation of native forest, it could not be insensitive to the effect on the activities of private landowners, Mr Butcher said.

The Forest Service had always urged private landowners to look at a sustained yield approach. The Forestry Encouragement Grant had led some private landowners to clear native forests, but the abolition of this scheme in the Budget would, he hoped, slow down the pace of native forest conversion. Mr Butcher stressed the. effect on private landowners of the drop in State milling of native forests. Predicting a further rise in prices as legal commitments on the West Coast expired in 1989, he said high class rimu which was only 45 per cent dearer than pine in 1970, was last year 380 per cent more expensive.

He said Labour’s policy on West Coast native forests centred on three points, - © Support for a small-scale long-term scheme for sustained management of • beech forests.® The planting of fast-growing trees and speciality timber-producing' trees to sustain, expand and diversify the timber industry.® The introduction

of a sustained yield management in the Buller region. Mr Butcher said alternative employment would be ensured in the region, with particular attention to the, development of already' cleared land for agriculture and horticulture, and the establishment of plantations of high-value, specialpurpose timber species.