WATER RESERVE

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 159, 1 April 1930, Page 5

WATER RESERVE

EXPERT’S AFFORESTATION PLANS REVENUE FROM TIMBER The Wellington City Council has an area of 80,000 acres vested in it in the Akatarawa Valley as a water conservation area. To fulfil its mission In accordance with scientific methods, a great area of the block needs restoring to its orginal state by systematic afforestation, and to that end the services of Mr. A. N. Perham were secured as forestry officer. ■ Mr. Perham has gone into the matter very thoroughly and has submitted a comprehensive report, running into 34 pages of typewriting, in which he sets out his working plan.

Mr. Perham’s own summary of his report reads as follows: —r •‘Of the 77,759 acres comprising the water collection areas 55,498 acres of forest land is set aside to be preserved intact in its natural state; 12,251 acres of forest land is set aside for forestry purposes to be worked on a sustained yield basis. “Of an estimated area of 10,010 acres of burned over or otherwise cleared land, 7770 acres have been estimated as suitable for planting and should be progressively afforested so that the area may be developed as a forest unit to be worked on a sustained yield basis. The remaining 2240 acres of burned over land is cither covered with a heavy second growth, making it too expensive to plant up, or is otherwise unsuited for economic forest development. “For general protection of the water collection areas under the proposed Hutt fire district, an annual appropriation of at least £350 should be set aside.” »' Planting Programme. “The afforestation of the 7770 acres suitable for the purpose will, to eventually place the resultant forest upon a sustained yield basis on a 50 years’ rotation period, require an annual planting programme of 133 acres, or alternatively a biennial doubled programme. On the area selected for operation during the plan period establishment will require an estimated annual expenditure of £7lB. General maintenance is estimated to cost 4/per acre per annum on the established portions, and during the second or third year according to growth it will probacy be necessary to free a portion of the trees from encroachment of fern. This is estimated to cost froth £1 to £2 per acre over the portions treated. Estimated Revenue From Timber. “The placing of 12,251 acres of the Akatarawa Block upon a sustained yield basis on an estimated 50 years’ rotation period will allow the annual utilisation of 1,848,000 ft. B.M. of timber, which on present-day minimum stumpage values when the quota is fully utilised will produce an annual revenue of not less than £2171. “Silvicultural treatment of logged over areas is estimated to cost in the first instance an average of £2/10/- per acre, with an estimated further expenditure of £1 per acre during the second or third year to free a portion of the trees from competition. “On the areas to be treated during the first two years of the plan period, silvicultural treatment is estimated to aggregate a total cost of £250 per annum, and for the remaining years £125 per annum, with an added cost of clearing trees from competition during tile last two years of £lOO per annum.” Engineer's Report. The engineer (Mr. G. A. Hart) reporter! as follows: — “Since the date of my Inst report the timber estimate on the land concerned in the transfer from Messrs. Odliu and Company to the board has been completed. The millablc timber is estimated to amount to 1,421,860 ft. B.M. made up as follows: —Rimu, 657,662 ft. 8.M.; miro, 739,519 ft. 8.M.: totara, 6518 ft. 8.M.; kuhikatca, 18,163 ft. B.M. “A compass traverse of the areas intcrplanted last season has been made, which shows that the area interplanted over Campbell Bros.’ milling area amounts to 66.4 acres, and over the area milled ,by the Akatarawa Sawmilling Company to 103.8 acres, or a total of 170.2 acres. “A thorough inspection of the interplanted areas has shown the loss among the trees to be negligible—eleven dead trees being all that were counted. In the more remote places, however, goats have commenced nibbling some of the trees, and steps will have to be taken to eliminate this nuisance. An item has been included in this,year’s estimates for this purpose. Construction Survey. “The construction survey of the main Hutt scheme, commenced in November last under direction from the board, has been proceeded with throughout,” the engineer continued. “The detailed information necessary to enable a comparison between the two alternative routes selected from the headworks in the Hutt River is being obtained. The country is difficult to work in and a close estimate will be required in order that a selection can be made. A small party only is being employed, and it will be some time before this work is completed. Under instruction from the board, arrangements have been made to place in hand the watershed survey of the Hutt River. There has been some difficulty in obtaining a licensed surveyor to carry out this work. It is hoped, however, that the party will bo able to go into camp in about a fortnight’s time. The river gauges have been read regularly throughout by the forestry officer. Separate current meter gaugings have been made of all the streams concerned at the point of approach to the minimum yearly stream flow.” The report was received.