Our Native Flora

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 17, 14 October 1933, Page 9

Our Native Flora

Sir, —Do people in New Zealand fully realise the harm they are doing by cutting down the native flora? lor instance, take. China. Centuries ago the Chinese cut down their forests —what is China like to-day? One could describe it by showing a person a cake left in a red hot oven by some forgetful housewife for a couple of hours. Tourist traffic properly conducted would bring millions in to the country each year; permit the destruction of the remaining forests and this prospect is gone for ever. I suggest that the Government should have at least two State Forests in each island (North and South) containing at least four species of every scrub and tree in the New Zealand bush. By doing this it would not only be protecting the forest, 'but in our hearts we could feel sure that rare specimens would never die out. It is quite likely that the Government Forest. Department will boast of having hundreds of acres of plantations, but, is any of this native forest? No. There is still another thing that is helping to destroy our forest; that is the deer. They are running in luxuriant undergrowth. and ring-barking the bigger trees, killing them in time. Is there nothin- that can be done to stop this menace DOUGLAS SMITH. Mangamai.re, October 12.