FORESTRY POLICY

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 43, 14 November 1941, Page 6

FORESTRY POLICY

In the opinion of the Forest and Bird Protection Society, expressed in its official journal, there is urgent need foi an amendment of Government forest policy from the point of view of national welfare. The present obsession, it affirms, is boaid feet of ti.mbei. In other words, conservation has been given second place to utilization. The criticism may not be fully justified, but it serves as a reminder of the effects of improvident destruction of valuable timbei m the past. Forest denudation, accompanied by the evils of flooding and soil erosion, have now compelled urgent attention to preventive measures involving great effort and cost. But these alone will not suffice. There is need, considers the Society, for. fresh emphasis on scientific research and applied scientific methods in forest policy. That is admittedly true, and in the earlier period of the Forest Service after the last war it was given practical effect. Forestry schools were established at two of the university colleges, and the flow of trained graduates gave some assurance that the scientific side of the department’s work would be given the fullest attention. With the closing down of these schools during the period of depression the flow ceased, and has not since been restored on the previous systematic plan. Nothing, obviously, can be done about this at present, but it is essentially a problem that must receive due attention when the world returns to normal conditions..