AUSTRALIAN FORESTRY

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 145, 16 December 1926, Page 16

AUSTRALIAN FORESTRY

NEED FOR CO-ORDINATT3N

EXPERT'S SURVEY.

Among tho interesting new features of the 19th number of tho "Official Year Book" of the Commonwealth of" Australia is an article on "Forestry in Australia," contributed by Mr. C. E. \ Lane Poolo, Commonwealth Forestry Adviser, attached to tho Home and Territories Department. It is generally held, according to the writer, that when the proportion of forests fall below 0.86 acres per head of population, the country would bo obliged to import timber. Australia possesses 4.25 acres of forest a head of population, and tho excess of imports of timber over exports amounts to 28,000,000 cubic feet a year. There are two reasons for this excess, says Mr. Lane Poole. In the first place, the area of 24,500,000 acres given as the wooded area comprises all forest lands, reproductive or otherwise. The bulk of this area consists of cut-over forests swept by fire at frequent intervals, and tho area of really productive forests is not available. Secondly, Australia does not possess a surplus of soft woods, and must therefore, with the exception of a small quantity producod in Queensland and New South Wales, import the bulk of its requirements from overseaa. The figure, 24,500,000 acres, represents the total area which, in the estimation of foresters, should be reserved for forestry. Forestry development, says Mr. Lane Poolo, haß followed similar lines in each State, except South AustraHa, which suffered from a deficiency of indigenous forests, and was forced to lead the way in afforestation policy. In the other States there was wholesale destruction of forests to provide space for agriculture. Finally a position was reached when settlement proved to be impossible on purely forest land, and the scientific forestry era began. South Australia has reached that stage. Western Australia has for years been rapidly exploiting its timber resources, and at the same time exploiting land settlement on an extensive scale. Queensland has been exploiting its softwood resources at a rupid rate, and last year was forced to import softwoods. Victoria and New South Wales are both in tho stage when land settlement is beginning to take a less important place, and the' Governments are realising that there is a considerable amount of land that will yield better returns under timber than under crops or grazing. Sound forestry methods, adds Mr. Lano Poole, will doubtless bo adopted in those States. Mr. Lane Poole concludes by stating that there is urgent necessity for the co-ordination of forest control, and the provisionof organised systems in sylvieultural instruction. At an interState conference of foresters in 1920, it was agreed that it was possible to> preserve permanently 24,500,000 acres for forestry. Tho reservations actually mado amount to about 10,984,460 acres, leaving about 14,000,000 'acres to be dedicated.