FORESTRY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 87, 9 October 1937, Page 13

FORESTRY

NO TIMBER FAMINE

DEMAND FOR SOFT WOODS

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, September 8. There might be a shortage of some species of wood, but there would be no timber famine Was the considered opinion advanced by Mr. W. O. Woodward, of Nottingham, vice-president of the Timber Trade; Federation of the , United Kingdom, at the Forestry Section of the British Association, at the conclusion of a paper on "Is there a possibility of a timber famine?" He submitted information which he had gleaned from all the important timber-producing countries, showing the processes of afforestation in Russia, America, Canada, Finland, Sweden, Poland, Germany, France, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, and Great Britain. "England," he said, "is now definitely forest conscious." Looking to the future, Mr. Woodward said he anticipated a much better and more controlled output from all forests, a greater use of plywood, a widespread practice of scientific pruning, and the planting of a tree for every one cut down. Lord Bledisloe asked if something could be done with regard to overseas supplies to emphasise the importance of taking care of plantations. Nothing had distressed him more, bearing in mind the large amount of planting which had been done in New Zealand, to find the neglect of such plantations. Mr. Woodward had explained how growing timber was attacked by insects, and it was sad to him to note in an area where timber was growing so rapidly and so well, neglect, whicn, after all, was a false idea of economy. Mr. Woodward replied that that matter was being attended to by the Forestry Research Boards throughout the various Dominions. THE STATE PLANTATIONS. When Mr. J. Macdonald,- Divisional Officer of the Forestry Commission, addressed the section on "Future supplies of mining timber from State forests in Great Britain," he said it was generally agreed that the extensive plantations now in course of formation by the Forestry Commission would, as they developed, form a greax reservoir from which supplies of pitwood could be drawn. No attempt had yet been made to estimate what these plantations would be able to supply. It was not expected that much in the form of pitwood would be yielded by the plantations by 1940, but by that time considerable areas of plantations would be reaching the stage when the production of the smaller sizes of the props would begin. By 1950 21,400 acres would be in course of thinning, and it was estimated that 8000 tons of pitwood would be available. By 1960 the area for thinning would be about 48,000 acres. Such figures showed that the produce of the new forest areas would be considerable, and the out-turn would increase rapidly from year to year. The import of mining timber was 3,000,000 loads at the present time. A lend was 50 cubic feet. Lord Bledisloe asked what was the prospect of the private producer of timber in competition with the Crown, from the standpoint of pit prop 3. Were they to look to the Crown to provide pit props? If so, what was to be the branch for the private producer? Alluding to hard woods, should they not look to the Crown rather than the private individual, with all hL embarassments of death duties, etc., to provide the hard woods, leaving the private owner the provision of soft woods? Mr. Macdonald replied that the demand in this country was chiefly for soft woods and the Commissioners had to bear that in mind. The planting of hard woods had not been overlooked, and he thought more would be planted in the future. The new forests would only be able to supply a small quantity of the pit wood required in this country, for, despite the growing tendency to use steel, vast quantities of wood would still be required.