“FOREST DOOMED”

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 August 1946, Page 5

“FOREST DOOMED”

ST AT K ACT.I OX (’ 1(1 TI (' I SE D An opinion that the I orestry Department was endangering the future of the Waipoua State Forest by cutting out the dead trees, was expressed by Mr W. R. McGregor, lecturer m Zoology at Auckland University College. Mr McGregor, who was giving a public lecture in the winter teim. botanical series, said the task of forest destruction in this country had been lamentably thorough, the only remaining substantially virgin kauri forest being that at \A r aipoua. The State was busy cutting out dead trees to improve the forest instead of leaving nature alone, there was no scientific forestry m this country nor had there ever been. The removal of dead trees at .Waipoua doomed the last remnants ot the (£ / know all about State houses and I know all about the neeci foi timber, but I also know .that the verdict of history will be ‘they destroyed it to the very last vestige, Mr McGre°'or continued. Not only the man in the street, but people of culture had been oblivious to the late of the country’s forests. The question was whether sufficient interest could be icvived to save what still remained before it was too