CONCERN EXPRESSED BY PROGRESS LEAGUE— Slackening Reported In Coast Reafforestation

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 June 1950, Page 6

CONCERN EXPRESSED BY PROGRESS LEAGUE— Slackening Reported In Coast Reafforestation

Concern at an apparent diminution in reafforestation efforts on the West Coast was voiced at last evening’s half-yearly meeting of the Westland Progress League held at Hokitika. It was suggested that other parts of New Zealand were receiving more elaborate attention in reafforestation plans financed by revenue from West Coast timber.

Reference to the need to urge further the speeding up of measures to

-.•eafi'oTestate beech in selected areas of the district was made by the president. Mr G. R, Harker, in his halfyearly report tabled at the meeting. He pointed out that during the last 30 years no less than'l,7oB,ooo,oooft of limber had been extracted from the Westland conservancy (according to State Forest records). “This colossal total must bring home the fact that cur indigenous forests are being rapidly depleted and that reafforestation is definitely essential,” he added.

“Less In Future”

“Has there been any moderation in the department’s reafforestation policy so far?” asked Mr E. Parfitt. “I understand that it has been intimated that less will be done in the future,” said the secretary, Mr J. Saunders. “It is a matter that must be taken in hand.”

If the department did not intend to carry out its original plan, the league should move to see that particular attention was paid to reafforestation, said Mr Parfitt. Pointing out that so far the leaguehad concerned itself only with reafforestation plans involving “selected” areas north of the Ahaura river tor beech regeneration, Mr M. Wallace pointed out that most of the timber extracted from the West (.'cast came from south of the Grey Valley. “Has it ever been attempted to establish beech south of Ahaura?” he asked, adding that he had transplanted beech at Koiterangi and the trees were flourishing. Milled-out Areas “It seems to me that more concern should be shown for regeneration over the tremendous area being milled out south of the Grey river,’ said Mr Wallace. “All this ’Westland area will bo milled out as the mills go south. Some of the land will be suitable lor pastoral purposes p.t a later date, blit tons of thousands of acres will never be suitable. What are we going to do about them? Are. they to, remain derelict all the t rue, being burned out as soon as I hey produce dry scrub? “We should concern ourselves with these areas as well as those up in the north,” he added. “There mutt be some timber suitable tor renegeration i n the sou th. The problem wants scientific investigation and experiments to see if something cannot be established in these newly milledout areas.” Mr Wallace suggested that a Lin-

coin College branch dealing with silviculture would be of value. Earlier discussions with Mr C. M. Smith, chief inspector for forests for New Zealand, were quoted by Mr Saunders, who said that Mr Smith was satisfied that the regeneration Qi beech in selected areas (it will grow only north of Ahaura) would ensure a West Coast sawmilling industry in perpetuity. It had been proved that beech would flourish in the areas selected and it was better, he said, to concentrate on these rather than to experiment. ' Big Plans Elsewhere , Reference was made by Mr Saunders to a statement by Mr A. R. Entrican, director of forests, that a start was to be made soon on a 30,000- acre block of exotic timber south of Dunedin. “It seems that the money obtained from the 1,708,000,000 ft cut on the West Coast ’is being spent liberally ’ somewhere else,” Mr Saunders said. “It should be spent here. “Some 450,000 acres of land are being reafforested in other parts of New Zealand with .money that has come from our timber,” continued Mr Saunders. “We want something more done on the West Coast. Good work is being carried out at Totara Flat and Reefton. but more should be done.”

The acting-chairman, Mr F. A. Kitchingham, said, that the league should make another visit to the areas in which work was being carried out in the Grey Valley. Mr A. Dalziel also suggested that quick-growing silver-pine should be regenerated on pakihi land. The meeting decided to leave'the matter in the hands of the executive council to discuss further.