WEST COAST FORESTS

Grey River Argus, 24 April 1937, Page 6

WEST COAST FORESTS

(By Ngaheie Makutu). It is encouraging to notice that, title Grevmou'.h Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, at the instigation of its wideawake chaitinan, was provoked to thought regarding certain aspects or Greyniou h's futlure. Such thought is urgently needed having regard to >he alarm.ng fact that the end of the timber trade i s in sight, unless, prompt corporate action is taken. In its liioiiilily report the Chamber shows some significant figures, e.g. “0,000,000 super feet of timber passed over the Kuinntra Junction.Kumara. Road last year.” If tiu-seaied roads are going

to further facilitate tin- transport, then the sooner these roads are established the sooner will the remaining timber be marketed and the milling business brought to a conclusion. Natnrallv, of course, there will then be no shortage of rolling stock, notice-

aMe al GreymouJli, since there will be no freights to fill it. Referring to the Chairman's remaiks ie loss of revenue in this regard, ihern is this to be said, —the soner a generous supply of trucks is available then the sooner will the season for the wharf's exi-tence be removed. The Chamber of Commerce will not: then have this part.cular worrk included in its routine business. The remarks of Mr. Kitehingham weie chief.y of a defeatist character. What he said in regard to exo>tie afforestation is no doubt/ hue. Il is also comparatively unimportant. The future of the West Coa t will not depend on the successful 'growing of foreign quick-giowing timbers. No one seriously regaids such development as having a high comnier. eial value for ns. Ileie it may be pointed out that all over the world I tic tree of high limber value is slow-grow-ing. The magnificent tine timber trees of the old world w'll not hasten their growth in New Zealand, any more than our Rimu and Kahikatea. The remarks concerning native tTees and their alleged slowne s to reach maturity has been made so often that the average New Zealander accepts it Ito mean thatl is nothing now to be done about our forests.—therefore Thinks he, “we’ll let the timber wolves tear out as much as they can while there is anything left.” “Let cut-throat competition and uneconomic milling go |on till the inevitable occurs, —the exjunction o f the timber trade and all its subsidiary business, —viz. Coinmis. 'sion agents, shippers, merchants etc. This is a thoroughly enlightened outlook.

Though our trees in many cases do not reach full matunty for up to 3 i. years, it is al.-o true that the gre:u majority of trees felled for years pa.n | have- been very much younger. —well under the century. The point is that with strictly supeivised and se.ective cutting tQicre ’will always be nia.unng trees. °No forest in the world will reproduce itself more prolitically and with less attention than the native bush. Given a fair go it will resist every Imported plant pest, such t'S broom, blackbetry, and gorse. On the Coast it has had little chance since the procedure has been as follows. J: ii.it the miller, then the fiie, then the desolate dismal eounbry apparently deserted by God and man. Gattie, deer, goats’ and browsing animals of all sorts have played a big pait in de - troying the- forest floor and seedlings. The Government is aware of th.s and is making an effort, to eradicate the pests. Now in every piece of bush that is milled there are trees, wliien, if left, will be ready for felling m from 20 to 30 yeats or even le s. The.-e are sturdy fellows in the intermediate stage, and als o nearer matur.ty. We cannot expect the inch high seedlings to do all the work of regeneration. Mr. Ki'ichhigham’s argument; infers that we must wait, till the baby bees of to-day become forest giants. This is quite a fallacious idea. Preseii. tree s are in all stages of growth from tJie immature to the mature, and conscientious cutting of the fully matin._■ will leave the crop to continue in relays of growth. The natural regeneration is proceeding at all stages. The concept that- we must wait for 300 years for a new forest is unsound and is a most, pernicious doctrine t 0 distribute.

The settling up of sub-committee by rhe Chamber is decidedly a gesture of importance, but what is uigently ie. qu'.ed 0 “ >Ue We t Coast, of the South Island is a development of the “forest mind” in all West Coasters, young am old. School instruction on proper lines might help. Ln the past there has been a mmentable tendency to regard the teaching of agriculture as a school ex-i-rc se in the plant.ng of potatoes and such like crops on the suburban garden ptinciple. While tnese efforts ate ii themselves prai.-ewoithy, they are Iremo'e from the actualities ■of our economic life, present and futuie. “Practical" men on school committees letc. demand moie “agr.culture ba in I education, and we are more and more linfesned with the Stultifying doctrine that rhe iore-mentioned exercise is the one key of progress. In New Zea.and amongst many en. •huslas.s I here is unfortunately a very .narrow understanding of the meaning jof agiicul.ure and theie is a ghostly si’enee regard ng the t. J 'ue meaning of ’the term in general, and in particular., a ■ applied to the greater portion ,jf our West Coast country which carries '.the valuable though fast-vanishing rain forests. These foiests for 30 years or more have produced much of the | wea th. wages and iconsequent eom.merce and trade of Welland. Now: it seems we are quickly sliding to commercial suicide. To many the word “agiiculture” means corn lands, pasture lands, root crops, sheep and i cattlle; It teally means something more. I imagine it means a study in the broadest sense of the soil, a knowledge of the soil’s natural covering of natve herbi, grasses, flax and forest, etc. a’so a knowledge- of conformation of the country, — ts rivers, lake-, mountains, and water hods, and. —most important,—when t 0 leave wdl alone. Coast school children shou'd have some opportunity to study sylviculture, bush . regeneration and the habits and re. qu remen's of New Zealand trees. Th.ts is the type of rural research which ; s badly uieeded in Wes-tand. It. is too late for some' adults to readjust their outlook, but perhaps not. too late for the children.