NEW ZEALAND FORESTS

Grey River Argus, 27 April 1945, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND FORESTS

and naturai IRE l REG ENERATION (By E. L. Kehoe) Manv West Coasters are interested • 4n O flprs- for their informain these ma following from “New on i 1 V try and Forest ManZealand Foiestiy ai H utctons T g Fß en ’’Mr W i. Luxford of Hamilton d to ihsv mouth he was taken to see a fine votmi rimu bush, estimated as run- ■ Stag to almost 30 000 sup. to toe acre with trees Ift. to 2it. in diametoi and 40 feet to the first branches. He noticed old stumps and was told that forty years ago the bush had been completely cut. out, hardly a sitek worth mentioning being left. Die re°'rowth timber was sti aight and useful though immature; it was milled at a profit for light boarding and case timber. In 1916 Mr. James Bell a West Coast miller wrote to me thus regarding the natural re-growth of native timber. When I bought the land a mill had cut all the timber that was suitable or large enough for milling, and although I had not seen the forest previous, to that I could judge by the stumps what it had been like. I don’t think they had cut any trees less than 2ft. in diameter, and there were a lot of trees left standing then from Igin. 2ft. When I milled it the second time I got many trees ranging from 24in. to 30in. in diameter. I would not expect to see such rapid growth of native timber in a dry climate, but in the moist climate on this West Coast young trees make very rapid growth.” Sir David Hutchins goes on to say—“ People have been heard to say that they did not believe in the natural regeneration of the New Zealand forest, because with untrained eyes they could not see it. They might as logically say they did not believe the law of gravity. If they cannot see the one or the other, they can judge by results.” Again I q Uo t e —“The American definition of natural regeneration for the normal even-aged forests runs thus —and that method of conservative lumbering in which reproduction is secured from self sown seed by means of successive cuttings made throughout the mature stand, thus leading to the production of a new stand of timber approximately even-aged. These successive cuttings encourage seed production, create conditions favourable to the growth of seedlings, and Gradually remove the remaining trees of the mature stand as the young growth develops.” The late Captain Walker known for his report on New Zealand forestry has this to say on the success of natural regeneration in France —“It has been practised there for very many years, and re-; suits at all ages, may now be seen. Natural regeneration has succeeded in France even better than in Germany,” and he ascribes this success to the damper climate of France, all of which, “is in favour of natural regeneration as understood by foresters in New Zealand.” This remarkable success which has attended the planting of quick growing exotic trees mostly in areas that were formerly treeless has established in the minds of many New Zealanders the opinion that such success was a sufficient reason for wholesale destruction of the natural forests; these latter are incomparably superior in every way,—the exotic which we have grown with marked success are not nor will they ever be first class constructional timber. It is a matter of reclassification, or recapitualtion of the assets of the land, and zoning it as and for forests where this is the best use, and clearing and farming where farming is best. Where the forest is the best, the most valuable and the most useful crop, let that crop be encouraged. And never forget that the forest is a crop 1 not ia mine to be worked out and abandoned. There has never been a time in the history of the"world when the production of wood has been so impori tant, not only for its ordinary constructional use, but as the basis of a much wider range of wood products. In Canada and the United States ip recent years there has been a great reversal of the old time attitude towards the forests. Not only are the governments of these countries concentrating on conservation and natural regeneration but great private enterprises sponsored by lumbermen are developing tree farms, enormous projects, which have revolutionised the past conceptions of logging T " those countries fire is the great hazard; fire is not our greatest enemy, but there are many others arrayed against scientific forestry.

Planting of Forests Urged (To the ~di tor) Sir, —Taking the last sentence of Mr. Kehoe’s article in a recent issue, I find he has, apparently, no figures to support it. From statistics published by: Mr. N. C. Brown I quote: “288 separate companies and individuals are planting and caring for forests, covering 20,951,635 acres. 178 separate companies and persons are engaged in natural afforestation over an area of 10,568,076 acres.” The statistics are for the year 1934. I hope to be in possession of the figures for 1940 soon. This applies to the North American continent, other than Mexico. Colossal figures. It seems there are many people who think, as I do, that natural afforestation needs improving upon. Yet that colossal figure fades into insignificance when one remembers that when the forest wealth of New Zealand was first recognised, 46 million acres of natural forest were untouched. That was about 80 years ago. To-dav there are less I believe than 12 million acres of forest, and the rate of felling is faster now than at the start. In 80 years 85 per cent of our forest has gone. Indeed, this is no time to wait for natural afforestation. In Mr. Kehoe’s second article, I think it was, he admitted that “only in extreme cases, where all else had failed, was the plantation method adopted.” It would be difficult to concieve of a more ‘extreme case’ than our own. While the Forestry Department propounds the principles of natural afforestation. the forest melts before the needs of man. I don’t think there is a man in the Forestry Department who is capable or laying out a forest so that 100 years of continuous cutting could he entered unon with confidence in native trees, yet any selfrespecting forester would be expected to so plan a block in the Northern Hemisphere when necessary. I can find no mention of any information as to needs of our native trees, as to their best felling age, or their soil requirements, in any of the Forestry pamphlets. The only Departmental attempt at planting trees, of any length of standing in Westland lies south of Hokitika, where the I trees selected for the soil conditions j pertaining show a lack of knowledge iof the requirements of exotic trees, and such' knowledge would have beer I available from any one of a books printed in years gone by. M”. Kehoe is quite right when he twits me for not believing in our present forestry policy. I can, at least, remind him that no experiment of the department’s on the Coast can show reason for the public to have faith in I it. I can produce figures to show

that America and Canada do not rely on natural afforestation, in spite of various statements by officials to the contrary. If Mr. Kehoe can produce any visual fact I would be extremely pleased to examine same. I am interested in New Zealand forestry but. not to the exclusion of planting trees that may be exotic but which' at least we know what we are doing with. While information is being garnered let us plant. I and a few other men who have faith in this country are actively engaged in planting trees, even though it is only 50 acres or so. Give us action with knowledge as against theory. I saw some timber felling last week, over here. Still on the cut out and get out plan as Mr Kehoe so aptly phrases it So much for the ‘practice of natural afforestation’ and the Commissioners dvowed nolicv. Let us de as North America doosnlant our. forests I am etc. I ooes plant R CHIBNALLi