LOCKING UP KAURI FOREST AT WAIPOUA IS A MISTAKE

Grey River Argus, 17 February 1949, Page 4

LOCKING UP KAURI FOREST AT WAIPOUA IS A MISTAKE

Noted U.S. Authority Upholds Ideas of Forestry Department

P.A. CHRISTCHURCH, February 16.

The desire to set aside the entire Waipoua kauri forest as a natural area was natural and worthy, but it was based on several serious misconceptions, said Dr H. H. Chapman, Professor Emeritus of Forestry of Yale University, and former president of the American Society of Professional Foresters, this evening. One misconception, was that the area had its highest value as a preserve from which everyone should be excluded, so that there would be no disturbance of natural conditions. “Should this idea be carried out, the use of the forest will be confined to extremely few scientists, and, under these circumstances, there would be no roads and paths through the forest”,. he said. “The second objective is a more popular and more justified one. Kauri, especially the giant trees, form a scenic attraction of great inspirational power. From this standpoint, it may be argued that the tract should be untouched. But, unless it is made accessible to the public, it will be wholly useless. Fortunately, the highway through the heart of the forest has given the public an opportunity of enjoying this unique feature”.

The need for such access was shown by the fact that the giant kauri was unknown except to the Maoris until 1922, though it was estimated to be 1200 years old. The advocates of these two different objectives both seemed to misunderstand the real situation, he said. “My observations are that no harm has been done, since the road has been serviceable. I suppose not one visitor in a thousand has ever penetrated 100 feet into the dense growth. While the public must, of necessity, stay on the paths, it has an undisturbed condition to study”. “I found that the plans of the State Forest Service are to preserve, untouched, on both sides of the access road, areas varying from threeeighths of a mile to a mile in width, which would not be cut. The entire forest would receive complete fire protection, and grazing animals would be totally excluded. “The next consideration is that, if the kauri is not regenerated, the old trees will, in time, die, and the entire species will be lost. It is evident that young kauri frees cannot survive in the shade of the old trees, or in undergrowth. Where openings appear, the young kauri may be able to survive. I also found what may be called secondary regeneration of the kauri in old forest that had got started on tops of prostrate trees, where the seedlings had been able to find the light and to grow from the undergrowth. In most cases, the old log was completely rotted away. “I believe that the preservation of a fully protected strip is of first importance to scientists and to the public, but that the prohibition of forestry practice on the remainder of the forest would not only be an economic sacrifice, but would not add anything to the advantages obtained from the preservation of the totally protected area. Young kauri may be established, and the species perpetuated, on the portion of the managed forest”.