The Hawera Star FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 1924. FORESTRY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 20 June 1924, Page 4

The Hawera Star

FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 1924. FORESTRY.

Delivered every evening by & o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, N-'rrnanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake, .Otakehe Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, Waverley, Mokoia, Whakamara, Obangai, Meremere, Fraser Road, and Ararata.

The conference which opened in Wellington on Wednesday to decide upon a policy for the conservation of New Zealand timbers and for the elimination of waste, has important work to do. For many years the prodigal waste of timber throughout the Dominion continued with little thought for the future, hut the time has come when anxiety is being felt among those who see that the country’s timber resources are diminishing more rapidly than they are being replaced by reafforestation. In recent years afforestation has come to be regarded with the importance it deserves, and it is satisfactory to note that the Government is taking a keen interest in the matter and that a real effort is being made to provide for the country’s future requirements. There has been a. strong demand from overseas for New Zctalaud timber, and the export trade has grown enormously, though a falling off is shown in the latest statistics. Tn the first four months of this year 12,060.238 superficial feet of timber were exported compared with 16,061,580 superficial feet in the same period of last year. The export is therefore very great and is helping to denude the forests rapid!v. Requirements within the Dominion are also very heavy, and with the- increase in population will become still hoarier. With consumption exceeding replacement it is easily seen that a. serious shortage will be experienced unless adequate provision is made' for the future. There are' many bare, lands in various parts of tliO' country which are practically useless for agriculture and

which, would be of most value if used for afforestation. Some of the hilly lands should not have been stripped of their forest garb, for the land has been of very little use and the clearing of the trees has added to the danger of floods. China provides perhaps the greatest object lesson of the evils resulting from the ruthless destruction of forests, and the great floods and the damage done by them in that country are said to be mainly due to the clearing of the forests from the hills. To reafforest the hillsides is not always possible owing to the bleakness, and some of the hills in New Zealand will probably remain bare and of little worth for all time. There are also areas which have become infested with noxious weeds, and owners are' faced with a problem of how best to destroy the weeds, especially blackberry. Experts tell us that many of the weeds can be destroyed by reafforestation. Plantations of trees in weed-infested lands require attention for two or three years, but after that they get the better of the weeds, which die out ia-s the trees grow. Those who have land from which they have difficulty in eradicating weeds would no doubt find it profitable to try afforestation. The trees would be. productive in years to come, and would probably prove less expensive than the cost of frequent attacks upon the weeds. In South Taranaki many farmers with streams running through their properties find that the slopes down to the waterways are poor for grass growing purposes and are of little use. It has been shown through the columns of the Star that by a judicious planting of trees on these slopes they may be turned to good use. A number of farmers adopted the idea a few years ago, and in addition to the shelter which i-s being afforded, the trees will be valuable for timber in years to come. There are, we feel .sure, many places where plantations could be made at no great cost and the aggregate value to the Dominion in a few years’ time would he very great. We hope that in addition to the Forestry Department’s efforts many owners of private property will plant timber trees, so that they may contribute towards the country’s future requirements.