BRITAIN’S FORESTS

Hokitika Guardian, 11 January 1930, Page 7

BRITAIN’S FORESTS

A £9,000,000 PLAN

A BIG AFFORESTATION,

An afforestation scheme that will involve the expenditure of £9,M0,000 and the planting with timber of over a. million and three-quarter acres of

land was discussed by an official of the Forestry Commission with a representative of the “Daily Chronicle.”

The programme will extent over 80 years and plans have now been completed for the. work to be carried outin the second decade of this period. When the Forestry Commission was established ten years ago, £3,500,000 was allowed for the first decade. During that period, which ended last year, io6 forest units—B7 in England and Wales and 69 in Scotland—have been esta.nl islied.

“These units,” said the officia

‘vary Iron* 5(>J acres to 2000' acres, ana they are either bought or used for 999 years. The forests are mainly, soft woods, of which 50 per cent, are Sitka spume, and 25 per cent. European and Jap larch. The balance in Douglas lir and hard woods.

“We can reckon on using 10 men a 100 acres, and on a 1039-acre unit we work one-tenth part a year. Some of the bigger forests under our control are:—East Anglian reserve, with its centre at Brandon, about 20,000 acres; Gl-en bran ted, in Scotland (once owned by Sir Harry Lauder), about 6,000 acres; Allerstons, in Yorkshire; and Lne Mortimer Forest, in Herefordshire. “When che present Government took over, the previous estimates were put up to £9,000,000, which will enable us to plant 353,009 acres in ten years, and to create 1500 additional forest workers’ holdings.” The following figures were given as to the work done and in prospect: Planted last year, 23,C00 acres; to be planted this season, 25.090 acres; total .laud acquired by the Commission, 59G,000 acres; area plantable, 367,090 ocres; planted since 1920, 140,000 acres; by local authorities and privately, 70,000 acres. ' “The urogram me,’’ the official vent on, “will increase until by the last of the next ten years we shall he planting over 40,000 acres.“As to the land, it is mostly land abandoned by 'agriculturists, derelict woodlands or heath land. It includes former Crown woods, which were transferred to the Commission in 1924. Their area is about 120,000 acres, of which 69.000 acres carry timber or are under I'orestal treatment. W-4 have two schools —one in England and the other in Scotland-where the forest rangers are Trained. ~ . “Of the taxpayers’ money which is spent, no less than 9-lOths goes in providing wages to men on the land ; the remainder is divided amongst important industries. One of these—the barbed wire industry—has immensely benefited and increased plant has been call-

ed for. “Over £IOO,OOO worth of produce was sold from forest lands last year. In 20 years we shall he selling what we have actually grown from'seed, and on tne authority of Sir Francis Acland, wo shall he self-supporting at the end of 40 years.”