RE-AFFORESTATION

Marlborough Express, Volume L, Issue 97, 26 April 1916, Page 3

RE-AFFORESTATION

~- —.-.~"«j>— —-~ A SUGGESTED SOCIETY,

TO URGE THE GOVERNMENT

INTO ACTION

The following circular >in connection with re-afforestation in the Do- j minion has been issued to the press by Sir James Wilson, -president of the Ne;v Zealand Farmers' Union:— It is common knowledge that ex- j perts hay variously estimated that i the available amount of forest left in ; New Zealand will last perhaps 30 j years, and at the most 40 years. Unless immediate steps are taken to : plant considerable areas, future generations would require to import all tho timber used. The Government is doing something towards planting trees in a few districts in N&w Zealand. The whole of. the present Government areas might give 6 months' cutting. The seriousness of the'position may be put in another way. When.l cams to this district (Rangitikei-Manawatii) in 1873, there was a fringe of open country which had been settled all along the coast up to and some distance boyonu Wanganui. In the Wairarapa also the openv country from Featherston. to Masterton and out to the coast was settled. The rest of the country seemed illimitable bush. The seventy-mile bush ran up from the plain to Woodville, and the 40-mile bush irom the Gorge to past Darinevirke. The valleys of the Manawatu, 'Pohangina, Oroua, the upper ] reaches of thY Rangitikei from Hal--1 combe upwards, were all bush, the. whole of which is now cut down; generally in. the best timber areas the saw-miller was the pioneer and tho settler followed when the timber was cut out. Now there is not a sawmill in the whole of this area. \ . * should not like to estimate the area I that was in bush, but it must\hay« j been millions of acres. The kauri : forests are almost a thing of the past, j puriri h'> .scarcely procurable, and totara is very dear. The only source -of timber for the North Island is tho bush district in the central area, which cannot be nearly as large as that already cut out. In the South, there is still timber on the 'West ! Coast, but more and more expensive 'to market, and the forests of Southland .have been depleted. A recent Forestry Commission, which collected much valuable information and made admirable suggestions in their report (which, was not even discussed in the House) said that to meet our future requirements we would require to plant 7000 a eras per annum. I dofibt if we are planting even 700 per annum. Private individuals are doing a little, already some plantations of soft wood have been cut down and sawn into timber for building purposes. We must have large quantities of soft wood, possibly poplar, pinus insignis, and\ the Douglas fir planted; and the eucalyptus for hard wood for . the future. it is acknowledged in all countries that this should be the work of the Government. How are we to get the Government to realise the necessities of the case? Governments are moved by public opinion, and the object of those- who love trees for their owri sake and for the.benefit of present planting for future, generations is to create a public opinion sufficiently strong to force the pace. A few enthusiasts have suggested that this can best be done by a Society after the lines of the Rovsil Scottish Arboricultural Society. This Society keeps before the public the necessity for planting (much as the Navy League has been instrumental in securing to Britain our present Naval strong Hi), and reports arc published yearly or oftener. Aboriculturo would bo ideal work for returned soldiers with an injured limb. The on'ject of this circular, therefore., is to ask those who are prepared to join sncli a Society and pay, sa.v, £1 a year as subscription, to try to secure an increased' area planted yeiir by year, to send in their names. It may be said Iliat this is not the time for' such a Society. My answer is that if we f,vt it iVt train, the tinie will shortly come for action. Tho

, Cfcv emigrant ;um>t be i:rp:-r::-s-d of Vau

I necessity to find money for this obIjecr; it'is too pressing to wait. 1 should be much obliged ii! thosu who are prepared to join such a Society would send their names, together with £1, to Mr E. C. Jack, secretary, Fanners' Union, box' 715, Wellington.