FORESTRY IN AUSTRALIA.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 283, 3 November 1925, Page 14

FORESTRY IN AUSTRALIA.

TESTING THE NORFOLK PINE. LARGE COLLECTION OF SEEDS. SYDNEY, Oct. 23. Nearly a year ago the Commonwealth Government retained Mr C. F. Lane Poole, a British forestry expert, to report on the condition of forestry in Australia. Mr Lane Poole submitted a report several months ago, which was a scathing indictment of Australia’s forestry policy in the past. At the same time, the report was an extremely valuable document and so impressed the Federal Ministry that it decided to continue Mr Lane Poole’s engagement as adviser. He has since been investigating various branches of this problem of Australia and he has now left for Norfolk Island to advise the Administrator on the possibility of reafforesting the timber reserves on the island. Mr Lane Poole lias a greater project in mind. He hopes to encourage seed collection of the famous Norfolk pine so that sufficiently large quantities may bo obtained to enable hundreds of thousands of acres throughout Australia to be planted with this valuable tree. He says that the Norfolk pine is one of the most satisfactory trees along Australia’s coastline. He points out that it has been chiefly used for ornamental purposes, but hopes to introduce it on an extensive scale as a forest species. He has found it flourishing at Manly and Eucla, at the head of the Australian Bight, this being a sample of its wide range. Australia to-day imports nearly half of her timber requirements. These imports are nearly all/ soft woods of the pine family and were valued in 19221923 at nearly £4,500,000. Mr Lane Poole regards softwood as Australia’s most urgent need and declares that he is hopeful that the introduction into Australia on a large scale of the Norfolk pine may help to solve our softwood problem.