“SPARE THAT TREE.”

Manawatu Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 2474, 14 October 1922, Page 5

“SPARE THAT TREE.”

IMPORTANCE OF FORESTRY. ADDRESS BY MR L. MACINTOSH ELLIS. The extreme importance of forestry in New Zealand apd the necessity for paying closer attention to the conservation of timber, was mentioned by Mr L. Macintosh Ellis, Director of Forestry, in his lecture at the Municipal Hall last night. Mr C. T. Salmon occupied the chair, there being a moderate number present. Mr Ellis stated that the value of the national forests as set out on the 192 2 Treasury Budget Statement was £37,909,875. Within an economic radius of this city there were 240,000 acres of State forests and forest reserves dedicated to water conservation and timber crop production, to say nothing of the 90,000 acres of waste lands, valued, at 1/6 to 10/per acre, within the same radius, which were only suitable for timber cropping - . “I do not need to point out to anyone here to-night the vital relation between your great rivers and streams, and the mountain subalpine forests to the north; forest devastation at their headwaters spells only floods, waste, famine, distress and disaster.” It was not difficult to answer why •New Zealand had formulated a forest policy and brought into being a national instrument of action. First and foremost because “its land policy is the making of prosperous homes, and its whole, effort is directed to this end, keeping in view the fact that it is not only necessary to

start, the homes as prosperous, but to keep them so." Forestry had to do principally •with Hie conservation and reasoned use of the indigenous forests of this country and the production of sustained timber crops from tiie national asset in perpetuity. Forestry was tree farming; t' ’>usi-

ness of raising' repeated tim! ps from non-agricultural soils ; the proper utilisation of these crops. Forestry Involved tho production of wood and the use of it. Fifty or sixty years ago we had in this country over 40,000,000 acres of the finest forest lands on the glohe. To-day this great heritage had shrunk to seven or eight million acres. Whilst it was true that thousands of homes and prosperous farms had replaced the great bush areas, at the same time millions of acres of forest had been destroyed, leaving nothing in its place' but noxious weeds, ti-tree, vermin and a howling wilderness. The objective of forestry now was to keep tho residue of seven or eight million acres continuously productive, and r.o build up gradually the man-made wastes into something of use to humanity.

In the North Island in ISDO there were 44 counties exporting timber to other parts of the North Island. In 1922 the number of counties exporting surplus of wood had shrunk to 14. What would this be. in another twenty-live years if devastation and destruction were allowed to continue? We had almost at our doors thousands of acres of sand dunes which produced nothing of value to man or beast, yet in spite of this we were encroaching very rich, fertile land every year, with the loss of thousands and thousands of pounds. Again, this town and district used 25,000.000 feet of timber for building, fences and general structure purposes every year, at a cost of at least £270,000. A few years ago tills quantity of timber was bought toy the community at £250,000.

To produce the annual timber requirements of this Dominion now and for the future (when the population would be five times os great) would require the establishment and dedication to forest management of the 1,2,000,000 acres of New Zealand’s forest land. As well as placing our great national forests on a productive basis for a continuous timber crop turn out, tile service was out to curtail tho actual drain upon our forests by more complete and scientific use of the trees cut. National forestry and conservation required first, dedication to forest management of ail the crown forests In New Zealand. The programme of action required an effective forest fire protection scheme. It required a business administration of our national resources. The programme of action called for the maintenance and steady carrying on of a programme of afforestation on the waste lands of the back country. It. called for the stimulation, of treo planting’ by local bodies. It wmuld be necessary to have a comprehensive research and investigation into the use of forest products and an investigation into tho means of preserving and increasing the durability of our wood trees and our waste timbers. "What Is the end to be?" asked the lecturer, "Is it to bo the production of hundreds of millions of feet of timber for our homes, our factories and our farms, or Is it to bo the production of millions of rabbits and weeds on the ravaged forest lands?” . . I have faith in New Zealand and In her people. By leaps and bounds a great wide forest consciousness Is being developed In its citizenry, , , forestry now moans something. It spells profit—timber supplies, prosperity end production.” A hearty vot© of thanks was accorded the lecturer.