PLANT TREES

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 2308, 28 November 1925, Page 13

PLANT TREES

DERELICT LAND TURNED INTO A FOREST. Strenuous efforts are being made to recover England’s position as a timber-producing country, and to overcome the setback caused by extensive felling during the war. “There are between two and three million acres in this country which are unproductive for agricultural purposes and could be turned into forest land," said the assistant manager of the English Forestry Association to the “Morning Post.” “Some people have even estimated the acreage at live millions. Everywhere we are advising people who are getting no return on their land by farming it, and who have to pay rates and taxes to plant trees by a careful system of rotation. A great deal of derelict productive land by planting, which often proves mbre satisfactory than replanting the old woods and forests. During the war many people sold their timber at high prices, but instead of putting away a certain sum tor replanting, allowed undergrowth etc., to grow up. The result was that when they decided to plant again the woods were overgrown with briars and rubbish, which entailed great expenditure in cleaning. . This shaws that planting fresh ls»«d is often better than replanting the old.” Although the association managed to plant about 1000 acres a year for different people all over the country it met with great difficulties especially in the industrial districts. It was impossible to prevent the wilful destruction of trees by those who would really benefit from them. Since the war the Ministry for Woods and Forests has acquired 141,000 acres of land for the purpose of planting on the 10 years’ rotation system. Of this land 100,000 acres had never been woodland before, and 39,000 acres have already been planted.