PLANTING SAND DUNE COUNTRY WITH TREES

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6991, 17 August 1929, Page 7

PLANTING SAND DUNE COUNTRY WITH TREES

Guy Scheme Criticised FACTOR OF CAPITAL COST AND COMPOUND INTEREST "I would not like the job of working out whether it would be a paying proposition," stated Mr Duncan Macpherson, conservator of forests, Palmerston North, when asked by a Times representative yesterday as to whether there was financial merit in the tree planting scheme which Mr Andrew Guy brought before the Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce this week. Mr Guy’s proposition was that when the lease of the sand-dune country (Crown land) between the Kangitikei and Manawatu rivers expired, the Government should cut it up into smaller blocks for the purpose of afforestation. He instanced the dune country of France as an example of what could be done in this direction. On the other hand Mr Macpherson, who is a man of wide experience in the matter of afforstation and has had in addition the experience of the Departmental plantings at the north of the Bangitikei river, points out that there are many difficulties to be confronted if an attempt was made to plant the area referred to by Mr Guy. First of all, the country is at present composed of shifting sand which would have to be stabilised before a tree of any sort could be planted. The best way to tackle the problem would be by means of maram grass and there would bo a wait of two years at least for it to get a proper hold. Secondly, the need of this grass would mean the establishing of nurseries for its propagation. Thirdly, a great portion of the dune land referred to was a quagmire in winter time and quite unsuitable for planting until drained and with the small fall available this was a job of magnitude to accomplish properly. The ground looked very nice in the summertime, but when winter came, there was a changed picture. Again, on certain land sheep could be grazed in the fire brakes and between the trees after they had reached a certain height, thus returning a small interim revenue. On the 6and dunes and adjacent lands, this could not be done as any. interference with the herbage would only set the sand drifting again and the trees would soon be swallowed up. Whether a tree-planting proposition was going to be a profitable one or not depended on the capital outlay with compound interest and in country like that proposed to be planted by Mr Guy, an estimate of costs would be very difficult to frame, but certainly would be heavy. I