TIMBER DAMAGED BY FIRE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14809, 12 October 1911, Page 5

TIMBER DAMAGED BY FIRE.

The Wellington Land Board and the Commissioner i*'of . Crown "Lands recently paid' a" visit of. inspection to some of the reserves in the. Taihapei district, with the object 'of ascertaining the ; actual i extent of ' the damage done by : fire 'to the timber thereon. On - September 8 : the " Rewa; State forest,«: On go, was inspected, ; and after going over the section '(320 acres) it was resolved to obtain-an appraisement of all the timber suitable for milling, and to offer the timber , for sale by auction. The Board was of opinion' that the necessarysteps should at; once be taken to lift the forest reservation. ' On the ILth ult. the Commissioner and members ox' the .Board visited section 15,. Block 1., Hautupu, a portion of the forest on which had been) destroyed by fire, arid it was thought desirable to leave the disposal of the timber on the section in the -hands of the Commissioner'to get the best value pos- , sible under the special ' circumstances. , At j .the last meeting of, the..Board it was resolved to authorise the Commissioner to -j dispose of the .timber,. on sections 30 to ? 37/1 part 47 , to- 50, and: adjoining roads in I Oha'kune' suburbs," at such royalties 'and:,' subject to such conditions as he may see fit .to arrange. : , !

' : • Quite 'a- number of t forest reservations in the King Country have now been thrown open, owing to - portions having been destroyed- by fire during last ] summer:.; It is necessary to mill the timber as soon as possible after the trees have been charred) a* tney .epOB become infected by grubs,v which " render the timber unsuitable i for. commercial purposes, ; Fire alone does very little damage to standing green, timber, but the grubs are most destructive, and will rapidly dee troy trees which have had only the bark burut off them,