PLANTATION THINNINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20537, 11 April 1930, Page 11

PLANTATION THINNINGS.

PROBLEM OF DISPOSAL.

SUGGESTION TO CONFERENCE. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN' CORRESPONDENT. J KELSON, Thursday. When speaking at the State Forest Service Conference upon the utilisation and exploitation of plantation thinnings, Mr. \V. T. Morrison, conservator of forests, Rotonia, said tho utilisation of thinnings was governed to some extent by sylvicul(nial policy. If the older established stands were to .be thinned, then it was necessary to lirid somo method of economically utilising the, thinnings. Thinning was possibly subordinate to the problem <>i marketing, since, unless they could dispose of the product, it was economically, unsound to undertake thinning on a large scale. The main question was tho conversion of the raw product into a marketable commodity.

There was at present no available source of utilisation for the raw material, and it was, therefore, necessary to look for the best method of conversion and the best form in which to present it to the. market.In the older Continental countries there was generally a ready market for all forest products, Iml in New Zealand there was comparatively little scope. Probably the principal avenues of exploitation would be found in converting small dimensioned material into either box timber or, possibly, charcoal. Possibly both could bo combined.