BUSH IN THE DOMAIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20627, 28 July 1930, Page 10

BUSH IN THE DOMAIN.

CLEARANCE ALONG DRIVE.

CESSATION OF WORK

FUNDS NOW EXHAUSTED

The cleaving of bush along the Domain Drive, which has been in progress for eight weeks as an unemployment relief work, came to an end on Friday through Hie exhaustion of the money available The work has been done by returned soldiers, who were paid out of a portion of the Poppy Day fund collected by the Auckland Returned Soldiers' Association, to which a subsidy from the City Council was added. Ten men were employed when a start was made at the beginning of June, but by last week the number had been reduced to four. The area dealt with extends from the Parnell entrance to tho junction of llio upper and lower drives near the Burns statue All the undergrowth and worthless exotic trees liavo been cleared for a depth of about 20 yards, and burned, giving the good trees the light and air they need to make proper growth.

In the course of the clearance it was found that great numbers of young native trees were being choked by the fastergrowing exotics, which included poplars, elms and oaks, not to mention a dense undergrowth of privet and other plants. The struggle for existence would ultimately have killed most of the kauris, limns and coprosmas which alone were worthy of preservation. Later it is intended to plant more young native trees from the council's nursery in the intervals between thoso now standing. Experience elsewhere in the Domain has shown that such planting gives most successful results. A certain number of sound oaks and poplars have been left for tho time being, but their lower branches have been lopped so as not to interfere with the natives.

The clearance policy has been rather strongly criticised by some of the public. In particular, a complaint was made recently that a fine oak had been chopped down. This tree, as a matter of fact, was a tall poplar, which was felled because tests showed it to be rotten inside and in danger of being blown down across the drive in a few years, or possibly even months. When the free came to be sawn up for burning, it was found that the rot extended not only the whole length of the trunk, but even into the larger branches. The men were engaged for part of the time in planting pohutukawas along the upper side of (he drive in clumps so arranged as not to hide the War Memorial Museum.

The City Council would gladly have continued tho work along the lower drive had funds permitted. It is intended ultimately to clear up and replant the whole of the Domain bush in the same manner as tho portions already done. This will ultimately make it truly representative of New Zealand, instead of a rather untidy mixturo of native aud exotic trees and plants.