WAIPOUA KAURI FOREST

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21346, 22 November 1932, Page 12

WAIPOUA KAURI FOREST

REMOVAL OF OLD TREES

OPPOSITION BY BOTANIST

TOTAL PROTECTION ADVOCATED

Strong opposition to tho cutting of old kauri trees or any timber whatever in the Waipoua State Forest was expressed by Mr. T. L. Lancaster, lecturer in botany at Auckland University College, in a memorandum submitted to the college council yesterday upon the inaugural meeting of the Waipoua Forest Preservation Committee, which he had attended as a representative of the college.

Mr. Lancaster stated that in his opinion tho resolutions passed at tho meeting in regard to tho future management of tho forest did not go far enough.

"Nothing short of the absolute preservation of tho \vhole block of some 40,0 CX) acres could be regarded as a worthy memorial of the magnificent kauri forests which once covered millions of acres in the Auckland Province," the memorandum continued. "The land which it covers is valueless for settlement; its interest from a scientific and aesthetic point of view is incalculable and will bo more and more highly valued as our citizens gain in knowledge and come to appreciate more highly their national memorials. "The Government is not being asked to give anything away; the forest already belongs to tho Crown. It is merely being asked to pass legislation wkhich will ensure that this last relic of one of the most massive and impressive types of forest shall be preserved as a sanctuary for all time.

"Many attempts have been made by interested persons to persuade past Governments to open the forest to the devastating operations of tho sawmiller; all of these requests former Governments, in their wisdom, flatly refused. It is only within the last six or seven years that there have been dangerous assaults upon tho integrity of the forest. Any such should be stoutly resisted by every New Zealand citizen worthy of citizenship.

"At present the chief danger is from those elements of the community in the North who wish to see all tho dead and what they call 'over-mature' trees removed. This would result in much destruction and would ruin tho integrity of the forest and also destroy its chief value as an authentic piece of tho magnificent kauri forests of this land. It might well prove a prelude to its complete destruction." The report was received.