STATE FORESTRY

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1678, 27 April 1904, Page 22

STATE FORESTRY

SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT. " It will take about seventy-five years before our timber resources are exhausted,” remarked the Minister of Agriculture to a "Mail” reporter on Friday, when questioned as to the Government policy of reforestation and what was being done during the current year by way of replacing some of the forests that are now being rapidly denuded of their timber. The Chief Forester. Mr Matthews, :n his last annual report to the Minister, urged that " the necessity for prolonging the present volume of our timber trade should he a sufficient reason for a more rigorous, rational, and economical system of forest conservation, as artificial plantations now being made cannot be expected to yield mature timber for ordinary ©awmilling purposes in less than sixty and possibly eighty years, a period fair beyond that, when our native forests will become exhausted—except, probably, for inferior classes of timber*” The Government is pursuing a. vigorous policy in regard to tree-planting. It is expected that almost, five million youing trees will be available this year from the State nurseries for plantation, an increase of two million trees over the figures for the previous year. The planting done by prison labour has proved a very successful experiment, particularly at Waiotapu. so much so indeed that it is intended to double the prison labour on the State nurseries in order to get still better results. It is proposed to plaint extensively at Hanmer, amongst other plaices, this year. The forestry operations at Eweburn, Naseby. Gimmerburn. Tapanui, Dusky Hili, Conical Hills (Otago), Hanmer Springs, Starborou'gh (Marlborough), Rotorua, Whakare varew a, Waiotapu, and on Government domains and reserves give bright prospects for the future.