STATE FORESTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19276, 13 September 1924, Page 17

STATE FORESTS.

YEAR’S OPERATIONS REVIEWED

THE DIRECTOR’S RECOMMENDATIONS.

(From Ode Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, September 11. The Director of Forestry makes the following recommendations. The national forest policy and programme should be carefully reviewed during the coming year and reoriented in the light of the developments of the past four years. This recommendation is in line with the proposals of the 1920 report. The establishment of a special State forests account of £500,000, to be used for the acquisition of forests and the consolidation of permanent State forests is recommended as there arc still large areas of Crown-owned forests undedicated to forest conservation. Protection of stream flow and general timber crop production; The forest service should be made responsible for these forests, their conservation and appropriate use. Financial assistance to a recognised school of forestry is advised. Trained foresters are sorely needed. The time is now ripe 'for the establishment on a modest scale of a forest products laboratory, where research and study of wood problems, timber seasoning and the development and uses for our annual wastage of 8,000,000 tons of wood can be carried out. The adequate control of deer calls for early concerted action. The present measures have not proved altogether effective. The vear’s forest income from all sources was £95,479, and the protective and general management expenses amounted to £4258, leaving a balance of £50,895, which was applied to the capital investment of State forest plantations throughout the dominion and to their maintenance, protection and improvement. During the year 7207 acres of new plantations were established in the Rotorua, Hanmer Springs, Balmoral, Tapanui, and Westland districts, as compared with 2862 acres established in 1922-23, 3403 acres in 1921-22, and 1381 acres in 1920-21. This result is encouraging, particularly ■when it is remembered that this new acreage of 7207 acres was formed at a cost of not more than one-half the unit costs of those of former years. The total area of State plantations now in New Zealand embraces 51,825 acres. The increasing importance of the oppossum as a by-product of the forest is emphasised, a total of 109,905 skins, valued at £46,563, was trapped. Ninety thousand of these skins were secured in the State forests. Bounties were paid on 4781 wild pigs destroyed in the Whangamomona district. A start was made in reducing the deer in certain unprotected areas .in Canterbury, Westland, Nelson, and other centres, but the real value of this system of control will not be seen for some time. During the year ended December 31, 1925, 48,093,506 superficial feet of timber were exported, compared with 44,214,499 superficial feet during the previous period, representing an increase of 8.8 per cent. There was a noticeable increase In the shipments of rimu, beech and “other” (New Zealand) timbers. Australia is absorbing large quantities each year of 0. B. Matai, which has been a drug on the New Zealand market. For some time the average f.o.b. value (all species) for 1923, was only 19s 7d per ICO superficial feet, compared with 21s 9d per 100 superficial feet for the previous year. Kauri was the onlv species showing an increase in value, which amounted to Is per 100 superficial feet. Beech decreased 2s 8d per 100 superficial feet in value. Over the same period over 40,000,000 feet of timber was imported, 9,000,000 more than, in the previous year.