FORESTRY DELEGATES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20536, 11 October 1928, Page 3

FORESTRY DELEGATES.

OUTING TO DUNEDIN PLANTATIONS. AN ADMIRABLE WORK. The delegates to the Empire Forestry Conference left Dunedin at 0 a.tn. yesterday to visit reserves on which treeplanting has been carried out by the City Corporation. The party, which was composed of 42 members of the conferences, the Mayor (Mr W. B. Taverner), and city councillors, and a few guests, was under the charge of Mr D. Tannock, superintendent of city reserves. The visitors saw the advantages of afforestation In the Whare Flat catchment area, after which they visited Ross Creek, returning to the city by way of the Botanic Gardens. Among other information imparted to the party was the fact that during the past season 821,250 trees of various kinds were planted, mostly Pinus radiata (522,000), and Pseudotsuga Douglasii (139,750), and that, a$ a result of efficiency and economy, the entire cost of planting an acre, including trees, fencing, and clearing, where necessary, is about £3 per acre. “ I have seen many things to interest me to-day,” said Lord Clinton, “ and I am delighted with them. The possibilities of the place are being utilised to great advantage, and I am glad to learn that your superintendent intends to continue his useful work and plant out other areas. What we must achieve is a scheme that will enable the Empire to develop its timber resources continuously. All the nations of the world practically are eating up the timber as fast ns, or faster than, they arc planting it. But we are realising now that this will not do, and that we must look to the future to conserve." The luncheon at the Savoy was tendered by the City Council in honour of Lord Clinton and bis fellow-delegates, and the opportunity was taken by the visitors to thank the council and other bodies for the hospitality meted out to them during their brief stay in Dunedin. The delegates left by special tram for Christchurch at 2.10 p.m. The following extract from the booklet handed to the delegates will be of interest to citizens; Planting has been entirely on the catchment areas at Waipori, Whare Flat, Flagstaff, Leith Valley, and Ross Creek; and the afens operated on were mainly deteriorated farm lands, covered with gorse, broom, and scrub, and infested with rabbits.. To •secure pure water the stock had to be removed and the rabbits exterminated, and to save the cost of clearing the noxious weeds-r-a recurring expense these had to be suppressed. Stock has been removed, rabbits have been exterminated, and the growth of scrub and gorse has been suppressed or the process is gradually being carried out, and in place of useless vegetation wo have now thriving plantations of timber trees, which dust be of considerable value some day. The effect of planting the catchment areas is also very marked! and instead of heavy rains running off the surface, 'carrying mud and debris into the creeks and reservoirs, the water is held by the forest and allowed to trickle away gradually as pure uncoutaminatcd water fit to be takeu into the reservoirs, During heavy floods a few years ago all creeks flowing from denuded ureas did tremendous damage, washing sway bridges and roads, whereas those flowing from woods or bush-clad areas did little damage. During the past dry summer, when creeks flowing from bare areas practically disappeared, those flowing from the bush or tree-clad areas were, well maintained. Practically all the trees required for afforestation purposes are grown in the nursery in the Gardens, and those are nearly all planted direct from the seed beds. At first quite a number of species was tried, but as a result of experience these have been cut down to Pinus radiata for the exposed places, rough scrubby and gorae-iufested country; Pseudotsuga Douglasii for the sheltered valleys; fnpressns rnueracarpa for reasonably well sheltered positions: and Finns pomlorosu and P! us Laricio for sunny slopes where it is fairly dry. Smaller quantities of poplars, larch, and beech are planted to suit the special requirements of soils and situations.