IMPERIAL FORESTRY INSTITUTE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20959, 24 February 1930, Page 17

IMPERIAL FORESTRY INSTITUTE.

LATEST REPORT. VALUABLE PROGRESS. NEED OF MONEY AND SPACE; (From Odb Own Correspondent.) LONDON, January 7. t TL O Imperial ' Forestry Institute, University of Oxford, has issued its fifth annual report. The Eight Hon. Lord Clinton (chairman of the Forestry Commission and chairman of the Board of Governors of the Forestry Institute) writes tiro preface, wlucli contains maiiv 'points of interest. In spite of restricted accommodation, research work has made very satisfactory in various directions. Silvicultural research is closely linked up with the work of the Forestry Commission, whose Silvicultural Research Officer' for England, Dr H. M. Steven is stationed at the Institute. A new experimental garden was started in June, 1925, at Kennington, on the outskirts, of Oxford, and an extensive series of controlled experiments is in progress. Detailed research has been carried out by Mr R. N. Aldrich-Blake into the root action of seedlings, and results are about to be published. ; . . Work dn forest soils has had to be kept largely in abeyance for want of laboratory space, necessary work being carried out in the School of Rural Economy. Steps have been taken to develop this important branch of work by the appointment of a soil chemist, and considerable progress may be looked for during the next few years. Mr R. .Bourne has been engaged on an investigation, partly in Northern Rhodesia and partly in England, into the use of aerial reconnaisance for the study of vegetation and the ecological factors which determine it. This new line : of investigation holds out great possibilities in connection with the development of the Empire’s resources. WOOD-SPECIMENS AND SLIDES. No less important is the pro«re?s made in the section dealing with° the structure and identification of wood which works in close collaboration with the section of systematic botany. The Institute started with a good collection of Indian woods, together with a small number of other woods, all belonging to the School of Forestry. On this foundation a much larger collection has been huilt- dp, representing specimens from many different parts of the world By 1929 the collection contained some 4900 specimens, together with microscopic slides. The foundations of this work were laid by Dr C. C. For-i saith, of-the New York State College of Forestry, Syracuse, U.S.A., who whs employed at the institute for 15 months during 1025 and 1926. Dr L. Challas took over the section when Dr Forsaith left, and is mainly responsible for the subsequent development of'this import ant branch of work.

HARMFUL PARASITES. Good progress has been made in entomological research by Mr R. N. Chrystal. whose most important work has been the comprehensive study of the sirex wood wasp and its parasites j this work has produced results which are not only of great biological interest, but which are likely to prove of great importance m improving our knowledge of biological control methods, as applied to harmful forest insects, i .

. from the advisory work, which is on the increase, the institute has been in assisting the Imperial of Entomology to, obtain paraf >, ll l4 Url0 J UB lnaecfc S for New Zealand and Canada. So far, apart from answering inquiries, this is the only direct connection which the entomological ha ff ™ th over seaa portions of the Empire, but it will be in in a posiSn to th d rfV he 7 ork in this Erection. u nee , cl arises. Good progress' has_ been made in building up a repre-sentative-collection of insets of importance to forestry, though this work? has' been hampered through lack of sjace A VARIETY OF SERVICE, fro P l , t . heir actual duties at the institute, certain members of the staff have had an opportunity of rendering ™ n of !* “? CoS in IVeLS™!? Stations to Northern Bhode.ia toJdSSTI.Gov as,;® Africa, travelled v utl ‘ Rhodesia and vegetation and makinn ssss ssfaish “ 1928, approved the report 0 f £ m «ti-tf"t thepSrptS- P "'“' and the publication of reviews hy'Sco* msed GSDGrtq nVi flirv , y TGCOgworks. ' The suonlv more important copies, °- f gmal artides when required ° f ° n ' . { ~\ -tac Provision of facilities fm. a„i neotea will, the Uvin E tree IAOS 0F AND

cSs *** tuP "ha™* 1 1" not only of what th^hiS of alS ° v dod nS iU tUc futuro if foils aroTts of fuS d T j !^ e it a rwed at ti on t r resolutions of the Empire Goi. 6 dlfficuUks ™TnS °t charges are conlrned i^n? ant, however, is the foi which a sum of -£IOO,OOO will be fe' qmred Until this sum is forthcoming out Tn rk t 0f the institutc - which is carried put m. temporary and unsuitable build sisr tobe ~i

Up to date, 140 students have taken courses of .instruction, 01 being post" ou n fZ pr f a . tioncr «- forest officers on leave, and nine private students. The subjects most commonly chosen by forest officers on leave attending “refresher’’ courses were the systematic forest botany ot their own regions, tropical silviculture, silvicultural systems, and forest management. Certain students underwent training of a more specialised character in silviculture research, forest management, systematic forest botany, wood structure, forest engineering, and forest Utilisation. Tours of practical instruclion on the Continent were arranged for all classes of students. ADVISORY COMMITTEE APPOINTED. Ar the instance of the Research Coordination Sub-committee of the Committee of Civil Research, the Forestry Commissioners have constituted an Advisory Committee on Forestry Research, The members of the Advisory Committee are as follow: Mr R. Xj. Robinson, 0.8. E. (vice-

chairman of the Forcsty Commission) ; diairman; Dr E. J. Butler, C.1.E., M. 8., i (dlrcct ° r - Imperial Bureau of Mjcol° B y) ; Dr A, W. Hill, C.M.G., Unnjf’. ( ?! rCCt ° r Royal Botanic Garn ’ . r „ ‘Joseph (director, CMP ° f V S p « 1 Pr Guy Marshall, M 0 (director, Imperial Bureau of Entomology) ; I?. S , p elu . so]l> Esq., C.1.E., F.L.S. (director. Forest Products 'Research Laboratory) ; Professor R. S. Troup, C.1.E., F.R.S. (director, Imperial Forest Institute); Professor Wright-Smith, M.A., F.R.S.E., F.L.S. (director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh) ; secretary, Mr W. H.'Guilleband.