TREE PLANTING

Otago Witness, Issue 3556, 9 May 1922, Page 9

TREE PLANTING

CORPORATION FORESTRY DEPARTMENT. AN IMPORTANT UNDERTAKING. The planting of trees is a highly important phase of Mr Tannock’s activities as superintendent of the city reserves. For this purpose large areas of land are utilised at Flagstaff, Ross Creek, Leith Valley, Whare Flat, and Waipori, and as now fewer than 2,133,670 trees have already been planted it will be recognised that a very valuable supply of timber is being assured for the future. Forestry .work of this kind is a science of its own, requiring a special knowledge as to the methods of planting, and also necessitating the exercise of a considerable degree of imagination so that provision may be made for the future. A properly planted forest is never cut out, there being a constant supply of trees coming on to take the place of those that are progressively removed for timber purposes, so that it may be said of the planter of a forest that his work does not stand for to-day or to-morrow, but for all time. Another important aspect of the tree-plant-ing which is being carried out under the supervision of Mr Tannock is its great value in several of the localities as a means of conserving water for the city reservoirs. In the Ross Creek catchment area, on the lower slopes of Flagstaff, an area of about 60 acres has been planted with trees for a-bout 12 years, and a visit to this locality the other day by a Daily Times reporter proved to be full of interest. In this locality the City Council some time ago acquired a piece of land from which a certain amount of pollution is said to have arisen in the past, and this land, together with other adjoining areas, is now the scene of a thriving forest of Douglas fir (from which the valuable Oregon timber is produced), larch, ash, pinus rigida, and pinus insignis. Forests of this kind not only condense the moisture from the atmosphere, but the decayed vegetation which comprises the forest floor acts as a natural filter, ensuring a degree of soakage that greatly purifies the water before it reaches the creeks feeding the reservoir. It is a matter of common observation that when heavy rain falls on open areas of land it flows to the nearest stream in little muddy rivulets which would entirelv discolour the water in the particular reservoir for which it acted as a feeder. But when the catchment area is planted with trees the trees break the fall of the rain, and it finds its way into the stream by means of soakage through the floor of the forest, being well filtered in the process. In France there is a State Department called the Department of Woods and Waters, which exemplifies the close relation between the two things; and there has been a marked tendency during recent years to model the tree-planting in the dominion upon the lines which have been so successfully followed in that country. The Douglas firs, which comprise an important section of the Ross Creek forest, were originally planted 4ft apart, bat they have thriven so well in this sheltered spot that, they are now being thinned out to a width of 6ft, They are also being pruned. As a matter of fact this is practically the first attention that the forest has received since its planting, and the trees may therefore be said to have looked after themselves. During their lifetime these firs have made splendid growth, and some of those which have done better than their fellows now raise their straight, clean stems to a height of fully 36ft. There, is an object in planting the trees so closely during their early years, and this is to exclude the light and air from any undergrowth or weeds so that these may be entirely eliminated. As Ross Creek this object has been most successfully attained, and while there is a little gorse and broom among some of the larches and firs, most of the forest is so dark and gloomv as entirely to forbid any plant or animal life. "Mr Tannock considers that the Douglas fir is the best forest tree for planting wherever a suitable place can he found around Dunedin, and as result they will shortly outnumber anv other variety. The larch trees at Ross Creek are also making good progress. This is a valuable timber for posts, but the larches have really been grown as a nursery for redwoods when the time comes for thinning out. _ Hie fir portion of the forest (pinus rigicla) has been planted as a nursery for the ash trees, and as these latter are doing remarkably well there is in sight a fine supply of this valuable timber. The ash trees at present number one in' four, but as they will soon begin to overshadow the pines the latter will soon have to be removed and put to some of the uses to which they are suited. Along the top of the ridge above the forest there are a large number of pinus insignis. those trees having . been planted for shelter on account of their rapid growth, and also because they produce , a timber that is valuable for many purposes. Pinus insignis, it may mentioned, figures largely in all the corwration tree-planting areas * for these two Jpsons. The following table shows in a concise form the extent of the tree-planting operations of the Reserves Department during the past year; Douglas fir 76.425 Menzies spruce 30,200 Yellow pine 26,125 Corsican pine 20,000 Clear pine 500 Larch 450 Pinus insignia 47,375 Total 211.375 As these trees are planted at a distance of 6ft apart, giving 1200 trees to the acre, it will be seen that thev cover a very considerable area of conntrv. With the trees already planted by the department, they bring the total up to 2,133.670. At the Leith Valley, the catchment area for the Sullivan dam, there are about 100 acres of trees, and a portion of this area is now ready for clearing and thinning. There is also a. forest of 100 acres at Whare Flat for the conservation of water for the Southern reservoir, and on Flagstaff there are the most extensive plantations of all. At Waipori a plantation of Douglas fir, pinus insignia, yellow pine, and Corsican pine has been established for the purpose of providing poles for the transmission lines, and, apart from the pinus insignia, the yellow pine and the Corsican pine arc doing most satisfactorily. In this connection it is hoped some day to have patches of trees at Berwick and Outram. so „that these may link up with the plantations at Flagstaff and Waipori, and thus be able to provide poles over the whole length of the transmission line from the power station.

The suggestion is made by Mr Tannock that tree-planting would provide a valuable avenue of employment, for the absorption of surplus labour during the winter months. He points out that although the actual planting requires a certain amount of skill, unskilled men can do the clearing and pitting. Any money expanded on work of this kind virtually guarantees its own return, and apart from any other factors it is a matter of importanca that there should be supplies of timber in close proximity to the city. There are Government scenic reserves on the top of Signal Hill, Mount Cargill, and Flagstaff, and as Captain Ellis, the director of forestry, is in favour of the handing over of thesp areas to the City Council, it will be seen that they provide an ample space for the planting of trees • within easy range of the city. Captain Ellis considers that so long as trees are planted and properly cared for they are an asset to the State, and hence any scheme that might be undertaken by the City Council would meet with his approval. Mr Tannock has also considered the possibility of the construction of a circular road from Signal Hill to Mount Cargill and Flagstaff, and coming out at Halfway Bush. Such a toad would not only be necessary for getting the timber to the market—a purpose that would amply justify its construction —but in the years to come it would provide a motor drive around the city of unique attractiveness from a scenic point of view.