NATIVE BUSH.

Otago Witness, Issue 3942, 1 October 1929, Page 65

NATIVE BUSH.

A PLEA FOR PRESERVATION. A plea for the preservation of the native bush about Dunedin and Waitati is made by Messrs G. Simpson and J. Scott Thcmson in a letter dealing with the way in which large tracts of forest land have been despoiled of the best trees in the past by settlers who have sought to bring the land into a condition suitable for pasturing dairy herds, and, m later years, by timber millers and others. The writers also speak of the erosion which has resulted from the lack of vegetation on the hills. Recent experience has shown, the letter states, the havoc that a few days’ rain may cause, and the necessity of preserving what is left of the bush, from this point of view, is emphasised. The only piece of native virgin bush now remaining is the piece clothing the watershed of Ferguson's Creek, on the Waitati watershed, and this is doomed unless immediate steps are taken to redeem it. A sawmill has been constructed, a tramway is now well into the heart of the bush, and teams of men are busy felling the timber and cutting tracks for hauling. The hauling engine is in position, and once that begins to drag out logs, nothing can save the smaller trees. When that deadly work is completed the bush from Double Hill and Swampy Hill down the whole length of the creek will be a tumbled heap of trees and ferns, and the last stage will commence, fire will be put through all the remaining small growth and rejected timber. This tram track, it is pointed out, would make a wonderful track for holiday makers and visitors to Dunedin.

Going on to speak of the flood danger the letter states that, if this piece of bush is destroyed, Ferguson’s Creek, the largest tributary of the Waitati Stream, would cause great trouble in wet weather, and the township itself would probably become a Hood bed. In conclusion, the writers point out that by preserving 1000 acres of untouched forest the Waitati Valley would be saved from enormous losses in roads and bridges, the private holdings of the settlers would be safe, and it would be one of the finest show places in the environs of Dunedin. The timber and the bird life would be retained as a security for the purchase. Trampers know the spot well, and would regret its departure. Botanists and entomologists would lose an irreplaceable hunting ground, and it is certain that the general holiday-making public would, once it had walked up the tramway to the bush never cease to demand it as its own.”