STATE TREE-PLANTING.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 15874, 13 July 1922, Page 10

STATE TREE-PLANTING.

ACTIVITIES AT ROTORUA : VALUE

OF PUMICE LANDS

The strong, sweet suenl of pine branches and needles was much in evidence in the Auckland Town Hall Council Chamber, when Mr. H. A. Goudie, Conservator of Forests, gave a lecture on "Tree Planting by the State in the Kotorua District. To elucidate certain points,, he had brought a number of samples of foliage and cones from some of the pine trees for the planting and raising of which he is responsible. These forest trophies were laid on the table, and during the course of the evening , were handed round to the gathering. The Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson, presided. , Mr. Goudie said the afforestation work in the' Rotorua region ' was started in 1898, when about 800 acres was set ajiart for the establishment of a tree nursery and for plantation purposes. Further areas had since been acquired, .until the land now reserved amounted to # 80,000 acres. Qf this area, 27,568 acres had been planted with timberproducing species, and with the completion of the working plans, which had been adopted for the five-year period ending Marcn' 31st, 1926, it was expected the planted area would lave reached 35,000 acres.

The number of trees propagated in the nursery to date was 76.500,000. Of this number 65.000.000 had been used in the local plantation; 3,000,000 had been disposed of to private planters and other Government institutions; and the balance of 3,030,030 represented the number in stock at March 31st last. The plantations/! were composed of the following species': Finns, Laricio (Corsi--eari pine), 7536 acres; Pihus Ponderosa (yellow pine)y 2309 acres; Pinus Ponderosa Seopuloran (American pine). 1604 acres; Pin'us Radiata, 43C0 acres: Pinus Austriaca (Austrian pine), 972 acres; Pinus Strobus (American white pine), 268 acres'; Larix Europea (larch). 5767 acres; '■ lVeudotsuga Donglasii (Douglas fir or Oregon pine), 2640 acres; Eucalypti species, 1649 acres; miscelknous, 532 aide's; total 27,568 acres. When tlie » tree-planting operations were commenced, continued Mr Ooudie, there were very few exotic, trees in the district from which, a lead could betaken, consequently the work had to be, first of mainly experimental in character, .Very few- persons but viewed the, efforts then being made as money being thrown away. In those days the pumice, lands were generally looked upon as being incapable of growing any thing but bracken. They now know that pumice, lands, besides being capable of being brought, by proper farming, to a stale of productivity, were unequalled in any part of the. Dominion for growing crops of timber trees. , MX Goudie t(ien dealt in detail with the various species of trees under hit Department, indicating which types had done well under cultivation, and stating the needs and requirements of Lli-e various trees, if sicoessful timber-grow-ing were to he obtained. During a short interval, the Mayor referred to the planting of 130,000 trees at Cornwallia tins year. They had, he said, provided £2500 for this purpose, and it was the intention of the City Council diligently to prosecute this policy of tree-planting. Those who were here in 40 or 50 years' time would have tha benefit of the policy now adopted. Timber in this Dominion would he considerably scarcer. At the present rate of depletion they would be entirely dependent on imported timbers. They could counteract that if the Dominion would take up the question of tree-planting. The Council was quite satisfied from the advice it had had that it was no use to plant kauri, totara, rimu, and puriri. It was net a bit of use to plant those timbers if they were looking for supplies 40 or 50 years hence. So they had planted trees that they knew were going to grow and produce timber. I