Balmoral Forest Fire

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19883, 9 March 1939, Page 8

Balmoral Forest Fire

The fire which swept through the Balmoral State Forest plantation. Canterbury, on the afternoon of February 20 did considerably less damage than was at first thought, said the Conservator, of State Forests. Mr. Courtney Biggs, who has returned from a final tour of inspection of the burnt-cut block. Sixty-four acres of young trees had been damaged. It was first estimated that an area of 200 acres had been affected. The surveys of the burnt block, which had just been completed. Mr. Biggs said, showed that the fire had swept over an area of (14 acres of rnuricata nine trees. Fortunately the 'block was situated on some of the poorest soil in the plantation, and was thus one that the department could most afford to lose. A factor that might reduce the eventual loss sustained considerably was that there had been a heaw seed fall round the burnt trees. There was every chance that this would obviate the need of expensive manual replanting.