AUSTRALIAN FORESTS

Southland Times, Issue 19540, 2 May 1925, Page 7

AUSTRALIAN FORESTS

BEING RAPIDLY CUT OUT. NECESSITY FOR CONSERVATION. (By Telegraph.—Pre® Assn.—Copyright.) SYDNEY, May 1. Comprehensive reports submitted by Mr C. Lane Poole, Commonwealth Forestry Adviser to the Minister of the Home Territories (Senator Pearce), state that Australia is importing 42.18 per cent, of its timber requirements, a figure which, in view of the youth of Australia and its relatively small population, is very disquieting. The position is rendered still more alarming when the nature of the imports and local productions are examined. Mr Poole asserts that the importance of the industry is being quite overlooked in the Commonwealth. The only State with apparent surplus timber is West Australia, which in 1923-24 exported 113,500,000 super feet, of which about one-third went to the other States, and the balance overseas. West Australia, however, is cutting out her jarrah and other forests six times as fast as they are growing. Were she to cut out according to forestry rules, that is, cut only the increment of her forests, she would have no timber to export. While the area of the forests of the Commonwealth is set out in the year books as 69,054,000 acres, foresters’ estimates of true forest land place it at 24,500,000. Instead, however, of producing 12,000,000,000 super feet these forests are producing only 587,500,000 super feet. The inadequacy of Australia’s hardwood forests is due to gross overcutting that has taken place in the past, and to the very paltry efforts the States have made to restore their forests and so manage them as to get the maximum yield per acre. The condition of Australia’s forest heritage of 24,500 000 acres is that it is mainly covered with bad growth of iineven, aged timber, which has grown up more or less haphazardly. After sawmillers have picked the best out, their increment has been cancelled by the loss through fire and other causes. The area actually dedicated as forest is only 10,502,634 acres. Only in two States— New South Wales and Victoria—are financial resources at the disposal of forestry authorities in any way commensurate with the work to be carried out there. They are also lacking in trained foresters.