WORK FOR FORESTRY

Taranaki Daily News, 13 December 1932, Page 12

WORK FOR FORESTRY

MR. MacRAE’S RETIREMENT. GREAT RECORD ESTABLISHED. A gathering in the Dominion Farmers’ Institute in Wellington last -, week. did honour to Mr. Roderick -Macßae, .who has just retired from- the New Zealand State Fprest Service after establishing' What is probably an Empire record—perhaps even a world record —in reafforestation. He has .personally supervised the planting, under the State .Forest Service or. the Lands Department, of over 200,000 acres of trees. ; Not even the best fire-raiser in New ■ Zealand can boast of having deforested, 200,000 acres, although the > record of this country in the destruction of native, forest since 1840 has been devastatingly large. Arriving in New Zealand in 1901, this Scottish-forester has probably planted two acres for every acre that the best deforester' before ‘ him has denuded. The Director of Forestry,' Mr. A. D. McGavoch, who presided, said that Mr. Macßae’s record of having supervised the planting of over 200,000 acres of trees, under the New , Zealand Government, was unique. ‘ After Mr.' W- S. Hardy, chief clerk of the Forestry Department, and'formerly of the Lands' Department, had' referred to Mr. Macßae’s work under both departments, Mr. A. Leigh Hunt, chairman of the executive of the New Zealand Forestry League, said that while others were deforesting,- their • guest- was creating a monument' by planting trees for posterity. He.felt that; in the rewards of the world to . come, love of trees would rank next to love of-mankind—and was indeed necessary to love of ; mankind. Mr. Macßae had at times had under him as many as. 500 men. His attitude to prisoners was so fine that he may really have done as much for men as he had done for ■ trees. Mr. Leigh Hunt then presented .Mr. Macßae, with - the honorary life membership of the New Zealand Forestry League, of which honour there is only one other holder—Mr. ■E- Fhillips Turner, F.R.G.S., formerly Director of Forestry. ' ■■./". Other members or associates of the State Forest Service, who spoke, were Dr. Cunningham and Mr. C, M. Falfrpy and the chief forestry officer of tire Wellington Water Board, Mr; A. N. Perham, who, as a former State Forest officer, was associated with the pumiceland planting, declared that Mr. MacRae could ask for no better monument than the Kaingaroa plantations. Mr. Macßae has also been - made an honorary life member of the Institute of Foresters and shares this honour with Sir Francis Bell, Professor Kirk and Dr. Cockayne, F.R.S.