NATIVE TREES

Taranaki Daily News, 26 September 1933, Page 5

NATIVE TREES

MEED FOR IRE-PLANTING

PRESERVING KAURI FORESTS. DIMINISHING QUANTITY. A plea for the preservation and scientific planting of New Zealand trees was made by Sir Edwin Mitchelson at the opening of the Cheeseman. Memorial exhibition of native spring flowers at Auckland on Saturday. After praising the objects of the exhibition, Sir Edwin mentioned that New Zealand had a variety of trees, shrubs, flowers and ferns that could be equalled by few countries.

In the kauri she had the finest timber tree in the world. “It’s quantity, however, is rapidly diminishing,” continued the speaker, “and it will soon be a memory of the past unless the people in the whole of the Dominion will bring pressure to bear upon the Government to preserve all of the great kauri reserves that are owned by the State. Pressure is being used to induce the Government to permit the dead trees in the great kauri forest in the Dargaville district to be cut. If that is conceded, that will be the end of that forest. From the knowledge that I have gained, extending over 50 yearsj in the working of kauri bushes, once let the bushman into a kauri bush to work timber and the end of that bush has arrived. The kauri tree is more susceptible to fire than any other tree. “Unfortunately for our country, the Governments that have been in power since tree-planting was initiated have shown no desire to plant our native timber trees, the excuse being that they all are too slow of growth. They are probably slower of growth than many of the American and Canadian timbers, but I am satisfied that if some of our New Zealand trees were planted scientifically, as is now the custom in forest plantations, they would grow fairly fast” Sir Edwin gave examples of kauri trees that were showing good growth under favourable circumstances. Other timbers that could be successfully grown were rimu, which could easily be reproduced in the West Coast of the South Island, manawao, puriri and totara. Good specimens of totara, selfsown, could be seen on the road from Kamo to Hikurangi. Those showed good growth, but were short in the barrel. If scientifically planted, however, they would grow with straight stems. Mangiao produced good timber for furniture and carriage building, and was one of the finest timbers in the world for gun stocks, while kahikatea could be profitably grown for butter boxes.

‘T would like to impress on every person in New Zealand how necessary it is to push forward afforestation in our country, as timber shortage is a thing to dread,” said Sir Edwin. “May I also suggest to our civic authorities the necessity of planting through the domain all the New Zealand trees that produce the food our pigeon,, tui and other native birds like, so as to induce them to visit our very fine domain.”