OUR TIMBER SUPPLY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9308, 7 August 1908, Page 1

OUR TIMBER SUPPLY.

AN IMPORTANT QUESTION. INTERESTING OFFICIAL REPORT^ [FltOM 008 COBBESPOVUENT.J VV^LJjlJNutujN', August 6. " Although in tnis dominion there is not the same pressing need for forest conservation or aitorestation to assist in increasing or producing an annual rainfall, as in the case of India and the United States, yet even in this favoured land it is essential to preserve and % regulate the present supply and cause it\ to be distributed in an even and temperate manner, and the further objects of afforestation, viz., to prevent the denudation, of hillsides ijarici tue preservation of arable soil m the higher regions of the country are just as imperative in our own country as in larger and more populated territories, as 'France and Germany." It is with these remarks that the Undersecretary for Crown Lands (Mr W. C JvensingconJ commences his annual report on 'Svato nurseries and plantations, and he goes oil to cay that in considering any scheme tor the profitable conservation and partial utilisation of our forest linds it has always to be borne in mind that the obtaining of tne largest possible quantity ot sawn umuer from any given area of forest is not the only consideration, but that with a limited supply of timber trees it behoves the dominion to ensure that too rapid a cutting does not take place at the present time, and that a future supply is systematically provided. "Indian experiences" forms the next portion of the Under-Secretary's report, in the course of which lie quotes. Dr Voucher, who says:— "lt has been much debated whether forests and plantations do actually bring about an increase of rainfall or not, but I would point out that their real influence and value consist in their lowering the temperature, and thus causing moisture to be- deposited where otherwise it would pass on. As a conseqence of this forest 3 and plantations will cause rain to fall in gen tin showers, instead of heavy and often destructive deluges. Thus a given quantity of rain will be distributed over a greater number of days, and its value to the agriculturist will be thereby largely increased What trees do is to hold up the soil, preventing it from being washed away and carried off by streamlets." As to the necessity for afforestation, the Under-Secretary says: — " xue more this subjfcct is studied the more one is impressed with tho fact that judicious anorestation is the backbone of success in the important industries of every nation. As has been frequently pointed out the cutting and utilisation of the indigenous forests by the saw=| millers is proceeding at such rapid raw in New Zealand that it is only the matter of,- a- few years (comparatively) when the greater bulk of our timber supply must be obtained from abroad. Each year sees the output larger and the resources of the dominion smaller, and although the Government has

taken the matter in hand with commendable foresight by the establishment of State plantations of timber trees, yet it must be at least from thirty to forty years before any great supply can be* calculated on from i this source. Under thee© circumstances it appears imperative to restrict the present indiscriminate sawmilling of all ! available forests to such a moderate extent as will ensure their gradual disappearance synchronous with the development and growth of the State ■■ plantations, go that as the one fails i the other may take its place. Unless I fiotno such steps as these are rimme- | diately taken it follows, that although for a few years the demand can be fairly well satisfied, before long thero would be no reserve of native .timber and tho price would, rise to a figure Avliich would (seriously embarrass many of the growing industries of New Zealand." . , . The- quantity of milling timber left m New Zealand ie estimated at about thirty-fiix million superficial feet, of which nearly thirteen and a half mil-" lion feet exist in the Nelson and Westland land districts. "And." says the 1 Under-Secretary, " when it is remembered with what difficulty the timber can be reached, cut and marketed, it, will be seen that the available supply for practical pu -poses shrinks to a coni^ paratively small amount." as a large quantity of forest, though suitable for I milling, • is too inaccessible for payable conversion into sawn timber. The present supply of indigenous timber may, therefore, be reckoned at about fifty years at the existing increasing rate or consumption." Tho report goes on to- state that the timber industry ha 6 been brisk throughout the year, and the demand for" kauri has been fully equal-to, if not greater than,; the supply. The most notable , feature during the, year was' the > increasing use locally of -timber other than kauri for general purposes.; ••_, ' . '■. • :6n- ■•tir»\vstt-trje"'irt; iff] - 1 "'futufe."-••^ecitilybr-ments, the report says/i "It : nutist be remembered that it 'is probable -that ont of .the five or six million trees planted' annually at the present time, no more than a third will eventually survive the repeated thinning processes' and reach maturity." "Moreover," says the Under-Secretary, " lpng before they reach an age at which the best results can be expected, the scarcity of timber in, New Zealand is likely to be such that there will be a general de-7 mand for the utilisation of the tree* for immediate use ac soon as they are in any way suitable for the, reonirements of our trades. Bearing in mind, therefore, only the industrial reouirements of the dominion, the present rate of planting is only barely sufficient for our future needs, and although the greatest efforts are made to plant trees which will yield the .best results in the shortest space of time, there- are very few trees fit for milling under forty or fifty years, and even these will be much more profitable if allowed to remain in the ground another ten or twenty years. Planting for posterity, though admirable in theory, is inevit-. ably attended by pressing and irresisfc- I ible drawbacks in practice, and all that ] can be done is to harmonise the needs of the present day # as far as practicable with the requirements of future generations. It is almost impossible to lay too much stress on the work of reforestation in this country, and each year sees its importance in other lands more and more recognised by far-sight-ed statesmen, and greater efforts made to ensure the permanent timber sir" ply of the nation." , ' I