The Star. SATURDAY, July 21, 1917. NATIONAL FORESTRY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12065, 21 July 1917, Page 8

The Star. SATURDAY, July 21, 1917. NATIONAL FORESTRY.

TUs report which Mr D. E-. Hutching the forestry or.pert, is understood to havo submitted to the Government! somo considerable time ago may suffer the fate of previous document? on the subject of forest conservation iinles* pome of our members of Parliament .spur the Administration into action. The enormously important problem of forest protection and extension on sciontilic principles has consistently been shelved by Government after Governmoiit, and unless Parliament .and Cabinet are aroused to tho pressing need for arresting the present indiscriminate desti'action of the native bush and for instituting jiu intelligent system for tho growth of now timbers, the country will presently bo afflicted with ;i shortage that will make its effects felt in every deportment, of life and industry. Tn tho direction of stirring the people, of New Zealand to a sense of the vastvalue of tiraher-growmg, the, Forestry F.-eague, which has its headquarters in Wellington, is carrying out work of high national value, iitid wo could wish that every citizen of the .Dominion would he given an opportunity ot reading tha league's appeal and of studying the lately published address of Mr Hutcliins on the subject' of .scientific national forestry for this country. This address is of very great- educational value. It embolics the results of a careful inspection of the Xcw Zealand forests and an epitome of the work that other countries are carrying out in tho protection of timber lands and the retimbering of waste places, and it furnishes a basis upon which this Dominion could very well begin the structure of a scientifically organised scheme to make good the damage already done and to make the country self-contained and self-sufficient in respect of r.mocr supplies.

One of thi' l mast illuminating tactions or Mr Hulchins s statement shows how tho destruction of timber directly nfIccfs the cost of living. "The loss of the forest ("apart from present war conditions, ' ho soul, '• n;ay be- regarded as one of the chief oausos of thr> risti in tlie cost of livirtu in Xew Zealand. Timber ior housrs'r/ailding, and abundant firewood, aro prime necessaries of tho household. But- these have boon bauisned to a distance from < very town in New Zealand. It made no difference whether thsro was economical forest land near >he f own or not—down went the for«st and tip went the cost of living. At Brussels one steps out of one of the best streets ("the. Avenue, Louise) into trie Bo is de ];i, Cam bre and the Forest of woignes, which is the. second largest. State forest of Belgium- At Cape Town, where tho coal mines arc at a distance, firewood is the poor iu tin's fuel, coal the rich man';', ft is cheaper in the .suburbs of Cape Town to grow wattle nnd eU'.Mlypt firewood than to buy coal. T speak with fha experience) of a. householder of twenty years' standing. I grew all tho tiring required for my household in the grounds round my house. A supply for fi year's cooking and four months' warming lire?, is what is required at (.'ape Town. Suppose the mountains near "Wellington were under £ood forest. conserved by tho State, that would mean eheap house-building timber, eheap firewood, and considerable employment for tho men tending tho forest and working the tinfbor ami iir»>ivood—some twenty times tho employment, afforded by sheep ruxui or cattle Walks. England has destroyed its forest;-,; it has littlo State forestry now, and jyiys out. forty-three millions sterling a year for imported timber nnd forest produce. England loses, too, with the loss of its forests a great rural industry and the pick of its manhood. New Zealand cannot afford to follow this example. France, on the other hand, has nearly double tho whole population of New Zealand employed n tho care and working of French forests and in forest industries. Similarly, Germany has some four million people living directly and indirectly on its forest?; otherwise, with its intense cart-h-hungo". it would not keep ono-fourth of its area under forest.' - Some of tho war maps that have been published lately present a picture of forest in tho busiest industrial part of Europe which is a striking object lesson, as -Mr Hutchins remarks. While s>ow Zealand, as regards forestry, is now drifting into the condition of tho old-time misgoverned countries of Europe—Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece—the war rnapa of France and .Germany shew that they, in their most advanced and industrial parts, havo some ,25 per cent ol their areas occupied by forest, dotted about the country among the fields, villages and towns.

Obviously the first- Ptop to bo taken in instituting scientific forestry in New Zealand is a careful demarcation of ilands suitable ji» permanent- fortbt- reserve.*. The "Star" lias frequently urged upon Government and Parliament the necessity for a survey of this Nature n.s a. preliminary to the planting and conservation of limber. Then? is no need to. wait until the war is over to take such a step; indeed, this forest planting scheme should bo ready ior immediate execution uitli the return of peiK'O and the release of thousands of men for civil pursuits. As to the aiva of demarcated forest required h<> may profitably quote, this section of Mr Hutclrins's address: 41 New Zealand thould obvioufclv bo a self-contained country in forestry. Tlu; one neighbouring country, Australia, can only supply hardwoods, and nine-tenths of the world's use of timber is softwood. There are countries which have an excess of forest, and countries which aro self-contained and able to supply their own wants with perhaps some, little excess or want of timber. Frmco, Austria, .Switzerland, and most of the German States are in this class. It is these last countries that are useful to take as guides for a new country, such as New Zealand, demarcating its forests. And here we see that on an oren. basis it is found economical to have about

one-fourth of Iho area under forest, and on a population basis roughly one acre per head. Tho latter is a rough approximation, since much depends on the quality of the forest and the civilisation of the country. The general rule holds that the more civilised and populous tho country tho greater is tho use, per capita, of timber and the better the forestry and quality of the forest. li' "O consider the European standard from an area point of view, Nciv Zealand would require Ho per con:- of its area under forest-, or a demarcated area of 17,000,000 acres. Thus, tjconomieniiy. and on th© ctanda"d of tho most lulvruicikl Stfitos o; Continental Europe. Now Zealand should h-.'.ve something between i7,000/)i')0 awl 20.000.'XX? acres of doit.:: routed iorcst. Tho Kuropoan standard i'orc-.-t area, it must be vemomtoml, is t-lic outcome of • cathrids of t:iai .iisd conflicting interestj., arid tho t.-.suU .s that one-fourth of the area under !ore*t is the proportion found most, useful in the best populated and rcm, industrial part?."' Mr Hutchins's o: i.imate of the area required may appocr excessive to many people, but it i.. clearly based upon world-wide exjwrictteo and a .-.lose study of the economic importance of timber supplier.