TREES GROW MUCH FASTER IN N.Z.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18419, 22 March 1928, Page 3

TREES GROW MUCH FASTER IN N.Z.

IMPORTANT TESTS BY FORESTRY DEPARTMENT. (Special to the “Star.”) WELLINGTON, March 22. It is a well-known fact that exotic trees grow in New Zealand much faster than in their original habitat. This point is of importance in connection with the extensive development of afforestation in the Dominion. That rapid growth must not be too much encouraged has been demonstrated by the State Forest Service, which has made tests of the strength and physical properties of redwood, an important variety for commercial forestry work in New Zealand.

Comparisons have been made between specimens of redwood grown in New Zealand, the same timber produced for export from America, and some of the results are important in their application to afforestation. The tests lasted over a period of two years, and two classes of New Zealand grown redwood were dealt with. One supply consisted of twenty-one-year-oid, fast-grown redwood from a mixed plantation of larch and redwood growing at Whakarewarewa, near Rotorua, and another set of specimens tested came from forty-year-old trees in a mixed stand of insignis pine and redwood growing in the Botanical Gardens, Wcl lington. Both New Zealand timbers were contrasted with American-grown redwood, with these results: The fast-grown Rotorua trees gave strength values very much below those of American redwood. While the rate of growth at Rotorua was ten times as fast as that of the American trees, the main strength values were only onesixth of the American. The Welling ton trees, grown more slowly, proved under test that this variation in conditions had an important influence on their use-value, the Wellington specimens, twice as old, and twice as slowl\ grown as the Rotorua material, proving under test to be almost four times as strong, and approximating twothirds of the strength of the American specimens. These results have been set out in an official bulletin from the State Forest Service, and the conclusions noted arc: “The results obtained from the locallygrown redwood prove that unless the sivicultural conditions are correctly regulated, a very inferior class of tim.ber will be produced. If. however, the conditions of growth are satisfactory, it has been proved that a timber can be produced having very similar properties to the valuable American redwood of commerce.”