THE TIMBER INDUSTRY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19504, 4 February 1926, Page 8

THE TIMBER INDUSTRY

SUPPLIES FOR THE FUTURE CONSERVATION PROPOSALS RESOURCES AND REQUIREMENTS An address on the future of the New Zealand timber supplies was delivered by the director of the State Forest Service, Mr L. Mclntosh Ellis, at the Conference of the New Zealand Institute of Horticulturists, held in Dunedin last week. The kauri was practically all gone, said Mr Mclntosh Ellis, and a great proportion of what was left was Stateowned. The quantities of totara and matai were not considerable, and were chiefly concentrated in the central part of the North Island. The normal life of the white pine resources was not more than 12 years. Rimu to-day was the principal economic softwood timber but this timber must gradually give way, in 40 years, to plantation and hardwood timbers. The total quantity of economically available softwoods, after deducting all areas of inaccessible, protection and climatic forests, was 25,000,000,000 ft., board measure. The hardwoods would only function in the national timber problem as a subsidiary source of supply. Over 90 per cent, of New Zealand’s demand ,as of all civilised countries, was for softwood. Forest plantations, carrying the main immature growing forests, to the extent of over 170,000 acres, yielded at the present time only small (though gradually-increasing) supplies . With the present population at 1,350,000, the general annual per capita consumption of sawn timber alone based on average conditions was 240 ft. board measure. Future Requirements. A serious forecast of future national '.timber requirements based on the normal trend of population increase, and on the development and expansion of intensive agriculture and of secondary industry, over a period of years indicated that the gross national consumption of sawn forest produce (the index factor) by the year 196.5 would be 675,000,000 ft. b.m. per annum (other products in proportion). The virgin softwood resources would bo economically exhausted by the period 1865-70. It was possible to provide internally for annual needs, by the application of the tried and proper methods of forest culture. The State plantations would require to be of such dimensions as to take over the major burden of supplying the raw material at that time. At present there were 80,000 acres of State plantations. It had been recommended that this acreage be increased to 300,000 acres. The forest capital of those plantations and of other forests would, by the year 1965, yield an annual crop of 700,000,000 ft. b.m. as follows: Annual Timber Yield Source of Supply Feet b.m. State Plantations .. .. 450,000,000 Indigenous forests . . . . 50,000,000 Local body, proprietary and private plantations 150,000,000 Importations 50,000,000 Total 700,000,000 Estimate of Safety Margin

With a consumption in 1965 of 675,000,000 ft., there was thus a safety margin of supply of 25,000,000 ft. The total out-turn from the managed forests would, however, gradually increase fromthat date onward to 1,000,000,000 ft per year. The total cost of establishing the 237,000 acres of State plantations during the period of 1925-35 should be no more than £1,250,000, and this sum should be all secured from temporary and current State forest receipts. The annual harvest from the State plantations for the year 1965 should return £1,125,000 per annum, and it should gradually increase to £1,500,000.