The Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1902. DEFORESTATION.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10818, 8 December 1902, Page 4

The Wanganui Herald. [PUBLISHED DAILY.] MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1902. DEFORESTATION.

The effect' of forests on climJi'te'is generally admitted to be favourable-to tfainfall, while the destruction of trees is" the re-, verse.. In Australia, those pdrtftflis "of the great island continent which aTe'.practic- 1 ally treelessxare subject td - Ipngfand con..tinuous droughts, whilst the coastal .districts which are more or lees well-timbered do not suffer to anything like- -the same , extent, thus proving 'that the presence of forests are directly beneficial from' a' cli*matic standpoint.' In New Zealand' wher'^' deforestation has been going on rapidly of late years the tainfall'in the cleared districts has decreased in a marked g manner' with grave results to the settlers^ who' during the past' few years have suffered from want of water and decreased vegetation. It 13 therefore a question of supreme importance to the present and' future population of the colony, whether, the denudation of timber areas should be allowed to go on, without something" being done to make good the loss •of trees throughout the colony, where- there are hundreds' of 'thousands of acres of land that could be utilised to great advantage, if they were planted with suitable- trees. -I The Government has;been doing" something in' this direction for some time* past, but the ,'worjc goes on slowly for want of , funds, and ought to be pushed on. more vigorously. Encouragement, too, should be" given' to settlers to' reserve some of .their fore/jt-c.ovbred. land, and, to plant 'tr.ees, which -in- addition, .to furnishing., valuable' shelter belts,' "would act bene■iicially' oW'tlie' climate Jby increasing tlie rainfall and ' preventing what 'docs fall . from rotating too quickly off tlio land. If reforestation is not pushed on with more extensively and, rapidly than in the past, New Zealand in another five and twenty •years will have to import timber at great cost, and. find out when too lafc-that the wholosalc denudation of forests now going on lias borne tho predicted fruit, vi?., a lessened rainfall and a blenker climate? The average -rainfall at present in the - settled districts ia not sufficient for the requirements, of vegetation, with the rc-^ suit that feed ia growing. scarce and crops lighter. With such warnings before us

we oug^t t* ref|)iesl|-, ation more attention .than it -is now' recejving, as to go on as. at present "denuding tho country of its timber means that "its productiveness in the near future will be seriously lessened in an increasing degree. This implysthat land will fall proportionately in value, and that, the wealth of tho country will decrease in sympathy with the lessened fertility of the soil. , With this danger ahead of us the Legislature should give its earnest and early attention to the subject and pass some .workable laws on- the subject, by which the loss of timber, now going on may, be to some appreciable extent mitigated by re-planting. If this were done the danger now. threatening the colony .would • be averted and' the 'climate "safeguarded. 1^ it is n6t so protected the result will be far more ■ wide-reaching afld disastrous than most people imagine. We hope; therefore, that in. the next session of Parliament this 'very important subject will be attended to, and that the Government will take it nj» It is not a party question, and iW*efo?£ lieed noi 4 te-' -the cause of any. political trouble* as members 011 both- sides of the House recognise the v necessity for,, something N being' quickly done to offset the present danger from the rapid deforestation ' of the land that is* now g6ing on unchecked all ' over the colony.