TIMBER RESERVES.

Waikato Times, Volume I, Issue 2, 4 May 1872, Page 2

TIMBER RESERVES.

A Writer in the " Sydney Morning Herald," in calling , attention to the rapid destruction of the forests, proceeding in that colony, says: " From the earliest days of the colony, when gangs of men were employed to clear off and burn away the trees, without any regard to taste or economy, the evil has prevailed to an alarming extent. So successfully was the primitive pollcy parried out that some of the first settlers'have hot left behind them on their farms any portion, of the timber k> serve as fuel for their descendents; or to afford a partial shelter for the cattle when oppressed with, the scorching i'Jtys of the summer's sun. Amongst many itrees wliiph have tons perished from certain localities in the county of Gum-, berland, the "White Iron Bark " (Eucalyptus sideroploia) and the "Blue Gum" (E. eugenioides), the one valuable for railway sleepers and the other for ship-building; arethe.most to be regretted. Some species are. certainly nbit so important, and therefore need no,t be singled, out for preservation either- by legislative enactment or'by the foresight of' proprietors ; but the destruction of trees, simply for a few sbeejts p£ bark, or the indiscriminate ring-barking of whole forests in order to encourage the growth of nativegrasses cannot be too severely condemned, for day is fast approaching when the loss, of sq, much wood will be sensibly felk'.iljeein?, from statements in a lecture recently delivered by Baron F. Von Meulier, that destruction is on in a similar manner In Victoria, and; that too amongst , species particularly indi-. catcd by your correspondent, viz.,' E. obiiqua' .

and its allies. The worthy Baron, in con ternplating the necessity for -legislative interference to eou/itenict the growing evil, remarks-: 4t Whori hopeful illusion steps beyond the stern realities of the day, it cannot supress a desire that enlightened statesmanship will always foresee the absolute' requirements of-future generations. The colonist who lives in enjoymentofhia property near the range?, and sees a flourishing , family growing up around him, asks ominously what will be the- aspect of these forests afc the end of the . century, p the present work of demolition continues to go oil?" Hβ then expresses a hope that the owners of forest lands will co-operate in the labours of.local Hoards, and that their experience will dictate riles under which, in Cuqh district, tho timber aud other products of the forest may bo most lucratively utilized without desolation for tho future. With a view al.so of supplying the deficiency arising from the increasing demand for native woods, he suggests that within the railway fences, hitherto in this respect unused, trees might be raised as material for restoring locally the sleepers, posts and rails, prior to .decay. It might also bo adeted that, ■as tUe genus (Eucalyptus) is becoming one of increasing is becoming one of increasing interest to Hcientific men in all parts of tho world, it is important to preserve, as far as possible, in suitable incisures, all the distinct forms in which it appears, and to notice their variations from the earliest periods of growth. The subject, whether viewed practically or scientically, is one of deep interest, and requires careful consideration, in.order that effectual measures may be adopted, not merely for the preservation of valuable timber now existing, but; jilbo for rearing and propagating, in convenient localities, Iho 1.-est species of the genus. £ome of the causes, which are at present highly injurious to.our forests, may be dealt with satisfactorily in the manner suggested by your correspondent"; but there sire other influences which cannot be so .easily, overcome, as they are beyond the reach of legislative control, and arise-trom animal and vegetable sources hitherto but little investigated. In some parts of the colony, the devastation has assumedformidable dimensions, and whole forests of glim-trees have perished. Wet season a and violent storms have no doubt contributed to the work of destruction, and tho apj'earniioe of innumerable cocci, as well as eladosporium on the leaves and branches, indicates that indigenous trees in their native wilds are not exempt from the diseases which have appeared in our orange orchards ; but it seems highly probable that these appenrnnccs are rather the effects than the causes of the malady in the gum trees, jiul that grubs or some other pests have in Iho first instiMice proved detrimental to vegetation." Tho suggestions thrown out above are well worthy the consideration of our legislature. We are not prepared to suggest the form which legislation should assume in this mntter, but invite communications from those in this district, who are practically acquainted with the question.