C.—3

An area of 48,440 acres of provisional State forest in Southland Region has been incorporated in the Sounds National Park, which it adjoins. It lies along the Eglinton Valley - Milford Sound Road, and is clothed in very beautiful bush, which has made this locality such a popular scenic resort since it has been provided with such easy access. The area really forms an integral part of the Park, which is controlled by the Lands and Survey Department, and for obvious reasons it was desirable, in view of the recent development of the district as a tourist resort, that it be placed under one controlling authority.

TABLE 2. Summary of Areas withdrawn from Permanent and Provisional State Forest Reservation, 1st April, 1934, to 31st March, 1935.

Table 3is self-explanatory and requires little comment ; the total new area proclaimed (55,253 acres) exceeds last year's figures by nearly 17,000 acres. The major portions of this area are in the Southland and Westland Regions.

TABLE 3. Summary of Areas added to Permanent and Provisional State Forests, 1st April, 1934, to 31st March, 1935.

The work of consolidating and extending the boundaries of the existing protection forests and of reserving new areas was vigorously pushed on during the year with such satisfactory results that when the year closed a further 850,000 acres of high-country forest land had been permanently set apart for the purpose mentioned. The total area thus dedicated over the past two years is 1,600,000 acres, which is an effective answer to any charge of neglecting this important phase of forest-conservation. The Department has also consistently refused to permit sawmillers to become established in essentially protection forests not because the bush is unsuitable for milling, but because it should be left in its virgin state to protect the rich farming downs and valleys of the lower-lying country. It should be further stressed that in ordinary circumstances no bush is allowed to be milled within 10 chains of a main-travelled highway, and that for many years past it has been a standing instruction to forest officers that clumps of bush of historic or scenic value adjacent to lakes or rivers, camping-places, &c., should be excluded from sale when boundaries of sawmill areas are being defined.

5

t, „ u, , -p. tb o • n For Public For National For Settlement Purposes. I or Scenic Reserve. Domain Park Region. Total. Permanent Provisional Permanent Provisional Permanent Provisional State Forest. State Forest. State Forest. State Forest. State Forest. State Forest. Acres. Acres. Acres. Acres. Acres. Acres. Acres. Auckland .. .. 241 2 177 .. .. .. 420 Rotorua .. . . . . .. 36 .. . . . . 36 Wellington . . ,. 70 .. . . 101 .. 171 Nelson .. .. 30 477 .. 1,250 .. .. 1,757 Westland .. .. .. 1,435 .. .. .. .. 1,435 Southland.. .. 4,527 .. .. .. .. 48,440 52,967 Totals .. 4,798 1,984 213 1,250 101 48,440 56,786

Permanent State Forest. J Provisional State Forest. Region. j Total. National I _ National Endowment. : r mar y- Endowment. Acres. Acres. Acres. Acres. Acres. Auckland .. .. 850 .. 201 .. 1,051 Rotorua .... 8 .. .. .. 8 Nelson .. .. 614 .. 100 5,870 6,584 Westland .. .. 12,845 65 1.407 906 15,223 Canterbury .. 24 . . .. .. 24 Southland .. .. 12,360 .. 20,003 .. 32,363 Totals .. 26,701 65 21,711 6,776 55,253 2. Protection Forests.