WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL AND SUBURBAN WATER SUPPLY BOARD’S FORESTS

Forest and Bird, Issue 138, 1 November 1960, Page 4

WELLINGTON CITY COUNCIL AND SUBURBAN WATER SUPPLY BOARD’S FORESTS

Recently, members of the Executive of the Forest and Bird Protection Society accepted an invitation from His Worship the Mayor of Wellington, Mr. F. J. Kitts, to visit the forests under the control of the board. Under the guidance of Mr. P. Klocek, the board’s Chief Forester, and Mr. J. Stanton, the party visited most of the areas over which operations are being carried out. In the August issue of the journal last year we published an account of the board’s holdings, and naturally the Executive wished to see chiefly the areas being milled and those being planted with exotic trees for timber-production purposes. The bulk of the land being planted with exotics is land milled in previous years and farmed until gorse and scrub took over, and in general is not on slopes supplying water to the board’s installations. Mr. Klocek assured members that the board’s policy is to retain indigenous forest on all protection slopes and water-catchment areas, and to allow the indigenous forest to regenerate wherever it appeared likely to do so. He told the members that he and his staff were well aware of the need for removing noxious animals from the forests and that all possible steps would be taken to bring that about. The Executive members 'present were convinced that the board and its staff are keen to preserve the catchment areas so far as is possible under indigenous vegetation, and to use other ‘‘gone back” land wisely in establishing in perpetuity timber-producing forests for revenue purposes. The total area for this purpose is a very small proportion of the board’s holdings, and is land comparatively close to settled areas which would be a fire hazard if not placed under proper control and development. Mr. Klocek proved himself a genial and extremely, interesting guide, and invited the Executive to visit the areas of native forest under the board’s control on the western side of the ranges between the Hutt Valley and the Waikanae-Paekakariki coastal hills. Such a visit will be arranged some time during fine weather. He is a man with a fine record of war service in many countries under different flags, service which took him from Russia, down through Europe to France and England and then to central Africa, as escapee, refugee soldier, and officer.