Danger of Losing Kauri For Ever

Chronicle (Levin), 17 February 1949, Page 8

Danger of Losing Kauri For Ever

Press Association)

(Per

CHKISTCHURCH, Feb. 16. The desire to set aside the entire Waipoua kauri forest as a natural area was natuval and worthy but it was based on several serious misconceptions, said Dr. H. II. Cliapman, Professor Emeritus of Forestry of Yale Uniyersity and former president of the Arnerican Society of I'rof essiona ! Poresters, this evening. One was that the area had its highest value as a preserve from whieh everyone should be exeluded so that there would be no disturbanee of the natural conditions. "Should this idea be carried out, use of the forest will be coufined to an extremely few scientists and under the circumstances there would be no roads and paths through the forest, he said. "The second objective is a more popular and more justiiied one. The kauri, especially the giant trees, form a scenic attraction of grsat inspirational power. From this standpoint it may be argued that the tract should be untouched but uuless it were made accessible to the public it will be wholly useless. Fortunately the highway through the heart of the forest has given the public the opportunity of enjoyiug this unicjue feature." The need for such afecess was shown by the fact that the giant kauri was unknown, except to the Maoris, untii 1922, though it was estimated to be 1200 ye'ars old. "Advocates of these two different objectives both seemed to misuuderstand theTeal situation," he said. "My observations are that no harm has been done since the road has been serviceable. I suppose not one visitor in a thousand has ever penetrated 100 feet into the dense growth. I found that the plans of the State Forest Service are to preserve untouched on both eides of the access road, areas varying from 3-8th. of a mile to a mile in widtk whieh wfrald not be cut. The entire forest would receive complete fire protection and grazing animals would be' totally exeluded. "The next consideration is that it the kauri is not regenerated, the old trees will in time die and the entire speeies will be lost. It is evident that yonng kauri trees cannot survice in the sliade of old trees or of undergrowth. Where o.penings appear young kauri may be able to survive. I also found what may be called a seeondary regeneration of the kauri iu the oio forest, that had got started on tops of prostrat'e trees where the seedlings had been able to find light and grow above the undergrowth. In most cases the old log was eompletely rotted away. "I believe that the preservation of a fully proteeted strip is of first importance to scientists and to the public but that the prohibition of forestry practiee on the remainder of the forest would not only be an economin sacrilice but would not add anything to the advantages obtained from the preservation of the totally proteeted area. Young kauri may be established >nd the speeies perpetuated on the poi'tion of the managed forest."