THE NATIVE FORESTS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3177, 30 August 1917, Page 9

THE NATIVE FORESTS

QUICKLY VANISHING TWENTY YEARS' SUPPLY LEFT Interesting remarks on. the available supplies of forest timber in New Zealand are made by Mr. E, Phillips IMirnor in his annual report on. native forests. ""Without a survey it is impossible," he §ays, "to give the area of land carrying commorcal forest, nor, except in the case of kauri, can moro than a guess bo made of tho amount of tho various milling timbers that our forests contain. Kauri in cur most valuablo milling timber, but if the. present aunual rato (52,000,000 ft) of cutting is contnued our supply will iff cutting ie continued our supply will "Tlio largest output of timber is from the Auckland Land District, but is estimated that at tho past rate of conversion the present, stand of all timbers in that district will not last: twenty ycara. In tho Taranaki and Hawke's Bay districts there are only a few siniil areas of milling forest left, whilflt in the Wellington Laud District the milling forest, which is confined to -the Waimarino, will last little moro than a decade. "In tlio South Island there is no milling forest left in. the Canterbury Land Districtj.in Nelson and Marlborqugh the area is very small; in the Otago district tho milling forest produces scarcely, enough timber for the present local consumption. In Southland there is still a fair area of milling forest, but the Commissioner of Crown Lands estimates that the red pino will be exhausted in about twonty-oight years, and the white pino in about sixteen years. This estimate does not, however, allow for tno largely-inoreased on Southland forests fliat will be the result of the exhaustion of the supplies in other districts. Black pine and totara are not plentiful, but occur sporadically in the forest. Beech is plentiful, but, being what 19 technically termed a. hard wood, it cannot fully take the place of soft woods. The largest forest of commercial timber is now in Westland, but the Commissioner for that district estimates that the milling timbers (rimu and. white pino) will at the present rate of cutting last onry about twenty yeai-3. . '"lhe great expansion that has occurred in recont years in the dairy and fruit industries, together with the great demand that thoro has been in Australia for our white pine, has caused heavy cuttings to bo made of this timber. Tho iowete of pure white pino that used to exist on tho extensive swamp lands of the Auckland district have almost gone, and the time is close at hand when tho ymite pino' scattered in our mixed timber forests will be ineuficieat to supply lie demand. ' ~ "Puriri and silver pine, both so valuablo for railway sleepers, have almost cono, and their place is now being taken by imported. Australian hardwoods or ferro-concrete. Except in the case of hardwoods, tho exhaustion of the supply of one kind of -timber usually results In an increased use of other supplies of an inferior timber, or in the importation of a foreign timber technically ae useful but generally more expensive. "From the foregoing it will be seen that our- supplies of milling timbers are les3 than has generally been estimated, that they are being rapidly usea up, and that; j££n.t care and economy rnuet be exercised in tho management of our remaining forests. . "In the past failure to recognise their values has been responsible for somo limbers'of tho very highest <J«aW»« wasted. As an instance d «»" ****? and pukatea- may bo quoted. The formei is related to and closely resembles Spanish mahogany, and if bow obtainable would be worth as lnuoh as that valuable timber. Pukatea. formerly existed in considerablo quantity in areas in many parts of the Ivorth Island, but now only odd trees aro found in mixed forests; its timbor closely, resembles tho valuable 'yellow poplar" of tho southern U «Of d tfmtS formerly rejected or only slishtly used for milling purposes, but now coming into use, may bo mentioned terairerta-wa, and the native beeches (generally called 'birches'). Tanu» Jβ only a small tree, but north of Auckland it is to be found in considerable quantity When dressed it boars considerable resemblance to oak, and for many purposes may well take the place o that ttaber With the enhanced price of white pino aud its inor™ scarcity thoro is already a growing demand lor dm timber for various purposes in which durability is of no great moment. It may bo stated that it is. being used most satisfactorily for tho strong packmgCiwes in which kauri gum is being exporto'l 'the silver beech, though, not <lurabio in tho ground, is very suitable for FuniiUre, and is sow hoing largely used for this purpose. There- ie a grov/in» market for this Limner in Australia, aud it is "ratifying to find from tho return supplied by tho Government Statistician that thero"wei'O 5,710,000 ft. of beech fimVeru put through tho mills for the yoar ending March 31,. 1016. The amount milled this year is not obtainable, but beech timber has this year been noticed in different kinds of packing-enses, for which purposes they hail not been, used previously.''