WANTED

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 172, 15 April 1919, Page 8

WANTED

A FORESTRY DEPARTMENT >», \» fff leader in vour issuo ot Apiu u. The forestry question is of prune national importance to this lountrj If serious losses are to be avoided tho matter must be taken in liniw P ro " 1 P Tlie noliev of drift must at once 'be airesU and the matter taken in baud under its two natural headings, viz. (1) Conservation of national toi-

ei (2) Reafforestation. I mil well acquainted with most of the natural forest districts of both islands, and 1 feel sure if tlie value of what lemains could only b« sufficiently mipiesscd on Parliament a sufficient annual vote would "t once lie forthcoming to start conservation work in real earnest The impression that the young foie..ts of kau,ri, white and red pine, totara, puriri, and other timbers are not woith saving and improving by judicions plantexisting light lnislrland) is most erroneous. Many of these timbers, wlule not actually matured m 50 to .00 years, are largo enough for profitable nulling; and some species, such m wh,, e pine provide thinnings that are miUable in less than 50 years. Recently I have liftjcllcd through native timber; ams m ■several provinces, and eveij whoie ilc struction is going on, in come cases accidental, and in other case.* wantonly. Following on recent legislation on the 1 subiect 'to review, a competent ex-, pert commission should be set p to report on all the remaining bush areas in the Dominion, whether nahoiially owned or nrivatelv owned, with a new to Ue ciding which are of commerce either presently or potential^. All that are lik"ly to be useful should be and divided into two classes, i.e.: ■ M) Such as are recommended for milling, and then grassing the land; iU (2) Such as are considered suitable for' permanent native forests, to be •«t aside for all time and treated scientifically, so as to be made of the greatest permanent national value. What, other countries have <tono with their less valuable indigenous forests should be an incentive to us to net, 'before it is too late. . Tn any system of conservation, fiio breaks must always play a very important part. and will bo the first maker requiring the attention of any permanent authority- set up to deal with our native f0 visit to the north some time ago T was shown a somewhat extensive experiment extending to several miles in length, where a bush sottler had grubbed" out the tree stumps for. say, one to two chain* wide, and grassed Ihe land Uh paspnlum grass. This he kept h«v----1 • Vnek«d with sheep and young cattle, v th the* result that on numerous occasions naming fires had been easily stopped" a? the closely cropped pnspnlimi gra-s would not carry fire in the dncst lie neglected. There are hundreds of thousands of acres of unproductive lands „ rnilwavs or near water earnane that could very-cheaply be planted with and what is m private, hands is ot liUk viluo at present, but in a tew jeais after plan tins would be of great, use to the country. Especially'is tins <-o in the f uiKowing areas of the Dominion; where alrei'Hv Hie fruit" care question is ft fouou one In one fruit district a null is now ci ill,. Hir-iiii" out. fruit cases from a pinus (radiata) plantation, only planted 19 years ago-