TIMBER SUPPLIES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 28, 28 October 1919, Page 4

TIMBER SUPPLIES

LITTLE PROSPECT OF IMPORT INCREASING. Tho annual report dealing with .Statu forests was presented to Parliament yesterday. Plans have been received from district lands offices in connection with tho proclaiming of 1,800,000 acres of provisional Stale forests. A portion of this area is, however, treeless mountain tops. The Statute I3ook contains legislation by which, the. reservation can be uplifted by simple procedure. It is anticipated that this year milling will bo started in one or other of tho kauri forests, that aii-as will ba required for forestry, and that considerable increases in the staff will be required. With the resumption of public works, and private building it is predicted that there will bo for tome tinno a big demand for timber. Reconstruction in Europe will require huge quantities of Americnn, Canadian, and Baltic timber, and the consequent duniuiphod import to New Zealand will aid the prosperity of New Zealand mills. The value of the timber imported last year was .£189,511. The value of limber exported was .e.iiiiOlH). In both cuses (export and import) the quantity has been less and the value more llinn in Ihe previous year. The total forest area now owned by the State approximate- ten and « half million acre, but of this the total area of milling value, is only 1,:17 1,000 acres. The imparlance of preventing the wasteful use. and exhaustion of these forests is stressed in Hie report. Hundreds of thousands of pounds worth c.f timber have been lost to New Zealand through forest: lires. Legislation ar.d more rangers arc required to prevent further destruction, 'the total area planted by t:ho State sinco 18!)(i is 55,15S acres, the planting in hhc North Island beiiicr more than double that in the. South Island.