DAY'S BAY BUSH

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 144, 13 March 1920, Page 5

DAY'S BAY BUSH

IS "CHESR-BOAItDING" GOOD FOR BIRCH FORESTS? Referring to the contention of Sir David Hutchins, forestry expert, that "chess-boarding" would bo the best means of preserving the city corporation's bush property at Day's Bay, Councillor G. Frost (Acting-Mayor and chairman of the Reserves Committee) informed a Dominion reporter that whilst the committee had a great respect for Sir David Hutchins's knowledge of forestry, it -was not auite satisfied that the pro. viding of open squares here and there would either improve the bush or pievent it being destroyed by lire. The bush over at Day's Bay was mostly birch—an indication of poor land. Naturally, birch trees planted themselves thickly, to give each other support in tho poor ground, and the advice the committee had received from another uuarter was that the provision of large open squares here,and there in tho bush, whilst it might act as a barrier to fire, was the life of the bush. The council had provided a broad fire-belt— lie understood it''to be a chain and a half in width—and not only was this space cleared the whole way round the ridge. but the belt was made ditch-like in formation, so that a fire would have to creep downwards before it got up on the other side. Moreover, as the irrowth at the lowest level of the belt was generally likely to be green, that v.-ould Ik? another factor in preventing the spread of fire.'