CITY BUSH RESERVES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 155, 26 March 1920, Page 8

CITY BUSH RESERVES

REPLY TO SIR DAVID HUTCIIINS BY DIRECTOR OF RESERVES 1 0 l v Tho following' report by the Director ■jj. of -Reserves (Mr. J. M'Kcnzie) in reply to certain criticism made by Sir David Iliilchins, was submitted to tho City n Council last evening: - . ■ jf "I havo been requested to report on j. same and in doing so regret that it is a necessary. _ The remarks aS printed go ( j. beyond fair criticism, and as many of the public will not visit Day's Bay or j. the Khandnllnh lieserve to see what has r been done, some reply should be made j showing the position in the past, what is being, done at present, and tho plan of future operations. That' tho oily reserves are not in tho order they j should bo I pointed out fully in the 5J comprehensive report presented last year when I took charge. In my estimates , s for tlfis year, I provided for a large , amount of very necessary work. Tho allocutions for tho reserves, however, wero cut down by .£3OOO, and I have had to work accordingly. Sir David Hutchins j states that nt KhanduHah the City ( j Council's record is worse than at Day's Bay. .The position of this reserve when 17 taken over in April last was as fellows: Tha gorse not having been grubbed, was over most of the ilat land near the cnn tianee; some pines planted the previous winter were among tho gorse on-Gorsey l" Knoll and a small ornamental plantation wns formed among the gorse 011 Hie j eastern, sido of the stream. The pines anil ornamental plantation were in a bad 1' way, being smothered with gorse. lam ._ informed by Mr. Hill, roads foreman, ' who planted them- with the assistance > of his roads, staff, that the pines wero very poor plants when received from , the nurserymen—this and being planted among tho ..gorse, without, the soil receiving any preparation, accounted for ? «o few being aliv». 1 "Summarised, tho position was this—a " certain amount of planting had been cart ried out and tho gorse, always a source of danger, was growing thickly every- . where. In September last, I reported " fully on tlieso reserves, pointing out that grazing and afforestation could not ' bo carried on successfully sido by side. * It was then decided to give the lessees three months' idotice to discontinue gruss- ; ing, and, for tho sake of fire protection, to appoint a resident caretaker. Tho * micstioi: whether the grass hind should | bo fenced off ,and grazed will be conj sidored next ytar. | "Since that time tho heavy gorse had. [ been grubbed off tho flat, tho stones re- ! moved from the playing area aiul grass sown down. This flat area is now looking better than it has done' for years. Tlie ornamental plantation. has- been f cleared of gorse mid rubbish, and a net--1 ting fence 200 yards long erected to pro-; tect tho trees from damage. Theso trees ; are now.growing welt and will be taken care -Of.' The paths have been/cleared ! 'and re-formed through the bush; - also ' one now rustic bridge has been made, an-1 several others repaired. The pines 1 havo been cleared through, but, as beforo stated, a good many arc dead. As ■ regards tho future of the reserve, it will ■ form on the lower levels a picnic, ground ! second to 110110 in Wellington. With a 1 ' resident, caretaker v.'m will form ftro ' lines and patrol same during the'dry weather, thero should be no.danger of ; 'iamngo through fire, sucli as there has been in tho past. A system of afforestation 011 the higher levels will also bo entered npon during tlio coming winter, wiio.i tte caretaker is in residence I here. "In detail Sir David states that the nursery was left to be smothered with weeds and rubbish. No such nursery , exists, not, 60 far as I can learn, ever did exist there. _ r "When I suggested clearing the gorse from '.among' 'tho surviving pines,. Sir ■ David wrote as follows 011 September J6 last: 'The pines do not seem to be kept back too much by Hie gorse over them. One has to remember that from a forest poii'it of view they want, keeping lack uiitil the failures can' grow up with them.' Tho pines were thus left ;astliey. wero 'at Sir David's Tequest. "Another statement is that a strip of ornamental plantation has been practically destroyed by the clearing operations of gardeners—Sir David Hutchins wroto on this 011 July 15 last. 'I think it right to mention that the sheep havo lieen down several times lately and grazed tnc rhoticic-Mlrons to some extent. I think it Tight to rctajn tho sliefcp and with .tho money received from grazing put wire-netting .around the trees.' At this time there were fully n hundred gaps among the jtflO. trees planted, and tho others were being eaten. Since then, they have been protected and cultivated. So much for the Khandallah Reserve. I think' what 'has been done speaks for itself. ' Day's Bay Reserve, "Sir David states that - the smallest safety-, margin ho. would recommend lor Dav's Bav bush would. be five acres. This, ho coos'on to state, would require 12-3 isolated squares. Then the', bush should-bo inter-ulanted with imported, trees. In regard l to this treatment, I can onlv quote a recent writer, who states that natural afforestation' varies ' according to the climate, soil, bird, and nnimal life, and other conditions in tho countrv where it takes'place. An Australian forest can withstand tho ravages of a fire. A New Zealand forest is so swisitive that even ii tho protective [rinire that invariably grows on the edges of it is cut away, and' tho wind allowed free access, it immediately commenccs to wither and die from the outside, or exposed portions, and this decay continues until tho whole is destroyed. Once our forests aro tampered with the remaining trees, owing '.o their altered • environment and sensitive 'nature, 5 do not thrive, and as the treatment suggostod for Day s Bav lias never been tried before on a New' Zealand native forest,.and liaturo of an experiment, I _ certainly, think that before the bush is interfered with, such a -system of- lire-lines, etc., should bo tried 011 some of the'outlying fmeiiic reserves, far from the centres ' of population—not on the only suburban beach forest in the Much mtfro could bo said, but I will content mvself with saying that anything that would in any way interfere with the natural characteristic of Now Zealand scenery should not be tolerated. The system of fire protection applicable.to the forests of India mav not bo applicable to tile New Zealand -busli. During tho last twelve months tlie bush-lias been surveyed, and a system of outside fircrhnes entered lison. Once this fire-line around, the whole of-the property -is complete,' firc-resistin? New Zealand trees will bo nianted around the bush, inside the, fireline. to make the danger from outside (ires an impossibility. The work of cutting tho survey track and fire-lines durinc tho past twelve : months - has been dons in addition Vo tho routine work of 1 the park bv tlio ordinary 6taff. If this work is to bo pushed on, more, labour will be reouired. Once the outside fire- ' line is completed, fn'e-tracks will bo made interlacing the park in all direc- ! tions. where considered necessary. When , this work is completed: if tho bush is j closed entirely to the public during the ] dry spells which I am informed cnnie J about everv ten years, then'by means of an efficient patrol, employing extra men for tho purpose,, no danger of damage ( throuerh firo should exist." 1 ■ ■ 6