FORESTRY CUTS

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 91, 14 October 1932, Page 16

FORESTRY CUTS

JJMNFOEMED PRIMES

ARE THEY CONSISTENT ?

(By B. Phillips Turner, F.R.G.S.)

; In?a recent able and moderate criticisnv of the recommendations of the National Expenditure Commission Dr. H. E. Annett, who is the highest-quali-and most experienced agricultural scientist in New Zealand, called attention to the danger of members of Jtoyal Commissions reporting on matters .which they were not qualified by education or experience to deal with. A. notable instance of this danger has recently- been given in that part of the Commission's report—as published in the Press—in which State forestry is-dealt with. "TOO MUCH"—YET MORE WANTED! The report states, with implied disapproval, that the tree-planting programme of 300,000 acres by 1935 has been accelerated and exceeded by completing an ■ aggregate of 347,000 acres at; the end of the financial year 1931----1932, and that the goal so reached is years ahead of its time. In spite of ' this opinion and their expressed fear that when the plantations reach maturity the supplies of softwoods may exceed, the demand, the CommisBioners advise that a further area of .123,000 acres should be planted between 1932 and 1935. If the planting of this excess area is advised mainly for the purpose of relieving unemployment, _it would certainly have been far wiser had the Commissioners advised the thinning of the plantations already. established. This thinning is overdue, and was in 1928 reported by the Empire forestry delegates as then being a matter requiring urgent attention. Now with respect to the area already planted being in advance and in excess of the programme, I would like to steers- the fact that this circumstance .ias resulted from the most laudablf desire of governments to relieve most serious . unemployment by employing men in planting trees during the winter months when, of course, unemployment is most severely felt. By • establishing forests on non-agri-cultural lands, governments have spent money on an undertaking which will be of great.and certain benefit to the country, whereas the money spent on many other State undertakings will have doubtful, if any, future national benefit. If the Commissioners thought that an excess of timber might be produced, why did they not advocate the stopping- of any further planting by the State? Certainly, a few thousand pounds' worth of nursery stock would have had to be destroyed— some might have been disposed of to private. companies—but this would have been better than incurring expense in establishing plantations the timber.from which they thought might not be saleable. , LACK OF STUDY. In stating that the timber from these softwood forests may be in excess of: the. demand, it is evident the Commissioners have not studied the authorities—European and American —on; the subject of the world's softwood timber supplies. They have not, of course, had time to do this, but they would have been wiser had they sought the advice of those here who have made a study of this question. Again, in talking of the problemati-cal-date of maturity of the forest plantations the CommiEsioners show that they have not understood or thoroughly investigated their subject. In New Zealand there are already mature plantations—that is, plantations in which the trees have reached a profitable milling size—of pinus radiata (insignia pine); Douglass fir, Corsican pine, and western yellow pine. The ages of. these plantations range from thirty to fifty years, and any senior technical officer of the State Forest Service could have informed the Commissioners the average ages at -which these trees attain milling size. The "Commissioners recommend the closing 'of the Auckland, Wellington, Nelson, and Invercargill regional forest offices, retaining only the head office at Wellington and the regional , offices at Rotorua, Christchureh, and Hokitika. In doing this they appear tb have overlooked or disregarded, the facts that the regional offices at Auckland, Palmerston North, Nelson, and Ihvercargill have huge areas of indigenous forests or large exotic plantations to. administer and manage in accordance with sound silvicultural practice. The areas of indigenous and exotic forests in these regions which it is advised should be abolished are follows:— . Plantations Indigenous at end of forest 1935 Forest region. acres. acres. Auckland .... 516,648 90,177 Wellington .... 1,033,210 36,052 Nelson 2,234,894 22,464 Southland ... 1,225,593 30,650 Now,.the Government is the trustee of this valuable estate, and if its efficient and profitablo management is to t>e secured men who have a working knowledge—at least —of forest management must be employed. Granted this, what is going to be gained by moving the' present forestry staffs to E'otorua, Wellington, Christchureh, and Hokitika? ... DIFFICULT PART STILL AHEAD. I assume that the Commissioners are hot blind . and thoughtless enough to propose that the staffs of these offices should •be dismissed and their work and responsibilities distributed among the Rotorua, Wellington, Christehnrch, and Hokitika staffs; for "these latter staffs "already have onerous burdens to carry. For instance, the Rotorua conservator and, his proportionately, small staff already have the very big area of .200,000.' acres of exotic plantations to manage, as well as about 800,000 acres of indigenous forests. The- Commissioners are undoubtedly able business men, but they seem to liave assumed that forestry consists only of planting trees, waiting till they reach milling size, and then cutting them; down. -It is, however, far more than this, for. forestry, as successfully practised in older countries, requires men with a wide knowledge of the natural sciences, mathematics, and organising ability. "We have established large areas of forest plantations. This lias been a comparatively simple matter; but the- difficult part of the undertaking is "ahead, and if the plantations do-hot receive competent silvicultural management they will, not only be ■ a serious financial failure, but they will not yield those supplies of timber and other forest produce which are becoming more and more essential to the Dominion's general prosperity. The Commissioners advise the abolishment of the forest-experiment station at Waipoua kauri forest. This station was established mainly for the most important purpose of finding out the silvicultural treatment necessary to secure the sustained yield (yield in perpetuity) of kauri timber, and at the same .time to test if such treatment can be applied successfully from the business point of view. There wero other investigations of less importance to be made. The late Sir D. E. Hutehins had most strenuously maintained that our most valuable kauri forest c^uld be restored, extended, and economically worked on a sustained yield plan. He was so sure on this matter that he even advised that kauri forestry should

be the chief activity of the Forestry Department. THE KAURI STAFF. At the Waipoua station thero is an officer with very high technical qualifications in charge. Under him are one junior technical assistant and four bushmen who do the necessary manual work and also range the forest to prevent fires, trespass, and theft of timber and kauri g;um. If the Commissioners' advice be adopted tho valuable investigations being carried out will be rendered useless, and the practicability of establishing commercial kauri forests will be made as doubtful and disputable as it has been in the past, and is even now. The silviculturist and his technical assistant would have to be transferred to other; activities, but the four labourers would still have to be kept at Waipoua to prevent damage by fires, trespass, and theft and to keep down wild cattle and other pests. I may here say that the silvieulturists' experiments are confined to a very small section of the forest and to open scrub lands adjoining 'the forest. Having advised what should not be done, I venture now to advise that the best way to make economies in Stato forestry is to stop the extensivo treeplanting on the high lands of tho Kaingaroa plains,, and to confine this activity to a few thousand acres a year on such low altitudes as Tairua. The main objective now should be to spend the reduced funds available in carrying out silvicultural operations long overdue in the plantations. For this unemployed bushmen should be used. Afforestation can now quite well be left to the private companies. - In its plantations and indigenous forests, both milling and protection, the State has an asset which at present is worth about forty million pounds. It is the duty of the Government to take Bnch measures as are necessary not only to prevent the deterioration and depreciation of this asset, but also such measures as are required to bring it to its highest potential value in the future. They will not be doing this if they adopt the recommendations of the Commissioners. If the Government adopt the recommendations of the Commissioners with respect to forestry there may be a small saving for a very few years; but this will be accompanied by ineffectual management and neglect; and the restorative measures that will inevitably be necessary later will entail an expenditure many times greater than any amount that might now be saved. In fact, if disease get into the plantations, as a result of neglect, or serious fires occur, the monetary loss may be very great indeed. Long views and continuity of policy are essential in forestry, and it is devoutly to be hoped that the, Government will not be so short-siglited and unwise as to adopt the recommendations_ that the ConimisBioners have made with respect to a. subject which was outside their experience .and on which they were not competent to give reliable advice.