The Fielding Star. TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 1883. OUR FORESTS.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 92, 17 April 1883, Page 2

The Fielding Star. TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 1883. OUR FORESTS.

The conservation of foiests in Australia is again receiving- the attention of thoughtful and observing" men, for although in the Australian colonies as well as in iNew Zealand, laws have been passed for the encouragement of forest plant' ng to replace the trees destnyed, yet little or do appreciable ;.ood has been done towards that end. It appears as if it will at last oecome absolutely necessary for the various Govern men is \o keep possession ot all forest lands, and ouly lease or sell those portions of them that are really necessary for settlement. The ordinary seiiler lands in a new country wbere fertility everywhere surrounds bim. He clears a farm or starts a sawmill, and ample returns reward bim for bis labor. He ploughs, he sows, he reaps, aud from tbe seemingly exbaustless bosom ot the earth ,ip. gets back abundant harvests. But after a time it is found ttiat the character of the cops change, and u'riinately the land proves itself to be exhausted. It is now an esiabhsheu lact vhat tbe destruction of forests on any tract of land lessens the rainfall thereon, arrests the springs at the sources of the watercourses, besides rendering the flow of water tbceiu irregular and intermittent. On the oilier hand the renewal by exce-sive planting operations of the forests on such tracts again increases the r tinfall ifiereon, causes the springs to re-ap-pear and the discharge of the watercourse to be again satisfactory. This has been incontestibly proved by a multitude of well authenticated ca*es recorded by scientific men in Europe, in which cases the reduction and irregularity of the flow of water, and the disappearance of springs where the forests nave been suddenh felled, hsive been completely overcome and the water supply restored to its pristine state by planting such tracts with trees. In Victoria the cutting down of so mucb large timber in certain districts has very seriously reduced the annual rate of the rainfall in ibe ranges, and the necessity for attempting to obviate the evils of impending drought, is forcing itself upon the yarious Governments, In New Zealand every encouragement is offered to persons desirous of planting imported forest trees. Not only are young trees to be had on application to an officer of tbe Government, but certain inducements of a substantial Dature are held out. Our object in writing on this subject at the present time is to induce farmers and settlers to join together for the purpose of getting a f^evr thousand trees for planting some time during the coming spring. A double benefit would thus 'be *-ffi cted : tbe initiatory step towards a great common good would be taken by providing for the future wants of ibe people, in supplying them with good forest timber in the place of what is being con&umpd in our t'"ne, and by preventing any very "•'•eat alteration being marie in the clmate. Another good object gained would be tbe beautifying of the surrounding country and rendering it a more pieasunt habitation. We think that the members of the County Councils and Read Boards might devote a few hours occasionally to tbe discussion oi' a question that is so closely connected with (heir own personal interests and the interests of the whole of the West Coast at large. In a few years the conservation ol forests will be one of the most vital questions in the colony.