FORESTS AND FORESTRY

Hokitika Guardian, 2 October 1923, Page 2

FORESTS AND FORESTRY

FURTHER NOTES ON THE DIRECTOR’S REPORT. NO. XI. “The lowing herds awake the echoes of the sylvan 'glades, Whilst twilight, hast'ning, flees before night’s deep’ning shades.” —“Crazing.” "Yea, like the stag, when snow the pasture sheets, The barks of trees thou browsed'st.” —Anthony and Cleopatra.

The investigations in the State Forest document, which it is reported have been made iu the matter of grazing, have not disclosed anything favourable, except perhaps the fact that "returns from grazing during the past year amounted to £3310 14s 9d.” The State Forest Account, however, shows that the sum received on account of ''Grazing Leases,” “Grazing Permits” and grazing in nurseries and plantations, amounted to £4,'200 14s (Id. Ihe balance, £08.) 10s Oil, is presumably an expenditure in this connection, and probably forms part of the “Operation and Maintenance Charges.”

The report states that “Actual grazing within the precincts of the forest, when the production of tut tire timber crops has to be taken into consideration, is a matter in which great caution must be observed.” The advisability of discontinuing the granting ot “grazing leases” or “grazing permits does not appear to enter into the question, it is in the matter of “actual grazing” where great caution must be observed. Just in what manner the caution should he observed —what morsel should be avoided, and what eaten — cannot of course hi* oven suggested in a brief report such as that under review; but it would seem that some special injunction should he imposed on cattle anil those in charge of them, and this could he done probably by means of printed calico not ices, similar to those used lor fire-proleition purposes ! Under “Game and Recreation’ it is stated that “probably some thirty thousand persons found relaxation and recreation in hunting, fishing, tramping, and picnicking within the precincts of State forests during the past year.” It is difficult to see vliat this is intended to lead to. At most the statement is a wild guess ; and, so far as its usefulness goes, it would not matter if the probability were expressed at three hundred thousand instead of thirty thousand. Surely the Forest Service does not wish to restrict also the pleasures of the public!

The ravages caused by doer seem to indicate that the grazing of any other animals than sheep should not be permitted. This would mean practically no grazing at all in the forests, tor the reason that sheep are not forest animals; and for that same reason the •Service’s estimate that some £180,003 is lost annually, in consequence of door displacing sheep ill the forests, is wild —a vorv wild statement.

The tables given under tHe heading

“Forest Protection Forest Fires’ are instructive. It is noteworthy that there were no forest fires in the Westland Conservation region during the year ; and that in the whole of the Dominion there was Cl worth of “valuable re-growth” destroyed. During the same time there was £lO worth of “merchantable timber” destroyed in Stale Forests. It is also noteworthy that ill tlie whole Dominion the number of forest tires in State forests and private forests, which were caused by “s.-iwmilling operations." was ON Fl—out of a total of 39N This fact lias a distinct hearing on the matter of the proposed control of sawmill tramways : and it goes to show that tin* reasons given by the Service in urging such control do not justify the adoption o! its recommendations. We dealt with this matter more fully in the Ith article.

The immunity from tires in Westland, and generally, as arising ft out sitwmilling; operations where otic won I*l look tor eousiih.Table ri-k -i' douhliesattributable to the fact, ns recorded in the report, that “the sauniillers spontaneously co-operated with the Service by detailing workmen to patrol the logging-tramways daily during the fire

In the matter of “Insect Damage” it is suggested by the Service that "inspection of all imported timbers is an urgent necessity." It has recently come under notice that some 300 million cubic feet of timber, growing on So,TOO acres in Saghalieti Peninsular was destroyed in one year by the ravages of an insect known as Matukeinushi (lasisccampidae). The importance of the suhjeet can hotter he appreciated when we realise that , at the rate of destruction mentioned above, our forests would be devastated, without other agencies, in about 28 years. Here is a splendid opportunity for the Service io exorcise some of its restrictive propensities!