RIMU FORESTS

Hokitika Guardian, 3 May 1929, Page 3

RIMU FORESTS

MANAGEMENT AND VALUE. - CHRISTCHURCH, May 2. A meeting of the Philosophical Hint itute of Caiiterburyt w»is hel'd in the Biological Laboratory, Canterbury College, last evening when an interesting paper was given on the “Management of Rimu Forests,” by Mr F. ;E. Hutchinson. Mr Hutchinson illustrated his lecture at several points with lantern slides. He explained that he had neon doing research work, together with Mr C. E. Foweraker, in connexion with the West Coast rimu forests for set era 1 years, but tha work was as yet in its infancy. There was, on the West Coast of the South,.lsland, a tract of rimu forest from twenty to thirty miles broad and about two hundred miles long. This tract was being rapidly worked out or otherwise destroyed and it was J of the utmost economic importance to the natiort to see that steps wore taken to secure a permanent supply. Mr Hutchinson then showed slides f which gave an idea of the conn tinafter the mills had been through, with the blackberry rapidly overrunning everything. Research work which had been done dealt mainly with the question of re--generation. The 'best method appea’ed ■to be to burn off the duff, or tindergrowth and rubbish, as soon as the mills had been through. By this process <a firmer stand of seedlings was obtained than bj T any other means. The objections to this method were, firstly, that fire; was always dangerous, and, secondly, that on the West Const a clearing fire , was not usually hot enough to have the desired effect. Moreover, up till the present later hums went through and killed this regrowth which explained why some of the out-over lands on the West Coast were so barren. Up to the present other methods of regeneration had not .proved very satisfactory. ihe very little evidence so far aj band gave rise to the hope that it might be found that the reproduction from .seed lying dormant in the duff at the time of logging might be great enough to give a reasonable stocking without the assistance of reserve seed trees. It was a .matter upon which little, was knotvfit definitely as yet, and it would be a few years before results were to band from Mr Foweraker s series of investigations now under way In the meantime, there seemed good ground to believe that regeneration of rimu took place in satisfactory quantity on areas where the mineral so\\ was exposed to greater or less extent, and where full light had across to the ground level.