ANNUAL FIELD CAMP

Hokitika Guardian, 7 September 1929, Page 2

ANNUAL FIELD CAMP

CANTERBURY SCHOOL OF FORESTRY. CHRiTSTCHURCH, Sept. 5. The Canterbury School of Forestry held its fifth annual field camp from August. 17th to September 3rd,* at Rimu, Westland. By courtesy of the Conservator of Forests for Westland, the camp used-as its headquarters the Forest Experiment Station at Rimu, where the total party of thirteen was comfortably housed. Ten students went into camp under the direction of Mr C. E. Foweraker, Lecturer in Charge, and Mr, F: E. Hutchinson, Lecturer in Forest Utilisation. Professor E. Percival, Professor of Bio]ogv, accompanied the party, and made a study of the region from a zoological standpoint. The Forest Experiment Station maintained by the State Forest 'Service at Rimu comprises 7000 acres, and a well-equipped rangers’ cottage. The station has a large number of areas planted with a wide variety of exotic' trees for purposes, and there are also large areas of virgin rimu forest of all types from seedling and sapling stands to stands of poles and mature timber. In these stands the School of Forestry maintains a large number of sample plots, and the first day was spent in- a tour of these plots to familiarise the students with, their dendrological and silvical characters. A wide (programme of work was carried out, covering studies of dendrology,; ecology, silviculture, surveying, forest mensuration, and utilisation. The field work in sylviculture was correlated with the silvicultural research at present being carried out by the School, and included underscrubbing an area of virgin forest and type-mapping, regeneration and vegetation on an area recently lagged and burned. Observations were made at the State Forest Service nursery at Woodstock and among the ' exotic , conifers planted on the area. Surveying included . topographic .mpppipj? and the running of compass and theodolite ;in ordqr; to'tie sainple plots to j>ermanent ihoivu-

. ments. j Mensuration studies included the scaling of’logs, tallying'of, sawn':timber, and a study of the forms of feet in logs. i Field work in utilisation \yas extensive and>comjprißecl tqurs of . sawmills viz., those, of itessrs, Butler Bros.,' at Ruatapu, Stuart ancL Clinipman at Ross, Kanieri-HokirLlka .. Sawmilling 1 Company at Hokitika, and the; Diggers Sawmilling Company, qt Woodstock; comparative , studies of milling ' methods were made throughout. Comparative. studies of various 'types -of logging operations were made in the bush bejn£ worked by.the albove companies, ground snigging, nigh leady;aiid overhead types. Metliv ods of trani. location and construction were observed and studies made on carious aspects of ilio silver pine industry, viz., the output of posts, poles, and sleepers. The Forest Experiment Station is ideally situated as a centre from which; to - study the Westland forest types and logging and sawmilling operations. Rimu, kahikatea, and silver pine stands of various ages are dose at hand, 1 and the students were given a most comprehensive , field course. The weather was on the - whole excellent during the fortnight, , not a day being lost l , owing to raiii. Rain, however, set in' over the last week-end, and it was decided to bring the camp to a dose, as the programme had been completed. So the party returned to Christchurch on Tuesday