FOREST PROTECTION

Hokitika Guardian, 18 September 1929, Page 7

FOREST PROTECTION

(Contributed.)

* ARTICLE I

The timber demands of any country are a certain index of that country’s prosperity, and as this Dominion must continue to prosper, we should, as citizens of a country whose first definite settlements are .still within the memory of living people, pay especial attention to our future requirements and to the visible natural and plantation supplies. During the first 80 years of our colonisation the available timber supply was reduced by wasteful milling—only the finest and easiest convertible timber and that nearest to transportation was cut and the remaining growing forest consigned to-the flames —by Clearing of otherwise useless or doubtfully useless land for pasturage of dairy herds and by unnecessary ancr destructive burning in mining and prospecting districts to roughly one third of its original proportions. Much of the clearing was unnecessary for the needs of the time and the demand for timber was small but men of wider vision and ability repeatedly warned the Government of the day ns to the ultimate result of wasteful and useless cutting and burning. Abortive attempts were made to form a really active Forest Department but nothing of especially important economic value was achieved till, following the appointment of a Forest Director, a definite forest policy was outlined and a State Forest Service inaugurated. By that time, the valuable kauri forests wore all but cut out and our other softwood supplies were so greatly reduced that their depletion was in sight and we were entering the markets of the world and purchasing foreign timbers that could be brought to our shores at prices with which our sawmillers could not compete. Practically the whole of industrial Europe keenly competes in the timber markets and China, Japan, India, Australia and many other countries obtain their timber supplies from overseas. The cut in all sources of supply Ims been heavy and the Baltic, from which the greater part of our importations once came, is now closed to us.

The demands for paper pulp for newsprint, wallboards, cardboard and the thousand and one requirements of our modern industries are constantly increasing, the timber stands are receding rapidly from the coastlines and adding to transportation costs, prices are rapidly hardening and owing to our geographical position, will eventually become prohibitive.

At present American timbers enter into the keenest competition with our domestic supplied but, as has already been the case with, some classes of American and other softwoods, their exportation prices will before long become so high that we will be forced back to our own forest resources. It becomes increasingly important that we review our future requirements, and our visible supplies and take the greatest care that supplies are properly controlled. We have a splendidly organised State Forest Service, probably at 'the present time preparing its report for the period ending March, 1929, and entering into the tenth year of its existence. ' The objective of that Foiest Service is to plant at least 300,000 acres of exotic timber trees and of this amount there is now planted approximately 488,030 acres. These plantations will ease the ever-grow-ing demands on our native softwoods and with proper conservation and control prevent the early depletion of the remaining forest areas. The Forest Service has a definite policy—to control and conserve all standing forests and to scientifically alignment those forests by plantation growth so that this and future generations will have a regular supply of useful timber at reasonable prices. Other Government Departments must-, assist so that the demands of the future may be assured. Nothing matters so much/ to the well-being of forests as the regulation of its wild life and birds are essential for .pollination and germination. The introduction of browsing animals into forests that have been evolved through countless years without their presence spells destruction. The Forest .Service has “By virtue of the power given by the Forests Act 1921-22—subject to the provisions of the Act, the exclusive control and management of—

(a) All matters of forest policy. (b) All State forests (whether provisional or permanent). (e) Planting, granting of licenses, enforcement of conditions of licenses, collection of rents, royalties, etc., and generally the" whole ad-

ministration of the Act.’’ Clause one giving “exclusive control and management of all matters of forest policy” is apparently one ojiving a very vide authority but that power is, in some directions, very greatly restricted. The Lands Department is vested with the control of our great national parks; our Scenic Deserves and the control and regulation of all wild life, native and exotic, whether in parks, reserves, or in forest controlled by the • Forest Service is left in the hands of Ibe Department of Internal Affairs, a. department without organisation to undertake" the responsibility. The control is therefore In a great extent .subrogated to the various Acclimatisation Societies who have themselves long been powerless both from want of the necessary funds and from want of organisation to as-

sume control. Acclimatisation Societies issue licenses for game shoot-, ing and fishing, the Post and Telegraph Department issue licenses lo trap opossums; the stamping of opossum skins and the collection of royalties is done by the Department ol Internal Affairs and the proceeds are shared by Acclimatisation Socieiieand the State Forest- Service who undertake the patrol of State la-iuh and the checking of trappers’ declarations. i

Departments overlap and (ostle one another in an abortive attempt to control the wild life and their energies tend to be directed mainly to royalty collecting rather than comprehensive management. Now how far does this matter to the methods that may be adopted ti control “all matters of forest policy ” In 1920 the Director of Forestry tabled his first report—an extensive one concerning the “Forest condition,s in New Zealand with proposals for a New Zealand Forest Policy.” and in that report he stressed the importance of charging the Forest Service with the protection of native and imported fish, birds and game citing the advantage of this system in France, Germany and parts of North America, countries where scientific forestry is carried out as nowhere else in the world, and he writes that that control is particularly advantageous in the case of such imported animals as deer . whose “unrestricted multiplication may load to serious forest damage (as, for instance, is the case of Scotland.)” In that section of his report beaded “Recommendations” under the sub-sections “General Needs and Principles” clause 18, he advises tie “relegation of the administration of the 'hunting, game .and fishing r.e r gulations and protection of the game reserves to the Forest Service.” In the framing of the authority re be vested in the Forest 'Service that recommendation was not adapted and in the report for the year ending March, 1921, though that report dealt mostly, as might be expected in a new department, with general research work, appointments and future poliey, it instances the revenue obtainable from opossums skins. This is interesting as the Forest Service patrols, handles and examines all skins, institutes .proceedings against poachers and carries out research work regarding the habits of these animals without foe or reward, the royalties being equally divided by the Acclimatisation Societies and the Forests Fund. In the report for the year ending March, 1922, special reference was made to the depredations made by deer in Rotorua, Mairnrapa, Wellington, Nellson,, Otago, 'Southland and Westland districts, and the damage caused to cereal and root crops, plantation and native 'orPSt regeneration was estimated at £IOO,OOO per annum. ; _ \ This damage was so alarming that a special report was tabled entitled “Deer in New Zealand-—Report on the damage done by deer in the forests and plantations of New Zealand.'”’ It '(contained six pages of print, twenty-three photogra/phic 7 °- productions and maps of the affected areas in both islands and showed that Ideer displaced approximately 450,000 sheep at a cost to the . Dominion of approximately £IBO,OOO per annum; did serious harm to crops, pastures and fencing and incalculable damage to the forests. Ihe photographs pictured damaged forests described as “depressing sights'.” The licenses issued by lAcdlimatisivtion Societies for deer stalking were shown to be greatly on the decrease and on the number issued over a period of three years 1919-20-21 five persons only in every 10,000 of our population took part in the sport, paying license -fees totalling under £I4OO at £2 per license. On those figures 700 persons took out shooting licenses each year to shoot at 300,000 deer which were causing damage estimated at at least £200,000 per annum. If .we divide the amount of damage by the number of stalkers we find that it cost the Dominion s,.me £3OO to provide sport for each individual without taking into consideration the extensive damage to natural and plantation, forests by an ever-increasing herd. The report makes the following conclusions :

(a) So detrimental is the presence of deer to agriculture that the. protection should be entirely removed from them in settled areas; otherwise many farmers will have to give up their occupations. , (b) The, development of forestry will be an impossibility unless deer are eliminated in the areas affected. The above statements are authoritative and in another article we will review further reports of the Forest Service and suggest an improvement in the present system of control. J. SCOTT THOMSON, GEO. SIMPSON, JR., - Dunedin.