TIMBER FOR THE FUTURE

Hokitika Guardian, 2 April 1931, Page 2

TIMBER FOR THE FUTURE

NELSON PLANTATIONS. OVER SIX MILLION EXOTIC TREES. NELSON March 30. VV ith some six million exotic trees planted on ten thousand acres oi' rolling hill, country the Golden Downs plantations off Ithe main road iiom Kohatu and about forty miles 'from Nelson rank as one of the biggest enterprises, yet undertaken by the State Forest Service in the South Island. Last year when over two hundred men were employed four thousand acres werd planted but with recent additions of land, there are still twelve, thousand acres • unclothed, so that ,if , the present plans of the Department | mature, there will be, in a few years well over twenty thousand acres of, exotic forest standing in a solid block 'only oi&ht miles distant from the railhoad at Kohatu. All those who know Ha inner will renl_ ise what an important factor in com- j mercial afforestation is the proximity of the stand to a cheap means of transport. Indeed this was one of the | reasons why the area was chosen for , this purpose 'four years ago, when the | officials of the service were seeking ■ sites reasonably close to the main een- 1 trea. Moreover, the area is really Sod forest country. Situated in the upper reaches of the Motuokrt under the left of Gordon’s Knob, and rising from one to two thousand feet above sea level this'Wide valley, unlike most of those in the Nelson province, seems never to have carried any native bush except in the steep gullies which furrow the hill, sides. From a distance it looks much like a valley about Cheviot- but A closer inspection shows that it lacks the fertility of the land in this region. It carried a sward of vigorous native grass, with bracken in places, hut it has proved poor sheep country, ing only about one to two acres. Forestry Department- believes that it is clothing it with the most profitable crop it will ever bear.

CROWN LAND. The land already planted belonged mostly to the Crown, while the areas adjacent were leased in large blocks by tenants from the Crown. Most of this is now being resumed, it being the Department’s intention to have practically the whole block ,in this portion ot the valley under its control. | The traveller along the main road the plantation, which follows the floor of the valley, will see the hill_ sides for ’miles on the right dotted with ’ the dark green of the pine, while the presenco of surveyors pegs and newly* opened roads .skirting the olny hillsides will demonstrate the methods used for preparing the laud at- the back of the treos. On the good flat land in the valley the nurseries of the semoe P ra i to be seen, These contain thousands of : seedlings raised on the spot >fa'f prec- | tit-ally all the trees planted at Golden i Downs are raised there, ; large area of redwoods. s i In point of numbers the insignis pine j predominates, this representing about t 55 per cent of the area planted. All art* doing well, some of those planted in i 1927 having reached a height of nine \ feet. Contrary to what would be the : practice in Canterbury, redwoods come \ next, accounting for 25 per cent of the i total. Land like that at the Eyrewell \ plantation would be both too poor and : too dry lor redwoods, but, at Golden i Downs, large tracts of the wetter and ] better land have been selected for this species of tree. These are, of course \ much superior to the conifer as a tfm- ! ber tree and the planting of them here j in such large numbers should serve to ! render this afforestntion project more

j valuable than. most. Pinus laricio and j Douglas fir haver also been fairly ex- ■ tensively planted* Once the block has been surveyed

! and adequate communications opened : there will be no heavy and expensive l clearing work preliminary to planting. | Bracken is the chief obstacle. Being ? hill country, the plough canno tb 0 used ] and the method adopted is for the *ien t to move forward keeping in line with j a rope, armed with a special kind of * spade with which to dig the trees In and a mattock. As each man is expected to keep up with the line as it moves along the work is not easy, for, in some places, the going is steep.

FEW FOREST PESTS. Up till now these plantations have suffered no damage from fire, and, by rigorous vigilance, the service hopes to maintain this good record. Fire breaks are numerous, while fir 0 protection will be made much easier if the Department can control all the block. Deer are present in the wooded valleys about Gordon’s Knob, but the country is too open to afford them much protection, so up till the present they have caused little touble. Shooting keeps their numbers down. Rabbits are numerous, but these, though they sometimes baric the young trees, are not nearly such a serious menace to the forester as to the sheep farmer.

Though this is the “off” season men are busy preparing the country for next winter. Many men who would otherwise be unemployed are given work on'what is plainly a productive enterprise and it is confidently anticipated. that a future generation of New Zealanders will reap a generous return from the public money which is now being expended.