HERITAGE OF TIMBER

Hokitika Guardian, 28 July 1933, Page 8

HERITAGE OF TIMBER

GOVERNOR’GEN ERAL’S I'LEA

CONSERVATION AND PLANTING

In a speech at the tree-planting ceremony at Mission Bay, the Gov-ernor-General, Lord Bledisloc, took the opportunity again to extol tho beauty and value' of New Zealand’s native forest and, to appeal for wider and deeper public interest in the conservation of bush and the planting of native trees.

“No country in the world excels New Zealand in the beauty, dignified grandeur, variety or utility of its native timber, and none has' trees more generous in their supply of nutriment or nectar to its native birds,” said His Excellency; “the Maoris regarded their trees as sacred and related to themselves. They derived inspiration from them and sought to appease their -wrath by conciliatory ceremonies and offerings when the necessities of life compelled them to be felled. If the native race over-emphasised the sacredness of their native trees, it is certain that their white fellow-countrymen , have shown them all too little respect, especially on the mountain sides, where they were conserving the moisture of the climate and the soil, and occupying ground of; relatively little value for grazing stock. . “There can be no doubt that there once stood in the Auckland Province the largest and most stately timber trees in the whole world. Even now there are no longer trees of high commercial value on the face of the earth than the kauri trees of the Wnipoua Forest, near Dargaville. The lightning shattered ‘big trees’ of California (aequoia gigantea), through the middle of some of which motor-cars are driven, are of little or no commercial value.

KAURI AND TOTARA. i j “Among your northern Maori tribes | it was.customary to. plant, at the birth 1 of a child, a young tree, or the little branch of a tree which was used at the baptismal ceremony/ and the vigorous growth of the tree was deemed to betoken. the sturdy development of the child. Let us all well and truly plant these trees - to-day in the hope that their strong,' heathy growh may be reflected in the economic renttU- 1 sance of this city; this province 'and the Dominion. ’

“You have selected for planting by ourselves a kauri : and a totara;' New Zealand’s two most valuable and historic trees. The kauri provides excellent timber for all construction purposes and yields gum for varnishes. The , totara,...was.. thq;- Maoris’, .pipst venerated tree. It was their favourite timber for ’their bid war caiioes, and was much prized among them for the carved portions of thfeir riieetirtghouses. It is extremely, durable under all conditions,'and its beauty of form and colotir, when grown in the open, is not excelled by any other tfei. “Among the trees not usually mentioned on these occasions, but worthy of recognition for their beauty, economic value, historical interest or attractiveness to the birds, are the tanekaha, the miro, the black m.aire, the maniaku, or black tree-fern, and the nikau palm. “The tanekaha is highly ornamental, j with its whorls of graceful branches, and yields a light yellow timber which is exceedingly strong and is employed in railway carriage construction and for the big fishing rods used by deep-sea. anglers for catching sharks and swordfish. The bark provided the Maoris with a yellowish-brown dye and tlio material for tanning leather.

THE DISAPPEARING NIKAU “The miro, also highly, valued by the native, has lovely dark foiiage like that of an English yew—the tree which provided the old British bowmen with the material for their bows. It carries in the fruiting season masses | of brilliant crimson berries, which are. the chief food of the native pigeon. There is a famous giant of this description on Hongi’s Tinea near Rotorua, on which conciliatory offerings are still hung by the local Maoris. The black maire, which is an olive and related, to tli© edible European olive, provided the Maoris with the material for tlieir most formidable weapon and a firewood which is capable of generating more heat than any other wood in tire world which is used as fuel. Its fruit is enjoyed by native pigeons, tuis and kakas. “The maniaku, or black tree fern, is the largest and stateliest of all ferns, with a trunk which sometimes reaches 50ft in height and graceful fronds up to 20ft long. Its matured trunk is extremely durable and was commonly used by the Maoris for fencing and fpr the construction of their pas. The pith of the tree' lias a nutritive value and was often baked and eaten by the oldtime Maoris. “The nikau—the only true palm in New Zealand.—is one of the most attractive of all denizens of the native bush and is unfortunately becoming nil too scarce. It lias bright red fruit which the native pigeons enjoyed and its terminal unopened buds used to he a favourite food of the native race. Its strong fronds were used for making native huts.

“CLAIMS OF THE NATIVE BIRDS”

“There is between Russell and Helena Bay, north of Whangarei, a most perfect stretch of unspoilt native hush, containing a rich feast to the eye of well-known kauris, totaras, niamaku, tree-ferns and nikau palms. Do all in your power to prevent this

precious national asset from being s’wept away for alleged pastoral requirements. “

“Finally, I want to urge you to think of the birds when selecting trees for planting in your parks, domains and' reserves; You have as good songsters among your native birds as any that we have in the Old Country, and you have a . greater variety of trees capable of providing them with nutritious food and nectar than we possess, but bur bird population is much greater than- yours and our song-birds are more often heard in our parks and gardens. ‘"Three days ago' I was standing close to the old historic Treaty House at Waitangi, discussing with Her Excellency pud another member of the Trust Board the policy of weeding out. from the adjacent plantation dead and weakly trees. Some difference of opinion had been expressed regarding the desirability of felling the whole of a beautiful avenue of cabbage trees (famous for their bird-loved nectar), tome of which were showing signs of premature decay. While the bushmen, with their axes ready to. commence the task, were awaiting our final decision, suddenly from a cabbage tree above our heads ■ there poured forth the enchanting song of a tui. On hearing it there was emphatic unanimity that the cabbage tree avenue must not be felled. The tui saved it.

“There is no project deared to the hearts of Lady Bledisloe and myself than the protection of your fine native timber trees againt wanton destruction and the development in the hearts and minds of your young people of a geuine love of them and pride in them. I congratulate most heartily the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture and the chief magistrates of your towns on the patriotic enthusiasm they arc displaying ■in reviving Arbor Day as a means of stimulating this' love and pride.” '