THOUSANDS OF ACRES RECLAIMED FROM SAND

Shannon News, 3 May 1929, Page 1

THOUSANDS OF ACRES RECLAIMED FROM SAND

Planting cl Tangimoana

GRASSES AND TREES ON ONCE DESOLATE AREA

Commenced in 1&21, the Forestry department sand dune reclamation work at Tangimoana has now practically achieved its purpose and after seven years of labour, the deadly drift of sand inland from sea has been cheeked by the planting of 2500 acres of once desolate sand desert, with marnun grass, flax and hardy pine , trees. Year by rear, the Forestry officers have reclaimed the wind-swept acres and stabilised the shifting dunes, until to-day practically every sand hill, is thatched with marram and tufted with the green of trees. Low-lying flats, once drifting sand in summer and flood lagoons in winter, are now covered with a heavy growth of marram, flax, toitoi and bulrushes, under the hardy shelter of which, excellent rough feed for cattle is growing in abundance. All sand drift has been stopped and the Forestry department, leaving onlv one man to superintend the nurseries and carry out planting, can leave nature to consolidate her handiwork.. Everywhere, the growths are firmly established and, as the years odd to their growth, will not only have stemmed the menace of the sand drift but will have a considerable commercial value.

Yesterday, through the courtesy of Mr. D. L. McPherson, head of the Forestry department in Palmerston North and district, a reporter was conducted over a portion of the extensive area which has been planted at Tangitiieanu during the, past seven years. The Nurseries. An inspection was first made of the nurseries, now much reduced, in size, from the broad plots which provided the thousands of seedling pines which have been planted. Despite the fact that several of the old* plots are hot being used, however, still contain over ,200,000' seedling, trees which will- bh'hshtf'hr'thc ■tlep3ftment’"on: ith various stations. The greater proportion of the young trees, some 112,000, are of the radiata branch of the pinus family, 77,000 are pinus murieata and 40,000 pinus pinaster. The radiata ■species has' probably the quickest growth of any tree in the world and is noted for its hardihood in exposed country. The murieata variety is very similar in appearance but has a more luxuriant lower growth, which makes it valuable as a shelter tree. The third variety, the pinaster, is a good timber tree but has not the same bushy growth.

Growth of Trees. Of the total area of 2900 acres which was taken over by the Forestry department, about 500 acres has been planted in different varieties of pines, amongst which the radiata predominates. The plantations, however, are scattered, the trees being planted in most cases on the dunes, where then roots bind the sand and their growtl makes excellent shelter. The hardy marram grass is planted first, in'curv ing lines and once it becomes establish ed, the seedling trees are transplants from the nursery and sheltered by i' in their tender years, soon obtain a hold.

Wherever the trees have been plant cd on the Tangimoana country they have done well, until to-day, seven years after the -first seedlings were p’anted, the oldest trees have grown to :i height of over 22 feet some having i girth of 00l inches at the base. The first year after transplanting, the tree 1 grow very little, .but once their roots ere firmly gripped, in the sand, they have an astonishing rate of growth. The average increase in height is from three to four feet a year but this varies according to the position of the trees and the degree of shelter which they can obtain, On the exposed ridges of sand dunes at Tangimoana are pines which have been planted for some years but which are only one-third of the size of sheltered trees whose age is mu eh loss. Sonic of these trees have put forth a remarkable growth, one sapling being examined which had grown over six feet in a year. Round the boles of the pines, wherever they have been planted, has grown np a strong growth of marram, with grasses which are of excellent feeding value for cattle. On all .the dunes, this growth is firmly established preventing the sand drift and every year increasing in 'trength.

Low Lying Areas. A large area of the reclaimed district is of a low-lying nature and is still flooded by surface water during the winter season. Trees cannot be planted on these flats but to bind the sand, a strong growth of marram, flax, bulrushes and toitoi has been established. A trip) was made from the nurseries for some three miles across typical reclaimed country to a position within half a mile of the site of the old camp which was established in 1921. Here the first nurseries were .set up and the first seedlings planted out. In 1923, the camp-site and nurseries were moved

to their present position near the road and about three miles further inland. Mr. McPherson has in his possession a number of photographs which pro- A vide a most interesting record of the progress of the reclamation and the growth of the plantation work. The first photographs taken show stretches ot desolute sand .and stagnant water but with the stablising of the dunes and the planting of the flats, the later photographs show the same country in * completely' changed guise. The reclamation work has changed the configuration of the whole area and has developed it from a "howling wilderness” into an area which is now valuable and as the years pass, will become .increasingly so. V