The Daily News WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21. AFFORESTATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 72, 21 April 1909, Page 2

The Daily News WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21. AFFORESTATION.

The decision of the Crown Lands De-, partment to endeavour to popularise af-| forestation with the farmers of the Dominion is a step' in the right direction, albeit tile initial proposals err not on the side of prodigality. Nevertheless, if the oiler of the Forestry Department is availed if to anything like the extent its importance warrants, a big step forward in afforestation will have been accomplished. On tile extent to which the present proposals are adopted will, no doubt, depend the extension of the Department's liberality, and it is to be ( sincerely hoped, in the best interests or the Dominion, that farmers will not be slow to avail themselves of the present. offer. Throughout Xew Zealand there are hundreds of thousands of acres of waste land, odd ends of farms, that will never be of any commercial value for agricultural or 'pastoral purposes. Jn Taranaki many thousands of acr;s ot poor country lias been denuded of magnificent forest by tire, only to lie waste. Deforestation, it is well known, is one ot the greatest climatic calamities that can overtake any agricultural country, and yet Xew Zealand's magnificent primeval forests are being devastated at an alarming rate without practically any effort bemg made to atone for the loss. Certainly the Government has been alive to the seriousness of the position, and within recent years the Forestry and Prison Departments have planted out some millions of timber trees, but it is obvious that unless private owners of land assist in this direction, all the, (Jovernnient might do can be uf but inlinitesinull value to the Dominion in the future. The fact is verv apparent that within verv few vears Xew Zealand's available timber for building purposes will be almost unobtainable at reasonable cost (unless improved means of transit, are provided), and we will be dependent on foreign sources of supply. The forests of tile world, however, are rapidly tailin" before the buslliuaa's axe, and a timber famine is not distant many decades. When we consider along with this aspect of the question the fact that the climate and rainfall of the Dominion must be detrimentally affected by deforestation, it should be obvious tnat serious efforts to counteract the unoending losses should not long be derived The knowledge and experience ot the officers of the Forestry Department •n-e at the service of land-holders | througliout the Dominion, anil none need hesitate about accepting the Department's offer on the score of want of knowledge of tree-planting. It is proposed that the Department shnll provide a free lot of 250 young totara tree, to everv applicant wlio will undertone to nav'freiglit from the nursery, lor ~ commencement the offer is a generous one, which we hope to «e accepted b> even- Taranaki farmer. The value of very acre of growing would be! an asset on a farm ,not to be lightly 'discounted, and wo Id enhance the value considerably of much and l at otherwise might be useless. 1U thew f„rc commend the Government, offu I „ our farmers with confidence and trust it will be availed of to an extent ,"t will demonstrate that the seriousness of the present position is appreci- ► ated. ,