FOREST POLICY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 27 July 1938, Page 6

FOREST POLICY

FIVE-YEAR PROGRAAIME OF WORKS OUTLINED BY DIRECTOR EMPLOYMENT FOR 1700 MEN (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. A five-year programme of forest works extending from the present year until 1943 is outlined in the annual report of the Director of Forestry, Mr A. D. McGavock, for the year ended March 31 last, which was tabled in the House of Representatives yesterday by the Commissioner of State Forests. the Hon F. Langstone. The principal features of the proposed programme are as follow: — The acquisition of 33,000 acres mostly of Crown Lands, for the creation of new forests and the extension and consolidation of existing State exotic forests. The afforestation with exotics of 82,000 acres, including the 33,000 acres to be acquired for that purpose. The reafforestation of 16.500 acres of cut-over indigenous forest land. Silvicultural operations, including thinning, pruning, etc., over 330,000 acres of State exotic forests. The improvement of housing conditions for forest workers by the substitution of well-equipped huts for tent accommodation. The establishment of State-owned forest industries, including sawmills, box factories, planing mills, wood-pre-servation plants, etc., to act as demonstration, control and salvage units in the exotic and indigenous forests. The placing under working-plan management of all State exotic forests to which State-owned forests industries are attached, all State kauri forests, and suitable administrative units in the silver beech forests of Southland, the rimu pole-type forests of Westland, and the mixed rimu forests of the North Island. The substitution wherever possible of log sales for block disposal of standing timber. It is urged that developments in rc A cent years have emphasised the necessity of maintaining adequate forests. It is contended that indigenous forests should be regarded as more suitable for stable forest management than exotics, and that as a long range policy the use of indigenous species and the adaptation of the virgin forest Composition, both for wood production and for protection purposes, should be regarded as the essence of New Zealand forestry. It is stated later in the report that five-year plan proposals will provide work to the extent of about 103,000 man-months, equivalent to the-employ-ment of 1700 men for the five-year period. At March 31 last the total area of land of all classes under forest reservation had risen to approximately 8,122,700 acres, a gross increase for the year of 157,302 acres. The forest estate of (the Dominion now forms nearly 12J per cent of the superficial area of New Zealand, 'although forest authorities hold that in an insular country such as New Zealand 25 per cent, or double the present area, would not be too large to ensure a reasonable margin of safety.