NATIVE FORESTS AND THE STATE OF THE TIMBER TRADE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2326, 21 June 1886, Page 2

NATIVE FORESTS AND THE STATE OF THE TIMBER TRADE.

YVb " have to hand the report 011 the Native Forests and the state of the timber trade in New Zealand by Mr T. Kirk, F.L.S., . Chief Conservator of State Forests,'presented to Parliament. Referring to the Wellington district the report states The southern portion of this district occupies the entire breadth of the North Island, from Cook Strait to the mouth of the Rangitikei river on the West Coast, and Cape Turnagain on the East. It* northern portion extend* to the 39th pat all el of South latitude, comprising the country lying between the Provincial Districts of Bawke's Bay and Taranaki and the sea to the mouth of the Rangi-. tikei. The total area is estimated at 7,000,000 acres. The distrust thus comprises the loftiest mountains of the North Island —Ruapehu, 9,100 ft., and the elevated country at its base, the Kaimanawa Range, the western slopes of the Ruahine Mountains, the Tararua and Rimutaka Ranges—so that much of the area is of a broken character ; consequently a large portion of the forest is only of poor or indifferent quality. On .the other hand, the Wairarapa and Manawatu Valleys have long been celebrated for the quantity and quality of their totara and rimu, which affords employment to about six hundred men. In many places the mountain-slopes carry extensive forests of tooth-leaved, entire-leaved,, and silver' beeches, often of ;3srge size, /while the ; valuable Mafck tufee e*o«ns gteat

abundance it attain*than, in any other district in'tM colony. The total area of forest,-land, exclusive of climatic reserves, is 2,406,000 acrefl, of which 706,000 afcres aVe held' by the Crown and 1,700,000 acre* b/Jftfe Maori#. There are now 435,000 aciW tof' Crown forests under suryey fur purpose of auttloThe Tararua Range, in :th6f Southern part of the district, is wo6ded fc on both sides, althqugh rouoh of forest is of indifferent' quality/' Oil the'east the log; land forest extendi across the Pukfefim Range to the vicinity of the"coast Akiteo, and comprises a large proportujir of good timber. Several, special settlements are beinf?"foriiied-"On ,v *the > * western side of this area. Farther south, the eastern side of the distict possesses but little forest of really good quality, a krgd extent of forest land having been cWHpd by fire. In the YVairarapa, /loweVbr, a large amount of good timber ii Aill to be found on the lower slope of the Tararuk Range, and will supply the mills of the district for some years to come. The Rimutaka Range, on the western side of the Wairavapa. La.ce, carries a large amount of beech, much of .whiph, bowever, is small and, growing in places difficult of access. Red and white pine, tawa, &c,, occur in small valleys and hollows of the mountains', but only occasionally in large quanty. ■ Extensive . torest reserves have been made iq the Wellington District, but .almost exclusively for climatnl purposes. - They have been formed on the 'slopes of the Ruahiive, Tararua, Rimutaka Ranges, on land not t settlement on account of its broken characterand poor. quality. 'ln portions these reserves the whiteWooSt* ; and other valueless kinds may be gradur ally replaced:-by-useful timber, although - the process will be tedious and somewhat costly ; buO the greater part must remain in a state of nature, as' even- H good timber could be grown in such situations, ■ it could not be got out at any reasonable cost The preservation of the forest in localities of thiß kind is absolutely necessary for the protection of the souroes of the streams and rivers. CHARACTER OF THE FOREST. Much of the mixed forest now in the hands of the sawmillers at the foot of the eastern side of, the Tararua Range is of considerable value, although the pines are by no means of the largest dimensions . —say from 30ft to 50ft in the clear, and from 21in. to 3(iin. in diameter at the base. In most places a considerable) quantity of tawa is found, but little of it being abbve the medium size. Rimn, | kahikatea, matai, and totara occur freely, sometimes intermixed, no one kind prey pondering; but not unfrequently tIA different kinds form small clumps, mm consisting of more than a dozen yr Forest of the latter kind is usually of' a den Be character, the better portions averaging from 20,000 to 60,000' superficial feet per acre, espfccially where totara. is the prevailing tree. In many cases the upland and lower mountain forests contain but little timber of any value for conversion, and in some places are altogether destitute. An example of this kind is afforded by the State forest reserve on the Tararua Range, at the Manawatu Gorge. .With the exception of a few medium-sized ratas. and very rarely indeed an occasional rimu on the lower part of the range, the forest is composed of small whitewood and scrubby growth, of no value except for firewood. The greater part of the climatic reserves.on the Tararua Mountains appear to be of this character. The totara forest, on the other hand, is the moßt valuable of all ; much of this this timber in the Wairarapa is excellent, both with regard to quality and dimensions. but large totara groves are becoming very rare, although a considerable quantity is undoubtedly scattered through the forest in the north-eastern corner of the district. In the valley of the Manawatu it is equally rare ; two or three saw-millers informed me that, itl was practically cut out in that but this iB not literally correct, even in the immediate vicinity of the river, while in the upper part of the Oroua I am assured that a large quantity is still available, although in places difficult of access. With the exception of a few limited areas in localities were it could not be profitably oonverted at present rates, I have no actual knowledge of any large extent of totara forest. Compared with Hawke's Bay, totara occupies relatively a less important position, the proportion of rimu and other' timbers passing into consumption being mnoh larger ; this ariseß from no disposition to undervalue totara, but from the greater abundance of ordinary pines. Rata and black maire are more largely used for bridge-building and other constructive works in this district than elsewhere. Towai is often called " red birch," ■ and converted in mistake for tooth-leaved beech, to which it is greatly inferior. Tooth-leaved and entire-leaved beeches are largely used for bridges building, railway-sleepers, fencing, etc. Walnnt-leaved cedar (Dysoccylum ipcctabile), although of rather soft texture is frequently utilized for fencing-posts and stakes, especially in sandy soil, where it exhibits much greater durability than other timbers, the totara not excepted.

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