ECONOMIC VALUE OF CONIFERS.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1543, 25 May 1882, Page 4

ECONOMIC VALUE OF CONIFERS.

"Wn take the following paragraph from a recent contribution by Mr J. Starkie Gardner to the Gtovhwr't, C/ironitle, in which he brings together bomo interesting facts .about Coulters. Alluding to their timber or economic value, he very truly says that the economic value of the Conifene siupassek that of all other forest trees together, supplying a large proportion of timber used. " The woods of the fir, pine, and cedar are valuable for all purposes, and some of them are of immense durability. The money value of the fir imported into Great Britain in 1879 from Scandinavia and Russia alone was about £5.000,000 sterling, the total value of the imported coniferous wood in this country being about €9,000,000 per annum. Most countries of Europe depend largely for fuel aud timber upon their plantations of fir and pine. Even in our own country Pinus Sylvestris, which formci'ly spread over a great part of Scotland, has.been a source of wealth to its owners. The forest of Rothiemurchus, between Cairngorm and 'the Spey, 16 miles in extent, produced, ac1 cording to Sir T. D. Lander, sometimes as much as £20,000 per annum iv pine timber. From the adjoining forest of Glenmore,' sold 'by the Diike of Gordon i for £20,000, were produced il "sail, of ships of upwards of 19,000 tqns' burthen. The indigenous fir' is now, however, to a' great extent superseded by the larch. Between 1759 and 1830 the Bukes of, Athol planted 10,000 acres with, larch alone, and on, their Blair ( and Dunkelcl property the total' number 'planted was 14,096,719, calculated at the time 'of planting to produce at the age of 70 years £6,500,000 as timber'for naval purposes. Jxi other parts of the world the Coniferoe are of equal importance^ '-The* quantity of Deodars, forinstanee, used in li\dia is immense. The Punjab Forest Administration Reports shqw .that between, 1574j7, >!15 40^00Q lpgl t of Bebdar, besides those, o)E PumB^xcelsa^aiid .Couifera,, jy^k, floated down the Tunjab iivei'S.' 'Ittjj,^Q.' :' fiver 100,000.cubic.fee^of|the ( tjinbei* of A'raucari "O^ninghami 'reached Sydney market, ' Ji r -._,,. j, ;i> „ .. /r » < . . if