19

C—l3l?

Schedule of Existing and Proposed Climatic and Scenic Reserves— continued.

NELSON. Department of Lands and Survey, District Office, Nelson, 22nd October, 1903. Ec Circular No. 507, Preservation of Native Forests. Consideeable attention has been paid in the Nelson Land District to the question of the preservation of the native forest, which is becoming of insistent importance as time slips on; some 23,727 acres have been reserved in the district; 21,699 acres of this total would be classed under Class A (climatic), the remaining 2,028 acres coming under Class B (scenic). The mountainous and rugged nature of a large area, recently estimated as 1,058,000 acres, of barren lands, about half of which are bush-clad, has practically proved their protection from the encroachments of settlement; but, while no reservation has been actually necessary, it would be better to place these on a proper basis, and gazette them as reserves. Owing to the excessive rainfall in the bush districts of the west coast, where already there are some 823,000 acres suitable for milling purposes, it would seem scarcely necessary to widely reserve the forest lands there for climatic reasons, though I would suggest that portions of the bush on the higher hills along the Buller Eiver should be reserved, in order that they might not be denuded and in wet seasons give rise to sudden heavy floods. On the other hand, the reserves under Class B (scenic) might well be increased —for instance, some stretches of the Buller Eoad, up the Mokihinui Eiver, &c. —embodied in the accompanying schedule of proposed reserves; but it would be necessary to first lift the mining reserves, which overlap these in some instances. Conservation of Forest Lands at Heads of Eivers, etc. In the Waimea County the Crown Forest lands at the heads of streams and along the tops of hills have been reserved as much as possible; notably in the Maungatapu and Wai-iti Districts. A report on the forest reserves of the latter was furnished on the 6th July, 1903, and their destruction by bush fires, it is to be feared, is only a matter of time, for some three years ago about 800 acres were burnt, and though efforts were made to lease these portions and get them grassed, of

iurvey lisi irici lOO ;ion. .00] 'urpose. Area. Proposed Beservations. Tennyson 6 V. VII.. VIII. II., III. I.,V. XXV., XXVI. Scenic Climatic 256 900 3,200 2,200 600 B. P. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Orieri Scenic Gore ... Chetwode Island I., VI. II. III., IV. VII., VIII., IX., XII. I. III., IV., VII., to XI. I. IX. IX., XIII. XIII., XIV. XVI. Climatic 1,000 570 3,400 5,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 n a ■•• a a Heringa Scenic 525 22,400 0 0 0 0 „ n Whakamarina ... it 2,400 47 600 4,200 1,000 540 7,250 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 a a a Link water Climatic Arapawa vii.,viii.,xi., XII., XV. I. to VII., IX., X., XL XL to XVI. 1 I. 1 IX. I., II., V., VI. IV. II., III., VII. H II Pine Valley Scenic 34,900 0 0 ,; ... Mount Olympus Onamalutu Climatic 16,600 0 0 Cloudy Bay Patriarch Kaitarau Puhipuhi Mount Fyffe Hundalee XVI. Scenic Climatic Scenic Climatic Scenic 510 14,400 1,000 600 20,400 300 1,600 510 150 300 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 III. XL XV. a n • • •