C.—4

108

PART V.— AFFOBESTATION.

CONTENTS. Page. General remarks .. .. .. .. • • • • • • 108 (A.) Results of tree-growing in the State nurseries and plantations .. .. 109 (B.) Anticipated results .. .. .. .. •• •• •• HI (C.) Notes on the growth of forest-trees in Canterbury .. .. .. . • 112 (D.) No'es on the growing of Australian gum-trees in the Waikato .. ..117 (E.) Afforestation in England .. .. .. •• •• •• H8

GENERAL REMARKS. In 1896 the Afforestation Branch of the Department of Lands was organized, and since then its operations have been gradually expanded. The stations at present comprise : — North Island. Nurseries. —The central nursery at Rotorua, under the control of the Superintending Nurseryman for the North Island and a small one at Ruatangata, north of Auckland. Plantations.— Whakarewarewa, attached to the Rotorua Nursery (including the Waipa site, and the new site at Lake Rotokakahi) ; Waiotapu, and Kaingaroa Plains, attached to Rotorua Nursery ; Puhipuhi, attached to Ruatangata Nursery. South Island. Nurseries.— The chief one at Tapanui (Otago), under the control of the Superintending Nurseryman for the South Island ; Hanmer Springs Nursery (Canterbury) ; Eweburn and Kurow (Otago); Starborough (Marlborough), recently closed. Plantations.— Naseby, and Gimmerburn (Otago), attached to the Eweburn Nursery; Dusky Hill, Conical Hills, and Waitahuna (Otago), attached to the Tapanui Nursery ; Waitaki (Otago), attached to the Kurow Nursery; Dumgree (Marlborough), planting completed; Hanmer Springs (Canterbury), attached to Hanmer Nursery. Extent of Planting Operations. On the 31st March, 1909, an area of 12,715 acres had been planted with forest-trees, of which no less than 47,835,217 had been raised in the various nurseries and plantations at that date. The average rate of planting during the past three years has been 2,452 acres per annum, and the number of trees planted during that period averaged 5,960,000 per' annum. Over thirty-three million trees have been planted out in permanent plantations (vide list accompanying article (A) following). As will be seen from a perusal of the table appended to the report of the late Mr. Matthews, which follows these remarks, the principal kinds of trees planted have been :— Larch (Larix europosa) .. .. .. .. ■ ■ • • 10,989,835 Austrian pine (P. austriaca) .. .. .. .. .. 3,769,431 Corsican pine (P. Laricio) .. .. ■ ■ ■'■ ■ ■ 3,756,325 Eucalypti 3,464,589 Catalpa speciosa .. .. .. ■. ■ ■ • • 2,196,544 Oak (Quercus pedunculata) .. .. .. ■ ■ • ■ 2,041,621 Bentham's pine (P. ponderosa) .. .. .. ■ ■ ■ ■ 1,200,375 The principles upon which the Department has hitherto been working are : — (a.) That, owing to the slow relative growth of indigenous timber-trees in New Zealand, it does not pay the State to plant native trees, which take from three hundred to eight hundred years to attain full maturity. (b.) That the expense of replanting forest-areas that have been felled and utilised by sawmillers is out of proportion to the results obtained in this manner. (c.) That better results can be obtained by planting exotic trees which attain maturity in about sixty or eighty years, and which experience in other countries has proved to be well suited for commercial purposes, and comparatively easily raised in such a climate as is experienced in New Zealand. (d.) That the best results can be got by planting such trees in treeless localities, where the Crown possesses sufficient areas of land suitable for tree-growing, but unsuited for agriculture to any extent. (e.) That most economical results are attained by concentrating the nursery operations at one central station for each Island, and from there supplying the various plantations that may be started in suitable districts.