C—B

CHAPTER .11. Till] STATE FOREST SERVICE. During the year a complete revision of the remuneration and grading of the Service personnel was accomplished. The scale of salaries and allowances paid to the public servants engaged on responsible activities of forest extension was absurdly low when compared with operations of an equivalent value and responsibility in other branches of the New Zealand Public Service and in other countries. These unequal conditions were remedied, appropriate classifications were established, and to-day it may be said that the salaries and status of the Forest officers are on a basis commensurate with their duties, responsibilities, and obligations. The writer is confident that the standard of efficiency now prevailing in this instrument of State business is equal to that of the best commercial standard in this or any other country. But the State must be prepared —if it expects to have this high level maintained —to pay for their devotion, loyalty, and efficiency just as commercial organizations must pay for it. The augmented staff of Forest officers concerned with the management, protection, and development of the indigenous forests has begun work with enthusiasm and determination. It is to be hoped that as the knowledge, experience, and effectiveness of that Forest Service staff increases to greater usefulness the " go-getters " will be substantially recognized before they are lost to the Public Service. The following table shows the Forest Service organization at the 31st March, 1921 : —

Forest Service Organization.—Distribution of Total Force, New Zealand State Forest Service, at 31st March, 1921.

CHAPTER 111. THE STATE FORESTS. 1. Constitution of Statu Forests. The area of State forests, 1,666,302 acres, was increased by 20,111 acres during the year, making a total of 1,668,319 acres ; while the area of provisional State forests, which embraces 3,293,372 acres, was increased by the dedication of 1,840,321 acres to a total at the 31st March, 1921, of 5,134,651 acres. Not one acre of Crown forest lands has as yet been dedicated provisional State forest under the; empowering legislation of 1918 in the land districts of Wellington and Canterbury, although there are several hundred thousand acres of forest areas that might be profitably gazetted as such. The grand total area of State forests and provisional State forests that is now under the management of the Forest Service is 6,802,970 acres, or 10-3 per cent, of the superficial area of the Dominion. The systematic investigation of this acreage will disclose the fact that at least 50 per cent, of the area can only be classified as protection woodland and subalpine scrub. Forest Reconnaissance of the Eastern Slope of the Southern Alps. During the year a general forest reconnaissance was made of the forested lower slopes of the eastern side of the Southern Alps from Te Waewae Bay, through Southland, by Lake Wakatipu, through Otago, Canterbury, and to the headwaters of the Wairau River in Marlborough. The purpose of this survey was to determine the general quantity and quality of the forest growth, the damage by fire, agencies causing same, methods of control, extent and effect of grazing, regional distribution of the various forest groups, and the relation,of the upper watershed forests to the water resources of the plains of Canterbury and Southland. This survey demonstrates the serious influence of upland deforestation as regards hydro-electric development, irrigation needs, municipal water-supply, regulation of stream-flow, and stabilization of the climatic balance on the lower fertile plains. There are over 330,000 acres of undedicated protection forest which should be proclaimed State forest and brought under the Forest Service control. The future well-being of the eastern side of the South Island requires that all the residual upland forests be saved from, further denudation and destruction without delay.

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Forest-conservation Region. o o I 2 a 8 u o o a, | .2 o : **h I j§ « I & a S ! § 1 I « i ° sfl -1 -J «-2 O J S3? t> to "5 O _ <D t! £ o3 0 o O ts I h oo u d a e no g e S3 h 60 -° e § w 53 ca Ii3 s o I 3 p C5 I 53 Q W I 5 3 0 S CD p <d B Total. CO C c Aih'kland Rotorua . . Wellington Nelson Westland Canterbury-Otago .. Southland Central Office 1 1 I .. .. I 3 1 1 1 1 1 3 ] I ..2 1 1 12 I 1 1 2 1 I 2 1 3 6 3 r > 4 2 4 4 3 2 1 8 20 6 7 7 18 7 24 3 7 1 1 1 2 I 1 5 Total 1 1 1 5 2 12 23 2 1 2 5 9 27 7 10 2 1 97