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Forest and Bird, Issue 30, 1 August 1933, Page 1

A J O nation can live in prosperity without a sufficiency of I \J forests, because forests and shrub-covering control the water run-off, conserve the water, maintain equable climatic conditions, prevent erosion, and operate in many other ways essential to the well-being of the land upon which we all depend. No exotic forest can possibly equal the indigenous forest as evolved by Nature for water conservation, owing to the foreign forest lacking the essential floor-covering so characteristic of our native forest. Fish conservation is very largely dependent on the preservation of our native forest in its natural state because it controls rivers, streams, and all fresh water. Waterfowl for the same reason are largely dependent on our native forest. Came birds require cover, as the first essentials are food and shelter, and these are afforded by the covering of shrub and forest. All native birds are dependent upon a return to the natural condition of our native forest. Thus we see that Mans prosperity in New Zealand is inter-allied with the preservation of our native forest in its natural condition; and any exotic animal introductions into that forest must in the course of time affect man because they destroy the essential factor — the floor-covering of our native forest. Witness the havoc wrought by deer, goats, pigs, moose, Wapiti, etc., etc., etc. The undergrowth of shrubs, ferns and young trees is first destroyed by these animals, the roots of the more mature trees exposed, endangering their existence, and finally the existence of the forest itself.