FOREST DESTRUCTION.

Forest and Bird, Issue 31, 1 October 1933, Page 8

FOREST DESTRUCTION.

By Capt. E. V. Sanderson.

This picture depicts what is happening to all of the hilly and mountainous country in New Zealand which has been denuded of forest. Plant eating animals are now vigorously seconding the efforts of man to destroy the remaining insufficient areas covered by our indigenous protection forests. So called because they protect the lower lands from floods and their covering by debris. Everywhere one goes there is similar evidence of the loss of the valuable top soil on the high country and flood destruction on the lowlands. Many will think that it is. the other fellow who is paying for all this —the man who owns the land—but this is not so. Somebody has to pay for bridges washed away, the control of rivers by groin and stop bank, etc. As 48 per cent, of all revenue comes from Customs, then it will be evident that when one buys a pound of tea or packet of cigarettes he is contributing towards the cost of re-adjusting flood and other damage caused by forest depleted uplands. Here in New Zealand we complacently read in the newspapers about the terrible floods caused in China by the over-flowing of such rivers as the Yellow River (China’s Sorrow) ; about the £50,000,000 reforestation scheme set on foot by President Roosevelt; about great schemes started by Senor Mussolini, etc., etc., bur how few of us realise that right here in New Zealand we are making similar serious initial mistakes to the ones which these great schemes are designed to remedy. Alas! New Zealand has blundered on a destructive course in a much more effective manner than America and Italy did. A favourite process in the contemplated destruction of the forest appears to be a shout raised'for the formation of some route through a forest for tourist purposes.

This, it is feared, is often merely a pretext to make a road for the convenience of some politically favoured saw-miller. Next we hear the cry, timber shortage, or unemployed sawmillers, and by such means the sawmiller gets his way to be followed later by fire, scenery destruction, erosion and a £50,000,000 reforestation scheme. All this sort of thing is to-day being contemplated in the Urewera. When this forest is damaged the occupiers of the rich flats in the Bay of Plenty district pay the piper in having to replace bridges, control rivers, and put up with the scouring away of their lands. And well they deserve to suffer if at this juncture they look on idly by while the fell scheme is initiated.