Kem Ormond takes a look at the world of farming back in the day. In this week’s Pastures Past, she’s found newspaper articles on New Zealand’s native timber industry.
Our native timber has had a varied life, and today finding a block of original first-growth bush that has never been logged is pretty special.
By the late 1940s, New Zealand’s native timber industry was beginning to face a changing future.
Although sawmills continued to operate throughout the country, growing concern about the future supply of native timber led to stricter controls on some species and renewed interest in conserving remaining indigenous forests.
Gradually, attention turned towards plantation forestry, particularly radiata pine, which would eventually become the mainstay of the country’s timber industry.
Below is a selection of historical stories from the Central Hawke’s Bay Press (1948) and the Wanganui Chronicle (1950).
Strict control over use of native timbers to be made
Central Hawke’s Bay Press, December 24, 1948
(P.A)
Wellington, This Day.
“Although it is pleasing to know that timberproduction has reached a new record figure, there is also particular need to conserve our remaining native forests,” said the Commissioner of State Forests, Hon. C. F. Skinner.
That was shown particularly in the cut of native timbers, which was the highest since 1940.
The policy of strict control over the use of native timbers was explained by Mr Skinner.
This takes the form of restrictions on the sale and use of certain timbers which are in short supply or which should be conserved in the national interests.
They replace the Timber Emergency Regulations which were revoked under the recent Supply Emergency Amendment.
The new regulations lay down that no person shall sell beech timber without indicating the particular species such as red beech, silver beech, and so on.
In the case of silver beech the seller must stipulate the district in which it was grown.
For the sale, use or disposal of white pine for any purpose other than the manufacture of tallow casks or ships’ dunnage, permits will be necessary.
They will also be necessary for the use and sale of tawa and heart and medium kauri.
These restrictions do not restrict the transfer of timber from sawmillers to their agents or timber merchants.
No increase in supply of native timber for building
Wanganui Chronicle, March 10, 1950
New Plymouth, Last Night (PA). —There is no possibility of an increase in the supply of native timber for building purposes, is the opinion of a prominent King Country logging operator.
He was commenting today on the statement made by Mr. W. C Ward, of the New Zealand Forest Service to the Master Builders’ conference at Napier, that the timber supply position would be eased in the North Island by next year.
The central King Country, he said, was an area with the largest supply of native timber in the North Island, and the milling position was stabilised.
No new mills were being erected, and the supply would remain constant.
Therefore, if an increase were contemplated in timber supplies it would have to come from the softwood area.
Immense progress had been made in milling softwoods and it was opening up a new area and it was quite likely that by next year, the supply together with native timber would be equal to the builders’ demands.
A contractor said that many sections of the community would not welcome new mills in the King Country, because people did not want native timber stands gutted.
The end of native timber milling in the area would deal a severe blow to business and industry, and in any case the expansion of milling operations was hardly possible at present with the acute shortage of railway rolling stock.
- Source: Papers Past