68 



Mossy Fokests Policy. rate, Avith the present system of patrolling even if it 



These forests are great sponges which so&k up the ™? soun <* from \ n . administrative stand-point. The. 



rain and let it down slowly through the hills, streams, * imber **?* - t0 ° g Up /? n *J be ° f . commerc ^ al 



and rivers. They must be protected, for they are value, and the importance of these forests is geographi- 



rhe mothers of the water-courses. Without the mossy «*1 an £ scientific. They are certainly protection 



forests the rivers would become torrential in character. for ? st ?> a . nd tend l " regulate the run off of the waters 



In the rains the floods would be devastating, and in 



between 



the dries the rivers would be dry or chaplets of pools. &* mos W f ° r « ta b f low - Scientifically thef have great 



It is to the mossy forests we owe the water in the dry Merest, and for that reason alone as large areas as 



season when we need it most. The only enemy of possible, should be preserved for botanical reasons, 



the mossv forest is man with his fire-stick, and here, The » re * of burnt-over grass lands is now quite large 



I think, education of the native by the forester is all f°Mfr f( > r *• m ? at requirements of the inhabitants 



The native lias no cause to set the below, and the native would be quite prepared to hand 



mossy forest ablaze in those rare spells of drought that . . 



I recorded in Papua. The fires of the high mountain P ark ^ T i us woul< * ' 10t effect the object, for the annual 



forests will not, I think, work down except by unusual 

 chance into the mossy forest, so they are safe enough 



that is needed. 



over the remainder to the Government as national 



once the native has the matter explained to him. 



i 



High Mountain Forests. 



hunting fires would gradually eat into the reserves 

 until they were wholly destroyed. To stop grass 

 burning by the natives would, as I have already said, 

 be very difficult, and the alternative of closing the 

 mountain tops to them would be a great hardship. 



As for these, I really am at a loss what to advise. I must leave the solution of the problem to the future 



foresters of the Territory, and can only hope that it 



will be found before this very interesting coniferous 



Their loss is certain unless strong repressive steps are 

 taken to prevent the native hunting on the caps of 

 the mountains, and to do that is very difficult, at any belt ceases to exist. 



