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Division of Forestry 



ANNUAL REPORT. 



Honolulu, Hawaii, June 14, 1916. 



Board of Commissioners of Agriculture and Forestry, Honolulu. 



Gentlemen : — I have the honor to submit the following brief 

 report covering the work of the Division of Forestry for the 

 calendar year 1915. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Soon after I began my duties as Superintendent of Forestry 

 on January 16, 1915, it was evident that the most important 

 work which lay before me was forest protection, and that the 

 main way to secure this was by building suitable fence barriers 

 to stock. It also appeared to me that the policy, established by 

 the Board on the recommendation of my worthy predecessor, of 

 forest extension and of cooperating with tree planters in the 

 Territory by supplying seedlings at cost, was well founded, and 

 consequently this has been continued as an important activity 

 of the Division of Forestry under the able direction of the For- 

 est Nurseryman. 



During the year, the forest work has taken me to all of the 

 eight islands of the group with the exception of Niihau and 

 Lanai, where the government is not concerned with any forest 

 reserves. 



A variety of minor activities of the division, which are merely 

 mentioned in this report, have occupied some time during the 

 year as well as the legislative, financial, editorial and adminis- 

 trative duties which have fallen on my shoulders as executive 

 officer of the Board. 



FOREST PROTECTION. 



Forest Fencing. Realizing the importance of forest protection 

 by means of fencing to keep stock out of our susceptible native 

 forests, this feature has received my chief attention throughout 

 the year. The first move was to purchase out of the appropria- 

 tion for the last biennial period, 100 miles of the best and most 

 durable wire obtainable, which was the No. 6 gauge, special 

 extra-heavy galvanized fence wire, enough wire for twenty miles 

 of the standard five-wire fence which this division constructs. 

 The wisdom of this purchase has since then been proven be- 

 cause, on account of the increased cost of spelter due to the 

 war, the price of this wire has increased from $3.52 per coil of 

 100 pounds to $5 per coil. 



