Establishment and Tending of Timber Plantations 1 45 



SOME REMARKS ON THE ESTABLISHMENT AND 



TENDING OF TIMBER PLANTATIONS WITH 

 SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE CAPE PROVINCE. 



By J. J. KoTZE, B.A., B.Sc, Forest Department, Pretoria, 



Introduction. 



The profession of the Forest Officer is generally little under- 

 stood in South Africa, and is usually taken to represent some- 

 thing relating to the planting of trees. While this has a modicum 

 of truth in it the prevailing idea would be greatly modified if 

 this were a country rich in natural forests, and it may come as 

 a surprise to many to learn that for the successful practice of his 

 profession the Forest Officer requires to be highly trained. In 

 addition to a knowledge of the principles underlying the manage- 

 ment of forests, called Forest Science, and the application of 

 these principles to the treatment of forests (Practical Forestry), 

 he must be acquainted with the many sciences auxiliary to for- 

 estry such as Botany, Zoology including Entomology, Chemistry, 

 Physics including Meteorology, Geology, Surveying, etc. More- 

 over, the profession demands long views, and in this connection 

 it may not be out of place to quote from a speech delivered by 

 His Majesty the King on the 21st July, 1920, in reply to the 

 address of the the delegates to the recent Empire Forestry Con- 

 ference when they had the honour of being received by His 

 Majesty in London. His Majesty said inter alia: 



" It is a peculiar difficulty of your work that it demands 

 " perhaps more imagination, more patience and more fore- 

 " sight than any other industry; and it is an immense advan- 

 " tage that the experience of all parts of the Empire should 

 *' be brought into a common stock and made available for 

 ** all. I welcome the importance which is now attached to 



