AFFORESTATION OF WATERWORKS CATCHMENT AREAS. 223 



XXV. Afforestation of Waterworhs Catchment Areas} By 

 Joseph Parry, M.Inst.C.E., Engineer-in-Chief of Liverpool 

 Waterworks. 



Throughout Europe and America there is gratifying evidence 

 of a new and increasing interest in forestry. Various causes 

 have in the past contributed to the neglect of this important 

 indiistry. In England the neglect, especially in so far as State 

 action is concei-ned, has been especially marked since the substi- 

 tution of iron for wood in shipbuilding. As long as there was a 

 demand for timber for the use of the navy, the planting of trees 

 was felt to be an object of national importance, and active 

 measures were adopted and Acts of Parliament passed to ensure 

 a sufficient supply of suitable oak. Then when the enormous 

 demand came for timber for railway and other engineering works, 

 the natural resources of foreign countries — the growths of many 

 ages — were so easily and cheaply brought here by sea carriage, 

 that little or no inducement was offered to grow timber at home. 

 Planting for profit, therefore, practically ceased, and the planting 

 for ornamental and sporting purposes by landed proprietors was, 

 and is, of comparatively small market value. 



The total acreage of land returned as woods and plantation in 

 Great Britain is only 2,726,116 acres, being less than 4 per cent, 

 of the total area of the country. According to Mr Nisbet, most 

 of this consists of "old copsewoods, in which most of the standard 

 trees are oaks dating from the time when the maritime power of 

 England depended upon our oak supplies." Of the acreage given 

 above, there are 66,758 acres of Crown forests, under the control 

 of the Woods and Forests Department. It is notorious that 

 these Crown forests have been sadly neglected and mismanaged, 

 but a decided improvement has of late years taken place in the 

 administration of the Department. With regard to the only 

 Crown forest of which I have any intimate personal knowledge, 

 namely, Delaniere, in Cheshire, I agree with the description of it 

 given by the Arboricultural Society, that it is a model of what a 

 forest ought not to be. 



The total imports of timber into Great Britain and Ireland 

 last year were 9,896,688 tons, valued at £27,652,393. 



^ Read before the British Association at Southport, 1903. 



