120 TRANSACTIONS OF ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



If one compares this figure with the average stand of timber 

 throughout the forests of the United States of America, it will 

 be seen that the New Zealand figure is two-and-a-half times the 

 average timber-stand of the original virgin forest of America, 

 and over three times that of the present American forests. 

 Exceptionally, and over small areas, timber-stands in New 

 Zealand up to 200,000 superficial feet per acre have been 

 recorded. 



In quality, New Zealand timbers come before those of Europe 

 and Australia, and after those of North America. The value 

 of kauri timber is well known, but it is not generally known that 

 kauri is the record largest timber-producing tree in the world. 

 There are trees that are taller and somewhat thicker, but the 

 bole of kauri bulks the largest on account of its having little or 

 no taper. The massive columnar shape of the tree has struck 

 all observers from Charles Darwin onwards. There was at one 

 time about three million acres of kauri forest in New Zealand ; 

 very little is now left, but there are about half a million acres of 

 restorable kauri forest. It is calculated that this, if restored, 

 would pay all the cost of the great war to the next generation 

 or their children. 



As a good illustration of the value of kauri forest, it has been 

 shown that the best of the old-time forests, if it had been 

 preserved, would have been now worth over £9 per acre. It 

 was not a large forest (17,300 acres); in fact, only the area of 

 Wellington Harbour up to Somes Island. 



Totara, the next most valuable New Zealand timber, is the 

 best of all the world's Podocarpus timbers. This genus contains 

 many very valuable timbers, in New Zealand, in South Africa, 

 and elsewhere. The most valuable forests now left in New 

 Zealand are of totara. The timber is like a hard cedar, very 

 durable, of fine colour, but brittle. 



Rimu is the common house-building timber of New Zealand, 

 found everywhere throughout the Dominion, from north to 

 south. It is a beautiful timber compared to the ordinary house- 

 building timbers of Europe and America. The finest-figured 

 timber, seen in panelling, surpasses oak in colour if not in 

 grain. 



White pine is a lofty, clean-growing tree with white, odourless 

 timber, unsurpassed for butter boxes. Its growing scarcity is 

 forcing attention to the forest question in New Zealand. 



