V 



THE AFFORESTATION PROBLEM DURING THE WAR 



ALTHOUGH the war put an end for the time being 

 to all the initial steps which were being taken for 

 the advancement of forestry and afforestation 

 schemes in this country, so far as these were depen- 

 dent on grants from the Development Commission, 

 the Treasury having withdrawn sanction to further 

 expenditure for the purpose, it must not be sup- 

 posed that all the work thus auspiciously started 

 entirely ceased. 



Planting at Lake Vyrnwy, at Talla, and at the 

 Lanarkshire Camps Catchment Area continued on 

 a small scale, and planting was also carried on 

 in the Forest of Dean and elsewhere on Crown 

 property. Nor did a few of the large landowners 

 interested in the matter relax their efforts, at least 

 during the first two years of the war. The total 

 planting achieved was, however, unfortunately 

 insignificant, and much of it was only done because 

 nursery stocks of young trees, which had reached 

 plantable size, existed, and it was undesirable that 

 they should be wasted. By the utilization of Ger- 

 man prisoners and aliens from the camps very much 

 more could have been accomplished in this direction. 



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