THE ONLY SAFE COURSE 29 



there waiting to be planted. We can no longer shut 

 our eyes to the fact that to leave these derehct areas 

 unplanted any longer will be a national disgrace 

 and at the same time prejudicial to all efforts on the 

 part of the Government to preach a thrift campaign. 

 We are aware that immense destruction amongst young 

 pole crops has taken and is taking place on the Con- 

 tinent within the fighting areas (vide frontispiece). 

 In this country we are perforce sacrificing consider- 

 able areas of young woods and felling old ones of 

 any value, since we must supply the urgent needs 

 of the country. It is impossible to forecast the future, 

 but that the demand for timber materials forty years 

 hence is likely to be larger even than at the present 

 day is at least a strong probabihty — and prices will be 

 higher. It rests with this generation to say whether 

 they will leave their posterity to face a worse position, 

 if this is possible, than we are in to-day. 



The only safe course, practically the only course, 

 to follow is to undertake at once the planting up of 

 such parts of our available waste lands as are obviously 

 capable of growing a good marketable crop. The 

 selection of such areas would be comparatively easy 

 once a definite policy were laid down and the campaign 

 properly organised. It would not be advisable or 

 necessary during the first few years to deal with exposed 

 areas or to go up to doubtful altitudes. No heroic 

 measures are demanded or necessary. The country 

 has been already divided up into forest districts, each 

 comprising several counties, to each of which a forestry 

 adviser has been appointed. In these districts the most 

 suitable areas for immediate planting are probably 



