Canadian Forestry Journal, July, ipi6. 



637. 



In the Forests of Queensland 



There are three distinct and im- 

 portant lines along which the 

 Queensland Government is moving 

 in connection with the question of 

 preserving the reserves of timber. 

 The first is the reservation of timber 

 lands. The second is the planting 

 of young trees on those lands and 

 the appointment of competent men 

 as managers of the reservations. 

 The third is the co-operation of the 

 government, with the other states, 

 in the establishment of a school for 

 the education of special officers for 

 the forestry branch. 



At the present time the total area 

 of land permanently or temporarily 

 reserved for forestry purposes ap- 

 proximates 4.000,000 acres. A large 

 number of small holdings are in- 

 cluded in this total, as in earlier 

 years, a great many large timber re- 

 serves were alienated, only small 

 areas being withheld. The present 

 government has adopted a sound 

 policy to guard against the deple- 

 tion of timber resources. Before 

 any land is opened for selection, the 

 Forestry Department, of which Mr. 

 N. W. Jolly is director, is asked to 

 obtain a report from its officers. 

 This report will contain an estimate 

 of the probable quantity of timber, 

 and if the forest is considered good 

 enough for immediate use, or to 

 possess sufficient young timber, it 

 is permanently reserved. The rent 

 received last year was £74,700 — - 

 nearly double the amount received 

 six years previously, and five times 

 the amount collected in 1906. The 

 total expenditure on forestry last 

 year was £7.650, but a considerable 

 portion of the work is done by land 

 agents and Crown land rangers, 

 whose salaries are not charged to 

 the forestry branch. The minister 

 and the director, therefore, consider 

 that if nionev could be made avail- 



able it would be highly desirable 

 that forest stations should be estab- 

 lished in a number of districts. At 

 present there are only three small 

 forest stations in existence in 

 Queensland — one at Atherton, one 

 at Frazer Island, and one in course 

 of establishment at the Brooloo 

 State Forest. These, however, are 

 very small establishments, which 

 only form the foundation for future 

 work. The minister's aim is to have 

 a series of forest stations, where of- 

 ficers of the department will reside 

 and manage the public estates. 



One of the great difficulties in the 

 way of the department, and one 

 which emphasises the need for the 

 establishment of forest stations, is 

 the existing growth in forests of 

 trees, weeds, or timber which is un- 

 suitable. This hampers the depart- 

 ment in the economic treatment of 

 forests. 



For several months past the va- 

 rious state governments of Australia 

 have had under consideration the 

 question of establishing schools of 

 forestry. A conference was recently 

 held by the directors of forestry in 

 the different states, with a view to 

 arriving at some scheme by which 

 one school, at least, could be estab- 

 lished in some central state. As a 

 result of these negotiations, an exec- 

 utive minute was passed last week 

 by the Queensland Government un- 

 dertaking to co-operate with the 

 government of New South Wales in 

 the establishment of a school of 

 forestry at Gosford (New South 

 ^^'ales). The government has 

 agreed to pay for each student sent 

 by Queensland a sum equal to the 

 average cost per student. Queens- 

 land is to have the right to nominate 

 a representative on any board ap- 

 pointed for the management of the 

 establishment and the formulation 

 of a curriculum. 



