224 FORESTRY IN AUSTRALIA. 



The next step should be to consolidate the Forest Laws of the 

 several States. Whether it will be possible to have one uniform 

 law for the Commonwealth, it is impossible to say. Under that 

 law an area sufficient to secure the future requirements of the 

 country should be selected, demarcated and declared permanent 

 State Forests. This is the most urgent question in Australian 

 forestry. The area depends not only on present requirements, 

 but on the probable increase of population, the progress of 

 settlement and the development of industries. It has been 

 estimated that not less than 74,000 square miles of permanent 

 State forests are necessary in the extra-tropical part of Australia. 

 What further areas may be required in the tropical part cannot 

 be stated at present. The question was dealt with at a recent 

 forest conference held at Melbourne, when it was decided to set 

 aside an area of 38,281 square miles (24^ milHon acres) as per- 

 manent National forests. This would be about one-half of the 

 area previously considered necessary. An area of, say, 40,000 

 square miles should, under efficient systematic management, yield 

 for ever not less than 40 million loads a year, which would satisfy 

 not only Australian requirements, but also allow for an extensive 

 export of hardwood, especially as the unreserved forests would 

 continue to provide a considerable part of the locally required 

 material. 



The reserved State forests should as speedily as possible be 

 organised, that is to say, arranged into suitable charges and 

 subdivided into workable units, so that an orderly management 

 can be introduced. Working plans for a number of years should 

 be drawn up, beginning with the forests of greatest importance. 

 These plans, once approved, should not be deviated from except 

 with the previous sanction of Government. 



Every effort should be made to preserve and improve all 

 permanent State forests. Their regeneration should, if possible, 

 be effected by natural means, supplemented, if necessary, by 

 artificial help. The idea of replacing the natural forests by new 

 plantations of fast-growing species should be definitely discarded. 

 Such a procedure would be very expensive and risky. Besides, 

 most of the Eucalypts are so fast growing that it would be 

 difficult to find any exotic species worth cultivating which would 

 grow faster than the Eucalypts and at the same time yield good 



