Notes on the Commercial Timbers of New 

 South Wales. 



By J. H. MAIDEN, 

 Consulting Botanist. 



Introductory. 



The object of this pamplilet is to give information in regard to the principal 

 commercial timbers of New Soutk Wales, in language as devoid as possible 

 of scientific technicalities. 



Only those points are touched upon that are of practical moment to the 

 timber-getter, saw-miller, merchant, or user. 



I have endeavoured to give an impartial statement' of the merits of our 

 timbers as we know them in 1895. In course of time some of the estimates 

 of the qualities of particular timbers may require to be modified, and other 

 timbers, not at present employed, may be shown to be useful for special 

 purposes. If I have erred in my estimate of the usefulness of a particular 

 timber, I shall be glad to be set right. 



Por the last fourteen years I have been almost daily occupied in the 

 diagnosis and critical examination of colonial timbers of all kinds; I have 

 been a large user of many kinds of colonial timbers for miscellaneous 

 purposes, aud I have visited most of the principal forests and saw-mills of 

 this Colony. 



Forest Wealth of the Colony. 



I have no desire to use the language of exaggeration, but I can safely say 

 that New South Wales is one of the most richly-endowed countries in the 

 world as regards its forest wealth. I should be sorry to say that our timber 

 supplies are unlimited, far from it, but with our small population we have 

 immense areas of practically virgin forest, and in many places, as the trees 

 are cut out, numbers of young trees are coming forward, and flourish 

 without hindrance, thus ensuring the stability of our timber supply. 



With few exceptions, most of our trees require no artificial replanting ; 

 what is simply required is conservation — protection of the young growth 

 from damage by animals, fires, Ac, and, in certain cases, what is called 

 "thinning," which consists in destroying or weeding out sickly, malformed, 

 or overcrowded saplings. 



Most of our valuable timbers are found in the coast and coast mountain 

 districts. A few, e.g., the cypress pines of the western districts, and the 

 ironbark of Dubbo (and thence to the north-east), are found in the drier 

 parts of the Colony. 



