468 Afforestation of Catchment Areas, [nov., 



AFFORESTATION OF CATCHMENT AREAS BY 

 LOCAL AUTHORITIES, 



The Departmental Committee appointed by the Board of 

 Agriculture to enquire into and report upon British Forestry, 

 1902, had before them evidence as to the work undertaken 

 by the Corporation of Liverpool to afforest the catchment 

 area, around Lake Vyrnwy, from which the water supply of 

 that city is derived, and they thought that this was a direc- 

 tion in which a considerable amount of afforestation might 

 usefully be done. To minimise the risk of contamination of 

 the water supply it is at the present day the policy to remove, 

 as far as possible, all human habitations and farm buildings, as 

 well as live stock, from such areas. These areas, therefore, 

 however well suited they may otherwise be for the production 

 of crops or the maintenance of live stock, are practically 

 derelict, and yield no return, beyond that obtained from the 

 sale of the water, upon what is usually a very heavy capital 

 expenditure on the part ot the Corporation. The Committee 

 recommended, therefore, that the attention of Corporations 

 and Municipalities should be drawn to the advantages and 

 profits to be derived from planting their catchment areas with 

 trees. They pointed out that such planting would, ultimately, 

 not only contribute materially to the retention of the water 

 that fell as rain over the area, and thus assist in regulating the 

 water supply and in preventing floods and water famines, but 

 would tend to the purification of the water, and should also, 

 properly managed, yield a fair and regular income on the 

 capital expended. Such catchment areas, if they are to be thus 

 utilised, should be placed under the control of a competent 

 forester ; and inasmuch as they will be under corporate control, 

 and less subject to changes of management than land owned by 

 private individuals, there is no reason why they should not also 

 ultimately serve as demonstration forests and be available for 

 the instruction of students. For example, the catchment areas 

 of the Liverpool and Birmingham Corporation Waterworks, 

 situated in Wales, within reach of University Colleges possessing 

 agricultural departments, could, with the consent of the Corpora- 



