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boards, and that it be felony to cut a tree until it has been sold by the ranger. According to this plan, the 
trees for sale should all be marked in a certain way, and disposed of by auction at regular periods. \\ hei e 
timber is rather more abundant, but still scarce, it is proposed that sawyers, splitters, mid wood-carters 
be charo-ed hio-lier foes than at iiresent for licenses, ami that no tree bo cut until marked for falling by tho 
ran<rer ° Tlie^granting of licenses to cut trees indiscriminately, and to uso only one length or two of the 
trunk, is protested against as a piece of nccdle.ss and wasteful extrayagance, except in tho very large forests 
away from the settled districts. Tho heads of such trees left scattered about to dry are also the cause of 
forest fires being far moro fierce and destructive than they otherwise would be. It is therefore deemed 
hi-rhly necessary that, wherever fire-wood is required, tho persons falling each tree should be obliged to cut 
upland remove the head within a limited time. Tho present orders to that effect are seldom or never 
oLyod. Where firewood is becoming scarce, it is proposed that the cutting down of living trees foi this 
purpose should bo absolutely forbidden so long as there is any dead timber unused on the ground. 1 
proLsses of rinn-ing and stripping off sheets of bark are so uuprofitably destructive of vahiable timber, it 
fs considered tlmt, for tho future, both should be entirely forbidden on all Crown lands. Even in some of 
the lar<m forcsis. straight free-splitting barrels are becoming scarce, and the sawyers have to go a lo"g 
in for foo-s, because the best trees are those off which the bark is most easily strqiped, and so many have 
been thus spoiled. Some glaring instances arc given of tho cutting of enormous quantities of saplings fo 
Ses and S where props a?e urgently needed by the miners. A very few years of growth would 
convert these saplings into valuable props, whereas they make poor fences. It is therefore consideied 
that this use of voung timber should be entirely put a stop to also. It is alleged that in those distiicts 
with scarce, the forests will far moro than pay for their maintenance and increase 
if treated as they are in most parts of Germany or Switzerland, where each town or village has a foiest 
or part of a forest for the use and benefit of its inhabitants. Further details are entered ^ ^ 
your correspondents, but it is of more consequence just now to securo tho recognition of piinciples alto^ethe 
new here in regard to forest management. 
Soi'PLY OF Native Timber. 
Ouery 7. How long will the suppli/ of native timber probably last in your locality under existing 
arrangements, bearing in view the likelihood of a continuous increase of the population t 
Of course the answer to this question from several districts is, that the supply will last for an 
indefinite period ; but it is quite otherwise in far too many places. Even where the country used to be 
covered wfth timber this is now becoming scarce. Commencing near Melbourne, we 
future for the wood-carters of Boroondara, as the estimates vary from only three to five years foi the 
continuance of the supply, and the majority of the inhabitants of the district earn their living by selling 
firewood in town. SoLo of these men cart it a long distance from Crown lands, but many have even now 
to purchase by the load off private land, to sell again with little profit. I rom Greensborough the repoit 
is that all the timber will have been removed in a very short time from Crown land within reach of those 
who cart it into town, and that then all the firewood will have to bo purchased off private land. 
Continuiu"- tho circuit round Melbourne, tho supply becomes more scanty until the plains aie reached, 
where there is absolutely none left. Near Geelong, as there was more open country at first, the supply 
is more completely exhausted. To both places the timber for building purposes has to be brought fiom 
a ir^ disrnce pHncipally by water. In the neighborhood of Belfast no timber for such purposes is 
Lw re brlmd wid.iu carting distance; all has to be imported from Tasmania. Around Cranbourne, in 
tho midst of what was formerly a thickly timhered country, we are told that there is now no timbei fit foi 
anythin- but fuel and the rouglLt of fencing. Within the last twenty-five years half the original timbei 
has disappeared hy removal in clearing for cultivation, by barking, ringing, and the ravages of insects , and 
it is SEcd tlmt in fifty years there will not be a living tree left, except the few that are being plan ed 
From Berwick much nearei- to the ranges, the statement is that the supply will be equal to the demand, if 
the youn- trees are allowed to live. Near Bacchus Marsh there is scarcely enough for firewood, e^eept on 
private property, and the little there is the selectors arc rapidly destroying. All over the plains firewood 
was scaree^from tho first, and of course the supply does not increase. Even at Campeidown it is said 
that the -ood timber within twenty miles will not last for more than about the same number of ’.ears. 
And takin- the whole county of Ileytesbury, containing a large portion of the great Cape Otway forest 
it is eLimated that, if the preLt scale of destruction by splitting, ringing, barking, and burning is allowed 
to continue, there will not be a tree left before the lapse of half a century. 
TIMBER ON THE GOLDFIEI.DS. 
The fore-oing estimates and statements m.ay bo taken as affording a fair average view of timbei 
prospects over tlie country generally ; but when we come to the goldfields matters begin to assume a much 
more serious aspect. Of Castlemaine, the town clerk writes— “ I he timber in this disti ict is disap- 
pearin- very rapidly from the want of proper supervision ; tho saplings are cut down, the trees are not 
Lin- replaced, the seedlings are destroyed by goats; the wood-cutters and others, now unrestricted, are 
causfng tL most reckless destruction. In this borough about 30,000 tons are annually consumed foi fi.^ 
wood, besides large quantities used for mining plant and other purposes; herefore, unless some p otcctive 
measures are enforced, the timber will be exhausted by the present population in a very few jVt 
Sandhurst the state of affairs is similar. On this point one correspondent says- ' 
of timber is used, winter and summer, for the engines employed in quartz-crushing. is a a 
winter before last many stopped crushing for want of firewood. Ihe timber had to be Carted so far, with 
foe bush a mere swamp, that the horses couhl not bring it in.” On many of the engine claims fuel has 
Ion- been a heavy item in the cost of obtaining gold, but now, as alluded to above, work has too frequently 
to be stopped whL tho roads are very wet and bad, the extra expenditure on cart.ii^g then abreidung all 
the profitb% About Daylesford it is said that there is fencing timber enough to last with care foi 
twenty years, but that this is becoming scarce in places even now; and that, if enough forest land is pei- 
mauently reserved, there will be a continuous supply of firewood, but that, if props are allowed to be cut as 
