History of Forestry

Although a great deal has been written regarding NZ's timber industry few ''official' histories on the topic have been offered. The introduction to Micheal Roche's all-inclusive study of the subject describes it as providing an account of the origins and growth from the spar trade of the 1790s to the 1840s, focussing then on the regional timber industries; the character of sawmilling throughout the country up to the late 1890s when a "national timber industry emerged"; then tracing "its demise as natural forests were cut-out." That point marked a transition and transformation in the industry as large State and private sector plantations of the 1920s were established -- providing for the emeregence in the 1950s of "industrial forestry in the form of pulp and paper production." As well as examining in detail each of these factors the history delves deeply in the political and bureaucratic aspects of the industry, research and development of exotics required to replace rapidly reducing native species. The book's seven major chapters examine the industry's origins, the NZ timber market up to 1880, the Kauri timber trade 1890 to 1920, formation of the State Forest Service, indigenous conservation and exotic utilisation, the second planting boom and the restructering and internationalisation of NZ forestry 1960-1986. Chapter seven features the "Envioronmental Awakening," with the concluding chapter examining early conservation ideals, controversies regarding native forest protection and legislation/administration governing/ aspects emerging from the formation of the Forestry Corporation in 1986, after the NZ Forest Service and several other departments of State were replaced by the Department of Conservation, Ministry of Forestry and the Forestry Corporation, with respective responsibility for preservation, regulatory functions and commercial forestry. These measures marked a starting point in co-ordination of conservation, State and commercial interests in a programme reflecting a significant repositioning of attitudes whereby these agencies were no longer to be run as Government departments but, having been reconstituted as corporations, were expected to perform along the line of private sector companies. Much will have changed in the 30 years since "History of Forests" was first published but it is unlikley that any other NZ history on this subject can be more comprehensive in content, while being a scholarly work, is marked by readability, with gems of information that will surprise any reader interested in this industry so vital to the NZ economy. (A note on the title page verso advises that work on the book began under the NZ Forest Service, being completed by the Forestry Corporation to mark "a century of State endeavour in developing NZ's commercial forests.") First edition of 1990 published by NZ Forestry Corportion in assocuation with GP Books, 466 pages, including bibliography and index, liberally illustrated with b/w in-text photos/some art, numerous maps, tables, diagrams etc This copy apparently from an institutional library, with unobtrusive stamp and cancelled marking top title page, otherwise the text block is in NF condition, unmarked, possiby un-read. Green hard covers with gilt front/spine titles NF, ditto the green end-papers, no inscriptions. Colour pictorial DJ also NF.…