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CHAPTER VIII.—EXTRACTION AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT 62. State Forest Block Sales and Permits.—The quantities and values of indigenous timber sold from State forests during the year, exclusive of log sales, was as follows :

The timber was sold as follows : by appraised quantities, 104,364,000 board feet; by log scaling, 5,606,000 board feet; and by mill output, 17,766,000 board feet. Minor indigenous forest produce sold under permit was valued at £12,989 ; and exotic forest produce sold under licence and permit was valued at £1,711. The production of indigenous timber under licence and permit from State forests totalled 122,975,000 board feet (112,216,000). Minor forest produce removed under permit comprised : poles, 9,641 (5,003); strainers, 21,042 (17,626); posts and stakes, 430,583 (357,605); stays, 8,117 (7,288); sleepers, 19,995 (17,049); house and pole blocks, 14,252 (5,881); mining timber, 61,352 (54,569) pieces; battens, 1,136,068 (982,775); bridge stringers, 9 (165); firewood, 575 (360) cords ; shingles, 184,496 ; chopping-blocks, 1,177 ; tomato-stakes, 38,625. The following exotic material was produced under sale by licence and permit: sawlogs, 82,877 (7,339) cubic feet; mining timber, 12,718 (3,700) pieces; battens, 9,300 (nil); posts, nil (16,000); sleepers, nil (8,400); firewood, 32 (260) cords ; and chopping-blocks, 98 (nil). In order to salvage timber blown down in Canterbury during the 1945 gale, two sales were made under licence in the year 1946-47, and in one case (Raincliff Forest) milling-operations are now complete. In the other case, however (Balmoral Forest), very little progress has been made by the licensee, only 250,000 board feet having been milled in the period under review. As a result of increasing deterioration, the proportion of timber now merchantable is very small. Details of timber cruising are shown in paragraph 30. 63. State Forest Log Sales. —Indigenous: The State Forest Service continued its logging operations in indigenous State forests in the Auckland and Rotorua Conservancies and produced and sold to sawmillers 1,720,514 cubic feet (1,173,677) of logs of a total value of £90,341 (£57,349). Minor forest produce extracted at the same time comprised the following : poles, 59 (251); posts, 8,027 (7,474); strainers, 654 (569); stays, 828 (nil) ; battens, 17,168 (71,431); rails, nil (366); house blocks, 1,052 (4,450) lineal feet; mining timber, nil (3,100) pieces; firewood, 67 (11) cords. Exotic : Logging operations conducted by the Forest Service in exotic State forests resulted in the production of 3,283,524 cubic feet (2,782,550) of sawlogs. Of this quantity, 216,047 cubic feet, having a value of £5,914, were sold to sawmillers, the

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Species. 1946-47. 1947-48. Bd. ft. Bd. ft. Rimu and miro 84,615,000 86,514,000 Matai 6,910,000 10,820,000 Totara 5,154,000 4,780,000 Kahikatea 8,461,000 7,728,000 Tawa 2,088,000 5,650,000 Beech spp. 1,910,000 10,973,000 Others 803,000 1,271,000 109,941,000 127,736,000 £ £ Value .. .. .. 190,153 194,909