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Tumut
School Forest 8
October 1954 The Farmer and Settler |
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The Tumut school forest already has yielded
timber returning the school over£1000. The current value of the growing
timber is about £3000. The Minister for Conservation, Mr. Enticknap, said the Tumut school forest is a
wonderful example of what children's enthusiasm coupled with community
effort can achieve for a country school. He said the Tumut school forest,
which dates back to 1926, but is now administered by a trust constituted
under the School Forests Areas Act, 1936, is the most outstanding
of the 21 school forests in the State. Future Development The trust comprises the school
inspector, Mr. M. M. Hagan, the headmaster, Mr. A. Wood, a
grazier, Mr. T. Wilkinson, and a senior forester, Mr. R. Hammond. Half the revenue from the forest
has been reserved for future development and the balance has been set
aside for school amenities. Meanwhile, these moneys are
earning bank interest for the school forest fund. The trust has decided to release
the money for the school at the rate of £50 each year, and this procedure
assures the school of a permanent income for a considerable number of years. For the present, the money is to
be spent on technical and fiction books for the school library, which
is being steadily built up and already is impressive in size. The minister said the idea
underlying the school forests scheme is not merely to gain revenue
but also to develop in young children an appreciation of the
value of trees and forests. In rural areas, where the
planting of more wood- lots and windbreaks is considered highly
desirable, this is regarded as of particular importance. Mr. Enticknap
said that in view of this and other considerations the trustees are
considering clear felling the 12 acres of forest over a four-year
period, and the undertaking of a complete reafforestation programme
in which the young pupils will be actively engaged. If this plan proceeds, reafforestation
will be made with Monterey pine which has proved so successful. |