THE AREA of Westland Forest Conservancy is approximately 3,800,OO acres, of which about 2,300,OOO acres, or 60%, is steep, unoccupied,5mountain land held in Crown ownership as State Forest, unalienated Crown Land, or Nalional Park. The value of this land, for timber production or for agricultural or pastoral use, is entirely negligible, yet upon the safe custody of it the future of Westland must largely depend. The most cursory evaluation of flood hazards, particularly in respect to the key agricultural and pastoral lands on the flood plains of the rivers, will show that this statement is no exaggeration. Under Westland conditions, protection works designed by man will not be worth twopence if there is failure to maintain an adequate cover of vegetation on the flanks of the mountains.
