Page:A primer of forestry, with illustrations of the principal forest trees of Western Australia.djvu/11

 PREFACE.

The importance of Forestry to the State is becoming widely recognised. People are beginning to realise that our methods of dealing with our forests in the past have been unscientific and wasteful, and that, if these methods are continued, in a few generations we shall have no forests left. We are beginning to understand that there is a science of Forestry, and that other countries are treating their forests scientifically, so that they will remain as a constant and permanent source of revenue which will not diminish as the years go by. Forests scientifically worked will provide a lasting industry which will afford regular employment to numbers of our citizens. The whole State is therefore directly interested in the conservation and economic management of our forest wealth. There is a greater demand now for timber than there ever has been in the past, so that the continuation of short-sighted and wasteful methods of utilising our forests would be disastrous.

Teachers in schools often find considerable difficulty in obtaining accurate information about such a subject as Forestry. When dealing with the industries of the country, in connection with geography lessons, or with the life-history of trees, in connection with nature-study, they feel the need of reliable and up-to-date books or pamphlets which are not unreasonably cumbersome and expensive. It is largely with the aim of meeting such a want that the Conservator of Forests has had this little Primer of Forestry drawn up. While it is primarily intended for teachers, it will probably prove of interest to many of the general public.

The chapters on the birds and animals of the forests have been kindly supplied by Mr. L. Glauert, Acting Keeper of Biology in the Perth Museum, and the chapter on insects by the Government Entomologist, Mr. L. J. Newman, F.E.S.