PRODUCTION
Forestry
use.
Hong Kong is not a timber producing territory and it is necessary to import timber for building purposes and fuel to meet the requirements of the large popula- tion. The Colony's hills are for the most part covered with grass but in some places, particularly in the more remote river valleys, there is a dense cover of wild tree growth. Elsewhere, New Territories villagers have established small plantations of pine trees for their own The cutting of wild tree wood is strictly prohibited and villagers are largely dependent on grass for fuel. In some areas the natural grass cover has been com- pletely destroyed, probably due to repeated fires or excessive grass cutting by villagers in the past. these areas the surface soil has been completely washed away by heavy rains and the sub-soil is eroding seriously. Gullies are forming and the soil is being washed down to the plains below, where it is causing much damage by silting up irrigation channels and paddy fields.
In
It is the aim of the Forestry Division to establish forests on the Colony's hills to protect the water supplies; to prevent erosion; to produce firewood and small timber for the future; and to enhance the beauty of Hong Kong. During the summer months the rain- fall in Hong Kong is extremely heavy and, where there is insufficient vegetation, rain beats directly on the soil, breaking it up and washing it down the slopes. Where, however, there is a proper forest cover, the foliage of the trees breaks the force of the rain and, as forest soil is extremely porous, the rain sinks into the soil to re-appear later in the form of small streams. Thus the water is held in the soil and does not run directly down the slopes, and the flow of water into the reservoirs is extended into the dry season.
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