PRODUCTION
95
Planting work is best carried out during the cooler wet weather of spring and early summer. 1956 was favourable due to the early rains, and the planting programme was put into operation on a large scale; replanting was also necessary for the previous years' failures. 1405.66 acres were planted during the year, and this is the first time that the annual target of 1,000 acres of new planting has been exceeded. Planting on Lantao Island has been undertaken for the first time and 98 acres of new planting have so far been completed. Planting continued in the catchment areas of the Jubilee, Tai Lam Chung and Kowloon Reservoirs, at Tai Po Kau Forest Reserve, and also in the Pat Heung Forest Reserve, which extends from Sek Kong westward to join the Tai Lam Chung catchment area, to which it will be linked by catch-
water.
The scheme of assistance to village forestry was revised in 1954 to make it more attractive to villagers. The Forestry Division now offers full assistance to villagers to establish on their lots a small trial area of 5-10 acres, showing the advantage of correct forestry techniques and the most suitable tree species. The response has been very good, and trial plantations of this kind were established on a number of lots in the Sai Kung, Castle Peak and Pat Heung areas. Interest has continued to spread, and, as the lessons of good forest management are learned, country people are able to carry on profitable forestry with the minimum of help and advice from the Division's staff.
No serious forest fires occurred during this year. A system of paths and fire barriers was made in each forest area; new fire lookouts were brought into use; field telephones and radio sets were obtained for rapid spotting and reporting of fires; portable fire pumps were obtained from the U.S.A.; and a master map was completed at Laichikok covering the whole of Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories and showing in each compartment radio operation posts, field