West Coast

The relationship between soil pattern and forest cover in the Inangahua Depression, West Coast, is examined and discussed. The relative effects of five soil forming factors, topography, parent material, climate, time and organisms are considered. The first four factors may be placed in a sequence of decreasing importance from climate through time and topography to parent material.

The main purpose of biological reserves in the northern West Coast and western Southland beech forest management regions and some factors affecting their selection are described. Their total area is about 30,000 ha in the West Coast region and about 5,000 ha in western Southland (excluding Waitutu State Forest).