Getting ahead of wilding conifer spread before it happens

Environment Southland is encouraging landowners to root out a problem before it costs the region thousands to control.

Next week, Pāmu will be removing some lines of shelterbelt trees from Mt Hamilton Station along Te Anau-Mossburn Highway (State Highway 94) and other properties in Southland because of their potential to continue spreading wilding pines. This work is being supported through Environment Southland’s Environmental Enhancement Fund.

Work is scheduled to begin March 3, with dedicated traffic management. A traffic management plan will be in place to minimise disruption while ensuring the work is conducted safely.

Pāmu environmental manager Gordon Williams said the Corsican pines could potentially be a source of seeds to grow thousands of wilding pines, putting at risk particularly sensitive DOC land, such as the Red Tussock Conservation Area.

“Without removing these source trees, the work being done to root out new trees in the conservation area is futile and these unique habitats are at risk of being lost forever.

“This is about being a good neighbour, addressing the consequences of past land management decisions, and thinking about managing our environment for future generations,” Gordon said.

The proactive move from Pāmu (the brand name for Landcorp) to remove these shelterbelts before they cause greater long-term problems.

This is part of a broader effort by Pāmu to address legacy land management issues.

Originally, when DOC and Landcorp were one entity, land was divided between conservation and farming use. At that time, wilding pines were not considered a major problem. However, over the years, DOC has identified many areas where wilding conifers are spreading rapidly, particularly in Otago and Southland, where DOC and Pāmu share boundaries.

By removing the source trees, Pāmu would be helping DOC’s control efforts and preventing further spread at the origin, Gordon Williams said.

These Corsican pines will be replaced with cypress, a species that does not cause the same problems as wildings and will be managed as small woodlots. Along with existing trees within the paddocks, the 30m wide cypress shelterbelts will provide greater shade and shelter for livestock.

Environment Southland team leader pest plants Jolie Hazley said the Council is encouraging landowners to plan long-term for the removal of wilding-prone shelterbelts and forestry to prevent the spread of these difficult and expensive-to-control pests.

“Species including Douglas fir, Corsican, larch and radiata may have previously been great options for providing shelter to stock, but now these trees are spreading and having permanent effects on our landscape.”

The region has eleven species of wilding conifers which are identified as pests in the Southland Regional Pest Management Plan.

“If landowners start taking steps to remove these species and others which have the potential to become wildings now, they are going to save themselves and their neighbours thousands of dollars to control them in the future,” Jolie said.

Environment Southland and the Department of Conservation have been concerned about a number of shelterbelts that have been causing wilding issues, including Douglas fir, which are spreading into the Eyre mountains and other areas in the Te Anau basin, she said.

“Doing this work to prevent the spread of wilding conifers now will save expensive and lengthy control efforts in the future. We can already see this cost here in Southland, like at Mid Dome, and for our neighbours in Otago.”