Forest & Bird closes all kauri reserves to the public until 'crisis situation' is over

Wednesday, 1 August 2018

Kauri dieback disease has been confirmed in a young tree just 60 metres from Tāne Mahuta, local iwi has confirmed to Stuff.

All Forest and Bird's kauri reserves will be closed to the public until the spread of kauri dieback is under control.

The conservation group owns and manages seven reserves that contain kauri, covering nearly 250 hectares across Waikato, Auckland and Northland.

They are Morgan Reserve in Waikato, Ngaheretuku Reserve in south Auckland, Matuku Reserve and Kerr-Taylor Reserve in west Auckland, Onetangi Reserve and Te Haahi – Goodwin Reserve on Waiheke Island, and HB Matthews Reserve in the Far North.

Forest & Bird has closed public access to all of its kauri ecosystems.

Currently, all of those reserves are believed to be disease-free.

**READ MORE:

Kauri dieback is spread through soil movement and can be carried on people's shoes.

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Tracks must be upgraded and effective cleaning stations must be in place before the kauri forests re-open, Forest & Bird's Kevin Hague said.

* Kauri dieback found on North Shore for the first time

* Kauri dieback: National treasure on the brink of extinction**

Chief executive Kevin Hague said the closure of all healthy forests was a 'priority' until the spread of kauri dieback – which he described as a 'crisis situation' – was stopped.

The disease is 100 per cent fatal to trees and it is spread through soil movement, largely by human visitors to the bush who do not clean their boots properly.

The announcement came less than a week after dieback was discovered in Birkenhead Reserve on Auckland's North Shore.

Earlier in July, iwi confirmed dieback had been discovered in a young tree less than 60 metres from T ā ne Mahuta.

'At the rate this disease is spreading, all kauri forests including the plant and animal species that rely on kauri could collapse within our lifetime unless urgent action is taken,' Hague said.

'We believe all healthy kauri forests must be closed as a priority until we know how to stop the spread of kauri dieback disease. The Department of Conservation has recently added kauri to the threatened species list and is currently consulting on track closures but we feel their list does not go far enough.

'Private landowners and reserve managers also need to protect these precious taonga through closures.'

Hague said no kauri reserves should be re-opened until they had been surveyed to identify sick and healthy trees and had their tracks audited and upgraded.

Cleaning stations should also be audited, as there was evidence the disease was not killed by the disinfectant currently being used to clean shoes. A replacement disinfectant should be developed, Hague said.

The group also said cleaning stations should be placed at all track entrances and junctions before any reserves were re-opened.