Four Sisters walking track closed after kauri dieback discovered nearby

Monday, 20 May 2019

While most people follow the rules and stay on the boardwalk, a few risk the spread of the disease by stepping up for a closer look at the Four Sisters

A popular Northland walking track has closed after test results found kauri dieback at the stand of the kauri trees known as the Four Sisters.

The Department of Conservation and Te Roroa have closed the track until further notice due to two soil samples testing positive for the disease.

The short track brings walkers near to the trees named the 'Four Sisters', which are all in close proximity of each other.

Te Roroa General Manager Snow Tane said most visitors to the trees were well behaved, but a small number stepped off the boardwalk and risked spreading the disease.

The Four Sisters walking track will close until the Department of Conservation decide how to manage the disease spread

* Lord of the forest: New Zealand's most sacred tree is under threat

* Waikato Regional Council backs DOC decision to close walking tracks to stop kauri dieback spread**

The soil tests were taken in February to establish how close the disease was to the kauri. The results found traces of kauri dieback within four metres of the trees.

This is the second case of a named kauri tree being under threat from the disease, with the disease found within 60 metres of nearby Tāne Mahuta in 2018.

DOC Northern North Island Operations Director Sue Reed-Thomas said the immediate closure of the track was the best way to protect the kauri until an informed decision was made about future infrastructure at the site.

'People should understand that if they access the closed track, and the surrounding site, they are putting our kauri at great risk,' she said.

'People are still the number one way kauri dieback spreads. It takes the smallest bit of soil movement, such as a footprint, a tyre, a dog's paw.'

'Waipoua Forest already has limited public access and most visitors use the formed tracks. To help protect the forest's kauri, it's important for visitors to stick to the open tracks and clean their footwear thoroughly before entering and leaving.'

She said with no cure currently available it is important for visitors to only go on open tracks.

About kauri dieback

Kauri dieback can kill kauri of all ages. It's a disease caused by a microscopic fungus-like organism, called Phytophthora agathidicida (PA). It lives in the soil and infects kauri roots, damaging the tissues that carry nutrients and water within the tree, effectively starving it to death.

There is no cure for kauri dieback, and the disease kills most if not all the kauri it infects. It can be spread by just a pinhead of soil.