Pest tree mission at Tongariro National Park gets cash boost

Sunday, 9 January 2022

If left unchecked, wilding pines “would infest the sensitive landscape of the Tongariro region”.

Those pining for a clearer view of the Tongariro National Park, and a host of other North Island conservation areas, are in luck after the Department of Conservation announced a half-a-million dollar pest tree programme.

It will spend $467,000 on a project to remove wilding pines from the Tongariro National Park, Erua, Rangataua and Tongariro conservation ares.

“If left unchecked, wilding pines would infest the sensitive landscape of the Tongariro region and crowd out the fragile plant life there,” DOC Tongariro site project manager Danial van der Lubbe said in a statement.

The Government is spending $100 million on wilding pine control over the next four years. Video first published in October 2020.

The work is being undertaken by local contractors and DOC staff, with potential for other existing Jobs for Nature projects to also be involved.

Wilding conifers speckled across the Tongariro landscape are coming under increased control.

* One of NZ's worst wilding pine infestations is threatening Marlborough's grapes

* Battle against wilding pines ramps up in Marlborough

* Wilding pines: Eternal vigilance needed, even with $100 million investment

“National Programme funding through MPI has allowed us to work in areas that previously we were not able to work on. It’s great to see both Horizons and DOC, with the endorsement of the iwi, working together to achieve important conservation outcomes.

“Working together we can prevent the spread of wilding pines and knock these invasive weeds off our maunga.”

One of the first jobs is to aerially-survey conservation areas to locate wilding conifers for follow-up control activities. Control will then be either ground based (‘drill and fill’, ‘cut and paste’ or felling operations) or by aerial spraying.

Malinda Matthewson from Horizons Regional Council is the lead for the MPI management unit “Tongariro” which includes both conservation and private land.

“Controlling wilding pines is achievable, but we still need to work consistently to manage them,” he said.

“Now that we have the National Program this has really helped, as we have a better handle on where the trees are, and where the work needs to be done on a national scale.

“The relationships between DOC, Horizons and public groups have been very important in supporting the wilding pines work.

“This work could not be done without public support as well, and people now realise the importance of protecting our iconic landscapes.”

Wilding conifers or wilding pines are introduced trees that are spreading across the landscape through natural regeneration. They already cover more than 1.8 million hectares of New Zealand and, prior to the national programme, were spreading at an estimated 90,000 hectares a year.

The National Wilding Conifer Control Programme was set up in 2016, taking a coordinated, collaborative approach to preventing the spread of wilding conifers.

Without large-scale control, 20 per cent of New Zealand would be impacted by wilding pines within 20 years, resulting in the loss of native species and natural landscapes.