Oral Submission Presentation by Blake Foster - New Zealand ...

Project and client
In April, 2010, Nick Ledgard (NL) of Scion in Christchurch was asked by Blake Foster of
Pukaki Tourism Holdings Ltd to carry out a field inspection and write a report on the
wilding conifer situation and management options on Pukaki Downs station. NL visited
the station from May 30 – June 2, 2010, after which he wrote this report.
Introduction
Wilding conifers have been invading Pukaki Downs station since the early 1960s .
Initially, invasion was restricted to a short section of the lakeshore by the Homestead, but
more extensive invasion started to take hold in the late 1980s / early 1990s. The main
spreading species is Lodgepole or contorta pine (Pinus contorta), the country’s most
vigorous spreading conifer. At the present time, wildings are approaching canopy closure
over approximately 30-40% of the station, with much of the remaining area affected by
widely scattered outlier trees (often accompanied by patches of fringe spread). If left
unmanaged, wildings would dominate the majority of Pukaki Downs. Hence, the owners
are attempting to manage the spread by containment within the areas least likely to
spread further, and removal of wildings from areas with higher risk of distant spread.
Authors credentials
• Nick Ledgard obtained a BSc (Botany) from Auckland, and an MSc
(Forestry) from Bangor College of the University of Wales.
• He has been employed as a scientist with Scion since 1971. His specialist
research area is in production and protection forestry in the South Island hill
and high country.
• Since the early 1980s, he has carried out a number of research projects on
conifer natural regeneration or wilding spread. Refereed papers on this
topic have been published both locally and overseas. From 2006 to the
present day he has managed a wilding project for the South Island (now the
New Zealand) Wilding Conifer Management group.
• He has given numerous presentations, and organised many workshops and
field-days on wilding spread issues, and written twenty contract reports on
the topic. Most of these have dealt with local histories of wilding spread, the
current situation and future management options.
• He privately manages 380 ha of wilding Corsican pines (near L. Coleridge)
for environmental (including spread control) and production objectives.
Objectives
The major objectives of the report are to describe:
1. The history of conifer spread, its origin and present location.
2. The likely future spread risk and pattern if left unmanaged.
3. Priority control areas for minimising spread risk beyond present locations
(particularly off-station).
4. Options for containing conifers within the managed areas.
5. Areas with least spread risk which could be managed for carbon storage.
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