Shelterbelts on Pāmu's (Landcorp) Southland properties are in for the chop as the state-owned farmer lends its weight behind the war on wilding pines.

Eleven species of pine, including Corsian pine, Douglas fir and European Larch, have been identified as pests in the Southland Regional Pest Management Plan due to their ability to self-seed and rapidly take over large tracts of countryside, especially tussock grasslands and other high value natural areas.

First up will be lines of shelterbelts, next to Te Anau-Mossburn Highway (SH94), on Mt Hamilton Station.

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.”

The Corsican pines would be replaced with cypress, a species that does not cause the same problems as wildings and will be managed as small woodlots, Williams said.

Environment Southland team leader pest plants Jolie Hazley said the Council was 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.”

“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,” Hazley 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.”

Work on Mt Hamilton will start on 3rd March and is being supported through Environment Southland’s Environmental Enhancement Fund.

CLICK HERE for more information on wilding pines.