Rural update 23 Nov 2021
With broom in full flower it’s a great time of year to get those outliers across the farm. The WAI team are trained to chop and paste and can help you with broom and other weed control on your property. Click here to register interest and we’ll be in touch to discuss.
The teams have been working on properties around the Upper Clutha to control the spread of wilding pines. The New Zealand Wilding Conifer Group is hosting a public information night about wilding pines in this area. The event will cover what wilding pines are, their impacts and what we can do about them. See below to register interest.
Wilding Pines Public Information Night.
Venue: Wānaka Community Hub
Date: 9th December
Time: 6pm-7pm
Please RSVP to Rowan Sprague at
rowan@nzwildingconifergroup.org
WAI Wānaka and Wilding Pines
As well as affecting productivity of farmland, biodiversity values and recreational values, wilding pines have an effect on water yield.
An excerpt from the Prevent the Spread website:
Wilding conifers reduce surface flows and aquifer recharge in water-sensitive catchments.
Less flow means less water for farmers’ irrigation needs, hydroelectric generation, or outdoor recreation use. And less water for those plants and animals that live in and around the river.
Where pasture land becomes covered in wilding conifers, this reduction in annual water yield has been shown to range from 30 to 81 percent (with the upper end of that range recorded in dry South Island sites).