The group relies heavily on volunteers to help eradicate ‘wilding pines’, which are a menace in tussock grasslands and above the bushline. They threaten native ecosystems by taking over native flora, and cause erosion of the soil.
The radiata pine is a stalwart of New Zealand’s forestry industry because conditions here are so favourable to its growth.
The same factor is responsible for ‘wilding pines’, the name given to pine tree species when they spring up uninvited and spread.
If they go unchecked, the pines would destroy landscapes that are beloved of New Zealanders and the reason many overseas visitors come here.
Queenstown Lakes District Council forester Briana Pringle, a member of the group, says they are thrilled with the grant and says they can now focus on several different areas where the wilding pines are a special concern.
Eradicating the pines is labour-intensive, she says. They are often in hard-to-access places, and although young wilding pines can be pulled out by hand, larger pines have to be lopped or chain-sawed at ground level.
