Field trip NZ November 2007

[t00lie]

Hello all

Just back from the Department of Conservation organized *wildling tree day in Northern Southland.

A great day in the hills with about 40 like minded people.Transport via 4 wheeled vehicles up the very steep switch backs to the work site and lunch ,were both provided by DOC in return for a day of voluntary work.

After a week of landscaping i had a worry it would turn out as a sort of a 'bus mans holiday' for me ,however after a lot of laughs as well as some serious discussions i committed ,with most of the others, to attend the next planned day in 5 months time.

* Wilding trees are classed as Pinus sps which were planted in the 1950s in an attempt to halt soil erosion  in the Mid Dome area.This has been far too successful with the seed being carried downwind many many kilometres and affecting huge areas of pastoral lands.

The main control now is by helicopter spraying/chainsaw gangs in an attempt to rid the slopes of all the Pinus and allow the natural tussock grass cover to re establish.

Our effect was concentrated on visiting slopes that had a chainsaw gang go through 4 years ago.
 

Had a quick look around during lunch but as expected it was too early to find anything in bloom.Most of the following are scenery shots.

Cheers Dave

[t00lie]

Some more.

Thats it.

Cheers dave

[Paul T]

Dave,

So is there any real hope of eradicating, or is it now just an effort to keep certain areas clear of them?  Also, what is the silver leafed plant in the last picture?

Fascinating to see the NZ wild areas...... rather rugged (to put it mildly!) 

[t00lie]

Paul --my understanding is that there are funds from central government for,( i think) 12 years.

Whether the local authorities who are running the programme are successful in that time to the point where a maintenance follow up once every 4/5 years after that will be sufficient who knows, but certainly recent aerial spraying has seen giant steps being taken despite some spray drifting down to the valley floor and townships a year or two back. ---  but we wont go there !!!!!!!!!).

The plant in question is one of the larger mountain daisies --Celmisia semicordata ssps.

I had never been on Mid Dome previously and these plants were on slopes facing north while just a short distance on the other side of the valley to the west in the Eyre Mountains they are found mostly on the cooler southern slopes--i'm still learning--smile.

Cheers Dave.   

[Paul T]

Hmmmm... by the look of it "larger" seems an apt description. 

[t00lie]

Wildling Pine update.

Last weekend i spent another volunteer day helping remove Wilding pines.This time on the lower slopes.

Our group was smaller this time than in Oct last year--all the same ,a rough count at the end if the day and the total was over 35,000 seedlings of various sizes weeded out.

Just a few landscape shots.

Cheers dave.