Winstone confirms contorta commitment

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 560, 1 November 1994, Page 6

Winstone confirms contorta commitment

Winstone Pulp International Ltd inherited the problem of clearing stands of the noxious weed tree, pinus contorta, from its Karioi Forest. Prompted by recent Bulletin articles, the following press release outlines the situation as WPI sees it: The two last remaining stands of pinus contorta in the Karioi Forest will be felled over the next two years. Winstone Pulp International chief executive officer David Anderson, said over the past year WPI had intensified its efforts to remove self-sown pinus contorta from the forest but it was not commercially or physically practical to completely remove the last 400 hectares of plantation contorta before 1996. "This is still four years earlier than forecast by the government when it sold Karioi to WPI four years ago." Pinus contorta was originally planted in Karioi Forest by the government-owned Forest Service and by local farmers in the 1930's as it established more readily than the less-hardy pinus radiata. However this ability to spread quickly and thrive in the harsh conditions of the volcanic plateau soon made it a threat to the neighbouring T ongariro

Natiohal Park. It was declared a noxious weed and over the past three decades huge numbers of volunteer hours and thousands of dollars have been dedicated to its removal. Mr Anderson said Winstone is more than pulling its weight. Since 1991 the company has spent $250,000 removing wilding trees and has now milled half its contorta plantations. "In the past year Winstone has removed 635ha of selfsown contorta including 40ha from DoC-administered land. We have also put in a lot of extra effort felling one and two hectare blocks at the request of local farmers. "As a result the company bought in more than 13,000 tonnes of contorta this year, limiting the amount of Karioi contorta we were able to process. Only a certain amount of contorta can be processed at any one time because of the mix needed. However alterations being carried out at the Tangiwai Mill will increase capacity." Mr Anderson said throughout the year between four and six people have worked full-time on contorta control with a further nine men at times as other forestry operations permitted. "By the end of this year, except for the two remaining pockets of stand contorta, Winstone will have removed virtually all contorta growing within 200 metres of the forest boundary. This clearance has been a daunting task with some sections of the 50-kilometre-long forest-bound-ary steep and barely accessible. This is in addition to our regular on-going programme of contorta control throughout the forest". There is no quick-fix solution to the problem and Mr Anderson believes it is unrealistic to imagine contorta will ever be completely eradicated. "Pinus contorta begin to seed at five to six years. Therefore it is more realistic to aim for a controlled situation in which contorta-infested areas are revisited within this time. This is what the WPI programme is aiming for." "With Karioi Forest covering an area of 10,000ha controlling contorta spread is a huge task. Unplanted areas of river-beds, swamps, roading etc totalling 1500ha of bare land is perfect for wind-blown seedlings to establish themselves. Spraying is ineffective and each tree has to be pulled out by hand or cut." Despite these obstacles Mr Anderson said Winstone is totally committed to a programme aimed at removing all contorta before it can seed. $250,000 is budgeted for this in the coming year. "We will continue to co-operate with the Manawatu/ Wanganui Regional Council, our neighbours and interested groups such as the Wanganui Tramping Club in a joint effort to correct the mis-judgements of the past and preserve our national park for the future," he said.