A FOREST PARK FOR TONGARIRO?

Forest and Bird, Volume 15, Issue 3, 1 August 1984, Unnumbered Page

A FOREST PARK FOR TONGARIRO?

On 17 April a major public meeting in Owhango was convened by King Country RF&BPS to discuss future management of the 25,700 hectare Tongariro State Forest. 150 people from throughout the region attended. Release of a Forest Service Land Use Study which identifies much of the forest as being suitable for pines and pasture, and the interim zoning of nearly half the forest for clearance has precipitated controversy throughout the region. The meeting voted unanimously for the preservation of the State Forest in its present largely natural state and for its development as a Forest Park to benefit the King Country’s growing recreation and tourism industry. A Tongariro Forest Park promotion committee was established including Forest and Bird, Federated Farmers, Taumarunui Borough and County Council, Outdoor Pursuits Centre, tramping, deerstalking, fishing and tourism representatives. This group has now presented submissions to Government supporting the Forest Park. Head Office Forest and Bird have also presented detailed proposals to the Forest Service recommending ecological reserve Status for an additional 2,700 hectares of the forest. The proposed Tongariro Forest Park would encompass both Tongariro and Erua State Forests. These forests include fascinating mosaics of cedar, matai, totara, rimu beach and tawa, which although logged in parts still contain important natural and recreational values. They occur at a much lower altitude than forests already protected in Tongariro National Park.