A decade of restoration

Forest and Bird, Volume 21, Issue 4, 1 November 1990, Page 2

A decade of restoration

Is SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR the Native Forest Restoration Trust celebrated its tenth anniversary and could look back at some notable achievements. The Trust's beginnings can be traced back to 1978 and the now famous tree-top sit-in led by Trust member Steve King to protect the giant totara of Pureora Forest in the central North Island. As a result the Government placed a three-year logging moratorium over the forest. A number of those who protested about the logging later formed the Trust, which tried to convince local mill workers that they should restore the forests they had destroyed. By growing 100,000 trees at a nursery at Oratia, the Trust hoped to provide the initial impetus for the restoration project. However,

the Government decided to close the mills and $7 million was provided as compensation. This left the Trust with thousands of mainly kahikatea and totara seedlings looking for a home. Many were sold to farmers, and the proceeds formed the start of the Trust's fund. Since then the Trust has added 319 ha to Puketi forest and 248 ha to Waipoua forest with its purchase:of the Puketi Mokau Reserve and the Prof W.R. McGregor Reserve. Its current campaign is to restore reverting farmland on Rangitoto Station to the east of Te Kuiti. If you would like to know more about the Trust's work, write to The Trust, PO Box 80-007, Green Bay, Auckland 7