Lenz Reserve Recovers From Early Logging

Forest and Bird, Issue 299, 1 February 2001, Page 36

Lenz Reserve Recovers From Early Logging

PETER WHITE

reports on the Society's largest reserve, in the

isolated Catlins region.

t 550 hectares, Lenz Reserve is the largest of ’ ‘all the reserves administered by Forest and Bird. The reserve is in the remote Catlins region, lying at the southernmost corner of the South Island between Dunedin and Invercargill. Access is via the coastal State Highway 92, just south of the township of Papatowai, with a driveway into the Society's Tautuku lodge complex. Despite early modification by logging, the Lenz Reserve is still representative of the original natural character of the Catlins area and has a high diversity of species and habitats. An area of old-growth forest is traversed by the Long Track. The reserve is surrounded on all sides by various reserves managed by the Department of Conservation, including the 15,000 hectares of Catlins Coastal Rainforest Park. The Fleming River, the only catchment in the Catlins fully forested from hilltop to coast, meanders through the central and southern parts of the reserve before emptying into Tautuku Bay. Significant logging of rimu, miro and kahikatea started in the reserve in 1902 and two mills, Gwyns (1910-1914) and Cooks (1936-1963), were located there. The legacy of the logging era can still be seen in the reserve today; in the historical relics to be found on the lower Fleming River flats and along the various tramlines used in connection with the mills. The Department of Conservation, with local volunteers, erected an interpretive display centring round the Traill Tractor with its log bogies (named after the designer who developed this logging equipment).

The Fleming River is bordered by areas of exotic grassland and kahikatea forest, with rimu and pokaka, grading into extensive areas of hill slope kamahi forest with miro, rimu and occasional Hall’s totara. Drier areas immediately adjacent to the river support a distinctive low forest dominated by horopito Pseudowintera colorata, Coprosma rotundifolia, tree fuchsia, putaputaweta, papauma Griselinia littoralis, lowland ribbonwood and some impressive old-growth matali. Matai are now relatively rare in the area. Amongst the kamahi are patches of forest dominated by tree fuchsia and wineberry. At higher elevations in the northern end of the reserve, southern rata becomes co-dominant with kamahi and there are smaller amounts of miro. To the east of the lower Fleming River there is an area of sphagnum mossfield with wire rush Empodisma minus, pigmy pine, turpentine scrub, tangle fern, and manuka. On the south side of the river there is a wetland dominated by sphagnum moss, manuka, Coprosma species and the sedges Carex secta, C. virgata and Eleocharis acuta. This range of habitats provides for a variety of native bird species. Bellbird, tui, yellow-breasted South Island pied tit, fantail, brown creeper, silvereye and grey warbler are particularly prominent in the forested areas of the reserve. New Zealand native pigeon are common in all habitats. Shining cuckoo are common throughout _ the reserve in spring and early summer. The regionally rare South Island fernbird are found in good numbers in the

wetland areas, while along the river bank forest sacred kingfisher and grey duck can be seen. Australasian harrier are often seen flying overhead. If you are lucky you may be privileged with a rare sighting of the threatened yellow-crowned or red-crowned parakeet. Lenz Reserve is named after Mrs Ivy Lenz of Opoho, Dunedin, whose _ generous bequest enabled its purchase in 1964. It is managed by the Lenz Reserve Management Committee, which is made up of representatives from the Dunedin, South Otago, and Southland Forest and Bird branches. Over the years the committee has organised the control of broom and ragwort, along with tree planting and track development. It is planned to encourage natural regeneration on the lower Fleming River flats. — Peter White, a member of the Forest and Bird national executive, is undertaking a review of the Society’s reserves and their management plans. (For a more complete description of the Lenz Reserve vegetation see Parmenter, G A, ‘Vegetation Survey of Lenz Reserve, Otago’ an article in Forest & Bird Journal Number 201, August 1976.)