Wilding Pine Control Operations in Tasman by the Tasman District Council

Mount Richmond Management Unit and Tākaka Hill Biodiversity Group Trust

Wild pine control work by the Mount Richmond Management Unit

Tasman District Council are set to restart their schedule of wilding pine control operations for the 2022/23 season with the Jobs for Nature team undertaking drill and fill work and aerial work shortly.

Since 2020, TDC have teamed up with independent forestry management providers PF Olsen to conduct wilding pine control in the Mount Richmond Management Unit. To date, close to 12,000 ha of the park have been surveyed or had wilding conifer control work carried out as part of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) funded activities.

The first year of the project saw five full-time employees carry out 8,707 hours of groundwork, controlling wildings across 200 ha of the park. The team also gained valuable skills in forestry and restoration work, while navigating often challenging terrain and multi-day excursions into the hills.

Jobs for Nature funding of $620,000 aims to cover 12,480 employment hours over three years. TDC are indeed grateful for further funding of $729,524 for the Mount Richmond project in 2022/23, with $613k coming from MPI and the balance provided by the Department of Conservation.

Tasman District Council has also been pleased to support efforts to eradicate wilding conifers from sections of the Tākaka Hill by their partners Tākaka Hill Biodiversity Group Trust.

The Tākaka Hill project is independent from TDC work around Mount Richmond. However, it is still an important part of wider eradication efforts and recent funding of $125,000 from MPI for 2022/23 will enable further control work on private and public conservation land within the Abel Tasman and Kahurangi National Parks.

Tasman District Council

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