What's On at Zealandia


 

Sanctuary Closure 23-25th July

Sanctuary Closure 23-25th July

The sanctuary will be closed on 23-25 July for the felling of some large pine trees over Lake Road. There will be no access into the valley for anyone for the health and safety of our visitors, volunteers and staff. The shuttles are cancelled for the three days. Rātā Café and the Visitor Centre will remain open. Night tours will not be impacted as all work will finish by 5pm each day. 

The lower section of Union Mine track and Lake Road between the toilet block and Tūī Terrace will also be closed on 26, 29, and 30 July (except for Saturday and Sunday) for the same reason, but the sanctuary will be open. You will be able to use Te Māhanga to bypass the closure, but unfortunately, mobility scooters and wheelchairs won’t be able to go past the closure.

These trees are a health and safety risk to track users and require removal as we look to achieve our 500-year vision of a towering podocarp canopy across the valley. This work is part of our next phase of restoration in the valley which includes removal of the exotic canopy. The pines at Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne were originally planted as a forestry trial, with the original stand of pines being planted in the 1880s and the youngest 30-40 years ago. Because of their age, some of the trees are no longer structurally sound. We have been working with an arboricultural consultant to determine what trees need to be managed and when.

The pines have played an important role in providing large trees for our manu, and with their removal, they will continue to play a role in this ecosystem. We have been trialling veteranisation techniques to provide habitat for different species. Veteranisation is the process of ageing trees through the use of chainsaw cuts. Techniques involve cutting nest cavities into dead standing trees and making rough cuts to encourage fungi and invertebrate habitat to be created.

While we are still testing this technique, initial results are promising. Last breeding season, kākā were seen investigating the cavities, and one kākā who had never nested in an artificial nest box before used one of these pine cavities, successfully raising three chicks in the nest. Work is now underway on trialling these types of cavities for other species such as hihi.

Want to learn more about this project? Come along to our Conservation Kōrero on Wednesday 24th July with Jo Ledington (GM Conservation and Restoration at Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne), and David Spencer (Director/Consultant Arborist at Tend Trees Consultancy) 

Many thanks for your co-operation and patience as we undertake this important piece of restoration work. We aim to reduce disruption as much as possible and will keep you up to date of any changes due to weather or unforeseen events.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

How will you look after the wildlife under the pines? 
We are purposely scheduling this work outside of the breeding season. Prior to the removal of the pines, conservation staff will assess the trees and immediate area to look for nests (some species like kākāriki may nest all year round) and burrows. Areas will be assessed daily by trained people to ensure that no wildlife is at risk of harm from branches or trees coming down. 


Can you use the wood for firewood?  
The pines have been an important component of the valley ecosystem for many years. Much of the material removed will be chipped and returned to the soil to help replace the nutrients that each tree used to grow. Larger remaining parts of the tree will break down more slowly and become valuable habitat for fungi, invertebrates, plants and birds. 

How many trees are being removed?  
11 trees are being felled and 5 trees are being pruned. Pruning will clear space near the fence or tracks and clear the canopy to let sunlight into the lower canopy for native trees.  

Will tracks near the pines still need to be closed again in the future? 
Possibly. An ongoing element of this work is to assess the risk of these large old trees falling. We have a qualified consultant using an internationally recognised risk assessment framework so we can keep all staff, volunteers and visitors safe while they are visiting the valley. We will continue to manage these trees to keep everyone safe, which may include closing tracks until the trees can be removed. 
 

Will the noise scare the wildlife away?  
We expect that wildlife in the immediate vicinity will move away from the noise while it is occurring and return once the noise has diminished. 

Are you making hollows or putting in existing nest boxes? 
The idea is to use the trees to create more habitat for all sorts of species. This is called veteranisation. Cavities will be cut into the stumps, but we are purposely cutting them into the dimensions for kākā and hihi and they will have a removable front, similar to a nest box. We will also be doing coronet cuts – instead of doing a clean chainsaw cut on branches, branches will be removed in such a way that ragged ends are left – creating hollows for plants, fungi and invertebrates to live. 

How did the veteranisation go last year? 
While we are still testing veteranisation, initial results are promising. Last breeding season, kākā were seen investigating the cavities, and one kākā who had never nested in an artificial nest box before used one of these pine cavities, successfully raising three chicks in the nest. Work is now underway on trialling these types of cavities for other species such as hihi.

 

Photo Credit: Scott Langdale 

Previous Article Birds of a (variety of) feathers
Next Article Why do people volunteer?
Print
1233

Theme picker