ORC chairman welcomes wilding conifer control funding

Otago Regional Council chairman Stephen Woodhead today welcomed Government plans to control the spread of wilding conifers in the Lammermoor Range in Otago.

The Government said it will add five priority control areas this year in Otago, Southland, and Canterbury.

Welcoming the announcement, Mr Woodhead said the funding complemented ORC’s recent decision to double its funding support for wilding conifer control in the Otago region this financial year to $200,000.

“We have been working closely with the Government at a regional level to co-ordinate our approach to this urgent activity. Our productive partnership efforts are aimed at meeting community demands for the control of this insidious pest.”

This is the second year of the national control programme to remove self-sown trees that have spread from introduced conifers.

The programme is being implemented by the Ministry for Primary Industries, Department of Conservation, and Land Information New Zealand in partnership with other central government agencies, local government, forestry and farming industries, iwi groups, landowners, researchers and community trusts and organisations.

The work in the Lammermoors will address spread at a relatively early stage across an extensive area of land that is highly vulnerable to invasion. This area contains significant conservation values and highly sensitive water catchments – which are a major source of the Dunedin City Council’s domestic water supply - as well as large areas of vulnerable farmland.

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