https://southlandapp.nz/NewsStory/wilding-conifers-continue-to-plague-southland/69e14b8a36ad07002d4c0829?fbclid=IwY2xjawRWFlZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFpRUdnYmJ3S3pGOGh3NjdBc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHuE2aDyjQafg9gL30BB2_7HjD_p451YkZfRVjMQA-tivtZpZUUYhY_faOo6U_aem_GufgXgnFbW8aNOwRGGEVqA

https://www.es.govt.nz/about-us/envirosouth/2026-stories/autumn-2026/keeping-a-foot-on-the-throat-of-wilding-pines

From the Keen family’s front door, the hills tell a story, one of invasion, persistence, and a farmer who refuses to let wilding pines swallow his family’s legacy.

Jeff Keen remembers when the back block of the 870ha Tomogalak Gorge and neighbouring Cattle Flat Station in northern Southland were almost void of wilding pines. The slopes dotted with a few pine trees and patches of scrub, and so distinctive that, hunting as a teenager, he and his late brother used it as a rendezvous point. “Meet you at the pine trees,” they’d say.

Today, that memory carries a sting. What felt like a harmless landmark in the late 1980s became the gateway to an invasion in the early 2000s. Wind-borne wilding Pinus contorta seedlings spread fast, faster than anyone imagined, turning tussock faces into forests of pine.

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Environment Southland’s top boss has given a blunt assessment on a wilding pine issue plaguing parts of the country.

Southland has previously been described as reaching a “tipping point”, with trees spreading aggressively through high country, farmland and conservation areas.

Environment Southland acting chief executive Rob Phillips said about $25 million extra was required to tackle the issue of wilding pines, on top of the “ballpark” $20 million currently spent by government and councils.

“We’re hardly treading water, but we are going backwards,” he said.

Douglas fir has previously been highlighted as a species of concern in Southland, because of the distance its seed can travel, tolerance to climate and commercial popularity.

Phillips touched on that point, saying the tree was seen as a favourable production species, making it a challenge to turn that around and put liability back on plantations.

“This is certainly the biggest biodiversity threat to our tussock grasses in the South Island and central North Island.”

His comments followed concern from councillor Alastair Gibson that the council had recorded its containment of the trees as “partially achieved” in a biosecurity report.

“I think we’re going backwards to be honest,” Gibson said.

The council report measured a range of outcomes for a one-year period and showed the council had reached most of its biodiversity targets, but it also noted some larger biosecurity programmes were beginning to struggle, because the scale of pest issues was greater than the capacity to respond.

Harmful species the council fought fell under four categories – marine, animal, plant and freshwater.

21/11/2025

Source: RNZ

The rise of a new villain and a lack of funding are two challenges facing a trust dedicated to removing wilding trees in Northern Southland.

The Mid Dome Wilding Trees Charitable Trust hosted a hui in Lumsden on Wednesday to discuss the challenges facing the trust.

Those attending included Southland District Mayor Rob Scott, district councillors, trust members and Department of Conservation and Environment Southland staff members.

The trust was formed in 2006 to deal with the spread of wilding pines in the Mid Dome area.

The Mid Dome project area surrounds the Cupola and Mid Dome ranges, and comprises an area of 68,602ha about halfway between Invercargill and Queenstown.

Trust chairwoman Ali Ballantine said during the last volunteer day the trust held to remove wilding trees she had been surprised to see how many Douglas fir seedlings were growing.

While seeds were being dispersed from existing plantations the problem could get worse as more trees were planted for carbon farming, Ms Ballantine said.

There were few rules to hold those planting trees accountable for the spread of seeds that caused the problems, she said.

Something needed to be done to stop the planting of species in inappropriate places.

“This problem is not going away — it’s going to bankrupt us.”

Environment Southland biosecurity plants team leader Jolie Hazley said she had seen the numbers of wilding Douglas fir trees increase rapidly in the past 10 years.

Wilding Douglas fir could be found throughout Northern Southland as wind carried the seed. Some were growing up to 14km from the nearest seeding trees, she said.

Trust member Geoffrey Young said if the trees were allowed to keep growing it would lead to a “very real biodiversity loss”.

The trees could grow at altitudes of up to about 2400m.

“You would have virtually no high-altitude tussock country anywhere in the country.”

Where land was grazed the seedlings would be eaten off but higher up there would be nothing to stop the trees taking over, he said.

Ms Ballantine said the trust had made good progress in eliminating Pinus contorta and Pinus mugo but its work was affected by a cut in funding.

If the group had received the same level of government funding as in the past the task would have been completed by 2033, she said.

“With a couple of years of inadequate funding, we’re on the back foot again.”

Trust member Richard Bowman said it made sense to finish the job now.

“A dollar spent today is going to save you $90 50 years down the track because you get on and fix the problem.”

11/06/2025

Source: Rural Life