1 July 2013
The axing of funding for large forestry projects means trees may have to be ploughed into the ground and commitments broken, Horizons councillors fear.
Over the last five years the government's Afforestation Grants Scheme (AGS) has provided $25 million toward planting trees on erosion-prone land in Horizons Regional Council's Sustainable Land Use Initiative (SLUI). In its May budget the government announced that the scheme would end on 30 June this year.
At the full council meeting on June 25, Cr Murray Guy said the council was led to believe there was a new AGS coming. "They've let us down badly for roughly 50 per cent of their funding."
Tree planting was needed because previous governments had made grants for clearing erosion-prone land, Cr Paul Rieger said.
Cr Greg Cox recommended slowing down the SLUI if government was providing less funding.
"This is a perfect opportunity to send MPI [the Ministry for Primary Industries] the message that we are not here to be played with, and neither are the ratepayers," he said.
Wording in the council's long-term plan would have to be changed if SLUI was no longer to be funded one-third by Horizons, one-third by government and one-third by farmers - a long-standing policy. There would be less planting without the funding, Cr Gordon McKellar said.
Other councillors thought a way could be found to keep the planting up - perhaps by some hard negotiating with MPI. They decided to workshop a solution.
Source: Wanganui Chronicle story by Laurel Stowell
Established plantations of pine, macrocarpa and Douglas-fir over 40 hectares now co-exist with carefully positioned ornamental trees on the long and narrow property running 16 kilometres from the highway to the sea.
Often circling the plantations are lusitanicus and cypress that will remain standing when timber trees are harvested.
Another 30 ha of native bush is protected by QE11 covenant and the couple have fenced from stock about 100 ha in gullies for their personal pleasure.
Charles Wiffen said the trees had been planted at the 1400 ha farm as much for providing a pleasant working landscape as for shelter and shade for stock. He said they had made a point of planting oaks, poplars and cypress for variety.
The Wiffens, who also run a Blenheim vineyard and manage the Charles Wiffen label, have been at Inverness for 48 years with Charles' father first running the farm. Elms, maples and "every oak you could think of" now line the property.
Farm Forestry Association award judge Neil Cullen, Balclutha, said the trees were an example of good land use.
Many of the "awkward" corners and gullies had been planted in small tree blocks, shelter belts and ornamental trees to provide shade and shelter appreciated by stock this dry summer, he said.
"I was impressed with the way they have managed the property as far as land use goes. It's a long, stretched out property 16km to the ocean and although there is only 40 ha of tree blocks in 1400 ha a lot of the property isn't suitable for forestry because of access problems."
Wiffen said he was a farmer first and a forester second, but he had always appreciated trees for the qualities they brought to a farm.
Story by Tim Cronshaw, © Fairfax NZ News. To read the full story, click here.