KEY POINTS:
Residents concerned about popular Maraetai Beach being spoiled by forest logging have won the backing of local authorities for a study of ways to prevent soil erosion.
Kane Glass, of the Pohutukawa Coast Community Association, and Andrew Jenks, of Manukau City Wai Care, had consultancy Natural Environments prepare a report into environmental impacts of harvesting the Whitford pine forest behind Maraetai.
That information was presented last week to the Auckland Regional Council, which approved a $10,000 grant towards developing a pilot riparian protection programme.
Manukau City said it would match the ARC grant.
The residents' report said potential effects of clearing forest on such steep land included increasing flow of sediment into the Adah Platts Mills Stream and on to Hauraki Gulf shellfish habitats. Other risks were increased floods, land erosion and slipping. Pohutukawa Coast residents have had weeks of interruption to travel since a major slip closed the Clevedon-Kawakawa Rd.
Council environment officials said that Matariki Forest (Rayonier) effectively managed the harvest and complied with sediment control requirements. But the landowner was retiring blocks of forest for future development.
Officers suggested the residents' group explore appropriate uses for the land, establish native riparian buffers and plant long rotation tree crops.
They said a pilot study could help future council policy on riparian planting sediment management.
ARC councillor Jan Sinclair thanked the community for bringing the issue to the ARC's attention.
She said development and rural activity in the Hauraki Gulf were putting pressure on stream and marine ecosystems, so the council hoped the project would help to minimise the effects of erosion and sedimentation.
