The closure of the reserve will start on Monday, November 20, with the felling project estimated to take three weeks. Photo / Roger Moroney
The closure of the reserve will start on Monday, November 20, with the felling project estimated to take three weeks. Photo / Roger Moroney
A section of the Hauraki-Coromandel’s Ōpoutere Beach Recreation Reserve will be temporarily closed for the felling of more than 350 pine trees.
The pine trees are up to 30m tall and are mostly wilding pines that have spread from trees planted as windbreaks.
The death and decay of the trees have created a hazard to people walking through the reserve from falling branches, as well as contributing to the fire risk at the site.
The removal of the poisoned trees was a risky task for tree contractors and could potentially damage rare birds, archaeological features and ancient burial grounds in the forest, a report to the Department of Conservation concluded.
At the time, consulting ecologists recommended keeping as many pines as possible to continue providing shelter for native forest that the trees had helped get established on the dunes.
More pines have been poisoned on a nearby Ruahiwihiwi Pā at the small settlement and traps have been illegally laid with more poison on public land.
In a statement, DoC said staff, in consultation with iwi representatives, Heritage New Zealand and consulting ecologists had come up with a plan to remove the poisoned pines from 22ha of back dunes that separated the Coromandel settlement from the beach.
DoC Hauraki operations manager Avi Holzapfel said the condition of the trees stemmed from a deliberate and un-permitted poisoning incident.
The closure of the reserve would start on Monday, November 20, with the felling project estimated to take three weeks.
While the work was being undertaken, part of the reserve would be closed to the public. This would include the closed area at the southern end of the reserve, the main DoC track to the beach, and the northern side of the main track where some pines also needed to be felled.
It was expected the track closure would be in place for 10 working days. The track may be reopened earlier if it was safe to do so.
“The track and reserve closure may inconvenience visitors, and we apologise for that — but it is essential we get this work done,” said Holzapfel.
DoC urged people to exercise caution when entering the reserve and to check for overhead hazards. The felling work would reduce the risk of harm to the public from falling dead or dying trees.
“We’ve had concerns about the health and safety risk posed by these trees, and now we’ve obtained the support, the funding and the plan for safe and efficient felling,” added Holzapfel.
“Obtaining support from local iwi was particularly vital because the reserve includes areas considered culturally and historically significant — including urupa/burial sites.”
Signs in the Ōpoutere Beach forest warn people of the dangers of falling branches from poisoned pines. Photo / Alison Smith
A special Heritage New Zealand authority had been obtained to allow for the pine felling work, which would be carried out by experienced, specialist contractors.
The Heritage NZ authority, combined with restricted access to the site, meant the pine trees would be felled and left in situ to decompose.
