Ancient tree found at Waingake

OLD AS: Council workers admire a massive kahikatea they discovered in the Waingake reserve. The tree has a 2m diameter and is estimated to be up to 800 years old. Picture supplied

A Kahikatea tree estimated to be 600 to 800 years old was discovered in the Waingake Waterworks Bush by Gisborne District Council workers.

GDC senior land management officer Melanie Cheetham shared information about the work being done in the Waingake reserve at the Forest and Bird annual general meeting.

Councillors agreed last year to a five-year $300,000 animal control and monitoring programme to maintain the 1100 hectares of original native forest in the reserve which protects the city’s water supply.

“The aim of the programme was to protect and increase biodiversity within the bush to maintain and increase the quality of the catchment’s water supply,” Ms Cheetham said.

“Some of the monitoring includes tagging and measuring trees and listing all plants in the plot to measure the impact of pest control efforts over time.”

It was during this tag and measure work that the big old kahikitea was found.

On the downside, Ms Cheetham said the forestry understory and seed source had been severely degraded by the presence of introduced pest animals.

“Possums are at capacity level.”

People at the meeting asked if 1080 could be an option for pest control.

Council workers have set up camera trap surveys, wax tag monitoring, targeted pest control, permanent vegetation plot monitoring, seedling survey, wildlife monitoring and partial retirement of adjacent Pamoa pine plantation.

“To know whether or not we are making a difference, we need to establish a regular monitoring regime,” Ms Cheetham said.

“The regime includes permanent plot monitoring to be repeated every five years, five-minute bird counts every two to five years, initiating bat survey work and deciding on a repeat timeframe, repeated wax-tag monitoring every two years, repeating the camera survey by 2022 and repeating seedling line monitoring every three years.

“Positive outcomes include increasing the density and abundance of indigenous fauna, increasing the density and subsequent cover of indigenous flora, particularly palatable species, and increasing the water quality within the catchment.

“There are opportunities for Pamoa and Waingake to collaborate such as expanding the total area of native forest through part-retirement of Pamoa plantation forest, which will further enhance the value of Waingake reserve.”

An integrated approach to pest control incorporating Pamoa would have positive effects on Waingake and the redevelopment of Pamoa forest could potentially open the wider area up as a future education and tourism destination, she said.

In September, 150 possum bait stations were installed around the perimeter of the bush.

Baseline data was collected on indigenous vegetation at eight locations within Waingake.

Plots measuring 20m by 20m were at randomly-generated GPS points.

The wildlife monitoring the council is doing includes five-minute bird call counts done at the same time as the vegetation plots.

The species heard were rifleman, tomtit, grey warbler, tui, bellbird, fantail, whitehead, swamp harrier and pied tit.

“A bat survey has been proposed for 2020 as we know that long-tailed bats are present in the reserve but abundance is unknown,” she said.

“The council will next increase perimeter box traps to close the gap along the Pamoa forest boundary, increase feral goat control beyond current DoC efforts to include a minimum 1km buffer.” It was essential this buffer be extended further into Pamoa, said Ms Cheetham.

An internal bait and trap network is also planned, and work has begun on the process of engaging contractors to distribute feracol bait bags.

“We will investigate available smart technologies such as self-resetting traps as this would reduce the hours required for checking and resetting traps on the internal trap network.

“There will be further iwi engagement and community consultation.”