Te Arai River willows spraying ‘step in the right direction’

The Te Arai River flooded badly during Gabrielle and the locals say the willows added to it, by impeding river flow. File picture

The district council has indicated it will look at spraying the remains of willows removed from the banks of Te Arai River during the major clean-up operation.

That news has come as a relief to landowners impacted considerably when the river flooded last year.

They were concerned about regrowth of the willows, which contributed to the river flooding during cyclones Gabrielle and Hale.

GDC community lifelines director Tim Barry said while the council worked on a strategy around the wider catchment, they wanted to use this opportunity to do some spraying.

“We will be talking to the community before this happens.

“The clearance work on large woody debris is nearing completion,” Mr Barry said.

The council has prepared a willows and poplars management plan for Te Arai with solutions.

“Willows must be alive to hold the riverbank. However, the heights of willows should be managed.

“The recommendations primarily focus on cutting the trees to a specific height and managing vegetation,” he said.

“Implementation of this plan needs community consultation as there are constraints such as conflicting interests, funds, capacity to clear up sprouts annually etc.

“Community coordination and an agreement on the solutions, prioritisation of areas and funding requirements are needed prior to addressing the willows and poplars in Te Arai.”

David Clark, of Opou Station at Manutuke, said the news was “a step in the right direction”.

“The community have been trying to communicate with the council on this issue for some time, so we will believe it when we see it.”

Mr Clark said the willows would start dropping their leaves in the next three weeks.

“So the time frame is critical to get them poisoned this season. If it’s left until next season it will be a much bigger job.

“It’s a shame the poisoning work was not done during the initial cutting of the willows.”