The Department of Conservation in Northland is making sure the alarm bills keep ringing loudly over the ravages of kauri dieback disease, despite the $5 million race to contain the spread of infection.
Chris Jenkins, Northland conservator for the Department of Conservation, this week told members of the Northland Regional Council's environmental management committee everything that could be thrown at the spreading infection, should be.
"Research into dieback is crucial and is the key to dealing with it," he said. "We need to recognise the reality of what we are facing, the scale of the challenge. It is huge."
Mr Jenkins said anyone who was worried their tree or trees might be infected should not hesitate to advise biosecurity staff at DoC or the Northland Regional Council. Both organisations are part of a multi-agency, government-funded programme (nearly $5 million over five years) to develop a kauri dieback management programme and promote a public awareness campaign.
Measures to research dieback disease (phytophthora taxon agathis, PTA) and track the extent of the infection in trees and its presence in soil around the region were being discussed during the presentation of a progress report on biosecurity operational plans by NRC biosecurity senior programme manager Don Mckenzie.
Kauri dieback got into the roots and stopped the trees feeding, and killed kauri of all ages from seedlings and saplings to very old trees "quite rapidly", he said.
"Some trees might look okay but PTA has probably in effect killed them before you see anything."
The "death collar" of gum blood and rot was the last stage on a big tree.
But he said distribution was still "quite patchy" in Northland.
Mr Mckenzie said the work was mostly a collaborative effort by several big organisations - "the sheer scale of pest work is so large we couldn't do it by ourselves".
The council received $1.5 million financial assistance for the work annually through those relationships.
Anyone who suspects a tree has kauri dieback can contact 0800 NZ KAURI (695 2874).