NRC prepares for poplar season

Matthew Mabbitt is expecting demand to exceed supply once again. Picture / NRC

The Northland Regional Council is working within the confines of the Covid-19 restrictions in the hope that land owners who are keen to protect their properties from erosion will be able to plant poplars and willows when the government eases the lockdown.

Every year about this time the council invites land owners with erosion-prone properties from Topuni north to order poplar poles and willows from its 16ha nursery for the winter planting season. Cr Rick Stolwerk said best time to plant the trees was typically during June and July, and on that basis the council had last week begun calling for tenders from commercial operators for this year's harvest and planting at the nursery.

Tender documents could be downloaded from www.gets.govt.nz, Cr Stolwerk saying the council reserved the right to extend the timeframe to award the tender, or in the worst case scenario cancel tenders altogether, depending on the Covid-19 lockdown situation.

The council was also urging Northlanders to place orders for the coming planting season.

Nursery co-ordinator Matthew Mabbitt said a 3m poplar pole would cost $12 and a 1m shrubby willow pole $4, both plus GST, with the usual small fee for delivery to the buyer's farm gate.

"While payment for the poles doesn't need to be made until May 20, by which time the situation with the pandemic will hopefully be much clearer, the council will actually stop taking orders on April," Mr Mabbitt said, adding that demand always well exceeded supply, and the council expected that to be the case again this year, despite the pandemic.

The fast-growing trees, which had broad and binding root systems, had been used widely in Northland for years to prevent and control erosion and reduce waterway sediment pollution.

"Although the species used aren't native, they're preferable because their rapid growth rates mean they can be starting to control erosion within as little as just three years," he said.

Anyone who was interested in securing poles should contact a member of the council's land management staff on (0800) 002-004 or email nursery@nrc.govt.nz to arrange a consultation and develop a free planting plan. Council staff were available to provide that service remotely thanks to recent investment in high-resolution oblique aerial photos and modern computer-based mapping systems, and are fully operational during the lockdown.

General information about establishing poplars and willows was also available at www.nrc.govt.nz/poplars

Matthew Mabbitt at the NRC's Mata nursery ahead of the 2019 planting season.