Burning (vegetation treatment)
You can clear excessive slash or dead, standing vegetation from your land through controlled burning.
What are the issues with burning?
Burning is a less favoured method of vegetation treatment as it causes the loss of organic matter from soil surfaces and can create erosion problems. It also has the potential to accidently burn surrounding areas.
Burning can cause fast regrowth in weed species you do not want, for example, gorse seeds are not destroyed by fire, and burnt stumps can regrow. It's important over the first year to monitor what is coming through. You may need to do some spraying before and after planting.
Things you need to consider
If you're burning you need to think about:
- fire control requirements
- timing
- public liability insurance
- if you need a permit from Fire and Emergency New Zealand
- your council requirements relating to vegetation clearance, smoke nuisance and air quality. This is especially important if you have native vegetation or the land is considered a significant area.
Fire and Emergency has information on using fire for land management and are responsible for declaring fire seasons and issuing fire permits.