Establishing native corridors in commercial forestry
Brad Smith and Erica Weblin from Environment Canterbury talk about the Perpetual Forestry Project.
Establishing native corridors in commercial forestry
In 2021, Environment Canterbury (ECAN) launched the Perpetual Forestry Project. The project protects and restores native forests of kōwhai and kānuka within the commercial blocks ECAN manages.
Duration: 04:09
[Opening drone shot of a planting site. The words “Establishing native corridors in commercial forestry” are superimposed over the shot. White logos for Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service and the Ministry for Primary Industries appear below the text.]
[The words McLeans Island, Canterbury are superimposed over the drone shot.]
[Brad Smith talks to camera, surrounded by young seedlings with plant guards supporting them.]
[Narrator is Brad Smith, Environment Canterbury]
Brad: It's estimated that the Canterbury Plains have lost over 99% of their indigenous vegetation pre colonisation. And so it really puts into perspective how precious these remnant trees are. You know, they're a piece of canterbury's relics of the past.
Brad: The Perpetual Forestry Project is a really cool collaboration between our forestry departments and biodiversity teams.
[Brad and Erica walk among young trees.]
Brad: And it was kind of born in a response to the lack of emphasis on our, um, biodiversity values within and around the forestry estate.
[Narrator switches to Erica Weblin, Environment Canterbury]
Erica: I came on board with Environment Canterbury in 2022, so a year into the project.
[Erica talks to camera, she is sitting in a field with young trees around her.]
Erica: Um, the first year there was a need to identify the remnant native areas in the commercial forest estate and make sure that we were protecting those.
[Narrator switches to Brad Smith, Environment Canterbury]
Brad: Environment Canterbury manages over 3000 hectares of commercial forestry.
Brad: And, uh, you know, within that there's some really cool native vegetation that needs protecting and can be benefited from enhancing as well.
[Erica measures the height of a young native tree.]
Brad: Here on in McLean's Island we have some remnant kōwhai and kānuka trees, for example, that have managed to, managed to persist despite the intensive land use.
Brad: It's easy to think of forestry and biodiversity existing completely separately and, you know, not, not really being able to, um, coexist.
Brad: You know, once we started identifying these remnant trees, we realised that it doesn't have to be one or the other.
[Brad and Erica are at a planting site, planting seedlings and adding plant guards to newly planted seedlings.]
Brad: You can actually use the, the commercial forestry block and the value that the trees can provide in terms of shelter as a mechanism to gain that successful establishment when it comes to native plantings.
[Narrator switches to Erica Weblin, Environment Canterbury]
Erica: And so this site here is a really good example of that coming up with the ideas of how to upscale the native afforestation.
Erica: And a big part of that was the desire to enter it into the ETS and have that supplementary income coming through from that.
[Erica and Brad walk across the planting site, Erica is holding tree seedlings and Brad is carrying a spade.]
Erica: You know, it's creating habitat in the short term, but then in the long term we're really hoping that it's going to be creating more seed sources that are sort of scattered throughout the forestry estate.
[Erica and Brad plant a tree seedling at the planting site.]
Erica: The goal is to really be able to facilitate that natural process anyway and sort of create ecosystems that can sustain themselves.
Erica: Environment Canterbury as land managers are facilitating that movement of birds from mountains-to-sea ecological corridors.
[A close up shot shows a mix of young native seedlings on the planting site.]
[Narrator switches to Brad Smith, Environment Canterbury]
Brad: A pretty constant challenge is pest animal, um, and browsing from rabbits and hares on McLeans Island.
[Narrator switches to Erica Weblin, Environment Canterbury]
Erica: At this site we initially used core fibre guards, which break down quite quickly.
[Erica and Brad put core fibre guards over young trees on the planting site.]
Erica: Just making sure the seedlings are protected for long enough to make sure that they have the best chance of getting through the initial stages.
[Narrator switches to Brad Smith, Environment Canterbury]
Brad: Well, what we've obviously learned pretty quickly is how forestry biodiversity can actually benefit each other in certain situations. Obviously, the revenue generated from commercial forestry for the council is put back straight into our restoration goals…
… using the existing pine trees as a way of establishing what is a hugely heavily modified area and what is quite a challenging place to try and do some native revegetation.
Brad: They can mutually coexist and actually and benefit each other as well.
[A close up shot shows a mix of young native trees on the site surrounded by plant guards.]
[Narrator switches to Erica Weblin, Environment Canterbury]
Erica: We've had really positive results. Um, we're seeing a lot of native seedlings coming up naturally, which is really positive.
Erica: Having more native forests, particularly close to Christchurch that are publicly accessible, it allows people to have a connection back to the land.
[Erica and Brad walk through the forest and look up at the trees that surround them.]
Erica: We have these pine plantations, which are, you know, great from a commercial perspective, but I think you really lack that sort of connection to the area.
[Narrator switches to Brad Smith, Environment Canterbury]
Brad: You know, our findings, our successes, our losses, they can be shared, and we can kind of all go on that journey together to improve the situation of biodiversity, particularly in Canterbury…
… where we've got a really cool opportunity with these river corridors to really enhance them and diversify what they're used for land wise.
[A drone shot shows the site with a mix of pine trees, native trees and a river in the background.]
[Narration switches to Erica Weblin, Environment Canterbury]
Erica: The goal here is letting nature do the work for us.
[A green background appears, text on it says: Visit the Canopy website to learn more about planting trees. Canopy.govt.nz.]
[Logos for the Ministry of Primary Industries and Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service appear in front of a green background. Text on the screen says: Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service is part of the Ministry for Primary Industries.]
The challenge
The Canterbury Plains have lost more than 99% of native vegetation since colonisation. That makes the remaining native trees precious. These trees are living relics of the past. Protecting them is vital for the region’s biodiversity.
The Perpetual Forestry Project
Environment Canterbury (ECAN) manages over 3,000 hectares of commercial forestry. Much of the forest estate is open to the public for activities such as mountain biking and running.
ECAN’s Brad Smith says within those 3,000 hectares there are tracts of native vegetation that need protecting.
In 2021, ECAN launched the Perpetual Forestry Project. The project protects and restores native forests of kōwhai and kānuka within these commercial blocks. One of the largest sites is at McLeans Island, within Waimakariri River Regional Park. The park is about 15 minutes outside of Christchurch.
Brad says, “You can actually use the commercial forestry block, and the value that the trees can provide in terms of shelter, as a mechanism to gain that successful establishment when it comes to native plantings.”
Why plant natives in commercial forests?
The project has 4 main goals:
- Protect native remnants: Safeguard the plucky kōwhai and kānuka that have survived in the commercial forests.
- Establish buffer zones: Plant new natives around these remnants to shield them from harm.
- Link native remnants: Create corridors that connect patches of native forest, helping birds, insects, and lizards to thrive.
- Encourage biodiversity: Protect and bolster native plants and animals in the forest estate.
How it works
ECAN’s Erica Weblin says the first step was to find and map the native remnants in the forest estate.
“There was a need to identify the remnant native areas in the commercial forest estate and make sure that we were protecting those.”
ECAN then started planting native seedlings. The 4,200 seedlings planted at McLeans Island in 2022 were made up of:
- shrubs, such as corokia and mānuka
- grasses such as toetoe
- trees, including 100 tōtara and 400 mānatu (ribbonwood).
In other areas, shade-tolerant natives were planted under the pine canopy. The shelter provided by the commercial trees has helped to establish the native plants. Over time, these new plantings will create more seed sources and help native ecosystems sustain themselves.
Challenges along the way
Pests! Rabbits and hares have been a problem, eating young seedlings. The team uses biodegradable guards or rabbit-proof fencing to protect new plants.
What’s working
- Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) registration: Planting more native trees to register the forest in the ETS, creating extra income.
- Fast growth: Shade-tolerant natives like māhoe, makomako, and griselinia can grow quickly under pine trees.
Erica says protecting and expanding native remnants is important for biodiversity. Existing plants provide a seed source for native plants to regenerate in the vicinity.
Erica says planting natives is creating habitat in the short term.
“But then, in the long term, we're really hoping that it's going to be creating more seed sources that are sort of scattered throughout the forestry estate. The goal is to really be able to facilitate that natural process anyway and sort of create ecosystems that can sustain themselves.”
Lessons learned
- Having more native forests near Christchurch helps people feel connected to the land and supports public access to the forest.
- Native and commercial forestry can work together. Income from commercial forestry helps pay for restoration, and restoration doesn’t stop forestry from making money.
Looking ahead
The goal is to let nature do the work. The creation of self-sustaining native ecosystems will support wildlife and people alike. By protecting native remnants and opening new corridors, ECAN is restoring Canterbury’s natural heritage, rākau i te rākau – one tree at a time.
More information
Visit ECAN's website.
Find out how regeneration or reversion of native forest works in the Emissions Trading Scheme.