Wilding Campaign Continues

Building on a highly successful wilding pine spray campaign on Queenstown Hill last year, a larger scale campaign is scheduled to get underway next month, Queenstown Lakes District Council district forester Briana Pringle said.  

“Last year’s trial of spraying a 30 ha area achieved a really high success rate and we are now going to continue the containment line around to the front of Queenstown Hill and into other areas of the Wakatipu Basin to stop the wildings invasion,” she said. 

Wilding conifers posed an enormous threat to the unique landscape and the native vegetation of the Wakatipu Basin. The most recent work - to be carried out in early December - was in accordance with the Wakatipu Wilding Conifer Strategy, aimed at controlling the infestation. 

“Left unmanaged, the various species such as douglas fir will dominate tussock land and decimate the natives and put an end to open high country tussock scenery,” Ms Pringle said. 

The December operation was very much an ‘inter-agency’ response from the Council, the Department of Conservation, Landowners and the Wakatipu Wilding Conifer Control Group, with funding from those organisations and the Lotteries Commission. 

The areas of high priority that will be part of the coming operation include:

Queenstown Hill - Queenstown Hill Station; Von Valley – Mt Nicholas Station; Long Gully – Coronet Peak Station; Gooseberry and Horse Gully, Skippers; – Coronet Peak Station; Arrow River – Coronet Peak Station; Mount Aurum recreation reserve (Skippers); 5-Mile creek area – Ben Lomond Station;

Waitiri, Gibbston Valley– Waitiri Station (spot spray); Ben Lomond – Ben Lomond station (spot spray); Remarkables conservation area (front faces) 

The campaign would make a huge impact on the infestation. 

“This year we are using a helicopter company that has invested in new aqua flow nozzles, these nozzles have been especially designed to minimise spray drift. A buffer will be strictly enforced around residential areas and spraying will only take place on suitable (still) days,” Ms Pringle said. 

Both DOC and QLDC staff would be on site to run the operations, which would give an enormous boost to the work of volunteers and ground crews.