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Land of Ancient Fires

Vegetation burning in Central Otago has been happening for thousands of years and is not a recent phenomenon says a leading plant scientist.

"The story of burning does not begin with runholders, nor even with the tangata whenua. It goes back many thousands of years. Over this time, native forests that once covered the lower mountain slopes have given way to the open landscapes of today," says Landcare Research ecologist Dr Peter Wardle.

Traces of the ancient forests of Central Otago exist as rare native trees in protected locations, he says, with patches of beech in gullies and gnarled totara or celery pines on boulder slopes.

"More evidence is in the form of charcoal, usually of totara and celery pine, that lies buried down to half a meter in the soil. Some of this charcoal, which is best seen in road and track cuttings, has been radiocarbon dated to as old as 7700 years." Wardle says although fire in Central Otago has such a long history, the frequency and intensity must have changed through time.

"Before humans appeared on the scene, fires could only have been caused by lightning. There is no doubt that fires became more frequent once Maori arrived, and by this time, much of the forest had already been replaced by tussock, scrub and fern. Nevertheless, fires of this period are likely to have travelled far and furiously, impeded by fewer barriers and fed by more fuel than exists today."