Under The Microscope

NATIVE FOREST RESTORATION, by Tim Porteous; QEII National Trust, 1993; 184 pp; $29.95

This excellent publication is a practical guide on all aspects of forest restoration. It has been expanded from an earlier QEII National Trust publication, the Revegetation Manual, to provide a far more comprehensive overview of forest remnant management. Topics covered include basic management principles, animal and weed control, revegetation principles, plant propagation, site preparation and planting, and post-planting treatments. The book is well illustrated with line drawings, photos and tables, and is published on glossy paper in a sturdy but easily used ring-bound format.

I opened the book with high expectations and was not disappointed. Although subtitled A Practical Guide for Landowners it clearly will have much wider appeal to all those interested in forest conservation, be they landowners, members of conservation groups, students (secondary and tertiary), conservation managers, local and regional council workers or anyone else interested in restoration and conservation.

The information contained in the book is up-to-date and soundly based scientifically, while the practical advice given is excellent. I was particularly impressed with the information provided on the control of common weeds in Table 1, including the helpful colour photographs for identification.

I had few quibbles with the books content, although a few points do need comment. On page 13, it is stated that forest edges result in dry, cool conditions, but in my experience edges are drier and warmer than the forest interior. On page 26, the text and the photo suggest that possum bait stations should be attached to the base of target trees. However, in areas with ground birds such as weka this is not advisable, and bait stations should be attached at least one metre above the ground. I would also query the use of pindone, which is fairly ineffective against possums, although good for killing rabbits.

Further, I felt the advice on page 105 about using wild plants for restoration needed to make the point more strongly that wild plants can not be taken from any lands administered by the Department of Conservation, and that best restoration success is achieved with plants grown from seeds or cuttings, as collecting plants from the wild can result in root damage.

But these few quibbles aside, I think this is an excellent book that is long-overdue and should have very wide appeal. I hope that every secondary school in New Zealand buys a copy, and that it is widely promoted through farming groups, natural history societies and conservation groups so that as many interested people as possible are aware of it and can purchase and use it. The Trust are to be congratulated on this excellent publication.

David Norton is with the Conservation Research Group, in Canterbury University's NZ School of Forestry.