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RetortsForestsAdvocates of afforestation of the South Island high country by introduced trees will need to develop more convincing arguments than Pat Palmer [Viewpoint, May 1993] if they wish to win the support of conservationists. To claim that native tussock grasslands are "only marginally more natural than the Christchurch Botanic Gardens" is ridiculous, and that native forests grow through pine plantations is misleading. The Christchurch Botanic Gardens are an artefact of society, carefully planted and nurtured by people, whereas native tussock grasslands are natural communities, or at least a natural response to the removal of forest and shrubland. Introduced pines are more competitive than most native trees and native forest regeneration in pine plantations is the exception, not the norm. Conservationists value the tussock grasslands and open vistas of the high country because they are unique. While many tussock grasslands have been destroyed by burning, grazing, cultivation or tree planting, those that remain are part of New Zealand's distinctive indigenous flora. They are as much part of our natural heritage as the kauri forests of Northland and the beech forests of the South Island. That they increased in extent after the removal of forest is now irrelevant, as they occupy only a fraction of their former range and are often modified or threatened at these sites. Conservationists are not opposed to trees in the high country, but are opposed to the uncontrolled planting or spread of introduced trees. No-one would deny that planting trees can be beneficial. However proponents of forestry in the high country will need to show that they are sensitive to indigenous ecosystems and landscapes, and that they can manage wilding spread, before they will win support from conservationists. Mike Harding, Royal Forest and Bird Protection Soc. |
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