Wetland in Production Forests
Wetlands are one of the rarest ecosystem groups in New Zealand. They were disproportionately affected by clearance for agricultural production, being common on fertile lowland valley floors and plains. Today, only 7% of the original wetland areas remain (around 400,000 ha). They provide habitat for native species, particularly birds, such as the fernbird, spotless crake and bittern.
The PF Olsen-managed estate includes around 575 ha of wetlands throughout the country, and a number of them are regionally and nationally significant wetlands forming amongst the most important ecosystem types occurring within our plantations. Ranging in size from 0.1 to 60 ha, they are as diverse in significance as they are in size. Accordingly, PF Olsen applies differing levels of management appropriate to the nature and scale of the wetland. Wetlands are granted basic protection from harvesting and forestry activities as a minimum. For areas that have identified special attributes, more specific management tools may be applied and will remain an environmental management focus for some years to come.
- Pest and weed control (e.g. wilding pine removal, wallaby control);
- Specialist ecological surveys to rank significance and recommend management actions;
- Increasing crop planting setbacks to provide more robust buffer to wetland;
- Photopoint monitoring to capture long-term changes in vegetation composition;
- Restoration planting of native plant species;
- Collaborative restoration projects with Councils and Iwi
Clockwise from top: Leptospermum wetland, raupo wetland, swamp maire/kahikatea wetland, photopoint monitoring site in a duneland wetland.