More money for trees

Christchurch: The Government’s goal of planting a billion trees within the next 10 years is a little bit closer after the announcement yesterday of $2.2 million for the planting of natives in the South Island.

The money from the Provincial Growth Fund will be spent on trees for the coastal flats at Punakaiki on the West Coast and on restoring 34ha of kahikatea forest next to Lake Ellesmere in midCanterbury.

In total 247,000 trees will be planted thanks to the money and the work will be done by a mix of volunteers, government agencies and landowners.