Plea: Close off all kauri

Ascience researcher has launched a petition urging the closure of all kauri forests, over fears current measures aren’t enough to save the ancient giants from a killer disease.

The call by Victoria University’s Dr Matt Hall comes days after Forest & Bird shut all of its reserves that have kauri trees and urged the Government to do the same.

The Department of Conservation was eyeing dozens of new track closures in at-risk areas, but insisted blocking access to all kauri forests wasn’t needed. Hall, nonetheless, argued a full-scale ban was required to prevent people spreading kauri dieback disease until tried and tested strategies were in place.

Auckland Council has already closed much of the Waitakere Ranges and high-risk tracks in the Hunua Ranges to combat the soilborne scourge, which has hit kauri in Auckland, the Coromandel and Northland’s Waipoua Forest.

“I do not make the call lightly, and acknowledge that, as with the Waitakere closures, this could have significant economic impacts on people,” Hall said.

“However, the situation is so urgent now that we need to act.”

DoC, which this year classified kauri as “threatened” for the first time, surveyed the entire 735km network of its managed tracks in kauri forests. More than 50 high priority tracks have been upgraded, and to date DoC has closed 13 tracks and four reserves.

Thirty-four more tracks have been proposed for full or partial closure, with a decision to be announced at the end of next month.

Hall said while that move was positive, the process was still taking too long and didn’t go far enough to cover all forests.

“DoC’s criteria are that closures have only been considered in areas of ‘high kauri dieback risk, low visitor use, high upgrade and ongoing maintenance costs, and a similar experience provided in the vicinity’,” he said.

“If the health and continued existence of kauri forests is the primary concern, the closures need to be extended to include all forests.”

DoC’s director of national operations, Hilary Aikman, maintained that the risk of further spread due to humans in kauri forests on public conservation land was low, “as long as people do the right thing”.

“Cleaning footwear and gear and staying on the track is the best way to prevent the spread of the disease.”

Aikman said all areas where kauri stood were treated as potentially contaminated — and the Waipoua was especially tightly managed.