DOC prepares for myrtle rust disaster
The attack on pohutukawa begun by possums could be finished off by myrtle rust.
Conservation Department staff are collecting seeds nationwide in case of a potentially catastrophic outbreak of the fungal disease.
Some staff are even dangling from helicopters to reach remote specimens.
Myrtle rust attacks members of the myrtaceae plant family, which includes pohutukawa, manuka, kanuka, rata and feijoa trees.
The disease has already been found on 25 properties – two in Waikato, three in Northland and 20 in Taranaki.
Hauraki DOC senior ranger Nicholas Hamon said DOC was preparing for the worst by collecting the seeds of the treasured natives.
‘‘It’s absolutely something that people should be vigilant for. Obviously the government is taking it very seriously with collecting seeds,’’ he said.
‘‘A lot of our coastal pohutukawa have already been lost on the peninsula through possum browse, so there’re big segments of our coastline actually devoid of pohutukawa now.
‘‘And to lose those last big segments would just be a tragedy, an absolute tragedy. There’s a lot at stake with this.’’
Whitianga DOC staff were hanging from a helicopter to collect the seeds this week in some remote regions, such as the Moehau Range at the top of the Coromandel, he said.
‘‘Getting rata seed from Moehau, all 50 trees – you can’t climb to the top of those trees,’’ Hamon said.
‘‘It’s the only way they can get into the heads of the rata to clip the seeds. So really, it’s a big, big exercise.
‘‘Some of the seed collection for us was really easy. We were able to go around with a rake and pull the top of the branch down and clip the end.’’
Whitianga staff are collecting seeds from varieties of rata, mistletoe, kanuka, manuka and pohutukawa at six sites.
In the Thames/Hauraki area, manuka and pohutukawa seeds from 50 specimens were collected. Pohutukawa seeds were collected from Tararu to Waiomu and manuka seeds were taken from Kopuatai peat dome on the Hauraki Plains.
Hamon said staff took 10 fruit capsules, containing 1000 seeds, from each tree.
‘‘They are ensuring that we have a seed bank of seeds from this generation of trees so that if the worst should happen,’’ Hamon said.
DOC staff found no signs of myrtle rust on any of the pohutukawa or manuka in Hauraki that they looked at, he said.
Hamon said there wasn’t enough information at this early stage to know what could happen with myrtle rust.
‘‘Simply the answers aren’t there or there’s just not enough information to lead one way or another. This is definitely evolving,’’ he said.
‘‘This has ruined a lot of countries it’s turned up in and this is unknown in New Zealand – how it’s going to affect our trees.’’
Myrtle rust affects the new shoots of the tree before spreading to the rest of it, causing the tree to die.
DOC is urging everyone to check neighbourhood trees and if there are any concerns, phone the Ministry for Primary Industries hotline: 0800 80 99 66.
If you think you’ve spotted myrtle rust, don’t touch the infection. Find more information at mpi.govt.nz/alerts or doc.govt.nz.