Reserve to close for felling
Illegally poisoned pines creating a public hazard
Asection of the ¯Hauraki-Coromandel’s Opoutere Beach Recreation Reserve will be temporarily closed for the felling of more than 350 pine trees.
The pine trees are up to 30m tall and are mostly wilding pines that have spread from trees planted as windbreaks.
The death and decay of the trees have created a hazard to people walking through the reserve from falling branches, as well as contributing to the fire risk at the site.
In 2019, hundreds of exotic pines were allegedly secretly poisoned on Opoutere dunes.
The removal of pines drilled and poisoned secretly and illegally is considered a risky task for tree contractors and could potentially damage rare birds, archaeological and ancient burial grounds in the forest, a report concluded.
At the time, consulting ecologists recommended keeping as many pines as possible to continue providing shelter for native forest that the trees have helped get established on the dunes.
More pines have been poisoned on a nearby Ruahiwihiwi Pa¯ at the small settlement and traps have been illegally laid with more poison on public land.
In a release, DOC said staff, in consultation with iwi representatives, Heritage New Zealand and consulting ecologists have come up with a plan to remove the poisoned pines from 22ha of back dunes that separate the Coromandel settlement from the beach.
DOC Hauraki operations manager Avi Holzapfel says the condition of the trees stems from a deliberate and unpermitted poisoning incident.
The closure of the reserve started on Monday, November 20, with the felling project estimated to take three weeks.
While the work is being undertaken, part of the reserve will be closed to the public.
This will include the closed area at the southern end of the reserve, the main DOC track to the beach, and the northern side of the main track where some pines also need to be felled.
It is expected the track closure will be in place for 10 working days. The track may be reopened earlier if it is safe to do so.
“The track and reserve closure may inconvenience visitors, and we apologise for that — but it is essential we get this work done,” said Holzapfel.
DOC continues to urge people to exercise caution when entering the reserve and to check for overhead hazards. The felling work will reduce the risk of harm to the public from falling dead or dying trees.
“We’ve had concerns about the health and safety risk posed by these trees, and now we’ve obtained the support, the funding and the plan for safe and efficient felling,” added Holzapfel.
“Obtaining support from local iwi was particularly vital because the reserve includes areas considered culturally and historically significant — including urupa/burial sites.”
A special Heritage New Zealand authority has been obtained to allow for the pine felling work, which will be carried out by experienced, specialist contractors.
The Heritage NZ authority, combined with restricted access to the site, means the pine trees will felled and left in situ to decompose.
DOC has consistently warned of the fire risk in the reserve, which has a fire ban in place, and fires, barbecues and fireworks should not be used.
DOC supports Fire and Emergency NZ advice, which urges all residents and households in Ōpoutere to have a fire escape plan.