Conservation jobs a second chance for workers
A group of workers affected by the Covid-19 downturn are being employed by the Department of Conservation to control wilding pines in Nelson.
Twelve workers from the tourism and forestry sectors have been redeployed to Mt Richmond Forest Park for wilding conifer control over 215 hectares of the park, working with forestry contractor Action Forest Management.
The initiative is part of a nationwide plan from the Government, which has given $3.9m to DOC to deliver conservation job opportunities for workers affected by the Covid-19 lockdown.
Action Forest Management director Robin Thompson said the workers had come from a range of different backgrounds, from local kayak guides in Kaiteriteri and Marahau to two brothers from Matamata’s Hobbiton Movie Set.
Thompson said the job involved walking all day in rough terrain on 25-35 degree slopes to access the wilding pines. After using a handsaw to cut off lowhanging branches, workers would then drill holes around the tree trunks before filling them up with a chemical poison.
He said the job was quite a change of pace for many of the new recruits, but they had taken to it well.
‘‘It’s quite new to some of them – but being reasonably fit people they’ve been able to walk straight into the job. We have several of our highly skilled permanent employees working with them for leadership.’’
Thompson said some of the workers had already been transferred to work on tree planting, which could run through to September.
‘‘Usually we can offer some of those full-time work – some may want to go back to their tourism jobs but some might decide to stay too.’’
DOC partnerships manager Matt Hippolite said the wilding conifers had spread from commercial pine forests which bordered around two-thirds of Mt Richmond Forest Park.
Hippolite said controlling the wilding pines was important to protect the biodiversity of the park, which was home to at-risk ecosystems and about 70 threatened native plants.
He said control was vital to protect at least 20 plant species found only in the park’s extensive highly mineralised ‘‘ultramafic’’ substrate, with the open nature and low vegetation of ultramafic areas making them particularly vulnerable to invasion by conifer trees.
A week ago, Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage said that 340 people had been employed on similar conservation projects throughout the country.
Other jobs had included improving walking tracks, fencing, and trapping predators to look after birds and bush.