Pair plant 2000 natives by stream
An irrigation company’s initiative has resulted in one couple and a school getting busy planting.
Anursery initiative to empower Waimakariri Irrigation Ltd shareholders to grow native seedlings has proved successful on a Canterbury farm.
Brian and Rosemary Whyte of Swannanoa have grown more than 2000 plants during the last two years.
The initiative is part of a wider biodiversity project that aims to improve waterways throughout the irrigation co-operative’s scheme, with 297 sites of interest discovered during an initial biodiversity survey in 2018.
Key areas for restoration efforts include Burgess Stream, Hunter’s Stream and the Cust River.
The seedlings were planted along the first stretch of a 1.2km section of Burgess Stream which flows through the Whytes’ property and around a nearby irrigation buffer pond.
Irrigation company biodiversity project lead Dan Cameron said the site was important for the project due to its location near a springhead.
Cameron said the section of the stream chosen for the project had certain properties that made it ideal as an environmental restoration site.
“It’s relatively undisturbed, has a deep and wide well-defined riparian margin and stock has been excluded.
“There’s relatively moist soil near the water’s edge and meandering areas, which lend themselves to establishing the types of plant communities that would have been here before land use development.”
Cameron said these plants improved water quality by shading the stream and helped remove nitrates from water to complement the on-farm nutrient management.
“Carex secta colonises denitrifying bacteria in its roots which helps to naturally denitrify water and prevent sediment build-up.”
Back in 2019 when the first shareholder meeting was held at a neighbouring farm, the Whytes weren’t sure what the biodiversity project would involve.
However, they were happy for Cameron to visit their property and haven’t looked back since.
Brian said he was particularly interested in attempting to propagate the native broom that grew along their roadside and plant it along the banks of the restoration site.
“Getting seed off it and managing to grow some in our greenhouse has been quite thrilling for me,” he said.
Cameron said one of the highlights of working with the Whytes was being able to reverse the decline of indigenous biodiversity. “What is even more exciting is seeing broom naturally pop up at the planting site.”
The Whytes have enjoyed growing a range of native seedlings suitable for the site’s conditions.
The couple have grown flax (harakeke), Edgar’s rush (wiwi), Carex secta (pu¯ rei), toetoe, and cabbage tree (t¯ı ko¯uka) in a raised greenhouse which contains a canopy roof and a watering system.
The only part of the process that was a bit tedious was the pricking out of individual seedlings, but Rosemary said having help from Cameron, as well as Swannanoa School, had made the process easier.
“Giving younger people a chance to get their hands in the dirt and plant something is important.”
With most of the planting around the wet margins of the stream edge completed, the focus is now on the sections further up the banks.
Brian Whyte viewed biodiversity initiatives as having intergenerational benefits and urged other farmers to get involved.
“Doing it yourself is a great thing and seeing my grandkids get involved is positive too. When the trees they planted are 20-feet high they will look back and appreciate the planting work that we did together.”
Giving younger people a chance to get their hands in the dirt and plant something is important. — Brian Whyte