Half Mile Wilding Conifer Removal and Restoration

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Preparation for planting at Half Mile begins

Weather permitting, the Council will be removing some of the remaining pine slash on a small section of the Half Mile Recreation Reserve near Alexandra this week.

Work is scheduled to get underway on Thursday. 2 May 2024, in the area above the state highway to make way for planting by the Haehaeata Trust over the next few months. The Trust has an agreement with the CODC to top-plant parts of the reserve over the next five years.

The work is envisaged to take a couple a day and users of the reserve should stay clear of the area.

SHARED VISION

The Half Mile Recreation Reserve is located on the hillside above the SH8 entranceway into Alexandra from Roxburgh, approximately a half mile from the Alexandra Bridge. While there are differing views about the future of the reserve, everyone agrees that this space should continue to be a valuable resource for the community to enjoy.

The vision is that the Half Mile be restored as much as possible to its original state, free of wilding conifers, but also enhanced so that it can be enjoyed by our current community, our children and their children. Maintained walking paths and scenic outlooks ensure that it attracts a wide variety of users to experience the rugged, sunny, Central Otago landscape. At night it will be a place where dark sky enthusiasts gather to watch the Aurora Australis that streams across our skies in the winter months.

This project is supported by Central Otago District Council, Otago Regional Council, Department of Conservation, Central Otago Wilding Conifer Control Group, and funded by the Central Otago Wilding Conifer Control Programme. The community is invited to be involved in the next steps of this project to build this vision together.

THE PLAN

The April 2023 developed design of the restoration plan was presented for approval to the Vincent Community Board on 2 May. Vincent Community Board met and adopted a concept restoration plan for Half Mile Reserve, with a resolution to receive community feedback to identify varieties of shade trees that will suit the area to be included in the 2024-2034 Long-Term Plan.

The proposed planting zones will restore the reserve back to an authentic Central Otago landscape that:

• improves the indigenous biodiversity of the site over time
• showcases the views, rocky tors and archaeological features at the site
• provides open spaces and maintained walking paths for all to enjoy
• includes hardy native plantings as well as exotics for shelter and plant and animal biodiversity

The restoration plan was approved up to $180,000 to be included in the 2024-2034 Long-term Plan. With Council deciding to delay CODC's long term plan the Community board have elected to include the year one part of this fund in the annual plan, to keep this project moving forward.

Proposed Planting Zones

The red marks indicate proposed planting areas in the Half Mile Reserve, subject to survey and confirmation. Haehaeata Trust will manage the planting over the next five years.

On the 2nd of May contractors will begin preparing the state highway side of the Half mile for the first part of the planting.

BACKGROUND

A thousand years ago, Central Otago was likely shaded by kōwhai trees. Hardy and drought-resistant, kōwhai formed the canopy of a remarkable dryland forest, along with species like tree daisy/Olearia, Coprosma, lancewood and weeping mapou. Amongst it were sunny clearings where plants like hebe, native broom and porcupine shrub grew. The rivers and streams were lined with ribbonwoods and flax. It was an ecosystem uniquely adapted to the harsh extremes of Central Otago’s climate, and it was alive with a myriad of insects, lizards and birds.

In the mid-1960s, the land surrounding the Half Mile Reserve was predominantly fruit orchards. Conifer trees were planted to provide shelter to protect these orchards. The conifers that were planted, Pinus radiata, originate from California. Unbeknownst in this era that over time these trees quickly spread in the dry Central Otago climate and have become a pest plant. Restoring the native biodiversity involves controlling those imported wilding conifers. Wilding conifers can blanket the landscape, and if left unchecked could cover a quarter of New Zealand by 2050. As well as hindering the return of native plants and wildlife, wilding conifers also increase the risk of large-scale fires, suck large amounts of water from the landscape and reduce the land available for farming, viticulture and horticulture

Protection of existing wildlife on the Reserve is a high priority, which is why Council sought and obtained a report providing guidance on how to avoid and/or minimise adverse effects on resident lizard populations. By following the recommended protocols in the report, lizards at the site will benefit from the positive effects of the tree removal through increased sunlight and relief from the clogging of crevices with needles.

The restoration of Half Mile Recreational Reserve is consistent with the community's commitment to biodiversity and future proofing the landscape that makes Central Otago unique.

For more information about wilding pines, please visit Central Otago Wilding Conifer Control Group or Prevent the Spread: Wilding Conifer Species .