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March 2009: Wilding Workshop Road Show
Written by Administrator   

As part of the SFF wilding project, the South Island Wilding Conifer Management Group has organised a series of  workshops on wilding control!  The focus will be on demonstrating the ‘best bet’ techniques for wilding management and control in the various locations.  An update of the SFF project results will also be given.  The workshops start at Five Rivers in Southland on March 25, and then head north via Queenstown (March 26), Mackenzie Basin (March 30) , L. Coleridge (April 1) , Hanmer (April 3) and the Marlborough area (April 9) , where an half-day seminar will also be presented (April 8) .  More details on the venues and agendas are given by clicking on each venue in the text.

HANDOUT NOW AVAILABLE (CLICK HERE)

WORKSHOP PRESENTATION NOW AVAILABLE (CLICK HERE)

 
Welcome to the WCMG website
Written by Nick Ledgard   
The spread of wilding conifers is causing concern, particularly on extensive hill and high country land in the eastern parts of the South Island. Within its region, Environment Canterbury estimates 62,000 ha to contain wildings. Significant areas are affected in Marlborough (around 50,000 ha affected on Molesworth station, plus 40,000 ha in the Marlborough district), Otago (around 6,000 ha in the Queenstown area alone) and in Southland (14,000 ha affected around Mid Dome). Wilding spread threatens pastoral production and conservation values, and disrupts visual landscape.
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Wilding conifers spreading through tussock rangelands above L. Pukaki - se' New wilding site inspected '

Many landowners are faced with control problems, and to most private farmers, this is a new management issue. Consequently, fundamental questions relating to spread risk/prevention and operational control strategies, and post-control management have still to be answered satisfactorily.
This SFF Project offers the opportunity to form and utilise a working group to coordinate and promote wilding control efforts. There has been a call for such a group before. Concern about wilding spread lead to a workshop ("Managing wilding conifers in NZ: present and future") which was held in Christchurch during August 2003. At its end there was a discussion about future needs. As recorded in the Proceedings "The workshop strongly recommended greater collaboration between organisations across the country to share information and experience, and to develop a cohesive rationale and plan for wilding conifer management. It recommended that a working group, representing the major stakeholders, be established to decide how to find solutions to the issues (raised in the workshop).” Despite good initial attempts to get a working group up and running, it did not materialize at that time.

The Sustainable Farming Fund wilding project ('The prevention, management and control of wilding conifers') has allowed a wilding group to get up and running, and to undertake work as presented on this site.