Planting in Paradise

Abstract

The One Billion Trees project is an initiative led by the Ministry of Primary Industries where they aim to plant 1 billion trees by the year 2030 to transform New Zealand forests in a way that improves the productivity of the land, as well as helping the natural environment. Notably, a large proportion of the trees that have already been planted and established are Pinus radiata (exotic pine trees) which have a detrimental effect on the natural environment due to outcompeting native flora and compromising soil stability due to their shallow root systems. P. radiata are a fast establishing and cost effective option for landowners and farmers that are participating in the One Billion Trees project. Our project's aim was to understand what is required to support the establishment of native beech trees, using both on-campus and field trials, with a primary focus on assessing methods of delivering mycorrhizal inoculation to native beech seedlings. This would allow us to educate the Ministry of Primary Industries and to provide these landowners and farmers with information on how to regenerate their land using native trees instead of exotic. The field trial, located within the Motutapu Covenant at Mahu Whenua, incorporated various treatment options, such as planting beech with or without bracken rhizomes, Manuka seeds, Manuka duffpods, and beech duffpods. The on-campus trial was established in a controlled environment where beech and Manuka seeds were planted with or without their respective duffpods. Currently the results of these experiments are inconclusive, requiring additional time to observe the effects of different treatments on the planted seedlings and seeds which will in future contribute to sustainable and effective reforestation practices using native trees. Project Funded by: The Ministry for Primary Industries and The University of Otago