Forestry

Top of the South Wood Council is working with the Project on five forestry innovation projects:

• A sediment loading study to establish a clear understanding of the current sediment levels in streams within specific forests in Te Hoiere. This will serve as a critical baseline for future monitoring and management efforts and inform similar studies on other land uses in the area.
• A post-harvest riparian native planting project to establish and test a number of current options in post-harvest riparian management in Te Hoiere with the intention of identifying either the most successful – in terms of biodiversity and stream health – or the factors that contribute to the most successful restorative outcomes.
• A land transition study to identify owners who may want to transition areas within their property to another land use; understand where transitioning land may lead to better environmental and economic outcomes; and create an industry-led roadmap for landowners to effectively transition to alternative land uses, including funding and resources available.
• A two-year research project aimed at investigating the exclusion of introduced ungulates – deer, pigs and goats - from forests in Te Hoiere and the potential restorative impacts this could have on indigenous flora and fauna, aquatic health and carbon sequestration.
• An access toolkit for researchers and monitoring teams to better engage with forestry owners throughout the catchment.

More information will be added as these projects progress in 2024.