Fencing and Planting TeamSpring 2023 Update
Since the unprecedented weather events at the start of the year many of our landowners have been, and still are, adjusting to life ‘post-Cyclone’. The damage in certain areas and catchments was immense and aspirations for land have been put on hold for crisis response. Safe access, personal safety and wellbeing and stock safety have become top priority. The FBT facilitated many ‘Storm Response’ packages on behalf of KMR to help fund the replacement of damaged/destroyed/lost fences and plantings that had been co-funded by them in the past. Much of the focus of our work now is in fencing off and planting up slips, highly erodible hillsides, and waterways in the Hōteo and Araparera catchments – especially in the hardest hit hill country areas.
New Fencing and Planting Advisor employed in August – Angela Parkin. Little intro about yourself? Welcome Angela !
New Funding Possibilities:
The Forest Bridge Trust (TFBT) has a funding agreement with the Kaipara Moana Remediation (KMR) program to assist landowners, community groups, local iwi, hapu, and schools to bring the community together behind a common purpose of reducing erosion and sedimentation entering any waterway that drains into the Kaipara harbour to help restore the health and mauri of the Kaipara Moana and all its associated ecosystems. TFBT works within the Hōteo and Araparera catchments and any property in the Rodney region that drains into the Kaipara Harbour.
KMR has recently launched its Soil Conservation Strategy which significantly expands the landowners’ mitigation options for their properties. TFBT via KMR can co-fund a range of remediation works including:
- Fencing to protect waterways and wetlands (Setbacks: 1m on man-made drains, 3m on natural waterway without plantings, 5m+ on natural waterways with plantings).
- Native planting nearby waterways and wetlands.
- Fencing to protect and restore existing remnant native forest blocks.
- Managing erodible hill country and slips – using a range of options including:
- continuous canopy and permanent forest cover using native species or non-weedy, non-pine exotic species (e.g., Eucalypts or redwoods).
- fencing and weed management to support regeneration of native forest.
- exotic silvopasture – space planting of poplars while maintaining some grazing (subject to supply).
If you are a landowner who has a bush remnant you want to protect, or slipped or erodible hillsides that you are considering retiring with native via planting or regeneration or non-pine exotic afforestation and want to talk about some options for co-funding this work, get in touch.
If you are a community group, marae, iwi/hapū or other collective, KMR can also assist with the costs of group engagement and coordination to plan and manage the project (for example, we can cover some of the costs of a project coordinator, community hui, governance meetings and planting days).
Community and School Planting Days
TFBT also has funding to organise and facilitate Community and School Planting days. If there is a waterway or piece of land attached to a waterway or school that is special to you which you have always wanted to see restored and protected or has suffered in the recent events and would be a good project to rehabilitate, get in touch. We are looking forward to providing the plants and tools needed to assist to our community.
Katie Forno – katie@theforestbridgetrust.org.nz
Angela Parkin – angela@theforestbridgetrust.org.nz