Archives For 30/11/1999

O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!

Elizabeth Marenzi —  20/12/2013

The pine tree—decorated with luxe swathes of red, green and gold tinsel, bells, beads and baubles, sweetly scenting the house—is one of my favourite things about Christmas.

My Christmas tree.

Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree, Much pleasure do you bring me!

For me, it’s the role of the pine tree during the festive season that makes me love it.

Another good (if not quite so romantic) reason to love the pine is its contribution to our economy—as a stalwart of our forestry industry.

Mangakino, Waikato, NZ. Photo: Sarah Macmillan (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Timber country. Photo: Sarah Macmillan

And our appreciation of pine is reciprocated—they flourish in the favourable conditions New Zealand provides for them.

So, while the mutual benefits of the relationship are undeniable, its not all roses (or should I say pine cones?) Because pines have, in fact, become a nuisance in many parts of the country, springing up uninvited, like that snotty nosed kid from down the street (that’s just poetic licence of course—the kids in my neighbourhood are all, without exception, delightful creatures).

These gatecrashers are called wilding pines. They compete for space with our native trees and plants, but provide none of the advantages, such as berries and nectar, to encourage bird life and insects. Their pine needles form a carpet, discouraging regeneration of native plant species. Aesthetically, wilding pines change our landscape.

The rapid invasion of Pinus nigra into well grazed highcountry pasture. Google Earth shows this area almost completely free of pines in 2006.

Rapid invasion: Google Earth shows this area of highcountry pasture almost completely free of pines in 2006. Photo: Jon Sullivan

DOC is responsible for wilding tree infestations on public conservation land but are by no means the only ones taking action.

Manu, Rachel, and Jenny deal to a wilding pine in the Tekapo Scientific Reserve. Photo: Jon Sullivan (CC BY-NC 2.0).

Students dealing to a wilding pine in the Tekapo Scientific Reserve.
Photo: Jon Sullivan

Some trampers and hunters carry little folding saws to cut down small wilding pines. If you do this, it’s important to cut down the whole tree stump and not leave any branches or green needles behind (so I’m told—I really don’t have personal experience or expertise on this!). Extremely small seedlings can be pulled out by hand which is very effective as there is no risk of re-growth.

The saying, “a weed is just plant in the wrong place” springs to mind as I wrap up this ode to the darker side of my beloved Christmas tree.

Our native landscapes, species and ecosystems are too precious to give up to the pine tree. The corner of my lounge in December, on the other hand, is quite simply the perfect place.

In Weeds , ,
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DOC tracks — an infographic

Elizabeth Marenzi —  07/11/2013

Here’s a short, sweet, and perhaps surprising, statistic from DOC’s latest annual report:

14,000 km of track supported by DOC. Enough to walk from Wellington to Washington D.C.

Truth be told, that’s not short at all! But it certainly would be sweet to have the chance to walk it all. Who’s up for the challenge?

Learn more on the DOC website:

Tracks and walks

DOC’s Annual Report for year ended 30 June 2013

In Recreation, Walking/hiking/tramping , , ,
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Take a closer look at historic heritage

Elizabeth Marenzi —  24/10/2013
Kea yawning. Photo: Herb Christophers.

Underwhelmed? A real yawn? Think again!

The Department of Conservation’s Annual Report for 2012/13 has recently been published. If this news underwhelms you, then I hope you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

It’s actually chocka full of fascinating facts and information that’ll give you a better understanding of what we do and what we’ve been up to in the past year.

For those of you who don’t want to read the full report, we’re going to take a short sweet peek at some bits and pieces from it on the blog over the next few weeks (mostly pretty pictures people, don’t panic!).

So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at:

Historic heritage

Not everyone knows that DOC manages the single largest collection of historic heritage in the country.

This visual from the Annual Report gave me a better appreciation of our work in this area:

Historic heritage infographic.

20 iconic places that reflect the New Zealand identity. 600+ buildings Historic places cover a wide ranger of historic herigage features including: 147 items of machinery. 93 historic roads and tracks. 53 earthwork features. 44 structures. 18% increase in visitation to Denniston compared with 2011/12. 28% increase in visitation to Karanghaka Gorge compared with 2011/12. Over 75% of the 607 historic places actively being conserved can be visited. Increase in inventory of historic sites on public conservation land (from 12000+ to 13000+) 300 + features 438 archaeological sites and collections. 607 heritage places actively conserved. Our history is protected and brought to life. Historic heritage

There, you’ve just digested a whole page from DOC’s Annual Report! It wasn’t so bad was it? I hope you’ve learnt something new.

Let’s regroup next week for another instalment. I know—a cliffhanger finish—can you stand it?

Check out the DOC website for more information about:

DOC’s Annual Report

DOC’s work caring for and protecting historic and cultural heritage

Icon heritage sites
Icon sites tell a range of great stories about kiwi identity. DOC started developing these sites ten years ago, in collaboration with local councils and communities.

Karangahake Gorge
The Karangahake Gorge is rich with history and is located on State Highway 2 between Waihi and Paeroa, at the southern limits of the Coromandel Peninsula.

Historic Denniston
Denniston was the main township of a unique collection of mining towns built to service the coal mines on the Denniston plateau. It is one of New Zealand’s most significant industrial sites and is a 25 minute drive north of Westport, on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island.

In Historic ,
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Giveaway: Native birds of New Zealand poster

Elizabeth Marenzi —  21/10/2013

We have had so many great comments telling us why you want this beautiful poster. The giveaway is now closed and the winning comment (picked at random) is from Anna Margaret. Em Scott also picks up a copy for naming all of the birds. Thanks for commenting.

If you’ve been following the Conservation Blog for a while you might remember that last November we gave away a copy of Buller’s Birds of New Zealand.

At the time I said that each painting was a masterpiece that I wanted to frame for my wall. I also said that pulling apart such a precious book for a piece of wall art would be criminal. This month I found the solution to my problem. May I present to you Native Birds of New Zealand—the poster.

The image used in this poster is a cromolithograph (c. 1900) by William Shaw Diedrich Schmidt. The birds in Schmidt’s work were based on the artwork of J.G Keulemans in Walter Buller’s A History of the Birds of New Zealand.

Buller's birds of New Zealand. The poster.

How gorgeous is that? How perfect would it look on my (ahem, I mean your) wall? How great would it be to win a copy?

Well, today you have a chance, thanks to Te Papa Press.

All you need to do to be in with a shot of winning the Native Birds of New Zealand poster is to leave a comment on this post before 12 noon, Wednesday 23 October 2013, telling us why you want it. 

A winner will be selected at random and contacted by email.

For an extra chance to win (yes, that’s two copies of the poster we’re giving away), and a fun challenge for the dedicated bird lovers amongst us, who can name the most birds in the poster?

Good luck!

Unfortunately we can only post to New Zealand addresses.

The Native Birds of New Zealand poster (755mm x 449mm) is valued at $24.99 and is available to purchase from Te Papa (and their online store).

In Giveaways, Native animals , , ,
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Book giveaway: Wild About New Zealand

Elizabeth Marenzi —  08/10/2013

Thanks for all your comments telling us why you want this fantastic book. The giveaway is now closed and the winners (picked at random) are: Gloria Williams and Darryn Anderson.

New Zealand is blessed with some of the most remarkable natural landscapes on Earth. The most unique and iconic of these areas are set aside as national parks.

For the last few weeks I’ve loved having these special places in my living room, courtesy of the Natural History New Zealand produced television series Wild About New Zealand — made to celebrate the 125th anniversary of New Zealand’s first national park.

Tonight’s the last episode (8:30 pm, TV One) but you can continue your living room adventures with Gus in the book, Wild About New Zealand: A Guide to Our National Parks.

Cover of Wild About New Zealand.

Written by outdoor adventurer Gus Roxburgh and illustrated with magnificent photographs and bird’s-eye view maps, this is both an entertaining and comprehensive visitor’s guide as well as a stunning celebration of New Zealand’s amazingly diverse national parks.

And, here’s the bit you’ve been waiting for:

Thanks to Random House New Zealand, we’ve got copies to give away!

To be in to win leave a comment on this post before 12 noon on Thursday 10 October 2013, telling us why you want the book. Winners will be selected at random and contacted by email.

Please note: We can only ship to New Zealand addresses.

Wild About New Zealand: A Guide to our National Parks is valued at $55.00 and is available to purchase from book stores nationwide.

Watch Wild About New Zealand On Demand

Start planning your own New Zealand National Park escape

In Giveaways , , , ,
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