February has been a fantastic month for grass-roots community conservation in Twizel and Ohau. Wilding Free Mackenzie, with the support of Wilding Pine Network, engaged horticulture consultant Jo Wakelin of Koinga Consulting Ltd, to deliver two free plant propagation workshops for landowners and residents affected by wilding pines.

The first workshop was offered to the Ohau community and Ohau Conservation Trust to support their recovery from the Ohau fire of 2020, much of which was fuelled by wilding pines. They are planning a community hub and nursery to go on the spot where a mature stand of pines once stood. The propagation workshop has given them the skills and knowledge to be able to make the most of their upcoming nursery and planned revegetation project.

The second workshop was offered to landowners from the Manuka Terrace area behind Twizel who are actively engaging with Environment Canterbury and the Wilding Conifer Control Programme. The intention was to upskill and motivate landowners to continue to manage their land in a positive way following the removal of wilding pines. We certainly have a motivated bunch of landowners on Manuka Terrace now!

Wilding Free Mackenzie hopes to be able to offer more workshops and resources in the future to further support landowners and promote positive land management practices following the removal of wilding pines. If you are a landowner affected by wilding pines and would like some guidance on how to deal with them, please get in touch so we can point you in the right direction.

Haeleigh Turner

Community Coordinator