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Yellows, white, reds and forest collapse.
I guess I should have been sensible and stayed home once I was officially added to the list of DoC colleagues with active cases of rampant glandular fever. However, I was looking forward to my first trip into the Ruahine ranges, never been there before. So, I simply postponed the issue by making an appointment with my doctor for
after the Ruahine trip. Possibly not the best choice health-wise in hindsight, but nobody, not even my own body, was going to cheat me out of this trip.
The trip itself had a bit of a slow beginning, probably reflecting my sloth-like thinking due to a [glandular] fevered brain and not being up with the play organisationally. I finally had my car loaded (personal rather that work, because it was going to be sitting round for a week not doing anything) and ready to go after lunch. I barreled off to Palmerston North, radio full baud of course.
In Palmy I met up with WB, transferred my stuff into a ute and sat back to enjoy the trip to the Ruahines. This was going to be my first official survey - involving actually measuring something for DoC. I've got plenty of experience measuring biological aspects, with an Masters Degree and a nearly completed
Ph.D. in biology behind me. Never actually measured an exclosure plot before. Still, I managed to get a handy little booklet, before I needed it, explaining exactly how it is done.We were heading for the Alphabet exclosure at the end of No. 1 Line Road. I always think that a those sorts of road names are pretty silly, or even boring, but there are plenty to be found in New Zealand, and I guess I shouldn't be too picky.
Due to my dawdling we got out there quite late, just about knock off time. KM met us at the end of the road and showed us where the exclosure was, an easy 10 minutes walk into the bush, after which we retreated to Pohangina base. Or rather I did, everybody else had evening plans. Luckily for me, CG and family invited me round for diner, saving me the hassle of cooking for one.
The next day it rained, and rained, and rained. So I hitched a ride back with WB to Palmerston North, organised some more materials, photocopying and groceries, and then hitched a ride out to Pohangina with KM. Plenty of things to see along the way.
The forest around Pohangina field base is regularly treated with possum bait by DoC staff and there were flowers galore. The rewarewa (Knightia excelsa) is the best I have seen on Wanganui DoC estate thus far, beautiful intact canopies and laden with brick red bottlebrush flowers. Only last years seedcapsules though, not several years worth as I noted on trees around Auckland. Maybe that is due to climate, must get some feedback on that.
The kowhai out this way was very late too, the river valleys speckled with trees clothed in golden yellow flowers. None of the trees seemed to have leaves yet, unlike up in Auckland where at least half the trees produce leaves before they flower (and hence produce fewer flowers).
Clematis forsterii J. Gmelin, 1769. Print from the Bank's Florilegium, after Sydney Parkinson. Purchased by Te Papa in 1996 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds.
Various species of native Clematis (could be any, and all, of C. paniculata, C. forsteri, and C. foetida) and the native jasmine, Parsonsia capsularis, were showy, draping the canopies with streamers of white flowers.
The other aspect of the landscape that was noticeable was the yellow colour of the forest canopy in SouthWest Ruahine Forest Park. Seen from a distance you can't see much detail, other than the colour. A yellow forest canopy is very unusual for New Zealand, even Captain Cook noted in his diary that the New Zealand forest contains thousand shades of green. As you get closer, you start noticing taller green trees poking out. That is when you realise that you are looking at major canopy collapse. The taller trees are probably podocarps, like miro, and perhaps some species like rewarewa poking out above a CHEST HIGH CANOPY TANGLE of unpalatable leatherwood (Olearia colensoi) and pepperwood (Pseudowintera axillaris). I'll have to report emergent species (those poking out) on the species in more detail at some later stage, when I get closer.
Plus, of course there are still deer and possums to be dealt with. The elimination of deer seems unlikely because the recreational and commercial deer hunters get up in arms about losing easily accessible hunting area such as the Ruahines. Trying to control possums across the entire Ruahines is also not feasible at the moment. Especially because there are large tracks of forest that can still be saved from forest collapse elsewhere and DoC and the government only has so much money available to control possums.
It would be really great to initiate complete possum and deer control in part of the collapsed forest just to see how long it would take for the forest to recover. We are talking ecologist's dream and logistic nightmare. A project of several hundred years. There are still some pockets of forest left, and the Northern Ruahines are in much better condition, still. But only if we do something about those pesky possums and make sure that the deer hunters keep the long-legged beasties to low levels.
By the way, fresh venison is delicious. KM managed to nab a couple of deer virtually from the back paddock of Pohangina base. Two down, hundreds to go. They were ready to be sliced up on our last day there, he kindly gave WB, and I good sized portions. I have several weeks worth of venison stashed in my freezer now, wanna come round and help me eat them?
There are still pockets of tall forest in the SouthWest Ruahines, and the Alphabet exclosure is in one of those. You'll find more about that on the next page.
The canopy collapse of the Ruahine forest first became noticeable about 30 years ago and it thought to be a result of possum and deer browse. (Possums defoliating canopy species and reducing seedfall, and deer eating seedlings from 30 cm to 2 m and ringbarking trees). It doesn't look as if the forest is recovering at present. Even if all the possum and deer could be eliminated it would take hundreds of years for the forest to get back to a 30 m high canopy. There are very few seed trees around to start the process again, and the canopy of leatherwood and pepperwood is also very dense and might prevent the re-establishment of forest canopy species.
An example of what deer hunting is available close to the Ruahines.
Bike trips in the Ruahines.
Brief description of tracks in parks around NZ
This site is an entry into tramping around New Zealand National Parks
Information about the National Parks
New Zealand
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