Over the last several decades, Jaap and Sue with friends Ham and Jan Gifford, and more recently Tim Sharp, Peter Goodwin and others have transformed 9 hectares of riparian zones along the Awahou Stream, from dense exotics to native shrubland and forest.
The Awahou is one of the major streams flowing into Lake Rotorua. Since riparian areas within the primarily farmland catchment were fenced off, the sides of the stream become infested with blackberry, willow, barberry and other exotics.
The Bay of Plenty Regional Council has supported the project for the last 15 years. It has financed the machinery for the removal of a substantial rubbish dump, as well as for the clearing of very large willows along the stream. In addition the Council provides funding for plants and herbicides.
The restoration of the Awahou is an excellent example of best-practice where conversion of blackberry up to 4 m tall in places interlaced with just about every other aggressive brush weed in the central North Island has been cleared and planted with a range of native shrub and tree species. Many native planting projects are not well maintained and as a result performance is often severely compromised.
With Jaap’s background as a nurseryman, his focus is on planting good quality nursery raised plants with well-formed root systems with minimal distortion. The riparian plantings along the Awahou also demonstrate how native timber tree species can be planted along fertile river terraces for future potential speciality stands.
Posted on: 25 November 2015
