The
MAY 2018
Produced for the community, by the community CHURCH NOTICES, CLASSIFIEDS & COMMUNITY CONTACTS FROM PAGE 24
Council owned coastal forest harvest to start in June The Council’s forestry estate, partly located in the coastal areas between Kairaki and Waikuku, is due for harvest. This will take place in June through to October, although some areas will be harvested in winter 2019. Most of the Pinus Radiata trees are over 25 years old, and while they have contributed richly to the natural habitat in the area, there is a potential risk that they be a hazard, especially in high winds. The harvest will be co-ordinated so that where possible, users of the forest trails will have alternate options while the harvest is progressing. The Te Kohaka O Tuhaitara Trust is responsible for coordinating and managing the public access and use of the tracks. The forestry contractor will be working closely with the Trust to keep the public informed of what tracks are closed and open. Council has also been working closely with the Camp Ground operators located adjacent to the forested areas to better understand the impact of the harvest on those businesses and to avoid the peak periods of those operations. Harvesting activities such as traffic management in the area, accessing times for the trucks, and what work is
done when have all been considered as part of the planning process. Truck movements through residential areas will be limited to normal working days with limits on the timing and volume of truck movements, to minimise the impact on those communities. These vehicles will be directed through Waikuku, Woodend Beach and Kairaki. The bulk of the harvest itself will occur through the winter and early spring months of 2018, a period where activities levels in the beach areas are lower, rainfall partly reduces issues with dust and when the easterlies are less prevalent. A program of replanting natives along the western boundary of the forestry blocks has been allowed for, as well as along some key tracks and roads. Council will be working closely with the Te Kohaka O Tuhaitara Trust on the replanting of areas in natives, which will provide an improved and enduring legacy for future generations to enjoy. The replanting of pine forest will also be a priority and this will occur as soon as practicable after each block is harvested. To be effective this replanting is best timed for over the mid to late winter months, so some areas will not be planted until the following autumn of 2019.