FuturEcology & EmGuard ™ October 2023 update.
Well, what an interesting week it has been, both for New Zealand and Australian politics.
It has also been heartbreaking hearing about the evolving situation in Gaza. Our hearts go out to all those affected by the attacks.
With all of the goings on in the world, we are doing what we can to stay positive in our corner and continuing with our mission to save the planet, one tree at a time.
We are working on some great projects around the region and so enjoy connecting with inspired people doing their bit as well.
By Emma Fryer
Patriarch Vineyard gorse control work, Marlborough
Planting Trial
By Mandy Richards
Have you ever wondered how far apart to plant your trees for maximum growth success? Or to achieve speedy ground cover? Are plant guards necessary? Is mulching ideal or is it too laborious and expensive? Well, watch this space! We also wondered about all of that, so decided to run a trial.
The native restoration planting trial is a passion project of contractors John and Mandy with the kind support and lots of advice from Rob and Jan (FuturEcology) on land supplied by Cable Bay Adventure Park.
The trial sets out to compare;
the growth success
length of time achieve to canopy cover (the area of leaves, branches and stems covering the ground, viewed from below)
the associated long term input costs across four different planting densities
Effect of each planting density with or without mulch.
The trial was planted in late July and the first learnings came quickly! In the one plot where plants were not given tree guards, 49% of the trees were completely devastated by hares after 6 days. We are expecting to learn a lot more over the next couple of years which we hope will be useful for future restoration projects.
For full details of the trial, follow the QR Code below or contact John and Mandy on john@forevertrees.nz.
Fire Safety Preparation
By Anna Bradley
With summer just around the corner and NIWA officially declaring an El Niño event in their latest seasonal climate outlook, it’s time to be prepared for a hot dry summer. Seasonal Climate Outlook October - December 2023 | NIWA. It is predicted that this El Niño will be one of the strongest Aotearoa has experienced in 80 years. El Niño brings with it more frequent, dry westerly winds which can encourage dryness in eastern areas, increasing the risk of drought and fire danger.
So, what can you do to be prepared? FENZ is urging people in rural and semi-rural areas to prepare now by keeping grass short, moving flammable materials well away from their homes, clearing gutters and accessways and having a plan of action ready. If you have a rural property, creating 'safety zones' around your home can slow the spread of fire and give firefighters more space to safely fight a fire. You may wish to consider planting low flammability plant species around buildings. For detailed information on creating safety zones and ideas for landscaping with low flammability plants, as well as tips on reducing wildfire risk and protecting your property visit the FENZ website: Fire prevention and fire safety | Fire and Emergency New Zealand (checkitsalright.nz)
If you are conducting maintenance work, avoid mowing or brushcutting in hot, dry and/or windy weather or when the Fire Danger Index is Very High or Extreme. If essential, consider performing these activities in the morning between 6-10am as this is when it is cooler, less windy and generally there is a dew on the ground. Remember to keep your machinery clean and well maintained. It is important to have firefighting and safety equipment on hand and that you know how to use it.
Now is a good time to install EmGuards and wool dagmats around new plantings if you haven’t already done so. Used together, not only do these protect plants from predators, chemical spray and weedeating damage, they also reduce water loss from the soil surface helping to maintain soil moisture, suppress weeds and feed the soil as they biodegrade.
Pocket Restoration Aotearoa App
Progress is continuing apace with the development of the App.
During October, it has been out for trial with approximately 30 users and we have had some great and comprehensive feedback.
We are working now on the fine tuning, making necessary improvements and changes ahead of it’s official launch next month. The feedback so far has been that it will be a fantastic tool for people undertaking restoration projects.
The perfect gift for those that have everything😊 and want to do something right for the planet.
Jan’s Tramp
By Jan Fryer
Last week I had the opportunity to go on a big adventure in Taranaki.
For the past 12 years, once a year, I have done a tramping trip with a group of girlfriends – the glorious glampers. The aim of these was to catch up with each other, enjoy some new places, good food, wine and do a bit of walking to justify the eating. We have done some wonderful walks, many of the private ones like Cape Campbell, The Kaikoura Coastal Walk, Island Hills, Tora, Banks Peninsula, etc. Most of these included our packs being transported, which was the best part.
However, in recent times we seem to have been getting a bit more intrepid. This year we tackled quite a challenging track, the Pouaki Circuit on the slopes of Mt Taranaki.
It involved carrying our packs too, so everything was weighed to the nth degree as we had some big hills to climb. Dehydrated food was the order of the day and we definitely recommend the Real Meals.
Luckily, I hadn’t taken much notice of the notes about the track or I probably would have found a nice café instead😊
The track is very rough in the lower part with big step ups and lots of mud but we emerged onto steps after about 3 hours and then it was steps, steps and more steps. The bush was gorgeous, with the lushness of coastal forest moving into subalpine forest and alpine plants. We had stunning views of the mountain on the first day, but sadly the weather packed in for the next couple of days so we didn’t see much. We had the most stunning view of the mountain from Holly Hut late at night, just as the last of the light was catching the top of it. That was a view to remember forever.
I did come down with some terrible cramps in my legs as we went up and up and up, but I think in hindsight that I was dehydrated. A good lesson learnt and a new appreciation for electrolytes, plus the need to get fit!! There was nowhere for a helicopter to land (and that would have taken some explaining), so I had to press on.
If you want a bit of a challenge and some stunning bush, then it is worth contemplating, but I recommend making sure you have good gear and a good level of fitness. A couple of times we thought we might get blown off the mountain and the temperature was well down near zero. We couldn’t get over the number of young tourists we saw in light street gear on the first day, which luckily was fine but still cold when you stopped.
We rounded off the week with a trip into Whangamomena, staying in the pub there on election night and seeing the rugby on their big screen with all the locals in the morning. Again, something well worth a stop if you find yourself in that part of the world. Aotearoa certainly has some wild and remote spots.
Wasp mitigation planning
By Alvin Bartley
Wasps are one of the greatest hazards for us out in the field. From wetlands to riparian margins, hillsides and open paddocks, wasps will do their best to establish their nests there. Wasps fiercely protect these nests. If you stand on one, you can be subject to a torrent of stings which can send you into an anaphylactic shock and in some cases be fatal (more info here). Thus, it is critical that you can quickly move away if need be. This makes sites that are slow to move through, such as wetlands, the greatest risk for us.
We use two key tools to reduce wasp numbers on our sites. Vespex is an effective and targeted bait which kills wasp nests. This can be used at the end of summer / early autumn when wasps transition their diet to protein. You must be an approved user of vespex to use it on a site. It is a great time to do the training so you can be ready to apply Vespex come late summer/early autumn.
When we come across wasp nests out of this window, we apply dust2dust into the nest. This is another effective tool and requires the product to be applied to the entrance of the nest in such a way that the wasps walk through the product as they enter the nest.
Beyond the human risk, wasps are also very damaging for our ecosystems making it all the more important to reduce their numbers where we can! For more information on wasps in New Zealand, we highly recommend the book The Vulgar Wasp: The Story of A Ruthless Invader and Indigenous Predator by Phil Lester.
Weed of the month
Grey willow - Salix cinerea
By Rob Fryer
Image: taken by Trevor James, courtesy of Weedbusters
This time of year is the best time for spotting this pest tree. This species is easily identified by the fluffy little buds produced in spring, which is where its other common name, pussy willow comes from. The leaf is dull green and textured, quite different to the long shiny leaves of crack willow. What makes this tree so difficult to eradicate is the fact that it produces copious quantities of seed, that will spread easily through catchments. If you only have a few grey willows on your property, it is definitely worth controlling these, as over time there will be quite a cost of removal once they start choking wetlands and river systems.
Fortunately, this species does not grow from fragments as easily as crack willow does, meaning that cut and paste can be a good option for control. Like all other willows, grey willow hates glyphosate so succumbs readily to drilling and filling or cut and paste with glyphosate gel.
Weedbusters offers very good control advice for this tree, but the most important thing to do is to just get stuck in and get rid of these where we can. Our children and their children will thank us for it. https://www.weedbusters.org.nz/what-are-weeds/weed-list/grey-willow/
Interesting Snippets
What we’ve been watching and drinking
by Cheril Barber
WoW Beyond
This year, I was lucky enough to go to Wellington to see the World of WearbleArts 2023 show, Beyond. Anna also went to an earlier performance of the show.
Back in the office today, we both spoke of the extraordinarily high quality of the show, the amazing costumes and the talent of all the performers. It really was an incredible, world class experience that I would recommend anyone to go and see.
Next year’s show will be on from the 25th September to the 13th October 2024.
The Occasional Brewer Gin Creation Experience
While in Wellington for WoW, the family took me to the Occasional Brewer in Newtown. There we spent a fun filled evening creating our own gins! We bought glasses of a base gin and then added the botanicals and flavourings, feeling very much like mad scientists. The range of flavours was great with some very interesting flavourings such as cinnamon, licorice, wakame, horipito, chilli, manuka honey and much, much more.
We were provided with a sheet to note how many drops of each flavour we added, and at the end of the evening the team there made our favourite into a 750ml bottle for us to buy and take home.
Visit the Occasional Brewer website here.
Gin botanicals for creating your masterpiece
The favourite on the night, fondly named “The Old Tart”
It looks like the weather might be a bit more friendly for Labour weekend, thank goodness.
We hope you have some downtime planned for this weekend as everything goes a little crazy in the next couple of months.
Totoranui beckons for us. It was always a family tradition to go there for Labour Weekend. Have the first swim, catch whitebait and chill out.
During the last couple of years, other events have overtaken and we haven’t gone but we have again been reminded that it is crucial to take time out and just enjoy being with friends, family and nature.
You never know what is around the corner. Seize the day.
Have a happy Labour weekend.
Here’s to saving the planet one tree at a time.
If you have any photos or stories you would like to share, we would love to hear from you.