Counting the huge cost of lost trees

Canterbury councils and farmers are facing huge bills and losses after last month's storm sent hundreds of hectares of trees crashing to the ground.

Selwyn District Council reserves asset engineer Lucas Le Roux said initial indications suggested up to a third of the district's plantation trees may have been lost.

''We have had some widespread damage to our reserves and cemeteries and to our plantation blocks. Our cemeteries and reserves are being cleared up.

''We will be doing some assessments on our plantation blocks in the next few weeks and then do the clearance work or salvage harvests to to clear them up. I would suggest the damage would be to 30-35% of our plantation trees.''

Mr Le Roux said the storm damage had been far more severe on the plantation blocks than the earthquakes, which destroyed around 10% of the trees.

The Waimakariri District Council's forestry team has estimated losses would reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars with the council forests ''devastated''.

Council staff warned people to stay out of forested areas which were ''inherently dangerous places''.

Even after advertising and putting up signs, some public were ignoring the warnings. Some were also under the mistaken belief they could take fallen trees for firewood, which was theft.

Council staff were concerned ''someone is going to be killed''.

Chief financial officer Jeff Millward said it would be at least two weeks before the council could accurately assess the cost of the storm. In the Hurunui district, the cost of clearing roads of fallen trees had climbed to around $160,000.

Council roading and utilities manager David Edge said it was the worst event in 40 years to hit the district.

Also of concern was the state of pipeline infrastructure. Much of it was old and past its replacement date, but the council had to balance the risk of restoring it with the likelihood of further climate-related events.

The council had a policy of trying to encourage people not to plant trees within a certain distance of council pipes, and to cut down trees when they were young so their root system did not affect the pipes.

New Zealand Farm Forestry Association North Canterbury branch secretary Gary Fleming said those with privately owned forests would also be hit hard in the pocket.

''I had some trees which were ready to go to the mill, but they came down in the storm and made an even bigger mess, taking out a deer fence.

''The logs are ruined, so it is going to be big loss.

''One farmer said he had lost 25ha of trees, which would amount to tens of thousands of dollars.''

Mr Fleming is compiling a report for the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association on how trees performed in the storm and which ones survived the best and was keen to hear from local farmers.

Mr Fleming can be contacted on (03) 312-9274 or by emailing garyfleming@xtra.co.nz.

- by Robyn Bristow and David Hill 

Add a Comment