Environment Southland has sharpened its feedback for a national wilding conifer strategy after several councillors aired concerns at a meeting.

Wilding conifers have proven an ongoing issue in Southland, with the regional council reporting this year that Douglas-fir was “pouring” into some areas.

Last week, councillors approved draft feedback for a new 20-year national strategy which will inform a Ministry for Primary Industries’ plan for tackling the pest plants.

Councillor Eric Roy described himself as a “broken record” on seed sources as he expressed frustration that people were still planting the “mother load”.

“And I think we need to be firmer about sorting that stuff out, because we’re not going to win when people are still planting the mother load, and we’ve got seed sources going everywhere,” Cr Roy said.

Both Cr Roy and chairwoman Cr Lyndal Ludlow supported upping the ante on the feedback wording.

Cr Paul Evans expressed concern over playing catchup, saying “we’re already three or four decades behind now”.

Meanwhile, Cr Geoffrey Young posed a theory that Douglas fir shelter belts on farms were causing issues.

Draft feedback from the council supported the direction of the strategy — which is being developed by a national governance group — while highlighting areas for improvement.

The feedback acknowledged funding constraints, but warned lower-priority areas could become “significant future seed sources” over 20 years.

Funding fluctuations, challenges facing smaller councils, and the difficulty of monitoring long-distance spread were also highlighted.

“Greater emphasis should be placed on managing seed sources, particularly where commercial forestry activities contribute to wilding spread,” the feedback said.

In May, the government pledged an additional $79 million for the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme, which increased total funding to $109m, through to 2029/30.

According to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), most wilding conifers were legacy plantings from the 1800s to mid-1900s.

Wilding conifers could cover 25% of the country within 30 years if left unchecked, MPI said.

Feedback on the strategy closes October 9.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.