Both sites are set to be dealt with in coming weeks.
The trees will be felled in a joint project between the Central Otago Wilding Conifer Control Group and Central Otago District Council.
The Vincent Community Board has budgeted $25,000 for eradicating wilding pines from council-owned land, which includes a block on the Half Mile reserve to the south of Alexandra and the Lower Manorburn Dam reserve further north.
The council’s contribution towards this covers part of the overall cost. The balance is being contributed by the Central Otago Wilding Conifer Control Group through its funding agreements with the Ministry of Primary Industries.
Council parks and recreation manager Gordon Bailey said wilding pines on the 15ha Half Mile site had been causing significant issues and controlling wilding pines on council land would help surrounding landowners by mitigating the spread of the trees.
Any mature trees would be harvested and sold from the Half Mile to help offset removal costs. Once the trees were cleared, the board would investigate opportunities for the site.
The Lower Manorburn Dam reserve has about 4ha of wilding pines on the dam end of the reserve which had the potential to disperse seed into neighbouring farmland where owners had invested in controlling wilding pines within their properties.
This was the first time the council had allocated funds to control wilding pine on council-owned land, including the 4ha Lower Manorburn Dam site.
Remaining hot spots on council land at Ranfurly, Roxburgh and Cromwell would also get the chop in the next three years.
Central Otago Wilding Conifer Control Group project manager Nigel Moir was pleased the Half Mile site had been identified as a significant seed source and that his group could work in with the council to come up with a solution.
The working group was formed in 2013 as a result of widespread community concern about the rampant spread of conifers over Central Otago’s landscape.
Balclutha-based Mike Hurring logging and contracting company will carry out the work between October 11 and 31.
The trees will be felled by machine and extracted with a skidder to a processing point beside the highway.
From there they will be processed and then loaded out with any remaining slash, such as branches. Offcuts will be chipped, and may be used by the council.
