A lot of country was solid bracken fern and gorse which was cleared with a bulldozer or digger. Anything too steep was burned. The Wisp was bad for gorse and about 350ha and 400ha of gorse had been physically cleared.
The property had only been planted to about 420m above sea level. On the higher country, it was Pinus attenuata which was resilient in snow and high winds with similar timber qualities to radiata.
Growth rates in the area were some of the highest in the country for radiata with the rain falling at the right time of year, Mr Cairns said.
The country was a "perfect" habitat for pests and under Ingka’s stewardship, there had been 530 wild pigs, 1600 red deer, 4000 possums, 300 rabbits and 3000 hares removed from the property.
Deer and possums were the biggest issue when it came to establishing trees and one area had been replanted several times because of the damage caused by deer.
Two pest workers were on the property between two and four nights a week doing pest control year-round until the trees were established and then it would be a matter of keeping them to a manageable level.
A permit system was used for recreational hunters at weekends which worked well and neighbours also contacted Mr Cairns if they had any issues. Ingka had funded materials to upgrade a boundary fence with hot wires for pig control.
Fur from the possums and meat from the likes of the deer and hares was sold.
An ecological survey was undertaken on the property and monitoring was ongoing. The Wisp Range was a semi-alpine range and contained plants that, at the highest of altitudes, were virtually only found elsewhere in the Southern Alps, he said.
The Catlins River ran through the middle of the property and there were set-back measures to protect water quality and there was ongoing water monitoring. Manuka had been planted alongside waterways and Mr Cairns had also been working with the Catlins Water Catchment Group.
While there was a minimum of 10m on waterways, many had set-backs of 30m, 40m or 50m, so there were never any issues of felling trees near waterways. Several ponds had been built for monsoon bucket-dipping in the event of a fire.
Ingka had also upgraded access to the start of the Thisbe Valley Track, which provides access to the Maclennan Range and was popular with hunters and trampers, and had planted the likes of totara, mountain beech, red beech, white pine and pittosporum in the area.
