With their quick and dense growth, wilding pines aggressively outcompete New Zealand natives and habitats, turning Marlborough’s mountain tops from gold to green. READ MORE:* Wilding pines: Eternal vigilance needed, even with $100 million investment* Wilding pine fight gets major government cash injection* D'Urville Island aims to become predator freeCHLOE RANFORD/LDR Some of the wilding pines that have been killed off by the trust. Once there, Withers and his team trim back wilding pines with chainsaws, drill holes in the trunks and inject them with herbicide. But in the Branch/Leatham, Molesworth and Waihopai Valley areas wilding pines were planted in the 1950s and 1960s to prevent erosion. “There’s a perception out there that all trees are good but unfortunately wilding pines are not,” he said.

Source: Stuff October 22, 2020 18:27 UTC