Plant trees at Tawharanui this Sunday

Wednesday, 10 May 2006

9 May 2006

The planting season is upon us again – join Auckland Regional Council staff at Tawharanui Regional Park this weekend and help restore a native ecosystem.

Each year thousands of volunteers and ARC park staff brave all kinds of weather to plant tens of thousands of seedlings across the regional parks network.

What many people don’t realise is that a lot of careful planning goes into each planting season.

“The ARC eco-sources all of the seedlings that are planted each year,” says Cr Sandra Coney, Chair of the ARC Parks and Heritage Committee.

Eco-sourcing means that each seedling is returned to the area the seed came from.

“Seeds are collected on the parks and propagated into seedlings during the winter months. The seedlings are looked after at our nurseries until they are big enough for re-planting.

“We plan our planting, or re-vegetation, sites a few seasons in advance so when we are collecting seeds we know which areas to concentrate on,” she says.

The first step in the seed-raising process is a very important one and the ARC nurseries rely on assistance from others.

“In the summertime, rangers and volunteers collect seeds for me,” says Auckland Botanic Gardens nursery manager Wayne Dymond.

“The volunteers’ involvement means that I can grow enough plants for the coming planting seasons and also promotes an ongoing interest in the programme.”

The nursery cycle can take from nine months to three years depending on the type of species – large structure trees take the longest.

The nurseries bring on plants for native bush, wetland and coastal re-vegetation projects.

Join the volunteer planting day at Tawharanui Regional Park:

When: Sunday 14 May

Time: 10am – 3pm

Where: Tawharanui Regional Park

Meet: Follow the signs within the park

What to bring: Work boots or enclosed shoes (not sandals), a spade (if you have one), gloves, a jacket, snacks and a water bottle (it’s thirsty work). We provide a sausage sizzle for lunch.

Planting days take place across the regional park network from May to July. Join your local planting day or visit somewhere new.

For further information go to www.arc.govt.nz or phone 09 366 2000.

ENDS

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