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News Release

Tuesday 26 April 2011

Unsafe trees to be removed from forest

Rotorua 26.04.11:

A number of potentially dangerous diseased and dead trees standing in the Tokorangi Forest are to be removed in May.

Rotorua District Council's Tokorangi Forest manager, Julianne Wilkinson, said the council recently engaged a consultant to assess the health of the forest and to identify those trees that posed a high risk to recreational users and to the health of other trees in the area.

"The consultant has identified about 90 trees that need removing and this work will take place from 2 May through to the middle of the month, subject to weather conditions," said Ms Wilkinson.

"There are over 80,000 trees in the forest, so I don't think people will actually notice these ones have gone. There will be very little impact on the look of the area as the unhealthy trees are widely spread throughout the forest.

Ms Wilkinson said small sections of the forest at a time would be closed off and some tracks would be temporarily detoured to minimise the impact on forest users while work was being undertaken.

The Tokorangi Forest, which is popularly known as The Redwoods, is bounded by Tarawera, Long Mile, Radio Hut and Tokorangi Pa roads. The land is privately owned by iwi through Central North Island Iwi Holdings Ltd and managed by Rotorua District Council.

Ms Wilkinson is advising any forest recreational users to check in at The Redwoods Gift Shop and Visitor Centre to get up-to-date information on tracks that might be affected during May.

[ENDS]

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