Action Wanted On Bare Nelson Slopes

Thursday, 6 February 2025, 9:38 pm
Article: Max Frethey - Local Democracy Reporter

A new residents’ group has formed in Nelson and they want to know what the council's plan is for the deforested hills in the Barnicoat Ranges.

“People just want to know what is happening up there,” said Friends of Marsden Valley member Kathryn Richards.

Though the group has several priorities, the deforestation and bare hills around the popular recreational track of Glider Road is big on their agenda.

Pine harvesting in the Marsden Valley started in 2021 following a windthrow event.

Grass seeding has since occurred as cutover areas opened, and selective weed spraying has been ongoing.

But the bare slopes are worrying residents, who are concerned about the lack of living tree roots to stabilise the hillside.

The memory of the destructive August 2022 storm is still fresh in their minds, and they worry that if another significant storm occurred, new homes in the area could be damaged by flooded streams.

“Now, with all the development and stuff, there is a community that stands to lose,” warned member Craig Gass.

They also had environmental concerns with slips around Glider Road, as well as increased erosion and sedimentation harming the Poorman Valley and Orphanage Streams.

It's a matter the group want addressed with urgency, Richards said, and members were potentially even keen to lend the council a hand with replanting efforts.

Nelson City Council agreed in late 2023 to shift away from clear-fell commercial forestry to create a well-managed continuous canopy across its 10,000 hectares of forested land.

As a result, much of the council’s 600 hectares of commercial forestry land is expected to be replanted in a mix of native and exotic trees.

The Friends of Marsden Valley are now left wondering when they might expect to see such replanting efforts in Marsden Valley.

“We want traction on this,” Richards said.

The council’s group manager infrastructure, Alec Louverdis, said that transition plans are still being finalised, but that some planting was scheduled for this winter.

“We appreciate the community’s patience as council develops these transition plans.”

A transition working group of elected members, formed in September 2024, provides oversight of the replanting plans, and 70 hectares are currently planned for planting.

However, the council has yet to hire a forestry systems manager who will oversee the replanting and forest management efforts.

“To mitigate potential negative environmental impacts of the deforested slopes, we have implemented grass seeding to address short-term risks and used poplar pole planting to stabilise the soil to mitigate slip risks,” Louverdis added.

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