Council has doubts about forest plans

Press, 5 December 1979, Page 6

Council has doubts about forest plans

A big pine forest will one dav compete for position with a large-scale rubbish tip on the northern outskirts of Christchurch. City councillors are starting to wonder how well Bottle Lake Forest Park development plans and the staged metropolitan landfill can mesh with each other. Doubts were raised yesterday, at a Christchurch CityCouncil parks and recreation committee meeting, about the ability of rubbish-filled land to support a new production forest in the future. Originally planted in the early 1900 s to stabilise the sandhills, the forest has been seen in the last few years as a place which could be a “second Hagley Park” for recreational purposes. But before about half of it can be fully developed for picnicking, leisure driving, and walking tracks, the extensive landfill will have to be completed over many years. ■ Eventually, the filled land could cover about half the land now traversed by a loop walking track. Rubbish tipping will be done in limited “cells” — or stages — so that recreational development can take place after each area is finished. The committee’s chairman (Cr P. N. G. Blaxall) said

the council must make sure it controlled the entire area at the same time as it agreed to the tipping project. i Because the landfill would [reduce the productive forest [area over about 30 years, even though it would be a progressive reduction, some compensation for that loss ■of timber production should go to the council, said Cr R. Lester. In the end, the filled area’s only use could be as a regional recreation reserve along the foreshore. Since the landfill would be a “rolling development.” it would not take out tree production all at once, said the [City Engineer (Mr P. G. 'Scdular). : Cr Mollie Clark said new [attempts should be made to i give the forest park similar | reserve protection as that j enjoyed by Hagley Park. i The forest park, partly ' Crown Land and partly [owned by the council, is in Waimairi County. It was important for the [ land to be classified in a [way that ensured it would I revert to recreation and forestry when landfill was completed, said a report by the parks director (Mr N. W. Drain). The coastal rubbish disposal area covers about 240 ha, to be released in I stages. After filling, the

landscape would be compatible with both the forest park and foreshore sand dunes. Part of the landfill area has remnants of a pine forest damaged by the 1975 gale. There are doubts that production pine planting would be successful on a completed landfill. In other city areas where pines have been plani ted on former dumps, they have been difficult to estabi- [ ish. Most pines have to send roots deep to get proper sta[bility and growth, according to the council report. In parts of the city where old rubbish tips have been covered, pine trees have been difficult to establish. Foresters would not want underlying rubbish to be exposed when mature trees were felled, and would want to be certain their trees could stand up against most [winds. Because of that, experimental tree planting on foreshore landfill areas should be done as soon as possible. The metropolitan landfill’s first stage, which could take up to five years to fill, is scheduled to start in 1986. In the meantime, Cr Blaxall said he might propose a way next February to. have development planning of the forest park started.