THE GREAT PROBLEM OF GORSE

North Canterbury Gazette, Volume 6, Issue 65, 6 April 1937, Page 3

THE GREAT PROBLEM OF GORSE

NORTH CANTERBURY SURVEY 16,000 Acres of Land in Two Counties DEPARTMENT'S PROPOSALS FOR RECLAMATION The survey of the Kowai and Ashley County foothills recently carried out by officers of the Department of Agriculture has produced a report containing facts and figures which reveal a position more serious even than anticipated by those who asked the Government to inquire into the matter. In brief, the report states that 16,000 acres of land in these two counties are affected, that the cost of reclamation on the only possible lines will be nearly £90,000, that control should have *been carried out 30 years ago, and that the spread of gorse will inevitably continue unless steps are taken. Messrs B. Grant (Principal Inspector of the Department) and W. Montgomery (Forest Ranger, State Forest Service) signed the report. We reproduce their general survey below. Schedules for each county gave in addition details about every affected property Scope and Location of Survey A survey of the position was carried on from time to time as other routine work permitted, and has therefore been spread over several weeks. In all over 70 properties were visited, these almost entirely being on the Loburn-Kowai hills and the foothills of Mt. Grey, Mt Karetu, Mt Thomas, and Glentui. Riverbed areas were not touched, the investigation being confined to lands used for pastoral and agricultural purposes only. In practically every case the occupier of each property was interviewed and the scheduled statements as to rate ol gorse spread, effect on production, and remarks were obtained therefrom. Extent of Infestation By Counties the position is as hereunder. Areas shown are, of course, the totals of estimated acreages fvs ascertained by actual inspection and discussion with occupiers, and are therefore approximate:— Partial

(Not including riverbed areas.) Quality of Land Affected With the exception of a few areas the land is second and third class, and principally used for sheep grazing, much of it showing a carrying capacity now of about one sheep to three acres. Several areas which in the past were used for agricultural purposes have reverted to gorse and are now used for grazing a few sheep, dependence being placed to some extent on the gorse as fodder. In addition, a considerable area, probably running into 3,000 to 5,000 acres, consists of very poor land carrying manuka scrub and small flax, etc., and includes innumerable gullies with rough steep faces covered with bracken and other poor growth. This poor country lies mainly on the Loburn hills towards Mt. Grey and also near the foot of Mt Karetu. It is looked on locally as of little value as sheep feed is only secured on the tussocky ridges, and these are small in extent. . Effect on Production Although instances were met where farmers considered that there has been little or no loss and claimed that the gorse is a valuable sheep food, statements gathered from occupiers indicate that a decided loss in carrying capacity and production has resulted. Areas, nom-" covered in gorse, were seen on crops of oats, wheat, and turwere stated to have been grown * 15* to 20 years ago. To assess this loss in figures is not easy, but can be taken to range from 50 to 10 per cent, according to the quality of the land and system of farming adopted.

Present Methods of Control With perhaps half a dozen exceptions there appears to be no organised or serious attempt to eradicate the gorse. A number of places are now out of hand and beyond the owners’ financial ability to recover. An attitude of drift has apparently been allowed to pertain for probably 30 years, and has permitted the damage to accumulate. The usual control measure practised is to burn such gorse as will carry fire, a good burn being' obtained about every third year. As a means to prevent spread this system in general has proved a failure. Sheep certainly read-: ily eat the young gorse resulting after a fire, but it rapidly grows away from them, and the spread still goes on. The burnt gorse amongst which the sheep feed removes, on an average, 2 lbs. of wool from each animal per year, and this represents a dead loss to the owner. In some localities farmers have introduced Brown Top grass amongst the gorse to aid them in getting an annual burn —owing to seasonal conditions and also danger from fire spread this practice does not. appear to be entirely successful. A notable effort at control is to be seen at Loburn, where a farmer four years ago took over 600 acres of heavy gorse land, and now has 300 acres ploughed and producing good crops of oats, grass, and turnips. The cost of reclaiming this land is stated to be about £4 per acre. The productive capacity has now increased from 300 sheep to 530 sheep plus 100 acres in crops. The owner intends to deal with his whole farm in this manner, but the effort may be too much, as he will probably have to replough every third year in order to deal with succeeding crops of young gorse. Another case may be mentioned where the landowner has planted 100 acres in trees and intends to proceed with the work until he has his whole gorse area of 600 acres under control, provided that his financial position will permit. His total holding consists of 11,000 acres, mainly hill country, and the intention is to prevent the outward spread of gorse into his outlying country, the area now affected being frontage and foothill country. By this means a barrier of trees will be created between the gorse and the back country. Cause of Gorse Spread Although too late as a remedy for the present bad condition, some brief particulars may be of use in relationship to future gorse control. Sp'read to adjoining' fields and other areas undoubtedly occurred * from neglected hedges, many of which were quite wrongly established on hill country which could not be cultivated, and the spread thereby controlled. Lack of control operations when spread commenced appear to be due to: Shortage of finance on the part of the occupier. Lack of effort or ability on the part of the occupier. Holding of too much land by the occupier. Non-enforcement of powers by the local bodies. Instances confirming these conclusions were met with throughout the survey and they exist at the present time, hence the spread of gorse still proceeds although the problem is now a vastly greater one than it was 30 or 40 years ago when control should have taken place. Present Method and Extent of Spread As in the past this is occurring through seeding direct from the plants, by seed carriage by river and creek waters and by sheep. It is considered almost certain that sheep carry both in the wool and in the stomach, seeds which are eventually deposited in gullies, hillsides, etc., to which they have access. The average rate of spread during say the past-10 years according to occupiers’ statements is about 25 per cent, and unless remedial measures are now applied this can be expected to continue on to country yet clear or lightly affected. Spread to Hill -Country Over the areas examined this has not yet assumed serious proportions with respect to high country and spread does not extend (except perhaps in isolated patches) in general beyond an altitude of 1500 feet above sea level. Unless checked it can be expected that the upward and outward spread, in many instances to bush-clad country, will continue. On considerable areas of the hill country the burning off of heavy tussock, scrub, etc., is practised and in several parts, particularly on the slopes of Mt. Thomas, slips are occurring. In the lower fans of these slips gorse is in places obtaining a foothold and upward spread can be expected. The lower slopes of Mt. Grey and Mt. Karetu, to the east and south respectively, carry heavy or patchy gorse; and the east and south

slopes of Mt. Thomas carry heavy and (mainly) patchy gorse; between- the Garry and Glentui rivers the gorse has practically reached the edge of the forest, while up the Glentui River a considerable spread is now almost in touch with the forest and is spreading up the hillsides on private land. In the Garry-Glentui area the gorse is mainly heavy. Reclamation and Prevention The attainment of these objectives is a decidedly difficult problem. There appear to be three main measures which may be adopted,- each being expensive. They are: (a) Cutting, burning, and grazing. (b) Cultivating and cropping. (c) Planting with trees. These may be discussed as follows: (a) Cutting, Burning, and Grazing: Owing to the very heavy recurring cost plus low returns, cutting would be entirely out of the question on any but small isolated patches on good land or where the gorse is just beginning to spread. Burning and grazing is the method now generally in use, and although some farmers claim that the system is reasonably successful and, in fact, the only way they can deal with the growth, it cannot be claimed that it has done more than retard to some extent the progress of spread.' As previously mentioned, some farmers state that the gorse is valuable feed; one claims to sell lambs direct off gorse while another usually tops the local market with his gorse-raised sheep. This system has one merit, and that is —it is cheap and easy, but it has not and cannot as now practised, stop the. spread. It is considered, moreover, that constant burning carried on over many years will eventually cause soil deterioration. The above remarks apply more particularly to gorse areas on hilly, broken and poor land. (b) Cultivation and Cropping. There appears to be no good reason, other than lack of capital and ability, why a considerable area of agricultural land which was previously free of gorse should not now T be reclaimed and again brought to full production. It is admitted that it is not first-class land, but with modern equipment and knowledge this defect could no doubt be offset to some extent. The cost of reclamation would not average less than £4 per acre. Many areas would readily respond to draining by mole plough and the free use of lime and fertilisers. It does not appear desirable that land capable of being farmed and providing homes should be, say, planted in trees without at least some effort being made to save it. On every gorse-in-fested farm are rough gullies or steep faces which cannot readily or economically be dealt with, and these would be better under a tree crop which would eventually be of some value to the owner, but essentially such areas would have to be of practical total extent only such as the balance of the farm could carry. In other words the good land should not be overburdened by an undue proportion of plantations. (c) Planting with Trees So far as the suitability of the gorse infested areas for groiving tree crops is concerned there can be little doubt. A range of species including P. radiata, P. ponderosa, Douglas Fir, Cedars, Cup. macrocarpa, etc., could be successfully grown. Existing small stands of trees demonstrate effectively the possibilities, while the extent of natural regeneration of P. radiata in many places on hillsides and amongst scrub is remarkable. The soil generally is of .a clay nature on which trees’ are thriving. The maximum height above sea level is about 1300 ft. The general run of the country consists of low downs and foothills in many places with steep rough gullies carrying bracken, gorse, native shrubs and black beech and manuka. Should afforestation be decided on the scheme would essentially require to be on a fairly large scale as the planting of small areas here and there (other than on farms previously referred to) would entail undue fencing, protection, and management costs. In a large scheme an additional area of about 5000 acres of poor scrub land, previously mentioned, of little value, could be included with the heavy gorse areas. The acquirement of areas for planting but unsuitable for farming on account of unmanageable gorse on hillsides and other defects would seriously cut into some farms and probably leave the balance as unprofitable holdings off which a reasonable living could not be made: A consolidation into profitablesized farms could be made of these remainders, but this would mean that certain occupiers would have to move out and the new farm lots would in some cases be then overloaded with buildings. The establishment of forests over the various areas would not be a difficult matter, as roading generally would be

comparatively easy. Protection from fire would be costly in parts owing to difficulty in securing ploughable firebreak sites and the presence of heavy growths of scrub, gorse, and tussock on adjacent areas. Value of the Land This generally over the infested areas is low, probably on the average not more than £2 per acre. Actual value is however difficult to arrive at as so many properties badly infested have now reached a very low production standard and the occupier can hardly lay claim to any value where the property has been allowed to deterioriate, more particularly when the land is second and third class at best to begin with. The average values per acre of 30 properties totalling 51,500 acres and containing 12,500 acres affected by gorse, are:— Improved £3/13/4 Unimproved .... ... £2/14/6 These figures are however not truly representative, as parts of several properties containing good land free of gorse are unavoidably included. Occupiers’ View of Position The general opinion, particularly of men well acquainted with the localities, is that the greater part of the infested areas and those on the hillsides, should be planted in trees. Part of the Loburn-Kowai hills and foothills of Mt Grey and Mt Karetu, as previously mentioned, are regarded as of little value, and this can be accepted as correct. It can also be accepted that almost all the occupiers would be prepared to quit their infested areas and thereby be relieved of their responsibilities. Suggested Lines of Action The investigation discloses a serious state of affairs in tile two counties, but particularly so in Ashley. In round figures 16,000 acres are affected by gorse, and this does not include riverbeds and many small areas scattered over farms located outside the localities inspected. This alone indicates that production must be adversely affected The cause of the infestation has

already been dealt with, together with 1 the degree of spread and effect on production. While it is hardly possible that the position will ever be fully recovered, it is indicated that at least a check on spread together with improvement of infested areas could be obtained by the following action: — 1. Clearing and bringing under full productive management all payable agricultural and pastoral areas. 2. Planting all poor or unsuitable farming areas, rough gullies, etc., in trees, and it is suggested that these systems or methods could be applied as hereunder : 1. Arrangement with the occupier to bring specified areas under cultivation to carry crops and grass as most suited, and to plant gullies, etc., in trees, provided these areas were not out of due proportion to the good land. Should the occupier be an efficient farmer capable of carrying out the work but financially handicapped, assistance might be extended to him on suitable terms. If not judged efficient or if unwilling to deal with the situation, the land to be acquired from him at the present productive value and then leased at a low rental to an efficient man. Arrangement with the occupier to clear or otherwise bring suitable pastoral areas again to full production. Assistance etc., to be on similar lines as in preceding paragraph. 2. The acquirement and afforestation (apart from small areas referred to in No. 1) of the large areas of gorse land which could not be profitably farmed even if cleared, together with adjoining areas of poor and broken land now growing scrub. It is suggested 'that this should be a State or Board scheme as it is not thought to be within tHe financial powers of the counties to undertake the work. It is further considered that one authority only should participate as any scheme whereby say the State, local bodies, and land occupiers were intermingled, and with financial adjustment when the timber crop was finally harvested, would almost certainly mean trouble from beginning to end.

Where areas are comparatively small or isolated from the main scheme, or individual action is desired, occupiers might well be allowed to do their own planting with, if required, financial assistance by way of a loan repayable say by annual amounts. Such plantings to be done under the supervision and plans of the authority controlling tho large scheme in order that they would dovetail in with the main operation, that they would be properly carried out, managed and protected, and not in any way form a menace to the large areas. As in No. 1 it would be essential to see that occupiers did not overload their properties with such planting.

The granting of financial or other assistance in this (and also No. 1) scheme would automatically be determined by the prospect of success and also the existing financial loading on the property. In order to carry out the scheme outlined above certain powers would necessarily need to be vested in the authority responsible for carrying out the work. It is considered that certain areas, such as those now under review, might be declared as “gorse infested areas,” and any affected properties situated therein brought under direction and control. If administered in a spirit of co-operation with occupiers it is felt that the application of any required regulations would not entail undue hardship. Cost of Above Proposals At the present stage estimation of cost is hardly practicable, and the acquirement price of any land which would be taken over is not known, nor the amount of possible assistance required by occupiers or full details of such areas as occupiers might be prepared to deal with on their own account. Costs would probably fall under three headings, viz.:— (a) Establishment of Plantations. (b) Maintenance, management, and protection. (c) Reclamation, and on a suppositionary basis and partly as a guide, could be worked out as follows: (a) Establishment: £ Acquirement of 10,000 ac. at say 40/- 20,000 Fencing, preparation, and planting, 10,000 ac. at , sa y ioo/- 50,000 (b) Maintenance, etc.: General upkeep, supervision of areas, etc., P er annum 5,000 (c) Reclamation; Assistance to occupiers to clear or plant, etc., 6000 ac. at say 40/- ... 12,000 The rate of expenditure would be about as follows, according to the rate of progress made. A five-year scheme is in mind : £20,000 Payment to be made as land acquired and brought under control—say 4000 acres first year and 2000 acres per annum £50,000 thereafter until whole area is dealt with. £5,000 This amount would gradually increase annually from say £SOO for the first to £5,000 at the seventh or eighth year when establishment was completed. £12,000 to be expended in say 3 years at £4,000 per annum. As already indicated, these figures are very broad and only represent the rough outline of a scheme.

Total and and Gross Heavy Scattered County. area. Gorse. Gorse. Acres. Acres. Acres. Ashley Kowai 199,040 99,200 4,800 1,600 6,200 3,700 298,240 6,400 9,900 Total affected — Ashley County ... 11,000 acres Kowai County 5,300 acres 16,300