John MacDonald: The Port Hills is not the place for pine trees

“Pines are one of the most flammable plants on the planet.” 

That’s a quote from a plant ecologist at Victoria University, Dr Nicola Day. 

And it's why some Christchurch councils went to the Government wanting a change to the forestry rules, to try and stop pine forests being re-planted on the Port Hills after the big fire earlier this year. 

The second big fire on the Port Hills in less than 10 years. And the Government has said no. Which I get. It's saying to the councils that it’s not prepared to change the forestry rules just to suit Christchurch. So I get that. 

But, at the same time, it’s nuts that more can’t be done to try and make sure we don’t have another big fire in another seven years. 

So, what happened is Christchurch and Selwyn mayors Phil Mauger and Sam Broughton, acting Environment Canterbury chair Craig Pauling and another ECAN councillor, wrote a letter to the Minister of Forestry Todd McClay. 

And they pointed-out to him that, after the first fire in 2017, there was no way they could stop pines being re-planted. Which meant, of course, that when the second fire broke out on Valentine’s Day this year the pines were back again and, bingo, we know where things went from there. 

And within days there were Port Hills residents coming out and saying how crazy it was that the pines had been re-planted after the 2017 fire and asking, you know, when will we learn? 

Since then, the councils have gone as far as they can go - and there are some changes proposed to what’s known as the Canterbury Regional Policy Statement.  

But the forestry rules, as they stand, get in the way of anything further. Because they allow anyone who has existing rights to have a forestry plantation on the Port Hills to replace it like-for-like if it’s damaged or destroyed by fire. 

The adventure park is a case in point. After 2017, the pines were re-planted there because the landowner had an existing right to plant them. There was nothing that could be done to stop that. This is what these local councils are trying to change. But the Government has said no. 

When the fire was happening back in February, a director of McVicar Timber Group —which owns the land where the adventure park is— was quoted in media reports saying that planting native trees costs 10-times more than planting pine trees.  

He also said that he didn’t think native trees would survive in the Port Hills because the area is dry and rocky. 

At the time, there weren’t many —if any— Port Hills residents agreeing with him. 

Such as Hannah Miller, who said: “Seven years ago was the perfect opportunity to re-plant in natives. I’m no expert on fires, but we’ve seen what burns in the Port Hills and what doesn’t burn, and the native vegetation does a pretty damn good job of stopping it.” 

She went on to say: “What on earth are we doing planting pines right up there? That’s utterly ridiculous.” 

And I’m not going to argue with that. Because it was utterly ridiculous that pines were allowed to be re-planted after the 2017 fire and it’s utterly ridiculous that the forestry rules —as they stand at the moment— allow the same mistake to be made again. 

But the Government has said “no”. So where do we go with this now? 

If the councils here in Christchurch have had no joy with the Minister of Forestry, they need to be contacting his Cabinet colleague Simon Watts - who is the Climate Change Minister. 

Because climate change —and more extreme weather— are part of the picture here. 

Just over two weeks ago, Simon Watts released the Government’s five-point climate strategy. And one of those fi

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Morning's podcast with John McDonald
from newstalksb.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Pines are one of the most flammable plants on the planet.
That's a quote. I'm not saying that. That's a quote
from a plant ecologist at Victoria University, doctor Nicola day So.
Pine trees one of the most flammable plants on the planet,
which is why some of the councils here in christ

(00:34):
Church have been to the government wanting a change to
the forestry rules to try and stop pine forests being
replanted in the porth Hills after the big fire earlier
this year, second big fire on the porth Hills in
less than ten years. And what has the government said
to that. The government has said no. And I get

(00:55):
why the government said no. It's saying to the councils
that it's not prepared to change the forestry rules just
to suit christ Church. Look, I get all that, but
at the same time, it's nuts, isn't it that more
can't be done to try and make sure that we
don't have another big fire in another seven years. So
here's what happened. He's the background christ Church and Selwyn

(01:17):
Mayor's film Major and Sam Broughton, acting ECAN Chair, Craig
Pauling in another ECN councilor. They all wrote a letter
to the Minister of Forestry, Todd McLay and they pointed
out to him that after the first fire in twenty seventeen,
there was no way they could stop pines being replanted,
which meant of course that when the second fire broke

(01:39):
out on Valentine's Day this year, the pines were all
back again in Bingo. We know where things went from
there and within days there were Port Hill's residents coming
out and saying how crazy it was that the pines
had been replanted after the twenty seventeen fire and asking
when will we learn? And since then the councils they've

(02:03):
gone as far as they can go, I understand. And
there were some changes proposed to what's known as a
Canterbury Regional Policy Statement, all that sort of stuff. You know,
the sounds boring stuff, but it's pretty important. But the
forestry rules, the New Zealand forestry rules as they stand,
get in the way of anything further because they allow

(02:24):
anyone who has existing rights to have a forestry plantation
on the porthills for example, the rules allow them to
replace like for like if the plantation is damaged or
destroyed by fire. The adventure park the bike park is
a case in point. So after twenty seventeen, the pines
there were replanted because the landowner had an existing right

(02:46):
to plant them and there was nothing that could be
done to stop that. You see, this is what these
local councils are trying to change, but the government says no.
And when the fire was happening back in February, a
director of McVicar Timber Group, which owns the land where
the adventure park is, he was quoted in media reports
saying that planting native tree these costs ten times more

(03:08):
than planting pine trees. He also said he didn't think
natives would survive in the Port Hills because it's very
dry and rocky. At the time, though there weren't many,
if any Port Hill's residents agreeing with that, one of them,
Hannah Miller, she made some brilliant points at the time.
She said, quote seven years ago, which is when the

(03:29):
first fire happened. She said seven years ago was a
perfect opportunity to replant in natives. She said, I'm no
expert on fires, but what we've seen what burns in
the Port Hills and what doesn't burn, and the native
vegetation does a pretty damn good job of stopping it.
And she went on to say, what on earth are
we doing planting pines right up there? It's utterly ridiculous

(03:50):
end of quote. And I'm I'm not going to argue
with that, because A it was utterly ridiculous that pines
were allowed to be replanted after the twenty seventeen fire,
and B it's utterly ridiculous that the forestry rules is
the stand at the moment allowed to say mistake to
be made again, but the government government said no, So

(04:11):
where do we go with this now? Well, I'll tell
you what. If the councils here in Christchurch have had
no joy with the Ministry of Forestry, this is what
they need to be doing. They need to be contacting
his cabinet colleague, Simon Watts. It was the Climate Change Minister,
because climate change and more extreme weather all part of
the picture here with these fires. And just over two
weeks ago, Simon Watts released the government's five point climate

(04:35):
strategy and one of those five points, or one of
those climate change objectives is this, and I quite directly
from the strategy document itself, it says under the heading
nature based Solutions to address climate change, the new Climate
Change Strategy says this would mean quote homes and communities
being better protected against climate change through restored habitats and

(04:57):
ecosystems and more native forests found in our environment. So
the government says it wants to restore habitats and ecosystems
to protect homes and communities. Tick native trees on the porthills,
not pine, and it wants more native forests. Tick native
trees on the porthills, no more bloom and pines. So

(05:21):
that's where I think these councils should go next. Don't
accept defeat. That's what they should do next, because you know,
while I can see the government doesn't want to tinker,
see why the government doesn't want to tinker with the
forestry rules just because of what we've seen or been
through here in Christchurch with two big fires on the
porthills in seven years. Despite that, something has to be
done to try and make sure we don't have to

(05:42):
go through the same thing all over again.

Speaker 1 (05:45):
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