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On this page:
- The problem and the threat
- How wildings are controlled
- Working together to stop the spread
- The National Programme
- What farmers and forest owners can do
- Research and analysis
- Find out more
Wilding conifers are a threat to our land and farms
Planted in the right place, and properly managed, some introduced conifers can:
- provide timber
- store carbon
- decrease erosion
- filter soil nutrients
- improve water quality
- provide shelter and shade for stock.
In the wrong place, certain species of conifers are a major threat to New Zealand's ecosystems, land, and farms.
- Their seeds can be blown many kilometres by wind, and quickly infest vulnerable landscapes in affected regions.
- They spread into farmland, the high country (including above the native bush line), and public conservation land.
- If not contained or removed, these wilding conifer trees compete with native plants and animals for sunlight and water.
- Within a few years they can severely alter natural landscapes and obscure the views New Zealand is famous for.
Controlling the spread of self-seeded wilding conifers is important if we're to protect our ecosystems, iconic landscapes, and farms. Control will also help with water conservation in some regions, particularly the South Island high country.
Images showing how wilding conifer can spread if left unchecked – Mid Dome, Upper Tomogalak catchment, from 1998 to 2015. Image credit: Richard Bowman.
How wildings are controlled
Wilding conifers are controlled in New Zealand using several methods including:
- hand-pulling or hand-sawing young seedlings
- sawing or chain sawing medium to large trees
- using herbicide, either injected directly into the tree, or applied to bark, or in specific circumstances (less than 1% of all control work), sprayed over large areas.
The method used depends on:
- where the wildings are in relation to access and nearby land uses
- tree size and species
- size and density of the infested area
- native ecological significance of surrounding land
- practicality and cost effectiveness.
In different regions and even within large infested areas, wilding trees grow at different rates and in different densities. Often they are in terrain that is hard to get to.
Protecting natural features, people, and property near the wildings while doing the control work is also a priority. A lot of planning goes into making sure the safest and most effective control method is used for each area of infestation.
Working together to stop the spread
It's estimated 25% of New Zealand would be covered in unwanted wilding conifers within 30 years if they were left to spread. Wilding conifers currently affect more than 2 million hectares of New Zealand. Despite past control efforts, they were spreading across about 90,000 hectares a year.
In 2014, a cross-sector group, led by Biosecurity New Zealand, developed a national strategy. It recommended a coordinated and collaborative approach – combining efforts around the country and working together would increase the chances of stopping the spread and removing wildings.
The Right tree in the right place: The New Zealand wilding conifer management strategy 2015–2030 provides the framework for the National Programme:
The wilding conifer management strategy 2015–2030 [PDF, 1.3 MB]
The National Wilding Conifer Control Programme
The National Wilding Conifer Control Programme was established in 2016. It aims to prevent the spread of these tree pests and to progressively remove them from much of the land already invaded. The programme is a partnership between central and local government agencies with the farming and forestry industries, landowners, and the community sector. It also works with a wide range of stakeholder groups.
More than 80% of the known infestation has received at least one round of control work through the national programme. This work has pushed back some of the worst infestations and slowed the spread, protecting more than 3 million hectares of vulnerable land – including productive land and unique and iconic landscapes.
Find out more about the national control programme – Wilding Pines
Direct government funding to the national programme to date
- In 2016, the government pledged $16 million over 4 years for the first phase of the national programme, used for wilding conifer control in a few of the highest priority areas.
- In 2019, a further $21 million was allocated over 2 years.
- In early 2020, $3 million from the COVID-19 relief package was used to redeploy workers affected by the pandemic into wilding control.
- Budget 2020 allocated further Crown funding of $100 million over 4 years to expand the national programme through to June 2024.
- From the 2024-25 financial year, the programme has $10 million of annual baseline funding through Biosecurity New Zealand (MPI).
Many others contribute to wilding conifer control
Many other partners also contribute to wilding conifer control operations, either with funding for control operations or in-kind support (such as people’s time and skills).
Some of this is recorded with the national programme and totals more than $33.3 million to date. This includes 2 contributions from the International Visitor Levy, in 2023-24 ($7 million) and 2024-25 ($3.35 million).
On top of this are hundreds of volunteer hours, landowners controlling wildings on their own land, and control work by industry each year, that are not recorded.
