Trees healing river catchments
Visiting three farms with substantial streamside plantings to improve water quality was the highlight of the "Trees healing river catchments" workshop in Carterton last week.
More than 100 farmers, lifestylers and environmentalists attended the day long workshop organised by the Mangatarere Restoration Society, New Zealand Farm Forestry Association and Greater Wellington.
The morning sessions covered the recipe for successful plantings along streams and a host of advice about tree species suitable for timber, shade, shelter, soil conservation, wildlife and aesthetics on farms and lifestyle properties.
Society member and Carterton District Councillor Jill Greathead was delighted with the wide range of people attending and the top environmental tips on offer.
"There's some great techniques out there for improving water quality, making money and beautifying the environment, all through planting the right trees in the right places.”
"In the afternoon we were lucky enough to visit three shining examples of this on farms in the Mangatarere Catchment.”
The first stop was Neil and Tina Day's dairying operation to look at a constructed wetland which cleans a stream before it leaves the property. The half hectare wetland slows the water down allowing sediment to drop out and 1000 wetland plants soak up nutrients. The far cleaner water then flows into a natural wetland in Fensham Reserve and doesn't have any negative impacts on the native fish and plants in there.
Twenty-odd cars and utes then visited some excellent examples of streamside planting at Steve and Kate Pitney's farm on Hururua Road before heading to Ray and Lyn Craig's environmental award winning farm on the outskirts of urban Carterton.
At the Craig's farm, seven to eight kilometres of stream have been fenced and planted with the water quality and fish habitat improving as a consequence.
Ms Greathead says there is wide support for improving the water quality of the Mangatarere Stream and environmental health of the surrounding land.
"After the workshop, there are 100 people who better informed on how to make this happen in the Mangatarere and elsewhere in Wairarapa."Trees healing river catchments