Potential of Westland's morainic soils for forest management

Authors: R.J. Coker
Publication: New Zealand Journal of Forestry, Volume N.Z.J.For. 1972, Issue N.Z.J.For. 17(2) 1972, pp 224-231, Aug 1972
Publisher: New Zealand Institute of Forestry

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Abstract: More than 160,000 ha of lowland areas of the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand consist of soils derived from outwash gravels or ice contract deposits of Pleistocene age. Over half this area is State forest land—much of it derelict following colonial-type exploitation of the high volume indigenous forests it once carried. Fires, excess surface water, lack of seed trees, and exposure have contributed to poor regeneration of podocarps, and to a large extent these areas are wastelands with no definite management policy.
Management of the remaining well-forested terraces is being mastered by selection logging techniques which allow production without further contributing to management problems.
An evaluation of species on the better sites in Mahinapua State Forest, which was planted with exotics during the late 1920s and early 1930s, indicates that these soils have potential for exotic production forest provided that only better sites are utilized and a silvicultural regime is adopted which maximizes diameter growth.

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