Puruki - A highly productive New Zealand forest

Puruki Forest is a highly product radiata pine forest thanks to a combination of environment, genetics and silviculture.
Find out more:
Increasing forest productivity: gcff.nz/
Scion: www.scionresea...

[@triphopchill]

What hybrids are this ? I'm really interested or where can I find seeds or stuff to read about this radiata pines. Thank you

[@cosmichappening1712]

The quick growing pine trees provide cover for shade loving native plants such as tree ferns to grow and flourish. They can be thinned out later to allow more native trees to grow. It seems to be a relationship that works. NZ has several native pine trees including the Kahikatea (White pine), Kauri, and Rimu, but they are very slow growing. Besides, the quick growing pines absorb carbon dioxide, and release oxygen.

[@ex_orpheus1166]

Does it support biodiversity though? Pine monocultures do more harm than good to the environment through decreased biodiversity and soil acidification, as well as wilding seedlings.

[@ScionResearchNZ]

• Puruki forest supports a diverse and rich community of native plant species under the forest canopy, which in turn support a range of native fauna. This is also the case for many other pine forests that has native forests nearby to act as a seed source, or a seed bank of native species. This rich native understory then provides a habitat for native fauna, some of which is critically endangered. For more information, please see www.nzgeo.com/stories/pine-forest-natives/.
• One of the reasons why pine forest can act as effective nurseries for native tree species is because of how they affect the pH of the soil - most of our native tree species prefer acidic soil, and therefore using pine to help restore the natural soil conditions provides a pathway to help them re-establish in areas where native have previously been cleared for agriculture. This is a critical step as agricultural land management often involves the use of lime, which raises the soil pH, making the soil unsuitable for native tree species. For more information, please see: sindi.landcareresearch.co.nz/Content/HelppH.html
• Radiata pine is a very low spread risk species. Various other conifers do have a high risk of spread, due to producing large numbers of seed at an early stage, or producing small seeds that travels easily on the wind. By comparison, radiata pine produces small numbers of large seed that are poorly dispersed by wind. While a crop of radiata can produces a large number of wildings, they are generally within the confines of the existing plantation, and do not readily spread outside. For more information, please see: www.doc.govt.nz/about-us/science-publications/conservation-publications/threats-and-impacts/weeds/south-island-wilding-conifer-strategy/2-the-wilding-conifer-problem/2_2-characteristics-of-wilding-conifer-spread/