Tim Payn David Rhodes

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Tim Payn David Rhodes
New Zealand presentation on Indicator 3a
Area and percentage of forest affected by
processes or agents beyond the range of historic
variation, e.g., by insects, disease, competition
from exotic species, fire, storm, land clearance,
permanent flooding, salinisation, and domestic
animals
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Relevant TAC comments on approach

• This is a composite indicator how to present
  this information together is problematic.
• Use quantitative data wherever possible.
• Plantations should be reported separately, if
  possible.
• Identification on a regional (sub-national) basis
  within countries may be relevant.
• Fire is as close to a universal measurement among
  countries as we are going to get.

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New Zealand has problems just like everyone else

• Some information is unable to be aggregated on a
  national basis.
• There are a number of agencies with
  responsibility for the management of pests and
  diseases.
• The means and frequency of collation has not been
  consistent through time. Improved monitoring
  brings its own set of interpretation issues.
• The situation varies between plantation and
  indigenous, making a national estate picture more
  difficult to achieve.

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NZ Forest makeup
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1. Fire

• The New Zealand National Rural Fire Authority
  co-ordinates a Statutory Fire Return.
• Includes information on grass, scrub and forest
  fires. Ownership, districts and causes are also
  available.
• Response varies. The 2000/01 figures are based on
  returns from 89 of RFAs. Response has changed
  over time.

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Initial picture of New Zealand rural fires
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More smaller fires

• Greater control
• Increased reporting

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Area of burned forest 1986-2000
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Year to year variation versus critical thresholds
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Percentage of planted forest burnt
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Percentage of planted forest burnt (1946 averaged)
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Comparable international situations
Country Forest area Forest Averaging Area
burned Area burned/ (10 ha) ownership period (ha/
y) forest area () Portugal 2.4 91
private 94-97 73,053 2.989 Canada 112.1 94
public 88-98 2,500,000 2.230 China 113.7 100
public 50-92 946,000 0.832 USA 198.1 72
private 90-99 1,476,263 0.745 Russia 351.1 100
public 94-97 1,120,396 0.319 Turkey 6.6 99
private 94-97 11,720 0.178 NZ planted
forest 0.7 52 private 36-99 400 0.059 Switzerland
1.1 70 public 94-97 11,720 0.178 NZ planted
forest 1.4 80 private 88-99 510 0.036 United
Kingdom 2.4 60 private 95-97 486 0.020 Finland 18
.8 70 private 94-97 1,046 0.006 NZ total
forest 7.4 67 public 86-00 386 0.005 Norway 7.2 8
0 private 94-97 371 0.005 Denmark 0.4 70
private 95-97 4 0.001
The data is mostly based on UN/ECE Timber
Committee.Forest Fire Statistics 1995-1997
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2. Land clearance
500
1790
2000
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New Zealand forest cover 500-2000
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Total forest cover 1900-2000
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3. Pests

• Public enemy no. 1

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Impact of possum browsing on tree canopy

• Before

After
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Distribution of possums,at four stages of
colonisation(Cowan, 1990)
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Sub regional spread of possums into Northland
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Possum damage in plantation forests based on
forest health surveys
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Sub regional possum damage in North Island
plantation forests by bioregion
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Possum density in different forest habitats
Each symbol represents the average density from
an intensive study of an undisturbed population.
Sites adjoining pasture are shown as filled
circles. Efford, M 2000.
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of DOC AHB at risk from possums area that
is under control
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4. Diseases
Frequency of key plantation forest health factors
- last 5 years

• Dothistroma pini - 3,446 observations
• Cyclaneusma minus - 3,553 observations
• Upper Mid-crown Yellowing (UMCY) - 3,714
  observations
• Phaeocryptopus gaumanii - 364 obs
• Cardiaspina fiscella - 63 observations

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Dothistroma pini - cumulative
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
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Dothistroma pini
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
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Cyclaneusma minus
1983
1990
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
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Reported incidences per area
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Reported incidences per area vs. Area Sprayed
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5. Biosecurity
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6. Weeds

• Little/no available information. No national
  data
• National database on pests in natural forest
  being developed
• Few forestry companies survey weed distribution
  in forests
• Reporting on herbicide use difficult and
  meaningless at broad scale
• Issues of weeds spreading from forests - P.
  contorta, Larix spp - called Wildings
• Best approaches
• case studies
• plantation industry surveys

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Reporting

• Develop reporting protocols linked to new
  monitoring systems to be designed (eg indicators
  4 5) - longer term
• Case studies
• wilding spread - council data on areas of
  concern, costs of control, published literature
• weeds in forest - survey forestry companies -
  information on important weeds (list from expert
  knowledge)
• Quick solutions for 2003?
• Mix of two case studies above

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Key points

• Historical variation may not be available but
  some means of identifying the exceptional is
  desirable.
• Use percentage data wherever possible.
• Part of the picture is still very useful, eg some
  control data is still an indicator.
• With single point of datum
• internal comparison breakdown of that datum eg
  planted, natural
• external comparison

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Where no national picture exists look to
on-going representative regional data or case
study. Composite - partial aggregation may be
possible even if full aggregation is not. Need
to consider weighting though. Relate to forest
management practices/response/management wherever
possible.
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Frequencies of key health factors - last 5 years

• Dothistroma pini - 3,446 observations
• Cyclaneusma minus - 3,553 observations
• Upper Mid-crown Yellowing (UMCY) - 3,714
  observations
• Sirex noctilio - 45 observations

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Dothistroma pini
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Reported incidences per area
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Area of burned forest 1986-2000