New Zealanders plant kauri seedlings to fight tree dieback
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In New Zealand’s Waitakere Ranges near Auckland, mana whenua, scientists, the Auckland Council, and volunteers planted 2000 kauri seedlings in an effort to restore forests affected by kauri dieback.
Kauri dieback is a disease caused by the pathogen phytophthora agathidicida that attacks the roots of kauri trees, and currently has no cure. The seedlings come from seeds collected from approximately 650 healthy mother trees, chosen for their potential resistance to the disease.
The Waitakere Ranges once held vast kauri forests, but many trees, including a thousand-year-old tree nicknamed Aunt Agatha, have succumbed to kauri dieback. Project leaders collected seeds from Aunt Agatha before she died, hoping her offspring will fare better. Researchers have learned the disease spreads through soil, so preventing the movement of dirt between forests is crucial to protecting kauri trees.
The Bioeconomy Science Institute grew the seedlings at a nursery in Rotorua, New Zealand, before replanting them in the ranges. Selwyn Insley of the institute expressed excitement about returning the trees to their original habitat, and Stuart Leighton of Te Kawerau ā Maki iwi hopes the project will ensure the survival of kauri for future generations.
