Conservation, environment, water and wildlife

Kiwi group breeding drought-resistant trees

Green Ideas editorial team 12 August, 2015

0 comments Conservation, environment, water and wildlife

GI-17-Kiwi-group-breeding-drought-resistant-trees — Gum trees are being bred to become even more tolerant of dry areas in the hope of boosting our forestry industry.

Outsmarting climate change.

Climate models predict that many regions in New Zealand will become drier, especially on the east coast, under the climate change scenarios currently playing out – and a private forestry group wants our local industry to cash in.

The Drylands Forestry Initiative, which received a $5 million government grant in the May 2015 Budget, is experimenting with breeding trees that grow quickly in arid regions, and ultimately plans to see 100,000ha of forestry planted in places such as Canterbury and Gisborne.

The initiative has been welcomed by industry associations and government alike, as New Zealand is currently heavily specialised in growing radiata pine – and little else – exposing us to greater risk if climate change or new tree diseases impacted the forestry industry.

The Drylands group is focusing on improving stocks of eucalypts – aka gum trees – to make them a more commercially viable product.