Conifers were introduced to New Zealand in the 1880s. Since then they have spread from forests, shelterbelts and erosion plantings.
Without any control they will form dense forests that have environmental consequences on our native ecosystems, use up scarce water, and alter iconic landscapes.
Wilding conifer or wilding pines is the New Zealand term for introduced conifers that are spreading across the landscape through natural regeneration.
Conifers are woody plants that have cones instead of flowers. They include cedars, pines, firs, cypress, larches, and spruces.
Wildings are often malformed, have large branches, have a pronounced taper, grow in mixed species groups and are in inaccessible places making their timber valueless or the extraction costs outweigh any timber value.
When conifer cones mature on the tree, they open to release masses of wind-blown seeds. These seeds travel kilometres downwind and need no special conditions to take root and grow.
Wilding conifers cover more than 1.8 million hectares of New Zealand. Despite control efforts they are spreading at an estimated rate of 5% a year.
Without large scale funding and control within twenty years 20% of New Zealand will be covered with wilding pines.
As wilding conifers spread across our landscapes they:
The photos below were taken over 17 years from Mid Dome, Southland. They show how rapidly wilding conifers colonise the landscape when left unchecked.
Wilding conifer spread in 1998, 2004 and 2015 in Mid-Dome, Southland
Image: Environment Southland ©
Ten introduced conifer species are responsible for most of the wilding conifers.
Two of these species, radiata pine and Douglas fir, are also important commercial species. As long as they are planted in an appropriate place, at suitable spacings, and tended as they grow.
Contorta pine (Pinus contorta) pine has been declared an unwanted organism under the Biosecurity Act 1993. That means it cannot be bred, propagated, distributed or sold in New Zealand.
Find more information on New Zealand Plant Conservation Network website:
Find out ways wilding conifers can be controlled.
The Wilding Pine Network supports community-led wilding conifer control efforts. Visit their website to find a community group in your area.
You can also contact your local council or local DOC office for information about what you can do to help stop the spread.
Contribute to iNaturalist and help build a map of the distribution of wilding conifers.
This is a framework for central government, local government, forestry and farming industries, landowners, researchers and communities to collaboratively work together to prevent the spread of wilding conifers, and efficiently contain or eradicate established areas of wilding pines by 2030.
New Zealand Wilding Pines Management Strategy
The programme ensures a collaborative, coordinated and effective approach to national wilding management. It includes central and local government agencies, and is supported by a wide range of stakeholder groups.