Auckland's original forest cover has been almost completely removed by humans leaving a patchwork of fragments in valleys and on steep slopes. This began when Auckland's rich volcanic soils were sought after for growing food, first by Maori and then by European settlers.
 | The pressure for land clearance still remains, to allow the building of motorways and other infrastructure, and the forest fragments that do remain have often been logged to remove the largest trees for timber leaving them as a shadow of their former glory. Despite this, Auckland's microforests are really interesting to visit if you have a little spare time. Possibly the easiest to visit is the forest in Gribblehirst Park in Sandringham which grows in a carpark on a lava flow from Mt Albert. Another is a lava forest in Withiel Drive on the slopes of Mt Eden whereas others include Kepa Bush in Meadowbank and Dingle Dell in St Heliers. On the northern edge of Auckland there remain surprisingly large forest patches, such as at Wenderholm. In this area we have begun working with a landowner who has covenented some significant forest patches to protect them and plans to enhance them with restoration plantings to expand them, link them together, and to undo the ravages of decades of stock grazing. The proposed development of adjacent farmland for housing will release capital to allow this ambitious work to proceed and is a great example of a win-win outcome. The public will get protection and enhancement of ecological resources at no cost and future residents will get a wonderful environment in which to live, complete with their own dawn chorus. |
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