Some revegetation options for Lake Horowhenua, Levin

Three forest remnants near the shores of Lake Horowhenua were inspected to provide information for Wellington Conservancy and local people who are interested in restoring native vegetation of the lake edge. The remnants visited contained a diverse range of species and will provide excellent foci and seed sources for the proposed restoration. Several regionally rare species were noted in our brief survey, and it is suggested that more detailed survey of the area before restoration commences would be desirable in order to make full use of the botanical assets which exist there. The steps to follow for effective restoration are outlined in sections 4 and 5 of this report, and the summary provides a handy checklist to ensure that all steps have been followed. The early successional native tree species which will be most successful for this restoration project are named, and any ecological variation which could be important is also described. Restoration of the lake edge vegetation of Lake Horowhenua can be achieved, but is a long-term project which future generations will gain more benefit from than the current generation which has the foresight to get the restoration underway.