Resumes of Conference Papers

During the late nineteenth century, there was a rapid change in land use over a substantial area of Marlborough north of the Wairau River, including the Sounds, from mixed hardwood, podocarp and beech forests to pasture. Much of the hill country has been unable to sustain an economic level of pastoral farming and is currently in varying stages of reversion. A land use survey over an estimated 288 700 hectares of North Marlborough showed that about 50 % of the area is under an indigenous cover of high forest or advanced regeneration (see Table 1). Much of this land is owned by the Crown and lies within Mt Richmond State Forest Park or the Marlborough Sounds Maritime Park. Pastoral farming continues on 48500 hectares (17%) and exotic forests occupy 19300 hectares (7%). Reverted hill country occupies 73300 hectares (25%) and this is the land base on which most exotic forests will continue to be established. Recent planting rates have been as high as 2000 hectares per annum, and if this continues for another two decades, there would be a total exotic forest resource of approximately 60000 hectares. Present and possible future land uses in twenty years time are shown in Table 1, assuming there are no changes in area of other land uses during this period. In terms of area, exotic forests will remain a relatively minor land use in Northern Marlborough and less than 6 % of the total area of Marlborough County. The total area of commercial exotic forests in Marlborough is estimated (at 31 March 1979) to be about 20460 hectares; this is predominantly Pinus radiata (93 %), predominantly planted north of the Wairau River (94%), mostly planted since 1971 (73 %) and mostly privately owned (63 %). The volume of sawlog quality roundwood is forecast to rise dramatically by the turn of the century to around 990 000 cubic metres per annum, TABLE 1. A summary of current and possible future land use in Northern Marlborough.