Forest Trip Guide

1.Intro & Objectives | 2.Where To Go | 3.Preparation 4.Lessons | 5. Game | 6.Story | 7.Picture | 8.Cartoon

4. Pre-trip Lessons: Issues to Explain

Extent of Native Forest

Before people came, all of New Zealand except the mountain tops was covered in forest. Now only 20% or a fifth of the forest remains.

Why? (Maori burnt forest for gardening, travelling and security, European settlers felled and burnt forests for timber and farming)

Our Unique Native Forest

Our native forest is different from all the other forests in the world. This is because it has been isolated from other forest lands for millions of years. Our native plants and animals are either original inhabitants, descended from species on the original continent of Gondwana, or later arrivals which got here across the sea from other lands, and evolved (changed slowly) into native species. These later arrivals included many birds, blown here in storms, and wind blown seeds.

Original Gondwana species include kauri, rimu, totara, kiwi, weta, native worms and native snails. Later arrivals include kowhai, fantails, silver-eyes, kingfisher and morepork.

Link to Unique New Zealand Fact Sheet on this website.

What's it Like Inside the Forest?

Dim - cool - still

This is because the sunlight and the sun's heat is filtered by the trees above and the wind is blocked by the trees around. This means that, in the forest, the air is usually moister and the temperature less extreme than outside the forest.

These conditions are very important to the plants and animals of the forest.

All the forest inhabitants, the tall trees, the smallest ferns, the earthworms, the insects and the birds, are adapted to their places in the forest.

Structure of Native Forest

The forest can be divided into layers, according to the height and form of the plants.

• Canopy: the tops of tall trees like rimu and kauri. Their leaves can cope with wind and strong sunlight and they shade the forest below.
• Sub-canopy: this includes tree ferns, small trees like mahoe, and young canopy trees growing up. These plants need the shelter and shade of the canopy trees.
• Ground plants and ferns: these plants are adapted to grow in the dim, cool, windless interior of the forest. They would shrivel up and die exposed to full sun and wind.
• Perching plants (epiphytes): ferns, orchids, astelia
• Climbers: supple-jack, bush lawyer, clematis

These last two groups of plants are hitch hikers in the forest. They need sunlight, and to reach it, they climb up or perch on a branch of a bigger plant. Lots of plants use these strategies. Look for the dangling fronds of perching ferns, watch out for the hooks which the bush lawyer uses for climbing, and the long ropes of supple jack. Climbers and epiphytes are not parasites. They are only using the other plants for support, not stealing food from them. Only the rare native mistletoes are true parasites.

Threats to the Forest

1. Logging
2. Clearing and burning for farmland
3. Introduced animal pests
   Until people came, there were no warm-blooded, furry animals except little bats in our forest. People brought rats and mice (by accident) and cats, stoats, ferrets, deer, goats pigs and possums (on purpose). These animals became wild in the forests.
   · Goats, deer and pigs eat liitle plants and seedlings on the forest floor.They prevent regeneration.
   · Possums (70 million) eat leaves, berries, bird's eggs and baby birds.
   · Stoats, ferrets, rats and wild cats eat insects, lizards and birds and their eggs and babies.
4. Introduced plant pests. People brought plants from overseas. Some of these plants spread into the forest. Old man's beard is a climber which covers over and kills big forest trees. Wandering Willie and ginger plant can spread over the forest floor and prevent native plants growing.

Forest Conservation

We need to protect native forests from logging and burning. We need to destroy pest animals and plants, but his is very difficult.

What can you do to help native forests?

• Don't buy native furniture. By doing so you are encouraging people to cut down native trees.
• Don't take dogs or cats into the forest and never dump kittens to starve or go wild.
• Get rid of any plant pests in your garden, so their seeds can't spread.
• When you go walking in the forest, enjoy yourself. Don't drop litter or break or trample the plants.

Remember, our native forest is very special.

Instilling a love of nature is a gift that lasts a lifetime.

Learn about New Zealand wildlife and special places - KCC website Fact Sheets