Protection beyond the flames – QEII covenants and wildfires
Posted By QEII National Trust | December 17, 2024
As wildfires encroach more and more on our lives in Aotearoa, what does this mean for land protected by QEII covenants?
By placing a QEII open space covenant on their land, landowners choose to safeguard precious open space values on their land for the future. This protection means a lot to landowners, and they put lots of great work into caring for their covenants, many of which contain threatened plants, insects and birdlife. But like other natural disasters, fires can cause unforeseen damage and have devastating effects on protected sites and those who care for them.
Last season, wildfires damaged QEII covenants in Canterbury and Wairarapa. With summer already here and the fires already burning, wildfire risk is becoming increasingly topical.
Ōhinetahi reserve
February 2024 held a sense of déjà vu for members of Summit Road Society. The fire that burnt through 650 hectares of the Port Hills in February 2024 crossed into the QEII-protected Ōhinetahi reserve, sadly undoing years of restoration work by Summit Road Society and its volunteers.
This isn’t the first time fire has damaged this covenant. Another Port Hills fire in 2017 burnt through 80 ha of land and a lot of hard work went into replanting in the aftermath.
“The fire followed a similar path to 2017, crossing Summit Road at Mt Ada and spreading down the ridge towards Governors Bay,” says Bill Martin, manager of Summit Road Society. This time, the fire took out 20 hectares of the reserve.
Bill was struck by the way the fire seemed to burn readily through the surrounding gorse and broom near the top and petered out once it reached the more densely forested area. “The concept of ‘green firebreaks’ was played out at this site, which is interesting,” says Bill. “The fire burnt itself out once it reached the more established native plants in the forested area of the reserve.”
Green firebreaks
Creating a ‘green firebreak’ involves strategic planting of native species with low flammability to protect other native species that are threatened by fire or promote fire. Tim Curran, a researcher at Lincoln University, has been studying green firebreaks and flammability of native plants.
“If you’ve got a native forest community that could be impacted by fire, it would make a lot of sense to plant a green firebreak around it,” says Tim. “Broadleaf, tree fuchsia, lancewood and poroporo are all native species that might comprise a restoration planting anyway, and these are all low flammability.”
But Tim cautions that any planting or replanting needs to be the right plant in the right place at the right time and with the right advice. “Replanting a forest in a landscape where it wasn’t previously forest may not be the best way to further biodiversity in that area. But with many native species known to have low flammability, there will be a range of species that can be planted specific to the location.”
QEII regional reps are great people to ask about fire risk and enhancement planting in covenants. They will be able to advise on what species to plant and if the green firebreak is a management option for the specific covenant and region.
Looking to plants – “What’s good for the forest is good for us!”
While there’s no silver bullet for protecting a covenant from fire, a combination of fire reduction methods can be used to reduce fire spread. Many of the positive actions that are good for the environment are actually good for decreasing fire risk too, such as increasing biodiversity (having a variety of species in an ecosystem) and pest control.
Jesse Bythell is the QEII regional rep for Southland, a region that sees its fair share of wildfires. “Something really heartening to remember is that many of the steps landowners might already be taking to care for the special ecosystems on their land such as increasing biodiversity – whether that’s by controlling pests or assisting the regeneration of the forests – may help decrease the fire risk,” says Jesse. “They say variety is the ‘spice of life’, and certainly variety of organisms in a full and healthy ecosystem is good for everyone. What’s good for the forest is good for us!”
Evading the ‘fire trap’ by controlling ungulates
Mānuka and kānuka are examples of endemic species that make excellent nursery crops for other endemic plant species – sheltering them as they grow until they take over the natural regeneration process of the forest – but mānuka/kānuka have high flammability, inviting a pattern of recurring fires before the ecosystem has a chance to recover.
“Sometimes you can get a situation known as a ‘fire trap’ in a regenerating ecosystem, which is a cycle of highly flammable species,” says Jesse. “Species can get stuck in a state of vulnerability for longer.”
“Controlling possums and ungulates such as wild goats and deer can actually help with fire protection,” says Jesse. “Many of the less flammable plant species that will one day grow to form a beautiful forest canopy are quite high on the deer menu. Part of your management to reduce the impact of fire could be to make sure you stay on top of feral deer or goats, which may be holding your forest back.”
Practical advice for protecting your covenant
Jesse recommends being very careful when lighting fires anywhere, but especially near a covenant or area with native habitat. “Always check local conditions and fire regulations before lighting fires – Fire and Emergency have a handy online tool that allows you to instantly check what conditions apply to your area and if you need a permit.”
Another step you could consider is being extra cautious with machinery use, especially when the fire risk is high in your area. “When using chainsaws and other tools, anything with a blade that could strike a stone and cause a spark, it pays to be aware of the fire risk and maybe use spark protection where possible,” says Jesse.
Looking forward at Ōhinetahi Reserve
At ground level, there have certainly been changes at Ōhinetahi reserve in 2024 since the fire crept over the hill in February. Almost a year on, 4,000 native plants have been planted by volunteers and other organisations, swaddled in their plant guards to keep the pesky hares and rabbits from nibbling them.
“We had lots of help from local groups and organisations such as Conservation Skills NZ, Ngāti Wheke, Garden City Helicopters and Riverside Nurseries,” says Bill Martin. “Garden City Helicopters helped airlift 4,000 plants to the planting site, otherwise we would have had to lug in 4,000 plants by hand. Ngāti Wheke, the local iwi, helped with the majority of the planting free of charge.”
So far, the first season with the plants in the ground has been going well, with rainfall to help them survive. Bill explains that the next stage is to ‘release’ the plants from surrounding weeds to give them room to get ahead and to look at planting next year. “We’re looking at carrying on replanting next year. How many plants we decide to plant will depend on the amount of labour and help we can get,” says Bill.
What to do if your covenant comes into contact with fire?
If you discover a fire, always call emergency services first on 111.
QEII regional representatives might already be aware of active fires in their area, but landowners are encouraged to get in touch with their rep if their covenant has been damaged by fire. From there, a rep might visit to provide some insight on what can be done. This usually involves advising on re-fencing and recovery strategies specific to the covenant and landowner involved.
When a fire rolls through and damages a QEII covenant, there might be little a landowner can do about the situation, but it can be reassuring to know that QEII protection goes far beyond the surface level and is enduring.
A QEII covenant offers robust legal protection of special areas in perpetuity. When covenants are damaged by fire and other natural disasters, the covenant area remains in place. Once an area is protected, that area is protected forever.
After a wildfire, there might be a variety of aftereffects for a landowner to contend with. Re-fencing, strategic replanting and controlling the weeds that tend to spring back after a fire might all be things on the to-do list alongside managing the impacts of the fire to the wider property. This can be an overwhelming time for the landowner and QEII aims to be understanding that the covenant may be lower on the priority list compared to people and stock health and dwellings.
Here are some past Open Space articles about wildfire risk: