Work on removing about 125 trees from the Arrowtown Golf Club and adjacent land is set to begin on 22 May. This work is scheduled to be completed 5 June and will involve temporary traffic management on Centennial Avenue while felling takes place. Access to the golf course will also be restricted with no public access into areas close to felling and machinery activities.
Arrowtown Golf Club asked permission to remove this ageing tree stock because Douglas fir and larch trees have an undesirable effect on turf as they're shallow rooting and produce large lateral roots that affect green quality. The trees also produce a large amount of litter. They will be replaced with more suitable species of both exotics and natives that allow grass to grow to the base of the trees.
An application to remove Douglas fir, larch and pine species was approved by Queenstown Lakes District Council’s Community & Services Committee on 6 April 2023. The application was open for public submissions. The request included a restoration plan that will see two trees planted for every one removed. About 30 further trees will be removed from the Arrowtown Golf Club private lands.
About 35 larches in the Centennial Avenue road reserve are excluded from the current phase of removals, but will be planned for removal in follow up control phases complemented by plans for a transition to a less harmful tree species.
This work will support wilding conifer control efforts across Arrowtown. The targeted Douglas fir, larch and pines are significant contributors to wilding conifer spread in areas like Tobins Face, Arrow Gorge and the Crown Range.
Golf course neighbours, supported by Whakatipu Wilding Control Group and the Arrowtown Choppers, have invested significantly in removals of large wilding pines. The extensive spread across Mahu Whenua has soaked up thousands of hours from dedicated volunteers and contractors. The support that the Arrowtown Golf course is now contributing will make a substantial difference for the protection of the Arrowtown landscape.
These wilding conifer source trees are planned for removal through log harvesting, where all merchantable materials will be utilised to support the overall activities. Logs will be exported off site and slash wastes stockpiled.
