Severe storm destroys Karamea native trees, crops in New Zealand

It is a massive loss that will take decades to recover from

 

“Never experienced anything like that before,” says fruit grower Christopher Shaw

New aerial footage has revealed the extent of the devastation wrecked by Cyclone Ita on the South Island’s West Coast.

 

Tens of thousands of native trees were ripped out of the ground during recent storms in Kahurangi National Park, and strong winds destroyed fruit crops and farm sheds in Karamea.

It is a massive loss that will take decades to recover from.

 

Huge blocks of beech forest were flattened by Cyclone Ita, along with plantations of Rimu and other native trees, many in Kahurangi National Park.

 

“If we were to look at the area around Karamea there could be in the order of more than 10,000 hectares of forest that has entirely blown over,” says Department of Conservation (DOC) West Coast services director Mike Slater.

 

Northern Buller was the worst affected area, but the devastating storms affected roads and public tracks across the West Coast.

 

“We’ve been working hard, our staff over the last two weeks, drawing crews from right across the region and in fact from Otago and Southland to assist in getting those tracks open,” says Mr Slater.

 

DOC is now considering changes to the Conservation Act, to allow the harvesting of some of the wind-fallen native trees, although not those in the national parks.

 

Fruit growers in Karamea are also struggling to get back on their feet after crops were wiped out.

 

“Never experienced anything like that before,” says fruit grower Christopher Shaw. “I’d love to know what the wind gusts were at, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them were around 200km/h.”

 

Peter Moynihan lost more than half of his passionfruit crop and around 80 percent of his feijoas.

 

Frost cloths were shredded after willow trees snapped and crashed onto A-frame supports. It will take months to fully repair the damage.

 

“It does make you question whether you should start again,” says Mr Moynihan. “It’s going to be a significant cost to repair and rebuild everything.”

 

Farmers too are racing to repair sheds and buildings ripped apart in the storms.

“There are more buildings up there, and the whole valley really – everyone’s waiting in line for a builder,” says Karamea dairy farmer Jeff Howell.

 

But residents have banded together, keen to get as much as possible done before winter really hits.

 

http://tinyurl.com/lqyhejx