Wilding pines not from commercial plantations
September 2025
Public commentary often confuses commercial forestry with the problem of wilding pines. “The worst offenders when it comes to wildings are Pinus contorta (lodgepole pine), not radiata pine. P. contorta was introduced through government programmes for erosion control and early runholders planted P. contorta for shelter, especially in the Mackenzie Country and Inland Otago. It was not introduced by the commercial forestry sector.” said James Treadwell, President of the NZ Institute of Forestry.