Planting Timeline

Plants are chosen for the site based on soil type, slope and successional stage. All plants are eco-sourced from natural populations around the Waikato. This is because plants growing naturally in the Waikato should be the best adapted to local conditions. To date 8.1ha of the park has been planted. Planting started in 2004 when the park was officially opened with a small area of the manuka swamp vegetation type (Fig one).

Figure one: Manuka swamp vegetation planted

To improve the water quality of Horseshoe Lake the lakes margins were the first areas to be planted. Plantings were of the manuka-flax vegetation type(Fig two and three). Some of this area was left in pasture for future walkways and recreational areas.

Figure two: manuka-flax vegetation planted

 

Figure three: manuka-flax vegetation planted

In 2007 plantings shifted to the basin and hillslope landforms (Fig four). Slight variations in plantings were trialled in these areas to test which is the most effective way of establishing a closed canopy quickly. Different ground cover treatments (e.g. using mulch) were trialled on the hillslope to test effects of weed suppression on plantings growth.

Figure four: Tawa hillslope forest and semi-swamp kahikatea forest planted

In 2008 a ridge top in the North West of the park was planted for the kauri forest vegetation type. The Sporadanthus bog was also created this year on the eastern banks of Horseshoe Lake..

Figure five: Kauri ridge forest and Sporadanthus bog planted