Forests & Trees
Beech Forest
Most New Zealand vegetation, including beech forest, had it's origin in Gondwana, which, in the early Cretaceous (135-110 million years ago) period, began to break up into individual lands. The individual countries which broke away carried Gondwanan vegetation and this has been evolving and changing ever since. After the break up of the super continent, New Zealand became isolated about 80 million years ago. Since that time the land area has changed constantly, sometimes being reduced to islands. Mountain building, volcanic eruptions, erosion and glaciation have changed the land surface and the continents have changed over the eons of time.
The beech trees of the southern hemisphere are referred to as the southern beeches and in New Zealand they are amongst our most distinctive trees. The flowers on the beeches arise in the base of the bud scales and leaves produced in the spring. The staminate of the male flower is conspicuous and is highly coloured while the female is much smaller and green, and more concealed. As mentioned earlier, the abundance of flowers has a direct affect on stoat numbers. It is interesting to note that some valleys adjacent to the Landsborough have experienced prolific beech flowering over recent seasons, and as a consequence stoat numbers rose considerably with a significant impact on bird numbers.
The silver beech is a tall tree with branches arranged more or less in tiers. Trees growing on open river flats, take a broad spreading form whereas those in the bush are more compressed. The tree reaches a height up to 30 metres, with a trunk up to 2 metres through. With very old trees the trunk is often heavily coated with mosses and lichens. Other New Zealand species (not found in the Landsborough) include hard beech, red beech, black beech and mountain beech.
Rata
The southern rata grows from a seed on the ground to a tree up to 15 metres high, with a trunk up to one metre through. Flowers are borne in profusion making the tree a brilliant spectacle visible some distance away from November to January. The thick leathery, lance shaped leaves are up to 5cm long and 2cm wide and are dotted with many oil glands. The heavy tough strong wood has been used for shipping.
The southern rata differs from its northern cousin in significant ways. For example the southern rata's flowers are a more brilliant red. The northern rata usually begins life as an epiphyte perched high on another tree. It germinates from a wind borne seed. It sends down aerial roots which grow horizontally around the host trunk to join other aerial roots. In this way the rata gradually encloses the host trunk and finally becomes a tall, often massive, tree with a hollow trunk and huge spreading branches. The tree's flowering is relatively spasmodic, most trees flowering well once every few years.
RIMU
BEECH FOREST
MOUNTAIN BEECH