EPA Report: Verified Source: Pestlink Operational Report for Possum, Ship rat Control in the Project Kaka 01 Mar 2017 - 17 Mar 2017 11/08/2017 Department of Conservation Wairarapa Contents 1. Operation Summary Operation Name Possum, Ship rat Control in Project Kaka Operation Date 01 Mar 2017 - 17 Mar 2017 District Wairarapa Region: Lower North Island Pestlink Reference 1617WRP01 Treatment Area Project Kaka Size (ha) 29288.00 Conservation Unit Name(s) GA Id(s) Tararua Forest Park 2795245 Treatment Block Details Treatment Blocks Size (ha) Grid Ref GIS Ref Project Kaka 29288.00 BP33 Contractor Name Beck Helicopter Ltd Treatment Dates Start Completion Project Kaka 01 Mar 2017 17 Mar 2017 Target Pest Details Target Treatment Blocks Control Method Name Pests Project Kaka Possum, Pesticide Aerial Pesticide - Aerial in Project Kaka- Ship rat (1) Conservation Outcome(s) Project Kaka (PK) aims to restore the diverse native forest bird, insect and plant communities in Tararua Forest Park. PK is an intensive 10 year pest control and monitoring programme, DOC and other organisations and volunteers are working together to target species that are the biggest threat to native bird life and forest systems. The Project Kaka zone covers the most used areas of the park, so that as many people as possible will experience the expected improvement in forest health and increase in bird life. It includes a diverse range of forest types including fertile river valleys and higher altitude beech, kamahi and fuchsia forests. Improved canopy condition and tree survival, most palatable canopy forest species will be protected. Increased abundance of fruit/seed in the year following treatment. Forest birds stable or increasing populations of most native forest bird species present, including tui, bellbird, fantail, rifleman, tomtit, kakariki, kereru, kaka and whitehead (differences >15% in the abundance of bellbird, fantail, rifleman, kakariki, and kaka are expected to be observed in the treatment area relative to the non-treatment area after seven years). Result Target(s) Treatment Area/Block What we got • Less than 10% Project Kaka 2% Rodent tracking index • Less than 10% wax Project Kaka 0.02 tags marked by possums • Mustelid monitoring Project Kaka N/A (no target set) Outcome Targets What we got • Protect the canopy structure of possum palatable trees within the operational area. • Increased fruit and seed abundance in the year following treatment. • Stable or increasing populations of most native forest bird species present. Differences of greater than 15% are expected between treatment and non treatment areas after 7 years of bird species vulnerable bird species. 2. Introduction 2.1 TREATMENT AREA Non-target species Common Name Scientific Name Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae Tui novaeseelandiae Bellbird Anthornis melanura melanura North Island Rifleman, Acanthisitta chloris granti Titipounamu, titipounamu North Island Fantail, Rhipidura fuliginosa placabilis Piwakawaka Ninox novaeseelandiae Morepork, Ruru novaeseelandiae Pestlink Ref: 1617WRP01 Page 2 of 14 Date Printed: 14 Aug 2017 Silvereye Zosterops lateralis New Zealand Kingfisher Halcyon sancta Whitehead, Popokatea Mohoua albicilla New Zealand Pipit, Pihoihoi, Anthus novaeseelandiae pihoihoi, Richard's pipit novaeseelandiae Australasian Harrier, Kahu, Circus approximans Swamp harrier Phalacrocorax carbo Black Shag, Kawau novaehollandiae Grey Warbler, Riroriro Gerygone igata Long-tailed Cuckoo, Koekoea, koekoea, kohoperoa, long-tailed Eudynamys taitensis koel, longtailed cuckoo, long tailed cu Shining Cuckoo, Pipiwharauroa Chrysococcyx lucidus lucidus Australasian Shoveler Anas rhynchotis Southern Black-backed Gull, Larus dominicanus dominicanus Karoro Pukeko Porphyrio melanotus melanotus Grey Teal Anas gracilis Grey Duck, Pacific black duck, Anas superciliosa parera, gray duck, black duck House Sparrow Passer domesticus Song Thrush Turdus philomelos Blackbird Turdus merula Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs Eastern Rosella Platycercus eximius Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris Eurasian skylark, Kaireka Alauda arvensis Mallard Duck Anas platyrhynchos Common redpoll Carduelis flammea Peripatus, Ngaokeoke Peripatoides suteri Snail Wainuia nasuta Shortfin eel Anguilla australis Common smelt Retropinna retropinna Redfin bully Gobiomorphus huttoni Banded kokopu Galaxias fasciatus Brown trout Salmo trutta Welcome Swallow, Warou Hirundo neoxena neoxena Paradise Shelduck, Putangitangi Tadorna variegata Torrentfish Cheimarrichthys fosteri Wellington Green gecko Naultinus punctatus Southern Bell Frog Ranoidea raniformis undetermined magpie species Gymnorhina sp. Dunnock Prunella modularis Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis Greenfinch Carduelis chloris Pestlink Ref: 1617WRP01 Page 3 of 14 Date Printed: 14 Aug 2017 Common bully Gobiomorphus cotidianus Target benefit species Common Name Scientific Name - Raukaua simplex Rimu Dacrydium cupressinum Silver beech, Tawhai Lophozonia menziesii - Corybas oblongus Copper Skink Oligosoma aeneum Forest Gecko Mokopirirakau granulatus Common Gecko Woodworthia maculata Tree fuchsia Fuchsia excorticata - Metrosideros robusta Kamahi, tawheo, tawhero, Weinmannia racemosa tawherowhero - Raukaua simplex Tawa Beilschmiedia tawa - Pseudopanax colensoi - Ileostylus micranthus Large-leaved milk tree, turepo Streblus banksii - Pittosporum cornifolium - Dendrobium cunninghamii - Earina mucronata Greenhood orchid Pterostylis banksii - Metrosideros robusta Threatened species Common Name Scientific Name Red-crowned Parakeet, red- headed parakeet, Kakariki, Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae kakariki, kaka-wairiki, kawariki, novaezelandiae porete, powha Southern falcon, karearea, bush hawk, sparrow hawk, bush Falco novaeseelandiae falcon, southern falcon, eastern falcon, ka Long finned eel Anguilla dieffenbachii Scarlet mistletoe Peraxilla colensoi Crayfish or Koura Paranephrops zealandicus - Olearia cheesemanii North Island kaka, bush parrot, Nestor meridionalis brown parrot, kawkaw septentrionalis Yellow-crowned Parakeet, Cyanoramphus auriceps Kakariki New Zealand pigeon, Kereru Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae Chalinolobus tuberculatus Long-tailed bat (North Island) (North Island) - Hebe sp. Pestlink Ref: 1617WRP01 Page 4 of 14 Date Printed: 14 Aug 2017 Kohurangi, Kirk's daisy Brachyglottis kirkii var. kirkii Geographical location The Project Kaka is situated 13 km West of Otaki. TREATMENT BLOCK DETAILS: Treatment block Project Kaka Recordings of 739 indigenous plants in the Tararua Forest Park have been made. This represents almost 30% of the New Zealand indigenous flora (Sawyer, 1994). The forests of the Tararua Range are extremely complex with many peculiarities in local stand composition or species distribution. Five vegetation types cover the land in the treatment area. The vegetation at the lower altitude areas of the Vegetation type treatment area is rimu/beech/kamahi forest on alluvial terraces. Away from these areas between 500m and 900m is red beech/silver beech/kamahi forest. Between 900m and the treeline at 1200m, silver beech predominates. Within these two forest types can be found Fuchsia excorticata (tree fuchsia) forest at altitudes between 500m and 1000m. Above 1200m for some 100 to 200m, some subalpine shrubland dominated by leatherwood (Olearia colensoi) is present. Bioclimatic zone montane sub-alpine lowland sub-montane Climate characteristics: Rainfall 5000 mm Temperature: Average Summer 14.0 Average Winter 5.0 Snow level 700 m Altitude 100-1529 m Community and Iwi Tramping, hunting, botanising and fishing. interests Historic sites Cone Hut, Field Hut. 2.2 MANAGEMENT HISTORY Management history was not chosen to be shown in this operational report. This history is, however, available via Pestlink 3 Outcomes and Targets 3.1 CONSERVATION OUTCOMES Project Kaka (PK) aims to restore the diverse native forest bird, insect and plant communities in Tararua Forest Park. PK is an intensive 10 year pest control and monitoring programme, DOC and other organisations and volunteers are working together to target species that are the biggest threat to native bird life and forest systems. The Project Kaka zone covers the most used areas of the park, so that as many people as possible will experience the expected improvement in forest health and increase in bird life. It includes a diverse range of forest types including fertile river valleys and higher altitude beech, kamahi and fuchsia forests. Improved canopy condition Pestlink Ref: 1617WRP01 Page 5 of 14 Date Printed: 14 Aug 2017 and tree survival, most palatable canopy forest species will be protected. Increased abundance of fruit/seed in the year following treatment. Forest birds stable or increasing populations of most native forest bird species present, including tui, bellbird, fantail, rifleman, tomtit, kakariki, kereru, kaka and whitehead (differences >15% in the abundance of bellbird, fantail, rifleman, kakariki, and kaka are expected to be observed in the treatment area relative to the non-treatment area after seven years). 3.2 TARGETS 3.2.1 Result Targets The result targets for the treatment area were: • Less than 10% Rodent tracking index • Less than 10% wax tags marked by possums • Mustelid monitoring (no target set) 3.2.2 Outcome Targets The outcome targets for the treatment area were: • Protect the canopy structure of possum palatable trees within the operational area. • Increased fruit and seed abundance in the year following treatment. • Stable or increasing populations of most native forest bird species present. Differences of greater