It's been a big year for Ōtaki Carbon Forests:
Membership about quadrupled.
Including members’ and Friends of the Ōtaki River’s plantings since 2020, we've about 67,900 trees 'on the books'.
That makes for around 14 hectares of trees planted, up by almost 5 hectares this season alone.
The 'barometer' is filling up, as more and more trees grow.
The barometer looks a bit like a thermometer, right? In fact, it's for 'checking' temperatures that we started this project, as the climate crisis heats up. Forests absorb carbon emissions. We plant to mop up the carbon emissions we can't (yet) avoid making.
It's not just about what's in the air/ atmosphere. Planting is boosting biodiversity and cleaning waterways. We're helping to provide 'wildlife corridors' for birds to stop off at as they fly from the Tararuas to the moana, dropping seeds as they go.
And we're helping build community.
The 29 member landowner and kaitiaki are now meeting regularly to share news, issues, and successes with each other.
Says project leader Di Buchan, “By planting trees we’re making Ōtaki’s environment healthier. And that means it’s good for people too. Doing this has been so inspiring… there are so many great people out there who are really really keen to do their bit.”
To celebrate the year's great progress, Ōtaki Carbon Forests hosted a public talk. We are very grateful to Dr Aroha Spinks and Mark Taratoa for sharing their expertise - and enjoyed the conversations their presentations sparked afterwards too.
Would you like to be part of Ōtaki Carbon Forests?
Do you have at least half a hectare of land to plant (mainly) native trees on?
Or, would you be interested in helping get trees in the ground? Nau mai haere mai!
Please contact Di Buchan: otaki.carbonforests@gmail.com.
Are you planning on planting locally? Want some tips? You are welcome to the Ōtaki Carbon Forests booklet, downloadable here.
Mark Taratoa was a member of the Coastal Advisory Panel established by Kāpiti Coast District Council guiding Kāpiti's response to the impacts of projected sea-level rise.
He is a member of the Ōtaki and Porirua Trusts Board.
Dr Spinks was the inaugural Kaihautū Taiao (Environmental Science Director) for the World Wildlife Fund for Nature New Zealand, who has undertaken a cultural values assessment of climate and sea level rise impacts on the Kāpiti region.
