23/08/2013 - Revegetation Unit 21033

Actual Temperature
13 degrees Celsius
Humidity : 78%
Rainfall : 0.00mm
Wind :  Light wind

Today the whole day class was with Lisa Burton and she discusses about the plant identification in Craigieburn The Dunedin Amenities Society. 

She also explained regarding the predominant plant species are named and classified according to their growth characteristics. The  mature forest can be divided into layers or strata. 

The Emergent Layer : trees tall 30 - 50 metres tall. It grows taller than the canopy. Emergents therefore needs massive trunk for support. Eg: kahitera, totara, matai, miro.

The Canopy Layer : the majority are dense mixed canopy about 20m above the ground. Most are flowering trees. Eg: kamahi, Southern rata and Westland quintinia.

The Subcanopy Layer : trees 10 - 15m above the ground contains a wide assortment of small trees and large tree fern. Eg : mahoe and nikau. subcanopy trees specialise in colonising forest clearings, ripped open by storms or slips. Eg. wineberry, fushia, lacebark, pigeonwood  and putaputaweta (marble leaf).

The Shrubs Layers: as ground dwellers are between 1 - 10m tall.  Many of the shrubs seem to have some form of defence to deter browsing. Eg : tree nettle, kawakawa, mountain horopito.

The Forest Floor / Ground Floor : most twilight of the forest floor provides an ideal environment for simple plants such as mosses and ferns and exposed to the full force of sun and wind. Less than 1m tall. Eg. tiny orchids, Astelia, bush rice grass, hook grass. 

The other aspects she explained is regarding natural born killers such as stoats, rats, cats, possum are exactly a terrible toll on New Zealand's wildlife and forests. We also watched a video on Nature killer.

In the afternoon we went to Woodhaugh Relict Swamp Forest on the bank of the Water of Leith lies a small remnant of Kahikatea and situated between Duke Street and the Water of Leith. At Woodhaugh the Kahikatea is associated with Matai or Black Pine, Lacebark and Lowland ribbon wood.

There are broadleaved canopy of mahoe, lemonwood, fuchsia, mapou, up to 10m tall. Future we walk generally higher ground of the area and in a modified form near the paddling at the George Street end.
At the George Street entrance to the gardens and scattered about grassed areas individuals and groups of trees of totara,  ribbonwood, lacebark, kowhai, black beech, red beech.

Swampy forest near Duke St beside the pond is an area dense forest of broadleaf, lacebark, mapou, mohoe, lemonwood, fuchsia. Moderate dense under storey of Coprosma species, poroporo. Damp to swampy ground with a few tress including lemonwood, silver poplar, kahikatea and a large Lawson's cypress.

Most of the remainder of the gardens is in grass and paths with playground and picnic equipment  and amenity building. We end up by returning to Poly.