Northland's forest are collapsing
Rewarewa (Knightia excelsa), one of the species suffering from high possum numbers in Northland's forests. Photo: John Barkla.
Drone footage released by Forest and Bird dramatically illustrates severely damaged lowland forest in Northland.
Unchecked populations of possums are heavily feeding on species such as totara (Podocarpus totara), kohekohe (Dysoxylum spectabile), northern rata (Metrosideros robusta), tairaire (Beilschmiedia tarairi), rewarewa (Knightia excelsa) and puriri (Vitex lucens). The skeletal canopies caused by severe browse are dramatically illustrated in this video produced by Forest and Bird.
To find out more about the collapse of Northland's forests and how you can act, visit the Forest and Bird website here.