Reserve shut to prevent kauri dieback

A reserve on Auckland's North Shore is being shut to prevent the spread of kauri dieback, and the closure of other conservation land is not being ruled out.

The Albany Scenic Reserve, which covers 40 hectares, has dieback spores.

Trees next to the track that leads into the reserve are visibly infected with dieback.

Conservation Minister Maggie Barry said the risk of someone spreading the disease from Albany into the reserve could not be ignored.

She said the Department of Conservation (DOC) would also spend $10 million upgrading tracks around kauri forests in the hope of containing the disease.

Almost $22 million is being spent on track improvements and operational costs over the next four years.

What is kauri dieback?

• Kauri dieback is a fungus-like disease, which is specific to the species and can kill trees of all ages.
• It was first identified in 2008.
• The disease lives in the soil and infects kauri roots, damaging the tissues that carry nutrients to the tree.
• The infection is often hard to spot but, in severe cases, leaves can start to go yellow, thin or fall off, and sores at the base of the trunk can bleed gum.
• Nearly all trees infected with the disease die.
• The disease has affected Northland, the Waitakere Ranges, Great Barrier Island and Coromandel.