Farm Forestry New Zealand

Trees for people: The Montfort Trimble Foundation, opening the forest gate to all-comers

Harriet Palmer, New Zealand Tree Grower May 2017.

The Trimble resources

Trimble Forest, a 129-hectare property north of Masterton near Mount Bruce, was bought in the 1940s and has always been managed as a commercial radiata pine plantation. The forest is now into its third rotation. Profits from the second harvest in 2001 were used to buy Rewanui, a 334-hectare hill property 23 kilometres east of Masterton on the Castlepoint Road.

Rewanui’s large stand of original native bush was a main attraction for the Montfort Trimble Foundation. The bush includes some magnificent old matai, totara and rewarewa, but was in a poor state at the time of purchase. Initial priorities included fencing out livestock, instigating a comprehensive pest control programme, creating several walking tracks and then inviting the public in.

Inviting the public

Since the early days of the Montfort Trimble Foundation ownership, Rewanui has had unrestricted, year-round public access, with car-parking, maps and information, and toilet facilities all provided. The board were active in encouraging local people to get involved right from the start. For example, children from two local primary schools established a wetland and riparian planting, and the Masterton Mens’ Shed became involved, taking timber from fallen trees for woodworking. In return we have received gates, seats and signs made out of Rewanui timber.

Once the native bush restoration programme was under way, new tree planting began in earnest. A main objective was to learn about, and demonstrate, what was possible on typical marginal eastern Wairarapa farmland. In 2006, the board began a network of trial plots featuring 17 indigenous species across a range of different micro-sites, along with 10 exotic species trials.

The trials were planted for demonstration and scientific purposes and have been monitored intensively. We have hosted a number of workshops to share lessons learned. Data on the survival and growth of different species in different conditions is available on the website and has been reported in a variety of publications. We will continue to monitor the trials, perhaps plant more, and publish findings

All trial plantings are easily accessible from the public track network, some of which have been funded by the Masterton District Council. Other research and development organisations are also encouraged to use land at Rewanui. Scion and the NZ Dryland Forests Initiative have trials on the land, and more recently Woodnet has established some manuka trials.

Going outside our comfort zone

Planting trees generally involves a vision of the future, and most voluntary organisations want to remain relevant for as long as possible. The Montfort Trimble Foundation will, in theory, exist in perpetuity, and as tree planters we felt it would be valuable to look into the future and try and picture our role in perhaps 100 or 200 years’ time. We quickly realised we did not have the skills to do this alone, so decided to get help.

The board engaged Dr Stephanie Pride of StratEdgy Consulting to lead two crystal-ball gazing workshops. Despite early scepticism, the workshops proved to be pragmatic and enlightening. We were required to consider some scenarios of what the world would look like 100 years from now, and then imagine the role the Montfort Trimble Foundation could play. Attendees included local farmers, conservationists, teachers, and representatives of local iwi, DOC, MPI, local district and regional councils, and the corporate sector.

As well as strengthening links with all those who attended, the workshops convinced us that a main aim should be to involve many more people in more ways at Rewanui. At the same time, we needed to remember that we are about growing trees on marginal farmland.

Trees for people

The plan is now to develop working relationships with other groups and organisations, making our trees and land available to them, and hoping for some type of benefit in return – direct or indirect. One organisation we felt there would be good potential to work with over the long-term with was Massey University. We approached two groups at the university – the school of People, Environment and Planning, and the school of Communications, Journalism and Marketing. In both cases, the response was very enthusiastic and has resulted in some excellent early interaction.

Our involvement with School of People, Environment and Planning led to us hosting a Living Laboratory summer scholar, Chantelle Potroz, who worked with us over the summer of 2015/16. Chantelle produced a report which provided practical suggestions on ways to attract more people into Rewanui. The board then decided to employ Chantelle part-time from July to December 2016, with specific objectives around raising awareness and increasing visitor numbers. Chantelle ultimately did most of the work to organise our first open.

A group of second-year Communications, Journalism and Marketing students visited Rewanui in the autumn of 2016. They produced a wide range of resources as part of an accredited paper, many of which were fun and a breath of fresh air, all of which are available for our use.

Rewanui’s first open day

Rewanui’s first formal open day for the public was held on Sunday 27 November 2016. We wanted to attract families for a day out with the simple aim of raising awareness of Rewanui. We sought the help of Destination Wairarapa, publicised the event locally, and lined up guest speakers, activities for children, refreshments and guided walks, with a free prize draw for helicopter rides offered by Wairarapa Helicopters. Bad weather on the day meant we had fewer visitors than we had hoped for. On the positive side events went smoothly and those who came seemed to enjoy themselves. We are optimistic that we have raised awareness of Rewanui through our advertising and it will all be much easier the next time. We are in this for the long-haul, and the whole process has whetted the board’s appetite for future, similar days, probably at least once a year.

Other initiatives

For the foreseeable future, the board will continue to bring many more people to the trees. We have identified some key areas.

Creating a community of friends

The Montfort Trimble Foundation does not have the financial resources to employ someone all the time to look after the plantings and liaise with different groups of visitors, so one of our next initiatives is to develop a volunteer community. We have launched the Friends of Trimble which we hope will be available to help with a range of projects such as practical tasks, event organisation and fund raising. So far over 30 people have signed up, and now we need to actively involve these people and learn more about how we can work together while developing their independence as a group.

Attracting new visitor groups

There are various groups we can happily host at Rewanui, on the proviso that they are self-managing. These include silver nomads – older people with motorhomes. Having got over the initial fear that Rewanui would somehow be inundated with freedom campers, we have already had two visits from the Wairarapa Motorhome Association who come for the weekend, enjoy the environment, and will we hope bring their family and friends next time.

Other likely visitors include the Masterton Adult Riding Club, the local harriers, sheepdog triallists and mountain bikers. All these visitors can be accommodated without detracting from the forest resource, which remains available for farm foresters, conservation groups and researchers, should they want to visit or use it.

Diversifying funding and developing research

Like so many charities, we dream of finding a corporate sponsor prepared to support our activities. We will remain alert to opportunities, and are always open to ideas about working in partnership with others with compatible objectives.

The Montfort Trimble Foundation is also open to opportunities for research using its land, trees, social values or other resources. Although the people involved will change, the foundation will exist in perpetuity, and this could provide researchers with a uniquely stable, long-term framework in which to work.

Summary

When Rewanui was purchased in 2004 there was an inkling that this was a property which could become something special. From small beginnings involving tree planting for local farm foresters and schoolchildren, the vision has grown. The Montfort Trimble Foundation has an infinite time horizon, and the potential to make a difference to the way that all sorts of people think about trees and forestry.

By encouraging people to visit and use Rewanui, we want to encourage more new planting on farms and to increase the public’s understanding and enjoyment of trees and forestry as a productive land use. Translating the vision into action on the ground is something that needs careful managing – the task for now and into the distant future.

The structure of the Montfort Trimble Foundation

The Foundation was established thanks to a legacy left by Dr Montfort Trimble, a local GP, who died in 1940. Dr Trimble specified that the legacy be used for ‘public afforestation’ with the emphasis on benefitting local people. The legacy was initially administered by the Masterton County Council, which evolved into the Masterton District Council. The Montfort Trimble Foundation was formally established by an Act of Parliament in 2004, making it financially independent from the Masterton District Council.

The Montfort Trimble Foundation has a voluntary Board of Trustees. Current chair is Andy Pottinger, a Wairarapa farmer with a strong farm-forestry heritage. Stuart Orme of Woodnet is contracted as operations manager. The foundation has close links to the Wairarapa Branch of the NZFFA, with a number of key people active in both organisations.

Harriet Palmer is a Trustee for the Montfort Trimble Foundation.