Wilding pine funding is 'finger-in-the-dyke' stuff, says Simon Upton

Wilding pine funding is 'finger-in-the-dyke' stuff, says Simon Upton
Wilding Pine Network coordinator Jo Ritchie on a survey flight last year. (Image: Wilding Pines Network)
Greg Hurrell
The parliamentary commissioner for the environment Simon Upton said the control of wilding pines would be thrown into reverse if more long-term funding wasn’t secured.Despite criticising the lack of funding for the programme, Upton suggested it could have diverted funding from other weed problems needing national coordination.He also called for a levy on commercial planters of conifer forests to help cover the costs of wilding pine management, as suggested last year by Landcare Research.The National Wilding Conifer Control Programme (NWCC...

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