It’s human nature to want to help protect kauri, believes Dr Ian Horner.
A leading plant pathologist in New Zealand, Ian helped set up the citizen science project Kauri Rescue, which uses science and community action to help save kauri trees from the deadly kauri dieback disease.
Ian says Kauri Rescue arms landowners with the knowledge and tools to identify symptoms, safely treat infected trees using phosphite injections, monitor tree health over time, and reduce the risk of spreading the disease on their property.
Now largely volunteer-driven, Kauri Rescue brings together scientists and landowners to protect kauri on private property. To date, the trust has helped safeguard more than 5,000 trees across more than 200 properties.
Waikato Regional Council have recently published an article about Ian’s treatment of a 1200 year old kauri tree in Long Bay, near Coromandel Town, which is infected with kauri dieback disease. You can read the full article here.