Wilding Pines

Wilding pines are trees that have spread from plantings made for the prevention of soil erosion and for commercial forestry. Various pinus species are spread by seed and are a problem in areas where native forest does not occur, such as above the bushline, in high country tussock grasslands and in low-growing coastal vegetation. They can displace native tussock grassland species and native shrublands, and are deemed by many to be an aesthetic problem.

Wilding pines are recognised as a weed in Australia. A range of infestations of wilding pines exists throughout New Zealand. Large areas of Marlborough are infested with Wilding Pine species, particularly in the Marlborough Sounds and in parts of South Marlborough.