We will be replanting the Forest in a mix of native and permanent exotic trees, and improve the recreational tracks. This will be done over the next 20 years as we gradually retire from commericial forestry operations to focus on recreational usage.
The Forest was renamed Kingsland Forest Park to signify the change from a commercial forest to a recreational area. The Kingsland name acknowledges the efforts of Henry and Tom Kingsland, father and son, who were involved in the pine industry in Richmond from the 1920s.
Check out the wayfinding map for Kingsland Forest Park (pdf 4.4 MB). This signage also appears in places on the trails.
Alternatively, you can view the network of tracks in our region on the Outdoor Access maps(external link). Switch on the Tracks and Trails layer and zoom in on our region to check them out.
On 2nd July 2020, Tasman District Councillors adopted the Development Plan.
Read the Plan here: Kingsland Forest Park Development Plan (pdf 2.2 MB)
Appendices: Kingsland Forest Park Development Plan Appendices (pdf 1.3 MB)
The 2024 winter planting programme for Kingsland Forest is complete.
Between June and the end of August, we planted over 44,000 native trees in the ground, mostly in areas harvested in 2023 and within the Lodestone and Jimmy Lee Creek catchments/gullies.
This is on top of last year’s mega effort of planting 51,000 trees as well as the plentiful native regeneration that is occurring.
These trees are small at the moment, but in time they will grow to become integral parts of this new phase of life for the reserve.
In the meantime, the spring conditions will do their bit to help grow the new and existing trees a little more. A lot of weed and pest control will be ongoing in the coming months.
There has been a lot going on to improve the Kingsland hillside and its surrounds this year. We’ve installed three new park benches at the Fowler, Henry and Heaton Road Skid sites – with the help of Keep Richmond Beautiful – as well as plans to put in a toilet facility in time for summer.
We have also installed 10 new way-finding signs at the main entranceways and strategic locations as well as rebuilt two mountain bike tracks.
Big thanks must go to our volunteers and planting contractors who have tackled the difficult terrain with a professional approach and dedication which has contributed to a good result.
We’re also grateful to the nursery that supplied the large number of high-quality plants, and the contribution of the Government’s Better Off Funding in enabling this work to move ahead.
A lot has been going on to improve Kingsland Forest and its surrounds recently. This work was rounded out nicely with some valuable additions, providing varying levels of emergency relief.
Contractors have done a fine job constructing two fire ponds on the Fowler and Henry Road Skids. The construction of both ponds is mostly finished, and they have started to fill with water.
Should the worst occur, the immediate availability of water in this location can make a critical difference in controlling and extinguishing fires before they spread.
As we’ve promised, a toilet has also been installed, which came from Better Off Funding. In the process of consulting on the Kingsland Forest Park Plan, a toilet at a central point in the forest was one of the most popular suggestions.
At peak times, from past track counters, more than 500 people per day are in the area – so there’s a reasonable need for a toilet.
You’ll find this comfort stop in between Big Skid and Fowler Road Skid.
Along with planting thousands of new trees to restore the aesthetic of the hillside behind Richmond, we installed three new park benches at the Fowler, Henry and Heaton Road Skid sites – with the help of volunteers from Keep Richmond Beautiful. A further 34,000 native trees will be planted in Kingsland Forest in 2025.
We have also installed 10 new way-finding signs at the main entranceways and strategic locations as well as rebuilt two mountain bike tracks.
Kingsland Forest is one of several forests that the Council owns to raise revenue and reduce the demand on rates. It is also the least profitable of the plantation forests the Council owns and manages. Harvest cycles impinge on recreational use of the area and on biodiversity. Harvesting can also present a downstream risk to the urban community of Richmond, particularly given the more frequent storms we are experiencing in the District.
Taking advantage of the harvesting cycle in 2020, the Council have planned to move away from commercial forestry behind Richmond, and manage the Forest solely as a recreational and biodiversity asset for Richmond.
Kingsland Forest covers about 100 hectares, most of which is planted with pinus radiata. A significant proportion of these trees are due to be harvested in the next few years. There are also pockets of native species within the forest that are being restored through additional planting and pest control by active and keen volunteers. The forest contains the ‘Barrington Gum’, a Eucalyptus regnans or mountain ash, which is reputed to be one of the tallest trees in New Zealand.
To create the Plan, we approached Te Tau Ihu iwi, adjacent landowners (including Silvan Forest owners), Nelson Mountain Bike Club, MTB Trails Trust, Forest & Bird, Keep Richmond Beautiful, Hill Street South Will's Gully Group, Native Bird Recovery Richmond, and Walking Access NZ.
During February and March 2019, we created an informal survey and made it available to users of the Forest, on our website, and promoted it on social media. This was to gauge how often and why people used the Forest, as well as what they envisioned for the future of the Forest.
The Council developed a draft development plan covering a wide range of issues for public consultation. The consultation period ran from 18 December 2019 until 6 March 2020. We held 5 drop in sessions during this time. There were 12 submitters who chose to speak to the Hearings Panel. Hearings were held on 16 March 2020, with deliberations delayed due to COVID-19 until the 2 June 2020.
We received 212 submissions.
Read all the submissions here: Spreadsheet of submissions for Draft Kingsland Forest Development Plan (pdf 19 MB)
Download the report and summary of the submissions here: Report to hearings 20-06-2020 (pdf, 2.1 MB)
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