Appendix 3: Vegetation Descriptions for Willows Road Farm and Potential Vent Raise Sites Boffa Miskell Ltd | Waihi North Project | Terrestrial Ecology Values and Effects of the WUG Vegetation communities present within Vegetation Area 3. Note that this area is not fenced. Vegetation communities present within Vegetation Area 3, note the lack of regeneration in the understory. Vegetation Area 4 Vegetation Area 4 is a mature pine plantation on a steep, east facing, hillside. A track cuts into the lower hillside below the pines, causing areas of erosion. Native shrubs have naturally regenerated underneath the pines, these include mapou, mahoe, kawakawa and karamu, interspersed with an assemblage of shade-tolerant pioneering species. Pampas grass covers much of the steep banks alongside the track. Between the track and the unnamed tributary, the vegetation is contiguous with the large tract of bush that provides a ready native seed source for regeneration over time. Vegetation communities present within Vegetation Area 4. Note the native regeneration beneath the pine canopy. Vegetation communities present within Vegetation Area 4. This area adjoins Coromandel Forest Park. Vegetation Area 5 Vegetation Area 5 is located on the eastern side of the property and follows a small stream up a shallow valley. Mature mahoe trees grow intermittently along the streambank, with occasional pigeonwood and pukatea interspersed throughout. Pasture grass grows underneath the mature trees and directly alongside the stream. There is no recruitment (younger trees or seedlings) due to stock grazing and damage, although plentiful seeds were observed on the forest floor. The upper stream becomes a seepage from a spring within a larger area of continuous canopy cover. Pukatea trees are the most dominant species here, with hinau, titoki, nikau, mahoe, kohekohe, pigeonwood and silverfern making up a smaller proportion of the canopy. The sub-canopy is devoid of all plants bar epiphytes on the lower branches of the upper canopy. These epiphytes include perching
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