Story: Southern beech forest

Beech forest in New Zealand

Beech forest in New Zealand

Pure beech forest covers more than 2.9 million hectares of New Zealand. It is the dominant forest cover on the main mountains of the North Island and much of the western South Island, but is absent near the Manawatū Gorge and in central Westland – areas known as beech gaps. Mixtures of beech and conifer–broadleaf forests cover over 1.4 million hectares. There are also a number of isolated stands of beech.

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Source: Peter Wardle, Vegetation of New Zealand. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991

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How to cite this page:

Joanna Orwin, 'Southern beech forest - Southern beeches', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/map/13299/beech-forest-in-new-zealand (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Joanna Orwin, published 24 Sep 2007