Story: Floods

Forestry slash

Large trees and other debris lying up against a low concrete road bridge across a river.

During flooding events, an additional danger can be caused by ‘slash’ (felled trees from plantation forests with no commercial value which have been left lying onsite). The trees can be picked up by flood waters and rafted down onto farmland and into rivers before washing out to sea and fetching up on beaches. When the trees get caught against the piles of bridges they can often make flooding worse. This is the Waipunga Road bridge over the Esk River in the Hawke’s Bay following Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023.

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How to cite this page:

Eileen McSaveney, 'Floods - New Zealand’s number one hazard', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/47896/forestry-slash (accessed 28 April 2024)

Story by Eileen McSaveney, published 12 Jun 2006, reviewed & revised 1 Feb 2024