The name Scrub is a nod to the colloquial term used by farmers to describe the unwanted manuka/ kanuka that has returned to cleared pastoral land.  However, ‘Scrub’ also refers to an important ecosystem that plays a vital role in the reestablishment of native forests.

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Scrublands are a unique ecosystem in their own right, supporting a rich diversity of native plants and providing habitat to a wide range of birds, native plants, and insects. 

 

The manuka/kanuka dominant vegetation that most of us commonly think of as scrub, is actually a transitional vegetation type, providing pioneer cover that allows ecosystems to recover following a disturbance.  Overtime, the scrub cover gives way to a secondary vegetation type, facilitating a return to a native forest ecosystem.

 

Typically, our restoration projects are designed to mimic this process, with the planting of primary colonising species to create the conditions that will encourage the natural return of native vegetation and long-term ecosystem recovery.