Douglas Fir: Ridding New Zealand of an Invasive Species

(c) Mareefe 753728@pexels.com

Welcome back to Harvesters’ Corner. Today we are going to take a look at what happens when a good idea develops into a bad one, and how one country is working to correct the matter.

The conical evergreen Christmas tree covered with bright lights and sparkly tinsel had become a quintessential element of the December holiday season for many people around the world. The Douglas Fir, with its dense branch structure and thick needles and warm, earthy-balsamic scent represents this favorite icon for many people. Indeed, it is difficult to look at such a beautiful tree and know that on the other side of the world there is a place where this tree is viewed with apprehension and is considered an invasive species.

For many in the island nation of New Zealand, such is the case. The nation, in the native Māori language, Aotearoa, which translates as “land of the long white cloud,” has been endowed with a vibrant and varied landscape. The landscape of North Island is composed of active volcanoes, mountains, and beaches, some with black sand, others with white sand, while the landscape of South Island sports the snow-capped Southern Alps Mountain range and broad stretches of pastureland covering its length. Blessed with heavy rainfall, the islands of this nation support more than 1,500 species of trees and plants, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth. The ground under the native trees is fertile with dense clusters of ferns, shrubs, mosses, and lichen carpeting the landscape. All in all, it is a very rich, diverse biosphere. It is also exceedingly fragile. (1)

Why Douglas Fir?

(c) Iri Iriser 943898@pexels.com

So how does Douglas Fir enter the picture? For that answer, we need to turn the clock back to nearly a hundred and sixty years ago. The world of the 1850s was vastly different from today’s world. Most ships on the ocean were still wind-driven, with trans-Pacific voyages taking four to six months to complete. The fantastic frenzy of the California Gold Rush was beginning to die down, when the announcement of a new gold rush invigorated the world. Seemingly overnight, men the world over embarked on ships for Australia, the former penal colony on the far side of the world. By the mid-1850s the Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria (homes of Sydney and Melbourne, respectively) grew rich on the mines within their borders. Then, as the 1850s were drawing to a close, gold was discovered in New Zealand. Resources soon grew scarce in the island nation, specially building supplies, as men rushed to the islands just east of Australia. As a result, Douglas Fir, native to the American Pacific Northwest, was transplanted as the answer to the looming New Zealand housing crisis.

(c) doTERRA

Now turn the clock back to the present. The Douglas Fir grows rapidly in New Zealand, especially when compared to its native location. Non-harvested trees can live close to a thousand years in the right conditions. Those thick branches and dense needles which make it such a beautiful Christmas tree well, they tend to block out much of the sunlight, limiting the undergrowth between the tree bases and inhibit the ability of native species to grow and thrive. While attempts have been made to limit the growth of the species by confining them to specific geographical areas, the seeds, of which each tree can produce thousands, are borne by the winds to points far off, where new trees begin to grow. New Zealand has been working for several decades to find a solution to their problem. They need the trees for building materials, but how do they prevent them from spreading and crowding out the native species?

Finding a Solution

(c) Any Lane 5727744@pexels.com

The benefits of fir oil have long been known, but each species is harvested differently. Through extensive research doTERRA and its New Zealand affiliate, doTERRA, has been able to provide some solutions to help New Zealand with their invasive species problem, as well as produce another high-quality oil for public use. The trees are closely monitored as they grow, and while they are still relatively young--between five and seven years--large enough to be harvested, yet young enough to not yet bear seeds, they are cut down. The scraps left over from the lumber mills, namely the branches and needles, are what doTERRA uses in producing the oil. Fallen needles are gathered off the forest floors for distillation, as well, clearing the soil for native species to thrive once again. (2) It takes 0.3 pounds (0.1 kg) of needles and branches to fill a 5ml bottle with oil which can be used to freshen and purify the air. (3)

The unique needs of New Zealand’s desire to reign in and control an invasive species thus puts doTERRA in an unique position to assist the government with its desires, in addition to providing revenue streams for local harvesters and distillers living in rural locales. Not only are people being provided with the opportunity to become self-reliant, the harvesting is conducted in such a manner that local ecosystems, once close to the brink of extinction, are beginning to recover and thrive once again.

To help support these harvesters and distillers as they reign in this invasive species Down Under, as well as being able to enjoy the wonderful aroma of this tree at home, click here to purchase a bottle of Douglas Fir essential oil. Feel free to leave a comment below if you have had experiences with Douglas Fir oil and remember to subscribe and share this blog with your friends. Stay safe out there, and we’ll see you next time at Harvesters’ Corner!

Sources:

1. Co-Impact Sourcing. <co-impact-brochure-new-zealand.pdf> Accessed 13 October 2023.

2. Source to You. <https://sourcetoyou.com/en/stories/story/douglas-fir> Accessed 13 Oct 2023.

3. doTERRA: Douglas Fir. https://www.doterra.com/US/en/education/pe/douglas-fir-oil. Accessed 5 November 2023.