You can help mistletoe
Mistletoe protection and planting host
trees, volunteer weekend, Lake Ngahewa
If you have mistletoes on your property the following actions will help to protect these threatened plants:
- Take care when clearing or trimming vegetation not to disturb mistletoes, their host trees or habitats.
- Wrap aluminium bands around host tree trunks to prevent possum browse (not too tight as that will strangle the tree).
- Control possums and other pest species. On-going possum, rat and mustelid control may also cause native bird populations, which are crucial to disperse mistletoe fruit, to increase.
- Resist picking mistletoes. New Zealand species take many years to replace lost branches.
- Report any sightings of mistletoes to your nearest DOC office. Green and dwarf mistletoes are obvious throughout the year, while the beech mistletoes tend to stand out during summer when they are flowering.