Seeing The Bigger Picture

After my observations on Thursday about corporate forestry only being concerned with returning profits to their share holders today I learned about a private individual who is planting a legacy for the community to use.  The start of the story is that Riding For The Disabled held a fund raiser in the garden of this far sighted man.  For the last 30 years he has created an arboretum around his house.  Today we wandered the grounds in the sunshine and saw the spectacular foliage on the mature trees.  One tree was new to us, Nyssa Sylvatica from the South Eastern U.S.  There were three of them planted together beside the lake and they were brilliant orange-scarlet and visible from all points of the garden.  See extras.  While I was taking photographs the owner of the property engaged the forester in conversation.  The forester was delighted to be called a tree man and so learned that the trees were planted 29 years ago by said owner.
The house and garden is just the beginning and behind the property is  160 hectares of hill country.  In the main blip you can see the cleared land with tracks across it.  The former forest has been harvested and won't be replanted in pine trees.  For some years the far seeing man and local mountain bikers have been developing riding tracks, also walking tracks and e-bike tracks.  The planting plan from now on is to create an arboretum on that hill country.  He and a landscape architect have developed the plan.  It will be a mix of green natives and exotic trees for colour.  I think in twenty years time we will be the Vermont of New Zealand.   The land remains private but has free access for all to enjoy.