Bottle Lake Forest

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Bottle Lake Forest in early summer

Bottle Lake Forest is a production forest located in Christchurch, New Zealand, approximately 10 km north-east of the city centre.

The forest consists of pinus radiata (pine) trees. It was planted in the early 1900s and covers 800 hectares of land, stretching from Burwood to Spencerville, and to Pegasus Bay on the east coast.

Trees are felled and logged in a 30-year rotation by the Selwyn Plantation Board. The forest includes recreational facilities such as mountain-bike tracks, horse-trekking trails, and walking tracks.

Bottle Lake Forest also includes a number of native understory plants. Throughout the forest lies a carpet of indigenous moss, lichens, and common ferns - such as bracken, pigfern, chain fern, and water fern. Nearer the coast marram grass and tree lupin grow. During the autumn wood mulch and pine needles provide a habitat for several species of mushroom.

Different species of bird can be found. Different stages of forest production provide different habitats, so birdlife varies accordingly. There is currently a trapping programme to reduce numbers of cats, ferrets, and possums, as well as other pests - such as stoats, rabbits, feral cats, rats, hares, and stray dogs.