Regardless of the rights and wrongs of any government licensing the
controlled marketing of native species, lets first understand that
Dicksonia antarctica is *not* a New Zealand native. All plants
entering this country as mature or semi-mature, unrooted logs are from
Australia & Tasmania where the species is very widespread and locally
extremely common. Certificated logs come from areas where development
is taking place and in some cases, the density of tree ferns is so
great that vast numbers have to be uprooted. It is these that would
otherwise be burnt since there is little or no local market for them.

New Zealand species such as semi-mature Dicksonia fibrosa and D.
squarrosa occasionally arrive into this country, but the quantities
involved are minute compared to those of D. antarctica. Many tree
ferns are now nursery raised, often imported from areas where they
grow comparatively quickly and buying those has absolutely no effect
upon wild stocks. My own Cyathea dealbata is such a plant - a
sporeling raised to saleable size prior to importation.


David Poole
TORQUAY UK