2 Aug 2013

Fairlie farmers face big task clearing storm-toppled trees

2:11 pm on 2 August 2013

Farmers and foresters in South Canterbury's Fairlie Basin are engaged in a huge clean up of trees felled in wind storms that followed the June snow.

The northwest wind quickly melted some of the heaviest falls of snow seen in the South Island, but Fairlie farmer Neil Campell said the gales that ripped through that area left a trail of destruction.

"With the grounds so wet, trees just toppled. There's whole plantations lost and whole lines of shelter belts have fallen and basically just created a helluva mess on fence lines to clean up."

Mr Campbell says while stock losses from the snow were light overall, a couple of exposed high country stations suffered heavy losses, especially among younger sheep, and he's heard of losses of three to 500 hundred hoggets.