Summary of Group Discussion

The challenges and opportunities presented by New Zealand's canopy flora and our interest in working with these plants were discussed during the 2016 Epiphyte Workshop. The group reviewed research questions that had come out of the workshop presentations then broke into 4 smaller groups to discuss:
  • The gaps in research/knowledge
  • The knowledge we need for working with canopy plants
  • Things that are working
  • Ideas for new ways of working

The thoughts and ideas from this discussion are summarised below under relevant topic headings.

Are you interested in collaborating on canopy flora research? please email [email protected] with your ideas and potential contributions.

​NETWORKING

  • Forum connects us
  • Workshop great for this, able to meet up and share knowledge. 
  • Need to connect with others too – researchers, councils, DOC, NZPCN, Ecological Society, Botanical Societies, students, international collaborator's etc. We are a subset of people interested in native plants as well as green technology e.g. green walls; we are under the “umbrella” of them and need to stay connected to share resources.  Part of a biodiversity forum.
  • Great to collaborate between people working in native ecosystems, those in the green wall and horticulture industry and academia
  • Foster funding opportunities through collaboration
  • Suggest and contribute to a canopy session at NZPCN workshops (offer a paper at the next conference on this workshop?)

​ADVOCACY

  • List of sites to see in NZ for epiphytes to engage people in canopy plants/ecosystems e.g. list of canopy walkways in NZ you can visit, set up epiphyte walks and trails e.g. Auckland Botanic Gardens, Arataki trail
  • People think they are parasites (negative) – need better PR!
  • A demonstration site in an urban area (Sri Lankan ex) Singapore airport
  • Social media, websites, podcasts
  • Tourism connections
  • Apps, keys “ID is key” how can we make it easy for people to access this info.
  • Guided walks, talks
  • Aerial labs – can you have a staircase in an existing tree?

​INFORMATION

  • www.nzepiphytenetwork.org is a place to share knowledge, promote open source and sharing of information
  • Promote research gaps and needs
  • Databases online of canopy plants and values (connection with NZPCN can we offer to assist with the epiphyte info?)
  • Are there research question databases we can contribute to, can we have that on the epiphyte website?
  • Traits database
  • Somewhere to store propagation info so we can use it and build on it (?NZPCN)
  • Links from NZPCN databse?

​SURVEY & MONITORING

  • Can drones be used for survey? Sample collection?
  • Photo ID tools
  • GPS recording
  • How do you monitor epiphytes – are they captured  in traditional ecological surveys and forest health monitoring tools?
  • Use/promote NZPCN phenology recording system
  • Can you monitor pest activity in epiphytes (e.g. tracking tunnels?)

​ECOLOGY

  • Reasons for high diversity in a temperate system
  • Interactions  e.g. importance of epiphytes to lizards
  • Impacts of pests and response to pest control
  • Impact of climate change
  • Succession in epiphyte communities
  • Nature of canopy soil in different trees & forest types
  • Habitat requirements e.g. radial distribution and humidity; resource partitioning (space, aspect, nutrients, water, importance of bark types (pH, texture), stem water movement & flow), how resources are shared
  • Reproductive biology
  • Cyanobacteria and N in the system of the tree
  • Non-vascular plants as nursery species (interrelationships)
  • Ecosystem services of epiphytes (water, air etc.)
  • Host specificity

HORTICULTURE

  • Collaboration between disciplines - documenting & trialling different species and how to manipulate ecosystems.  If we know the natural system well it can be applied and tested in urban habitats such as green walls.
  • Filmy fern and bryophyte propagation or recovery/restoration e.g. rocks at the bases of trees as substrate – can they move up tree?
  • Transplantation (for those that can either grow in the ground or up a tree) from non epiphytic to epiphytic habitats – can it be done?
  • Seed viability, dormancy, testing viability
  • Propagation requirements of unusual flora – not in books usually
  • Establishment not well understood
  • Limits of environmental tolerance
  • Epiphyte rescue techniques
  • Growing off-site and anchoring techniques
  • Substrate development – can you do this offsite, can you “plant a branch” for an artificial structure and then have it ‘function’?
  • Inoculation techniques e.g. mistletoes
  • Novel ecosystems are opportunities; facilitate microenvironment in human landscapes e.g. green walls and roofs
  • Invasion and germination (succession) in urban ‘planted’ systems
  • What can we learn from overseas in terms of horticultural techniques?
  • Water requirements and non-irrigation options
  • Standardised evaluation methods for greenwall species – collect data from landscape work

​RESTORATION

  • Wildlife corridors for epiphytes – do they work?
  • Eco-sourcing epiphytes and when is it ok to mix populations to increase viability e.g. rare species, those with self in-compatibility
  • See horticulture section

​THE CLOUD TREE

  • Grow host species of mistletoes now
  • Invertebrate associations – good and bad
  • Rainwater harvesting as part of structure; importance (or not) of stem flow of water.
  • Early colonising lichens - impact on mesh substrates – may dominate
  • Work with horizontal microhabitats all the way up – like small green roofs
  • Because this will be some peoples’ only opportunity to experience canopy flora, it is important that the ecological integrity is an priority – as close as possible to real communities including representative richness, relevant information, take home messages and a fun experience!
Thinking outside the box when it comes to where epiphytic species can grow and how we might work with them - this is Pyrrosia eleagnifolia in a stormwater grate in Thames. Photo: C. Kirby.