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He mārakerake ngā ngahere o Te Wai Pounamu; ko ngā momo o te tawai ngā tino rākau, arā, te tawai whero (red beech), te hutu (hard beech), te tawai-rauriki (black beech), te tirowhārangi (silver beech). Tērā ētahi wāhi kitea ai he uru koroī (conifers-broadleaf) ki ēnei ngahere, te nuinga o ēnei uru kei ngā whārua.
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In the South Island, most native forests that escaped the settlers’ fires are found in the high country, on poorer soils. They are generally more open, simpler in structure, and dominated by the beech species – red, hard, black and silver beech. There are also occasional enclaves of conifer-broadleaf within these forests, often on valley floors, and larger pure stands in coastal areas. Half of the South Island forests, mainly those in the eastern lowlands, were destroyed by fire within 200 or 300 years of Māori settlement, and replaced by tussock grasslands. Possums, deer, goats and other European-introduced animals have wreaked havoc on the native bush, which did not evolve with browsing mammals. Beech forests also occur in the North Island mountain regions.
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