Hard beech (Nothofagus truncata) decline on the Mamaku Plateau, North Island, New Zealand

Abstract
An investigation into the decline of hard beech on the Mamaku Plateau showed tree death to be due to a loss of new foliage over successive seasons. Severely affected trees shed more than 30% of newly flushed foliage as a result of attack by the leaf-mining weevil Neomycta pulicaris with further losses from attack by the tineid moth Heliostibes vibratrix. Growth and climatic data suggest decline was initiated by drought, with worst affected stands on sites with lowest soil moisture retention capability.