winter drought

An example of winter injury to silver beech at moderate altitude

[First paragraphs...]
To judge by published records winter injury to native plants in their natural habitats is a rare phenomenon, but it might be nearer the truth to say merely that it is rarely recorded. In either case it seems worthwhile to draw attention to damage recently observed in silver beech on Maungatua near Dunedin since it is our chief timberline species.