Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry staff have begun burning kiwifruit vines collected from Te Puke orchards infected with the Psa disease.

Plant material is being burnt at a remote area near the TECT All Terrain Park on State Highway 36.

Media have the incineration process explained to them by a MAF worker.

Members of the public are not allowed to enter the zone but it was opened for media on Friday afternoon.

MAF incursion investigator, Kerry Thomas, says about 600 cubic metres of plant material from the first two infected orchards is being burnt first.

The infected vines were placed in a deep, narrow pit and set alight.

A special machine, called an air curtain incinerator, keeps hot air trapped inside the pit and makes the burning more efficient.

This is the first time the air curtain has been used in a biosecurity situation.

The air curtain will push temperatures inside the pit to about 1000 degrees Celsius.

MAF chose the site near the TECT All Terrain Park because of the clay soil in the area.

Clay soil means the pit stays intact while the plant material is being burnt.

Although Psa is an airborne disease, Kerry says the use of the air curtain stops the bacteria escaping.

She is unsure how much infected plant material will be burnt at the site.