The council has received more than 40 submissions to its 2010-11 draft annual plan on the topic.
Several Queenstown-based groups and individuals appeared to present their views at the plan hearing in Cromwell yesterday.
The Wakatipu Wilding Conifer Control Group chairman Peter Willsman and chief executive Briana O'Brien, EcoAction Network spokesman Antony Rewcastle, author of the Wakatipu Wilding Tree Control Strategy, Colin Day and John Turnbull, of Makarora, submitted the council should take a more proactive approach and devote extra funding to the problem.
Mr Willsman invited the council to "join the growing tide of support" against wilding conifers.
"Is using Otago Regional Council rates for a Wakatipu problem unfair?" he asked.
If the spread of wilding trees was not controlled, tourists and locals would see the natural landscape change as it was smothered.
"Wakatipu ratepayers helped pay for the [Forsyth Barr] stadium.
I was rated $19, and I live 300km away so it may seem unfair to use Wakatipu rates for that."
All Otago would benefit directly or indirectly from any programme which protected the Queenstown landscape, he said.
"A stitch in time saves nine. If we got $100,000 to spend this year, we could accomplish what will take one million dollars to achieve in 10 years' time."
Mr Day said the council should become a lead agency for the control of wilding trees.
Queenstown was a mecca for visitors and the problem affected tourism and farming operations, he said.
Mr Rewcastle said hundreds of hours were spent by volunteers tackling the problem.
" . . . it's not fair to sit on your hands and rely on volunteers to solve this problem."
Mr Turnbull said there was a need for the council to adopt a strategy to deal with the spread of wilding conifers in other parts of the region as well, such as the upper Clutha basin and Manuherikia basin.
