 It is often associated with such species as rewarewa, tawa, hīnau, kānuka, kahikatea, kāmahi, kohekohe, pukatea and māhoe.The greatest threat to Northern rata is browsing by possums ("Trichosurus vulpecula") which cause severe damage by eating the leaves, buds, flowers and young shoots of the tree.In severe cases this can lead to the death of the tree within two years.