Eyrewell was named by an early settler, Marmaduke Dixon, when he found much-needed groundwater on his property.

Only some small remnants of kānuka forest survive, including 2.4 ha at Eyrewell Scientific Reserve.

[6] The soil at Eyrewell Forest is very thin and stony, and on 1 August 1975 much of the Pinus radiata plantation was blown over by strong north-westerly winds.

[8] The area's 6700 ha pine plantation was the only place on earth where the critically endangered Eyrewell ground beetle had ever been found.

[9] Some of the older blocks had an understory of kānuka up to 4 m high and most included native shrubs, herbs, and mosses, despite regular tree felling and replanting.

[11] Repeated searches following forest clearance failed to find any Eyrewell ground beetles, and they were considered extinct as a result.

[4] There has also been considerable concern over the large environmental impact of intensive dairy farming, considering the area's proximity to the Waimakariri River and its dry conditions.

[13] This was in response to learning the "very poor soils" under the recently-felled plantation were not able to support the intensive dairy farming that had been planned.