Forest Talk

A plan has been put in place to cut damaging deer numbers in a Manawatū forest park.

The newly finalised Ruahine Adaptive Wild Deer Management Plan sets out a five year, evidence based programme of work developed with iwi and supported by a locally representative advisory group.

Monitoring shows deer numbers are above levels needed for forest recovery in parts of the park.

Department of Conservation Manawatū Operations Manager, Moana Smit..... more

New Zealand’s forestry sector is set to benefit from sensible regulation to help meet environmental obligations, while lowering the cost of compliance, according to Forestry Minister, Todd McClay.

“The wood and forestry industries are important contributors to New Zealand’s economy, supporting 42,000 jobs. Last year the sector contributed $6.2 billion worth of export earnings,” he said.

“It’s prudent we set appropriate legislation and provide t..... more

Niagara Sawmilling Company recently began a $115 million expansion of its timber processing operations, marking the most significant growth phase in the company’s 91-year history.  

The expansion includes a new state-of-the-art sawmill at Niagara’s Kennington site, on the outskirts of Invercargill, which is currently under construction in Canada and scheduled to be operational in late 2027. Niagara has also expanded its remanufacturing operation..... more

Bark and ambrosia beetles are acting as tiny taxis for fungi across New Zealand, giving researchers valuable clues about how these organisms travel through forests and crops.  To understand whether plant disease-causing fungi are being moved this way, Bioeconomy Science Institute scientists are identifying the species being carried on beetles found in New Zealand forests and orchards. “While a lot is known about the beetles, less is known about the fu..... more

Southland is the location for June’s Iron Test, of the CDL log grapple made by 3D Industrial Engineering in Rotorua, paired with a Caterpillar Next Gen 320.

We venture about as far south as you can go, to Invercargill, to test this grapple at Neville Stirling Excavating, and find it hard at work on a macrocarpa windblown salvage operation.

It's a tough test. The macrocarpa logs are heavy, big and old, but the grapple shines through as a solid b..... more

Andrew Leighton is OneFortyOne’s incoming Chief Executive Officer.  He will join the company following a comprehensive selection process and will succeed Michael Barbara, who has been serving as Interim CEO.

OneFortyOne Chairman, John Gilleland, said the board was delighted to appoint a leader of Mr Leighton’s calibre.

“Andrew is an accomplished senior executive with deep experience across forest products and complex industrial businesses ..... more