Forest Talk

European Union (EU) Trade Commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, and Forestry and Trade and Investment Minister, Todd McClay, adopted a joint declaration to focus on reducing costs and boosting bilateral trade during the first inaugural NZ-EU Trade Committee meeting, part of the Business Summit, hosted by New Zealand in Queenstown recently.

They also discussed the EU’s Deforestation Regulation, which is due to be implemented on 1 January 2026 with exemptions ..... more

As the Pacific braces for another cyclone season, experts are calling for faster adoption of sustainable, storm-resistant building materials, with bamboo emerging as a serious contender.

The appeal comes ahead of the Pacific Islands GIS and Remote Sensing User Conference, to be held from 24–27 November at the Japan–Pacific ICT Centre, University of the South Pacific. The annual gathering, hosted by the Pacific GIS and Remote Sensing Council (PGRSC), ..... more

In a first of its kind trial, Metsä Group, a leading Finnish forest industry group whose operations span pulp, paperboard, tissue, and wood products, has started operating a carbon capture pilot plant at its Rauma mill, in cooperation with technology company Andritz, which supplied the plant. The pilot will test the capture of carbon dioxide from pulp mill flue gases, an application not previously trialled in the industry. 

Various operating mod..... more

Is the standard, off-the-shelf control system in your forestry machinery a weak link in your safety chain? In an industry where operators navigate treacherous terrain and extreme weather, the one-size-fits-all approach to equipment control is no longer just inefficient - it’s a liability, says Justin Mahendra, Director of Sales and Product Management for Bailey International, manufacturer of custom hydraulic and electronic solutions. True operational safet..... more

Along with a New Zealand Timber feature this month, we take a trip back in time with Ross Lockyer to his Ecological Survey days as a Forest Ranger back in 1964. Ross writes:

“In our third year training in 1964 when we were based at the Forestry Training Centre in Rotorua, we got involved in some serious bushwacking in the native bush, known as Ecological  Survey or just Eco. 

“It was early spring and the weather was wet most of the ti..... more

In research published earlier this year, the Bioeconomy Science Institute released the first height-diameter model for tōtara (Podocarpus totara). To date there have been no growth or yield models available for any individual indigenous tree species in New Zealand.

As an endemic, high-value indigenous conifer species of great cultural significance, Tōtara can be found throughout New Zealand. It has naturally durable heartwood and can grow in a w..... more