Forest Talk

A new Smart Weed Alert Tool (SWAT) will help New Zealanders stay one step ahead of weeds.

“Detecting new weed invasions early gives us the best chance of eradication and helps prevent long-term, costly weed problems and lasting damage to native biodiversity and the places New Zealanders love,” says Department of Conservation Senior Science Advisor Kate McAlpine, who led the tool’s development.

Ms McAlpine says invasive weeds are one of New Zeal..... more

Gisborne District Council says forestry is an important part of the region’s future, but there is also a need to manage environmental risk and protect communities.

Chief Executive Nedine Thatcher Swann says recent public discussion has highlighted concerns about how the council’s forestry consenting and compliance system is working and the ability of forestry to continue harvesting.

“We are listening to those concerns,” she says. “More than 280..... more

Tasman District Council’s Howard Forest and the neighbouring Porika Block have been sold, returning a combined $6.085 million and supporting the council’s long-term investment strategy.

The 955ha Howard Forest and smaller Porika Block, located off SH63 between Kawatiri Junction and St Arnaud, were placed on the market earlier this year. The sale process was managed by specialist forestry real estate company Arotahi Agribusiness and attracted strong i..... more

A large increase in log exports has contributed to Port Nelson’s underlying net profit after tax of $12.7 million for the year ended 30 June 2026.  

This has been supported by strong cargo throughput of 3.8 million tonnes. Revenue increased to $96.3 million, 15% ahead of last year, and the company has declared a dividend of $6.5 million to its shareholder. Despite the strong operational result, Port Nelson reported a total comprehensive loss of ..... more

Morepork Forest Harvesting’s Harvestline Mk 4, combined with a Sany SY415 Pro, is the focus of the Iron Test in October’s NZ Logger.

When Morepork co-director Brad Merwood first considered a Harvestline, he was a bit worried about it. More familiar with big swing yarder, it was quite a shift to the Mk4. However, he was quickly impressed.

 “It's a new generation really, a lot faster than the first examples of yoders that I had heard about. ..... more

An exploration of integrated clean energy, forestry biomass and infrastructure opportunities for next generation bio-industrial precincts in the Bay of Plenty could be on the cards.

Energy Estate, Kākāriki Renewables and NZ Bio Forestry have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to investigate opportunities that combine renewable energy, forestry biomass and enabling infrastructure within integrated bio-industrial precincts.

The agreement ..... more