Forest Talk

In the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle and in areas affected by wildfires, the opportunity for biochar to be made from problematic organic resource streams has become increasingly obvious, says Warrick Isaachsen, Chair of Biochar Network New Zealand.

In Canterbury, the Biochar Network has facilitated a workshop in collaboration with Pukaki Forestry to present the basics of biochar production and its applications,. The project aims to demonstrate alter..... more

New research is showing how effective forests are at mitigating the effects of extreme rainfall during severe weather events.

High resolution data collected from Mahurangi Forest near Auckland during the Auckland Anniversary weekend floods and Cyclone Gabrielle shows that nearly 60% of the rain that fell during those events was stored within the forest rather than flowing immediately across the ground and into waterways. The forest catchment was in e..... more

The potential overturning of the ban on genetic modification in New Zealand would add value to the products and processes in many New Zealand industries, including forestry, agriculture, marine, environmental and human and animal healthcare, says BiotechNZ’s Dr Zahra Champion. 

She says the announcement by National’s Science, Innovation, and Technology spokesperson, Judith Collins, that a National government would end New Zealand’s ban on gene e..... more

The 2023/24 Annual Plan for Gisborne District Council was adopted by the Council recently, focussing on the region’s immediate needs and recovery, following three State of Emergency events this year.

The Annual Plan outlines where Council’s funding in the next financial year (1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024) will be spent.

“It’s different from past annual plans as we’ve had to make important changes to workstreams and budgets set in the 2021-2031 L..... more

The terrain that Sharples Logging encounters in Canterbury is particularly challenging with volcanic rock so hard that it snaps grousers off and will send a machine skating if you go over it in the same place more than once without a tether. 

With many Canterbury forests sharing a boundary with farms, there are also many more fences and edge trees to contend with than in larger plantations. 

It was with this in mind that Dave Sharples..... more

The Fieldays Forestry Hub returns for a second year at Mystery Creek in Waikato this week.

The Forestry Hub, located at site G80, is host to some 20 sector organisations under the theme of ‘Wood our low-carbon future’, with staff from both large companies and small not-for-profit agencies on hand to provide information and answer questions.

This year a new series of forums and talks is enhancing the learning experience of visitors wanting to kn..... more