Forest Talk

While New Zealand’s trade and tourism border security is among the strictest in the world to protect against unwanted pests and diseases, aerial invaders (insect and pathogen pests arriving by wind) are harder to control.  

Examples of such pests include myrtle rust and fall army worm.

Scion researchers are aiming to fix the aerial invader hole in the biosecurity net and have received investment funding of $10.85 million over five years th..... more

The forestry sector has been shaken by the untimely death of Jason Wynyard (14 November 1973 – 4 October 2023). A New Zealand champion woodchopper from Kawakawa, Jason won over 200 world titles in the sport.

In May this year, it was announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 Burkitt lymphoma, and after undergoing aggressive treatment he was advised by doctors on 18 August that he had only weeks to live. He died on 4 October 2023, at the age of..... more

The Forest Owners Association (FOA) says the cost recovery scheme for the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) announced last month is another government disincentive to plant forests, just when they are most needed. 

FOA President, Grant Dodson, says the huge jump to a more than $14 million a year cost recovery formula to be imposed by the government is neither reasonable nor equitable. 

“It’s important to realise that this is a $14m admin..... more

A database released last month is set to help better select tree species in the face of climate change – paving the way for climate-adapted species to thrive in tree planting and restoration initiatives.

The database, Tree Globally Observed Environmental Ranges or TreeGOER, documents the observed environmental ranges for the majority of known tree species. It was developed at the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFO..... more

As we venture into the deep south between Invercargill and Fiordland in search of an 8-wheeled Komatsu harvester at Bluewood Thinning’s operation, we notice a lot of the trees scattered on flat farmland seem to be about 15% taller than similar trees in the North Island. The Iron Test team throws around various theories as to what might cause this.

The long rolling hills of Southland look like ideal ground for growing Douglas fir trees too, but that t..... more

Forestry pioneer, Ross Lockyer, is back with an excerpt from his third book (of five), The River is my Highway: A New Zealand Forest Ranger in the Jungles of Borneo. Here’s a taste:

There were four main mooring points that the tugs regularly used, and the two most up-river spots were particularly good because there were some large kapok trees growing right on the riverbank that the crews could use to tie the rafts up to. Both of those moorin..... more