Forest Talk

The Forest Owners Association (FOA) says that while the recently released Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) is a welcome and unprecedented blueprint for reducing New Zealand’s gross emissions, the huge emphasis on planting native trees ignores how urgent it is to deal with the climate change crisis.

FOA President, Grant Dodson, says he, and just about every other New Zealander, are fans of native trees and would like to see more of them planted: “They are our origina..... more

Port unions will be pushing for an appeal against a Napier District Court decision that saw stevedoring company, ISO, walk away from health and safety charges that were recently dismissed.

Workers employed by ISO were overcome by fumes in the log hold of ship Nord Yilan in Gisborne on 30 April 2018.

ISO was charged by industry regulator, Maritime New Zealand for failing to comply with its duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act and for exposi..... more

The NZ Logger Iron Test team joined operator, Napi Martin and the Lealand Logging 040 crew at a gently sloping compartment about five minutes’ drive south of the Murupara log rail yard in the Timberlands-managed Kaingaroa Forest, to check out the new John Deere 624P wheel loader.

Here 100 tonne per pay load doubles cart out about ten times a day on average, although according to Foreman, Jim Blackburn, “There isn’t really a consistent pattern… sometimes n..... more

The spruce bark beetle was a hot topic at Swedish forestry fair, Elmia earlier this month. The eight-toothed spruce bark beetle is one of the most serious bark beetle pests in European spruce forests and Sweden, where it continues to cause major problems. When spruce bark beetles get under the bark, they cut off the nutrient supply, causing the tree to die. While not yet a concern in New Zealand, there is the worry that they could arrive via lumber, crate or wooden..... more

Nearly one third of conservation land in New Zealand has been held in a generic ‘stewardship land’ category, which has lower protections than other conservation land. The Government now has plans to reclassify all stewardship land, starting with the West Coast. 

The reclassification will create many new conservation parks, reserves, and national park land on the West Coast of the South Island.
 
 Nicola Toki, Forest and Bird Chief Executive, ..... more

At the World Forestry Congress earlier this month, the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) highlighted the enormous opportunity the global push for more sustainable, low-emission industries is presenting for the world’s forest industries, but cautioned that developed countries must do their part to ensure that developing nations aren’t left to do the heavy lifting.

Speaking at the Congress in Seoul, AFPA Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Victor Violante, s..... more