"Forestry was the only Climate Change initiative that was working and demonstrably on track to achieve its targets, now stopped in its tracks," said past President of the Forest Owners Association Grant Dodson in June 2023.
He was referring to the collective and combined actions of governments of the time affecting investment, and changes to the ETS.
And the current situation is not good, says Jim Childerstone in this month’s feature on biomass:
“The forest industry appears to have gone into hibernation. Any forestry news in the mainstream media has been mostly negative.
“Scott Downs' PF Olsen's monthly log price index indicates static export and domestic price movements. And this quarter includes Chinese New Year when business there virtually comes to a halt.
“A headline in our local daily paper has Genesis Energy seeking more coal supplies to bolster predicted low hydro lake levels this winter. And the Dunedin City Council has given up any hope of attaining carbon zero by 2030, or 2050.
“Then there is the regular moan from pastoral farmers and some conservationists of hill country being planted in exotic pine plantations. Some on a permanent basis as ‘carbon forests’. If not already taken over by wilding conifers or replacing native vegetation.
“Then to top everything off, the world's top climatologists are predicting next year may be the tipping point for global warming.
“But hey, contractors are still working and logging trucks still rumble down our main highways to the nation's ports, and some positive new arrived across this desk to cut climate change and enhance energy production.
“An email from Genesis Energy says the company is getting serious about using torrefied wood pellets for its Huntly Power Station boilers, capable of over 230 megawatts each.
“It has signed a ‘term sheet’ with Australia's Foresta Group which has been fast-tracked to establish a wood chemical extraction plant at Kawerau with the production of torrefied wood pellets, replacing coal.”
“The term sheet, which is non-binding, covers an annual supply of 300,000 tonnes of biomass. The $370m plant should be in production by 2028.
“The power station was enthusiastic with the product, known as ‘black pellets’, after a trial using this biomass imported from Canada last year. However Genesis needs to be happy with cost, quality and certainty of supply before a full contract is agreed, according to Genesis’ Chris Mirams.”
To read more, get your copy of the April 2025 edition of NZ Logger magazine, on sale from 31 March. Check the link on this page to subscribe to either a printed or digital copy (or both).
