Forestry in New Zealand - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...

in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

has a history starting with European settlement in the 19th century and is now an industry worth four percent of GDP. Much of the original native forest cover was burnt off but it was also logged until 2000. Extensive forests have been planted, predominantly with fast growing cultivars of the Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata). Wood chips, whole logs, lumber and paper products are exported from New Zealand.

Native forest logging on public land attracted opposition with protests and environmental groups becoming very active until it ended in 2000. Logging of native forests now only occurs on private land if it is shown to be sustainable.

History

Milling of New Zealand's extensive native forests was one of the earliest industries in the European settlement of the country. The long, straight hardwood from the kauri

Agathis

The genus Agathis, commonly known as kauri or dammar, is a relatively small genus of 21 species of evergreen tree. The genus is part of the ancient Araucariaceae family of conifers, a group once widespread during the Jurassic period, but now largely restricted to the Southern Hemisphere except for...

was ideal for ship masts and spars. As the new colony was established, timber was the most common building material, and vast areas of native forest were cleared. Rimu

Dacrydium cupressinum

Dacrydium cupressinum, commonly known as rimu, is a large evergreen coniferous tree endemic to the forests of New Zealand. It is a member of the southern conifer group, the podocarps. The former name "red pine" has fallen out of common use....

, tōtara

Podocarpus totara

Podocarpus totara is a species of podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island and northeastern South Island in lowland, montane and lower subalpine forest at elevations of up to 600 m.-Description:...

, matai

Prumnopitys taxifolia

Prumnopitys taxifolia is an endemic New Zealand coniferous tree that grows on the North Island and South Island. It also occurs on Stewart Island/Rakiura but is uncommon there....

, and miro

Prumnopitys ferruginea

Prumnopitys ferruginea is an evergreen coniferous tree which is endemic to New Zealand. Before the genus Prumnopitys was distinguished, it was treated in the related genus Podocarpus as Podocarpus ferrugineus....

were the favoured timbers. The Monterey Pine, Pinus radiata was introduced to New Zealand in the 1850s. It thrived in the conditions, reaching maturity in 28 years, much faster than in its native California. It was found to grow well in the infertile acidic soil of the volcanic plateau, where attempts at agriculture had failed. The Government initiated planting of exotic forests in 1899 at Whakarewarewa

Whakarewarewa

Whakarewarewa is a geothermal area within Rotorua city in the Taupo Volcanic Zone of New Zealand...

, near Rotorua. This was to address growing timber shortages as slow-growing native forests were exhausted.
In the 1930s, vast areas of land were planted in pinus ratiata by relief workers. The largest tract was the 188,000-hectare Kāingaroa forest

Kaingaroa Forest

Kaingaroa Forest is the largest forest in the North Island of New Zealand, and the largest plantation in the southern hemisphere.The forest covers 2900 km² in the inland East Cape and Bay of Plenty regions, and stretches south past the east coast of Lake Taupo...

, the largest plantation forest in the world. As the major forests matured, processing industries such as the Kinleith Mill

Kinleith Mill

The Kinleith Mill is a Carter Holt Harvey pulp and paper plant located at Kinleith, Tokoroa, New Zealand. The mill is the largest of four pulp and paper mills operated by Carter Holt Harvey...

at Tokoroa

Tokoroa

Tokoroa is the third-largest town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand and largest settlement in the South Waikato district. Located 30 km southwest of Rotorua, close to the foot of the Mamaku Ranges, it is mid-way between Taupo and Hamilton on State Highway One...

and the Tasman Mill

Tasman Mill

The Tasman Mill is a pulp and paper mill located just outside the town of Kawerau in New Zealand. Tasman Mill is the largest single in employer in the Eastern Bay of Plenty region. Three separate companies operate within Tasman including Norske Skog, who operate the paper mill, Carter Holt Harvey,...

at Kawerau were established.

Plantation forests

Plantation forests of various sizes can now be found in all regions of New Zealand except Central Otago and Fiordland. In 2006 their total area was 1.8 million hectares, with 89% in Pinus radiata and 5% in Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
Log harvesting in 2006 was 18.8 million m³, down from 22.5 million m³ in 2003. This is projected to rise as high as 30 million m³ as newer forests mature. The value of all forestry exports (logs, chips, sawn timber, panels and paper products) for the year ended 31 March 2006 was $NZ 3.62 billion. This is projected to rise to $4.65 billion by 2011. Australia accounts for just over 25% of export value, mostly paper products, followed by Japan, South Korea, China and the United States. Within the New Zealand economy, forestry accounts for approximately 4% of national GDP. On the global stage, the New Zealand forestry industry is a relatively small contributor in terms of production, accounting for 1% of global wood supply for industrial purposes.

Woodchipping

Softwood and hardwood wood chips are exported from New Zealand.

Legislation

Forests Act 1949
Forests Act 1949
The Forests Act was an Act of Parliament passed in New Zealand in 1949. The Act is administered in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.-External links:*...
Forests Amendment Act 1993

New Zealand Forest Service
New Zealand Forest Service
The New Zealand Forest Service was originally established in 1919 as the State Forest Service. The State Forest Service changed its name to the New Zealand Forest Service in 1949 at about the same time that the Forests Act of 1949 passed through Parliament....
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (New Zealand)
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (New Zealand)
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is the state sector organisation of New Zealand which deals with matters relating to agriculture, forestry and biosecurity...
Timberlands West Coast Limited
Timberlands West Coast Limited
Timberlands West Coast Limited is a New Zealand state-owned enterprise based on the West Coast.It was formed to manage the native and exotic forests on the West Coast of the defunct New Zealand Forest Service....

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

History

Plantation forests

Woodchipping

Legislation

See also

Further reading

External links