The move to put the forest sector in a better place is the Forest Policy Project (FPP) to be discussed and debated at the New Zealand Institute of Forestry conference (NZIF) on 10 August in Wellington. Source: Timberbiz
According to the NZIF plantation areas are reducing and new planting is minimal, projected new processing plants aren’t appearing while native forests are under threat from pests.
National bio-security funding is being pared back and increasing proportions of harvests are being processed overseas.
The NZIF says the sector is not in good shape and it is not the vital sector it should be and could be – especially if it is to assist New Zealand meet contributions towards global efforts to mitigate climate change.
Some foresters consider the situation has arisen because New Zealand has no forest policy to guide the sector and lead those governing it.
The conference, entitled Developing Forest Policy for a Changing Future is being held at Te Papa.
The FPP was initiated by professional foresters who are determined the sector should ‘take the reins’ and prepare a robust long-term forest policy for itself, because the government appears unwilling to take that initiative.
Teams of professionals and academics undertook the work and now initial drafts – or preliminary policy recommendations have been prepared.
The Wellington conference has this preliminary work for discussion and debate, permitting all participants to comment.
Later in the year a final conference will consider a draft of the complete policy. That final version of the policy will be handed to FPP’s governance group.
The governance group consists of forest sector leaders with many in attendance at next week’s conference.
