Farm Forestry New Zealand

Congratulations Geoff and Gill Brann
 

FFR Steepland harvesting Research Update
 

Industry Forum on Future Opportunities in Harvesting and Logistics Research
 

Worksafe's new ACOP rules
 

NZ Wood Timber Design Awards
 

Green initiative helps everyone
 

President
Ian Jackson ijacko@xtra.co.nz
-Ashburton
-South Canterbury
-North Otago
-Sthn High Country (north)

Vice President
Dean Satchell dsatch@gmail.com
-Far North
-Mid North

Newsletter editor
Dean Satchell
dsatch@gmail.com

National Office
Association Manager Glenn Tims
admin@nzffa.org.nz
Phone: 04 4720432
 

Executive

Angus Gordon angusg@xtra.co.nz

-Taupo & Districts
-Middle Districts
-Taranaki
-Hawkes Bay

Neil Cullen cullen@farmside.co.nz
-Mid Otago
-South Otago
-Southland
-Men of Trees
-Sthn High Country (south)

Hamish Levack hlevack@xtra.co.nz
-Gisborne East Coast
-Wairarapa
-Wellington

Patrick Milne patrick@cypress.co.nz
-West Coast
-Central Canterbury
-North Canterbury
-Marlborough
-Nelson

Peter Berg
thebergs@ihug.co.nz
-Lower North
-Waitomo
-Waikato
-Bay of Plenty
 

Notices:

Nominations being called for National President and two Island Representative Executive Members

Nominations are made by branches and so if you want to be involved in a nomination you have to contact your local NZFFA branch. Nominations must be received by NZFFA National office by 17 January 2015.

National President:  The optional third year of the term of our current National President, Ian Jackson, ends at the Whangarei Conference next year. The qualification for National President candidates is having served at least one year on the National Executive. All branches can nominate and vote for National President candidates.

Island Representative Executive Members:  The NZFFA National Executive consists of six members, two of whom are designated North Island Representative Members and two are designated South Island Representative Members.  National Executive Members have a three-year term and two retire by rotation each year.  At the Whangarei Conference, the retiring North Island Representative will be Angus Gordon (Middle Districts) and the retiring South Island Representative will be Neil Cullen (South Otago).  The qualifications for Island Representative Members are being a financial member of NZFFA and residing in the appropriate island.  However, it is desirable that candidates have branch officer experience, particularly as Councillor.  Only branches in a particular island can nominate and vote for Representatives for that island.

Awards: Nominations are required asap for the NZFFA awards so that judging can be carried out and all in good time prior to Conference in Whangarei in April 2015.

Latest headlines

Looking underground without digging a hole: A new soil survey tool allows Scion scientists to assess below ground variation in soil properties using electromagnetic pulses... more >>

Giving forests a head start with good weed control: Effective weed control contributes significantly to the survival and growth of newly planted stands, and also promotes productivity throughout the life of the stand... more>>

Structural properties of specialty timbers now comply with the building code: Farm Forestry Timbers Society have determined the characteristic stresses for 5 timber species in N.Z... more>>
 

Latest blogs

Fruit Hanging at Close to Ground Level, Denis Hocking
On his return from the Climate Change Conference in Lima, earlier this month, Climate Change Minister, Hon. Tim Groser claimed that New Zealand was in a difficult position... more>>

Eucalyptus sphaerocarpa, my favourite durable timber species, Dean Satchell
Eucalyptus sphaerocarpa is a class 1 durable eucalypt species that... more>>

Don't forget, any members can have their own blog and can comment on other members blogs. Please contact head office to set this up for you!
 

Events: Branch secretaries, please notify head office of any branch or action group events.

For more information on these events they are posted on the website >>
 

• NZFFA Conference 2015 - Trees from Coast to Coast. Monday 20th to Friday 24th April 2015, Whangarei, Northland. Contact: Richards and Wilma Davies-Colley 09 434 7725
  Registration: mnff2015@gmail.com 
  Conference page >>
   
• Waikato meeting on proposed National Environmental Standard. Host: Ministry for Primary Industries, Tuesday 20th January 2015 Start time 11am, John and Marion Loveridge's, 853 Puketarata Road, Otorohanga. MPI will provide a lunch. RSVP to Malcolm McKenzie by 16th January malcmac@ihug.co.nz
   
• Middle Districts field day: Hans and Michelle Brinks’ property, 9.2 km up Watershed Road, Tuesday 20th January, 2015, 10.30 a.m
   
• Hawkes Bay branch event 'Waihapua Property' field day. 9.30am Saturday 31 January, McIntyre Access Road
   
• Koller 602H Yarder and CutoverCam Safety System Field Demonstration, Gisborne. Host: FFR. Bus Collection Points: 7:30am Teal Motor Lodge, Gisborne and 9:00am Old Mangatu Forest HQ, Wednesday, 4th February 2015, Cost: $50.00 per person.
   
• Wellington branch AGM and tour of the Wellington Botanical Gardens, 11:00am 8 February.
   
• Scion Workshop: Linking the economics of forest ecosystem services with practice and decision making: 10 February 2015, Scion, Rotorua. This one-day workshop will focus on the role of Bay of Plenty forests in economic development, environmental conservation and human well-being, and how these ecosystem services can be sustained. It aims to provide an overview of the key ecosystem services, their market and non-market values, and the potential to develop markets to sustain the provision of services that have non-market values.
   
• Far North branch field day: Alan and Yvonne Robinson's, 391 Matawherohia Rd., Kaeo. Feb 21st 2015, 10am
   
• 13th Annual FOA/MPI Forest Biosecurity Workshop: 24-25 February 2015, Scion, Rotorua: This workshop will review how the Forest Health Surveillance system provides (1) an improved surveillance system for early detection of biosecurity threats, and (2) increased confidence to MPI and New Zealand’s trading partners that our export products do not pose a biosecurity threat to other countries.
   
• Forest Industry Safety Summit: Date: 3-4 March, 2015, Distinction Hotel, Rotorua. Go to http://forestsafety2015.com/ to download the brochure and registration form. NZFFA members can get a special discount when they register, contact Glenn Tims, glenn.tims@nzffa.org.nz to get the code.

NZFFA members Geoff and Gill Brann have made the Queens New Year Honours List 2015 with the award of a Queen's Service Medal for services to forestry and the community. Congratulations Geoff and Gill!

FFR Steepland harvesting Research Update
 

In late 2013 when the interim Forest Growers Levy Trust was considering research funding allocations from the new forest growing levy, the steep land harvesting programme was one of the projects considered for funding.

Due to a lack of levy funds the programme was not funded, but the levy trust noted at the time that had additional funds been available they would have supported this  programme. As you are aware the industry members  agreed to continue to support the programme in 2014 and the programme has continued to make good progress towards its goals of  reducing  costs and improving safety of harvesting on steep land.

As a result of  forest harvesting levels  being higher than originally anticipated, the Levy Trust Board, on the recommendation of the FOA/FFA executive, have offered a one off contribution of $250,000 to FFR to support  steep land harvesting research programme over the final 18months of the programme. There are no conditions attached to this offer. It  is in recognition of the quality of the research programme and the contribution it is making to industry steep land harvesting productivity and safety. Intellectual property ownership  will remain with the original investors in the programme. There are no expectations of programme changes or reductions in member contributions to the programme.

The FFR Board have considered this offer, are supportive and are proposing that project reports older than 3 years be made available to all levy payers via the FFR/FOA research web site provided no confidential or commercially sensitive information is included.

As the steep land harvesting programme member contributions and in kind contributions have been running below the level required to uplift the full matching funding from government over the term of the contract, the contribution by the levy trust will fill this gap and ensure that we can fully utilise the PGP funding on offer without having to request further funds from industry members.

Russell Dale, FFR

Industry Forum on Future Opportunities in Harvesting and Logistics Research
 

Following up from the strategic workshop forum on harvesting and logistics research held in Rotorua on 26 November 2014, please see the attached report summarising the outputs of the forum.

The Presentations from the forum are also available to download.

From this point on FFR will continue to analyse the outputs of the Workshop sessions, and seek wider industry input towards developing research funding bids.

FFR will keep you informed regarding development of these funding bids during 2015.

Keith Raymond, Harvesting Programme Leader, Future Forests Research Ltd

Worksafe's new ACOP rules
 

A reminder about Worksafe's new rules. Worksafe's Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) is an important document for all forest growers. This document will be revised during 2015 but we all still need to become familiar with the rules and understand the current document. Are you acting as a "principal"? “Principal” means a person who or that engages any person (otherwise than as an employee) to do any work for gain or reward. if you are employing people or contracting out activities you have duties. The rules apply to all forestry activities including silviculture and harvesting. 

Safety and Health in Forest Operations: Roles and Responsibilities of Principals and Contractors
November 2014 (pdf)

NZ Wood Timber Design Awards

The prestigious NZ Wood Resene Timber Design Awards will be run throughout 2015 culminating in a gala event at Rayonier Ltd, Auckland Central, Tuesday 15 September 2015.

The timetable leading up to the Awards evening at Rayonier’s Auckland's Central venue will involve:

• January 2015; Finalisation Design Award Categories
• February 2015; Call for Sponsors
• March 2015; Announcement of Sponsors
• March 2015; Call for Design Award Categories
• May 2015; Judging of Stage One entries
• June 2015; Call for Stage Two entries
• August 2015; Judging of Stage Two entries
• 15 September 2015; Timber Design Award Presentation Event

Please watch out for the new releases, advising of each step along the way. Also visit the NZ Wood website for more detailed information (www.nzwood.co.nz)

For further information contact: Promotions Manager – Debbie Fergie debbie@wpma.org.nz or 03 544 1086.
 

Green initiative helps everyone
 

NZFFA member David Pearce is managing director of Longview, a 3049-hectare pastoral farm and 415ha pine plantation in South Taranaki.

Longview has received a Taranaki Regional Council environment award for its environmental stewardship and sustainable land management, and been recognised for several achievements:

• Fencing and planting the regionally significant wetland, Lake Okoia.
• Clay capping and revegetation of more than 40ha of sand south of Waitotara River mouth.
• De-stocking and planting pines on 387 hectares of sandy, erosion-prone soils.
• Planting 230 poplar poles on erosion-prone land to minimise soil slip.
• Protecting a 5.5-ha wetland, Lake Paetaia, with a QEII covenant.
• Completing 8.25 kilometres of fencing and 7.4km of riparian planting on the Waitotara River which borders the farm.

"I didn't realise how green I was until I read the citation," said Pearce, who's the third-generation owner of Longview, named by his father, Jock, now of Whanganui, to remind him to maintain a long view of farming. Congratulations David!

Longview spray wastewater effluent on 110 hectares, from an adjoining meat plant owned by Silver Fern Farms ltd. TRC have also presented Silver Fern Farms with an environment award for reducing the environmental effects of its operation by increasing the area irrigated and reducing the nitrogen load. More>>

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