Farm Forestry New Zealand

• Notices
• Latest Headlines
• Events
• Blogs
• Reports
• News snippets

Eucs going cheap

Possible Industrial Heat Targets a boost for NZ Bioenergy

NZ forestry sector leaders sign safety pact

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

Newsletter editor
Dean Satchell
dsatch@gmail.com

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

Executive

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

Angus Gordon angusg@xtra.co.nz
-Taupo & Districts
-Middle Districts
-Hawkes Bay

Neil Cullen cullen@farmside.co.nz
-Mid Otago
-South Otago
-Southland
-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

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

Don Wallace
don@wallace.gen.nz
-Taranaki
-Marlborough
-Nelson


 

Notices

Agenda Items and Notices of Motion from NZFFA branches and special interest groups for the Council Meeting and AGM at the Hokitika Conference MUST be submitted to NZFFA National Office by 23 March 2016.

Latest headlines

Forest Fires and Chainsaws
New Zealand has experienced a number of forest fires over recent years where chainsaws may be the ignition source.  There has been talk that one factor may be that newer… more>>

Kinks in GE laws need ironing out
FOREST OWNERS ASSOCIATION Media release 3 March 2016: Forest owners say kinks in the laws covering the release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) need to be ironed out... more>>

Industry looks beyond radiata
Future generations of New Zealanders may live in a patchwork landscape where several different forest species compete on the hills for growing space with the familiar Pinus radiata… more>>

Meaningful carbon price is vital to future of forestry
New Zealand’s third largest export industry, forestry, is steadily shrinking. Ministry for Primary Industries figures reveal that only 3000 hectares of new forest were planted in 2015 and that the… more>>

Events

For more information on these events, they are posted on the NZFFA website >>
Branch secretaries, please make sure you notify head office of any branch or action group events.

• NZFFA Conference 2016
  "The West Coast - Something for Everyone". Conference 2016 will be held at Hokitika, Westland Sunday 17th April - Thursday 21st April 2016. More >>
  Download the registration form here>>
  Register for conference online >>
• Middle Districts branch field day, John Gordon's McKean cup winning property at Mataroa, Tuesday 22nd of March, 10.30 a.m. till mid-afternoon. Gather: At John Gordon's woolshed, 260 Koeke Road.
• Southland branch field day, March 22nd, 1pm—3.30pm, Houliston’s Property ‘So Big’, 4856 Te Anau Mossburn Highway. In conjunction with Environment Southland, the Houlistons are winners of the SFF 2015 Best Planted Farm Award.
• Hawkes Bay branch field day, Thursday 24 March. Sawmiller and committee member, Russell Collins, invites anyone interested in viewing poplar being milled to meet at his property, 158 Parkhill Road, Haumoana at 1.30pm.
• North Canterbury Durable eucalypt forestry field day, Thursday 24th March 2016, 10.00am – 3.00 pm, Robb Macbeth, Milong, 507 Leamington Rd, Cheviot and Proseed NZ Ltd, 177 Amberley Beach Road.
• Mid North branch field day, WAIOTIRA FIELD DAY – SATURDAY 2ND APRIL 2016 10-30 AM, Beth and Bob Moscrip’s, then Ingleby Coxes.
• Hawkes bay NZIF event: Log Export Market Update - Phil Elworthy, Rayonier : Matariki Forests, 5.30pm for 6.00pm start Wednesday 06 April, Bluewater Hotel,10 W Quay St, Napier
• Waikato Landcare networking field day, Farming and Environment. Organised by Waikato Regional Council in conjunction with Te Pahu Landcare Group and the NZ Landcare Trust, 9.30 am on Wednesday, 6 April 2016, Te Pahu Community Hall and at Kaniwhaniwha Stream
• South Otago branch field day and AGM. The AGM of the South Otago Branch of the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association will be held at the Lawrence Golf Club on Friday 8 April 2016.
• Examining how site, nutritional and genetic factors affect forest performance at Puruki, 13 April 2016, Puruki Forest, Bay of Plenty. This free event is being run to provide forestry stakeholders with a hands-on experience of the impacts of variations in site properties and tree genetics on radiata pine growth and health.
• Mid North branch field day: TAHERE FARMS FIELD DAY – Saturday April 30th 2016 10-30 am, Tahere road, Whareora. Ian and Sandy Page were winners of the NRC Water Quality Enhancement Award 2015 and the Balance Environmental Awards.
• Growing Confidence in Forestry’s Future (GCFF) Conference 2016, 10-12 May 2016, Auckland
• Forest Ecosystem Services (FES) Forum 2016: Current Perspectives on FES - Issues and Pathways to Implementation, 24th May 9am-4pm, Te Papa, Wellington. Registration fee $50. Please register by 10th May.
• Australian Forest Growers National Conference 2016. Sunday 23 to Wednesday 26 October 2016, Launceston, Tasmania.

Blogs

Are GMOs New Zealand’s Agricultural Future?
The debate about the future of GMOs in Hawke's Bay (and NZ agriculture) is heating up.  A number of opinion pieces are reacting to the this government's attempts to take legislative…
Chris Perley's blog >>

Sacred cows and cursed trees
News that the forestry industry is likely to fall short of its aim to treble the value of wood exports by 2022, (as revealed on...
John Ellegards blog

The forestry message
I’ve just finished my Monday mail speed-read of the week’s first two Ag freebies. People say that the future of forestry lies with the ‘small’ forest owner but forestry isn’t…
John Purey-Cust ponders >>

NZFFA members can set up their own blogs on the NZFFA website. Email Dean.

Reports (Members Area)

FOA executive meeting, 15 March 2016
Dean Satchell

Joint FOA/NZFFA Promotions & Membership Committee 14 March 2016
Dean Satchell

Forest Products Export Committee Meeting, 21st February 2016, Rotorua
Neil Cullen

News snippets

Foreign companies 'shipping whole NZ forests overseas'
Northland sawmills are increasingly worried about timber shortages, as overseas companies swoop in to harvest mature pine forests in the region. more>>

Provisional Estimates of Tree Stock Sales and Forest Planting in 2015
This MPI report provides the provisional estimates of the sales of tree stocks and the areas of forest planted in 2015. pdf >>

Big industrial carbon emitters in NZ to lose ETS subsidy
Big industrial emitters of greenhouse gases will lose their right under the emissions trading scheme to offset only half of their emissions, Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett told an international energy conference in Wellington... more>>

Malaysian timber giant may lose FSC certification in NZ
Local stakeholders in the East Coast region of New Zealand’s North Island have lodged a complaint against the Malaysian Samling Group with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international body that issues sustainability certificates to timber operators. Samling is accused of boycotting local efforts to build up a wood-processing industry and failing to provide sufficient economic opportunities to one of New Zealand’s economically weakest regions. more>>

Eucs going cheap

PF Olsen has a container nursery at Waiuku, South Auckland.

One of our corporate clients has cancelled an order of E. nitens and E.fastigata.

Before deciding to destroy this crop we will try to sell what we can at low cost for planting this winter..  It may suit farm plantings or riparian on dairy.

Trees are container eucs, $200/1000 down from normal bulk rate of $350/1000.  So pretty cheap.  Terms are strictly cash (or bank deposit) up front before delivery.

Minimum order 1,000 trees.

We will pack in plastic-line boxes but buyer must arrange or pay for delivery to farm.  Trees will be ready for uplift from August.

Buyers should contact Dawn Lewis at:

dawn.lewis@pfolsen.com
DDI:            07 921 7205
Mobile:         021 726 742

Possible Industrial Heat Targets a boost for NZ Bioenergy

The Bioenergy Association welcomes Minister Simon Bridges statement on 3 March in which he indicated that there are opportunities for renewable energy beyond that of traditional electricity generation. Mr Bridges said that there were 'opportunities to increase the use of renewable energy in the transport and industrial heat sectors over time'.  This is potentially a great boost for the bioenergy sector in New Zealand which for some time has been widening the market, establishing quality standards and the knowledge and experience of practitioners in readiness for a step up in demand.

The Minister's speech indicated a revision of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy and a widening of the renewable energy electricity targets set by Government to include heat and transport fuel.  Mr Bridges also indicated the opportunity for industry and government to engage on the issues.

The Minister's Speech and the associated Press Release are now available .

In a Media Statement released on 5 March, Bioenergy Association Chairman Grant Smith said

“It is good to see that the Government is looking to set targets which are achievable and with the right leadership and facilitation can transition New Zealand to a lower carbon economy.  Sector targets for heat will also encourage central and government agencies such as schools, Councils and hospitals to consider using renewable energy instead of coal and gas. Bioenergy Association believes this policy will assist regional economic development, create additional employment and provide opportunities for export of skills to other regions. The low carbon and other benefits will come for free if we get the business opportunities right”. The full Bioenergy Association Media Statement is available here.

NZ forestry sector leaders sign safety pact

Forestry sector leaders on Wednesday at the ForestWood conference made a public commitment to work together to reduce injuries to workers when they signed the Forest Industry Safety Council Charter. The Charter was signed by members of the Forest Industry Safety Council (FISC), which includes representatives of forest owners and managers, contractors, farm foresters, WorkSafe, ACC, unions and workers. It was also signed by Associate Primary Industries Minister Jo Goodhew, representing the government.

“This Charter sets out at a high level how the industry will work together to make forestry a safe and healthy sector in which to work,” says FISC Chair Dame Alison Paterson.

“By signing our names to this pact in front of so many industry colleagues, we’re making a very public demonstration of our determination to work towards our goal of zero serious harm and fatalities in forestry,” Dame Alison says. “Charters by their nature are symbolic. But the symbolism of so many industry representatives committing to lead by example is powerful. Their actions in fulfilling the commitments they’re making in the Charter will support FISC’s efforts to reduce harm.”

In addition to asking signatories to lead by example, the Charter asks them to work collaboratively on harm reduction activities, says FISC National Safety Director Fiona Ewing. “That’s no small ask in a highly diverse sector like forestry, so it has been really encouraging to see people agreeing without hesitation to work together on this issue,” Fiona says. “This Charter is an important milestone in the sector’s health and safety journey.”

An expanded version of the Charter will be developed later this year that includes detailed actions and expectations. Companies and others working in the industry will be invited to sign it.

Source: Friday offcuts

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