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Official journal of the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association November 2010

Main feature on

Trees in the working landscape • Forestry rights and the ETS Insuring carbon in your trees • Hardwood in effluent schemes

Southern ladybird gets a second chance China sets the log prices

Poplars and willows

More articles on the West Coast

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Vol 31 No 4 November 2010ISSN 0111-2694 CONTENTS

The opinions expressed in Tree Grower are not necessarily the opinion of, or endorsed by, NZFFA, editorial staff or the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information, but neither NZFFA nor the publisher accept liability for any consequences arising from reliance on the information published. If readers have any doubts about acting on any articles they should seek confirming, professional advice.

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Trees in the working landscape

Erosion control

West Coast productivity

Poplar and willow feature

Use of poplars and willows for erosion control .......................................... 3

Poplar and willow as supplementary fodder sources ...................................6

Wood properties and use of poplar and willow ...........................................8

Willow biomass in the Taupo region .........................................................10

West Coast feature

High value alternative to pine ..................................................................11

New land clearing and preparation for dairying ........................................13

West Coast forest maps ........................................................................14

Recognising site quality for forest productivity .........................................16

General

Trees in the working landscape – A no fuss approach gets results .............22

Forestry rights and the ETS ....................................................................25

Insuring carbon in your trees ..................................................................27

Learning from Australia’s fires ................................................................29

Getting redwood right for New Zealand ...................................................30

A day in the life of Forestwood – A forest industry conference ...................31

Hardwood in effluent schemes ................................................................33

Improving safety for farm foresters .........................................................36

Southern ladybird gets a second chance .................................................37

China sets the log prices .......................................................................39

Young farm forester of 2009 field day .....................................................41

Regulars

From the President ..................................................................................2

Health and safety ..................................................................................36

From the Patron ....................................................................................38

Market report ........................................................................................39

Branch secretaries ................................................................................44

Membership ..........................................................................................45

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Official Journal of the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association

From the PresidentPresident

John Dermer Phone: 06 328 9740 Email: [email protected]

National Head Office Open – Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday 4th Floor, 85 The Terrace PO Box 1122 Wellington Phone: 04 472 0432 Fax: 04 473 6904 Email: [email protected] Website: www.nzffa.org.nz

Editor Julian Bateson Bateson Publishing Limited PO Box 2002 Wellington Phone: 04 385 9705 Fax: 04 385 9704 Mobile: 021 670 672 Email: [email protected]

Assistant Editor Vivienne McLean Phone: 07 866 5776 Email: [email protected]

Advertising Management Bateson Publishing Limited Delivery address: Level 1 62-66 Vivien Street Wellington Phone: 09 406 2218 Fax: 09 406 2219 Email: [email protected]

Design and Layout Olga Gerondis Bateson Publishing Limited

Subscriptions: $45 annually for New Zealand, $NZ50 for Australia, $NZ55 for the rest of the world, including postage.

Subscription enquiries and changes of address should be sent to NZ Farm Forestry Association, PO Box 1122, Wellington.Phone 04 472 0432NZ Tree Grower is published in February, May, August and November.

Spring from hellIt started with a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Christchurch then turned into a lamb killing storm which has decimated our national lamb crop and caused widespread land-slipping. On some areas near where I live, farmers are comparing this weather to the 2004 floods, and lamb losses could be as high as 10 per cent of our national flock. That is about two million lambs, worth approximately $160 million to the farmers who have been affected, and considerably more to New Zealand’s GDP. At home we escaped with many trees falling on fences, which has more to do with my siting choices than the weather. Radiata is not a great species for wet sites in strong winds.

The Christchurch earthquake has certainly taught us something. One is that timber houses stand up far better than steel and concrete. The other is that old swamps are not great places for housing developments − I had never heard of liquefaction before.

My commiserations go out to all members who have been adversely affected by these events, but like a boxer, you have to roll with the punches in this life.

National Environmental StandardsThis is an attempt, with the Forest Owners Association as the driving force, to streamline the way regional and local authorities interpret the Resource Management Act as it applies to plantation forestry. Many members have been involved in this process and the result is an excellent submission compiled by Denis Hocking. Thank you very much to all who were involved, especially to Denis. The result is by no means certain, but we are hopeful useful changes will be made.

Emissions Trading SchemeThere is good news here. One of three potential risks to carbon trading has been removed. Prime Minister John Key, and Ministers Nick Smith and David Carter, have publicly committed to the ETS after 2012. The other two risks, carbon price and exchange rate, are still there, but I always saw the political risk as the hardest to manage. This gives an added incentive for owners of pre 1990 forests to register with MAF for their allocation units.

Afforestation Grant SchemeThere is still $2.5m in the public pool run by MAF, and the same in the private pool run by regional councils. Tenders close on 30 April 2011 for the 2012 planting year, and this will be the end of that scheme.

The average tender for the public pool, which closed on 30 April this year, was $1,874 per hectare for the high sequestration rate trees such as radiata and eucalypts, and $675 per hectare for the low pool, such as natives.

Award nominationsThese are trickling in but I know there are many members with outstanding plantings who have still to be recognised. I judged some myself. Just because they did not win the first time is no reason not to nominate them again.

I hope the rest of the spring is a lot better than the beginning.

John Dermer

President’s comment


Use of poplars and willows for erosion control


If I had to choose the ideal tree for erosion control on a hill country sheep or beef unit it would need to −• Growinthepresenceofthegrazinganimal• Notsignificantlyreducepasturegrowth• Reducetheriskofsoilerosion• Providefodder• Provideshelterandshade• Producetimber• Sequestercarbon.

In this issue of Tree Grower is a short feature on

willows and poplars. They are good for erosion

control, and as Garth Eyles says in his article, they

are not the ideal tree for this purpose, but as close

as you can get. As a food source for livestock in

times of drought, both poplar and willow have been

shown to be of significant value. We should also

not forget the wood whether for timber and veneer,

carbon farming, or as a biopolymer.

Garth Eyles

The ideal tree does not exist, but it almost does in the form of poplars and, to a lesser extent, willows. In many countries, poplars are a major source of timber but in New Zealand the use of poplars has been restricted to erosion control purposes. Partly this has been because poplars and willows were bred by Ministry of Works for erosion control use while the Forest Service concentrated on radiata pine for timber. Professionally, there was little mixing of the two objectives. Only the erosion control aspects of poplars and willows have so far been accepted by many farmers. However, their use as drought fodder has been a saviour for many farmers, as has been indicated by previous articles in this magazine.

There is a small but growing market for poplar timber. For instance, in Hawke’s Bay it is exported to Indonesia and

shipments have gone to China.Poplars could also be the ideal tree for hill country carbon farming, but more about this later.

Erosion controlPoplars and willows were introduced for erosion control in pastoral hill country because they were the only trees that could be grown from poles and therefore could be planted in pasture without retiring the whole paddock. Researchers in the 1960s developed effective tree protectors allowing continued access for sheep and light cattle. Poplar and willow breeding programmes have concentrated on possum resistance, rust resistance and specific site requirements, as the trees were expected to grow in very marginal environments.

New Zealand Tree Grower November 2010 3

The result has been a range of clones which will grow in a range of environments.

Before deciding on what type of poplar or willow to plant it is advisable to consult with your local land management advisor. These are one of the few free advisory services remaining, so make use of them. This consultation is important as different clones can be site specific and many sites are very marginal. It is a waste planting a catchment only to have most trees die because of a spring drought or possum damage. Select the correct material for each site and where possible plant a mix of clones.

Planting materialThe vast majority of poplars and willows are planted as poles. Quality poles grow well, poor quality poles are more likely to struggle. Therefore wherever possible buy poles from a nursery where quality control can be assured. For example in Hawke’s Bay it was found that poles which had been exposed to any rust in the nursery did not establish or grow well in the field. A comprehensive spraying programme in the nursery has now minimised this risk.

Before buying, check that the pole −Has not been exposed to rust or other disease•Is harvested within two years •Is three metres long and 50 to 75 mm in diameter at the •butt end and a minimum of 25 mm at the upper endIs straight because crooked poles cannot be rammed•Is well hydrated and weighs five to six kilos•Has no damage to the bark.•On delivery, poles must be stored in clean running water

or a damp shady site before planting. Do not let them dry out and do not leave too long in the water – one to two weeks is the maximum. Rooted cuttings establish well in harder sites but these sites need to have been retired from grazing. Usually rooted cuttings can only be obtained from commercial nurseries.

Planting Planting technique is critical for survival. There are two techniques, ramming and digging. With both techniques it is essential to −

Plant the pole at least 600 to 700 mm deep•Compact the soil around the pole and keep it compacted •throughout the yearPlant in moist sites•Ensure the protector stays in place – staple Netlon sleeves •top and bottomNot damage the bark as this will let disease get established.•During the first year check the poles a number of times to

make sure they remain tight, as loose poles break new roots and allow the pole to dry out. If planting in clay soils it is essential to check regularly, as these soils shrink and swell so much.

Planting to prevent erosionSlip erosionWhere slips are likely to occur, plant poles at a regular 15 metre by 15 metre spacing across the slope. On most sites

slopes over about 15 degrees can slip, but check for old slip scars as these will give an indication as to where slipping is likely. Remember, previously cultivated slopes can mask past erosion.

Plant on the upper parts of slopes above the slip scars as well as the mid slope slip sites as, over a period of time, slips tend to move up the slope. Frequently planting is concentrated on the slip debris sites on the lower slopes, but this is generally a waste of time as these sites will not slip again. However, on mudstones this deposition material may flow in the future and so needs to be space planted. By careful site selection as few as 15 poles per hectare may be sufficient on slip prone hill country.

Earth flow erosionEarth flows occur mainly on mudstones and shattered argillites, although they can also occur on schist country. Fault zones are often recognised from earth flows where they would normally not be expected. Earth flows generally start moving late in the winter, after the whole profile has been thoroughly wetted. They generally do not move during high intensity rainstorms unless the subsoil is already saturated. In southern Hawke’s Bay, earth flows did not move for a decade in the 1990s but started again after a number of consecutive wet summers and winters.

Earth flows come in two general types, shallow ones which are less than one to two metres, and deep ones which can be 70 metres or more in depth. They are caused by the material under the turf mat becoming liquid or losing strength when saturated and flowing down-slope under the turf. With shallow movements the flow is constrained to between the turf mat and the unweathered rock. Control depends on the size and depth of the earth flow, the underlying rock type, the rate of movement and the degree of gullying or undercutting of the base.

Only experience can identify whether the movement is repairable so that grazing can continue, or whether it needs to be retired and close planted. For those earth flows that are repairable, a combination of re-contouring, de-watering and planting of willows or poplars is needed.

Preferably remove all dams, as these can lubricate flows, and ensure run-off can move freely and not bank in hollows or behind banks. Once this is done, space plant willows or

Poplars planted to control slip erosion, at Tamamu in central Hawke’s Bay


4 New Zealand Tree Grower November 2010

Watching in awe

poplars at regular 15 by 15 metre spacing across the slope. Planting on the contour will allow for easier pasture and stock management and future pasture renewal. Willows are effective on earth flows as they have fibrous roots but they need more management than poplars to control splitting and branch breaking.

Earth flow movement can be accentuated by concentrated water cutting through the broken soil, forming gullies. These over-steepen the flow increasing the rate of movement. This incipient gullying needs to be stopped by pair and block planting of willows. In addition earth flow movements can be made worse by undercutting of the earth flow by bank erosion or tracking. Where this occurs, the base needs to be retired and block planted in willows at about one metre spacing. Surprisingly this does slow up and even halt movement.

Gully erosionGully erosion occurs where concentrated water flows scour the soil down to bedrock, usually during high intensity storms. In soft or shattered rock environments the rock material continues to be scoured. This lowers the base level, causing side wall collapse and enlargement of the whole gully system.

The most common gullies occur when water scours out a valley bottom. These can be controlled by pair planting willows along the valley bottom at about 10 to 15 metres

apart. The willow roots form mats under the waterway and on the side walls reducing the risk of further degradation and protecting the banks. These are often planted in conjunction with small debris dams to raise the bed level. This in turn, lowers the slope angle of the side slopes which can then be stabilised by spaced plantings.

Large and deep gullies, such as those in the East Cape area, need retiring with close planting in willows on the most eroded areas and radiata pine on the remainder of the slopes and surrounding catchment areas. These will take many decades to control.

Tunnel gully erosionTunnel gully erosion occurs when subsurface flows are concentrated, removing soil particles as the water moves down the slope. This process creates tunnels which can collapse forming tunnel gullies. Although not generally considered a problem by farmers, many lambs and even sheep losses occur. By planting poles in the holes or along the hollows, the tunnels gradually fill up.

Re-contoured, deep, earth flow north of Gisborne planted with willows

The combination of small debris dams and willow planting stabilises a valley bottom

Northland poplars, planted to control tunnel gulley erosion, recently harvested and the timber exported

Frequently, erosion types occur in association with each other, such as, earth flow and gully erosion. In these cases take advice from your local land management advisor and work together to plant poplars and willows in the most critical spots. These plantings will often halt the erosion.

Post planting managementLike any trees, poplars and willows need managing to make sure they do not create problems as they mature. One of the perceived difficulties with poplars and willows is what to do as they get older.

Unlike radiata pine, which is generally harvested before it becomes over-mature, poplars and willows are generally not harvested. However they should be pollarded to make sure they remain healthy and useful trees. The modern two-tier farmer needs to be an expert with a chainsaw.

Continued on page 9



Poplar and willow as supplementary fodder sourcesGrant Douglas and Ian McIvor

ThefoliageofpoplarandwillowtreeshasbeenusedbyfarmersformanyyearstofeedlivestockduringdroughtatvariousplacesthroughoutNewZealand.Thefodderhasbeensuppliedbynaturalleaffallfromtreeswhichisreferredtoaspenniesfromheavenby at least one prominent tree enthusiast. In addition, fodder is made available bypollardingtreesusedtoconservesoilonpastoralhillcountryoroftreesgrowninblocksgrownspecificallyforfodder.Specialpurposebrowseblocksarealsoanoptionwheretheanimalsbrowsethetreesinsitu.

Pollarding treesWillows and poplars can tolerate regular defoliation and quickly regenerate to grow future supplementary fodder. Several pollarded willows that have been harvested every two or three years on farms since the early 1980s are still growing as vigorously today as they were 20 years ago. Farmers have noticed that the pollarded trees recover enough to provide

effective soil conservation with no obvious erosion near these trees, and supply stock shade until the next pruning.

A mature willow tree with about five years of regrowth can feed up to 30 cows for a day. When supplemented with hay, one large tree can feed about 60 cows. In a recent study in Hawke’s Bay, regrowth from a willow tree pollarded by complete canopy removal five years earlier, produced 29.3 kg of dry matter, with 30 per cent edible foliage.

Branch debris left around trees after pollarding can be a nuisance, providing a protective habitat for weeds to germinate and potentially hindering mustering of livestock. Poplar and willow limbs tend to degrade very slowly, especially the heartwood. Some animals have been reported as becoming trapped in non-decayed pruning debris.

If the tree is on a reasonably accessible site, the debris can be collected and used as firewood. Willow and poplar make perfectly acceptable firewood, if not left too long on the ground, and will burn as well as any other timber in an efficient wood burner.

Cattle will strip leaves and bark from willows and poplars and eat stems up to 10 mm in diameter. Sheep tend to consume leaves and thinner stems up to five millimetres in diameter but do not generally strip much of the bark.

When to harvest poplarsThe decision to harvest poplars needs to be made reasonably early in the season, before the trees start shedding their leaves in response to the drier conditions. In general, farmers in regions prone to summer drought harvest poplars first, using willows later.

Some farmers have created a dedicated fodder block on flat or gently sloping land with a good water supply. This ensures that the fodder retains high nutritive value during drought, can be harvested easily and quickly, and the debris is more easily removed afterwards. This is a specialist use of these tree species beyond soil conservation.



Browse blocksHigh density browse-block plantings range from 2,000 to 10,000 stems per hectare, more in some regions, and are browsed directly by livestock. There is no cut-and-drop, or cut-and-carry of the material. The blocks are generally sited on unproductive, wet and rush-infested areas of a property, and are fenced.

Wet areas are usually catchments for surrounding hills and the accumulated nutrients should be sufficient to fertilise the browse block. Being wet, they will probably also contain resident clover and lotus, legumes that tend to thrive under browse block management and supply high quality feed along with the tree fodder. Blocks may also be grown on highly productive alluvial flats prone to flooding. Once a block is established the soil becomes drier and the pasture understorey improves and may become legume-rich.

Willow is preferred for browse blocks because it has more thin stems than poplar. This results in trees carrying more leaf material and finer laterals − the browse fodder. Stock generally keeps the shoot height to a manageable level, reducing the need to trim shoots mechanically.

Managing the blocksBlocks are established by planting cuttings 40 to 50 cm in length and 15 to 30 mm in diameter during late winter. It is possible to browse them lightly in the following autumn with sheep or cattle to reduce vertical tree growth and control the pasture understorey growth. In late autumn the tree shoots should be tidied by cutting them with a scrub-saw or similar equipment to leave stumps 15 to 30 cm above the ground. Using cattle to lower the tree growth level may be an alternative option.

In the winter after planting, sheep grazing should be continued through to early spring to control the pasture growth. It may then be practical to lightly graze the established block once or twice when the new season’s shoots have developed to a reasonable size. Early spring grass growth should be reduced as much as possible to minimise the risk of too much dead pasture matter later in the season.

During the third year onwards, it is recommended to operate the same system. This is to browse with cattle or sheep in autumn, then give sheep access in the winter and early spring, and perhaps once or twice during spring. The aim is to maximise the benefit of the browse system for supplying feed in summer or autumn drought.

If the browse block is managed well, it may persist for 10 to 15 years and possibly longer. This depends on the soil type, the tree clone planted, the management it receives, weather patterns and prevalence of pests and diseases.

Nutrition valueThe feed quality of intact leaves of poplar and willow in summer and autumn is usually similar to that of pasture during the same period, particularly during drought, and they are rich in trace elements such as zinc. Green leaves of poplar and willow have a higher nutritive value than edible forage, arbitrarily comprising leaves and stems up to five millimetres in diameter, but livestock will always consume some stem.

The organic matter digestibility of poplar and willow edible forage is similar to or greater than that of normal summer pastures at between 55 and 65 per cent. It is greater than the organic matter digestibility of pastures subject to drought. The crude protein content of poplar and willow forage during summer and autumn is often 15 to 18 per cent, which is within the range for summer pasture. The digestibility of edible tree forage declines during the growing season, mainly because of maturing of the thin stems from spring to autumn.

The concentration of readily fermentable carbohydrate is greater in poplar at 19 per cent and willow at 16 per cent than in pasture during summer drought, which is about 10 to 12 per cent. The concentration of fibre in poplar at 37 per cent and willow 38 per cent is lower than the 45 per cent to 60 per cent in pasture. These differences in composition make poplar and willow effective supplementary feeds to balance the carbohydrate and fibre concentrations in the summer pasture.

A significant difference between the chemical composition of poplar and willow edible forage and summer pasture is the presence of secondary chemicals, mainly condensed tannins and phenolic glycosides. The concentration of total secondary chemicals in the tree forages is five to 10 times greater than in pasture. The benefits for livestock of these chemicals in poplar and willow edible forage remain to be determined.

Most of this article is extracted from Growing Poplar and Willow Trees on Farms is a booklet compiled and prepared by the National Poplar and Willow Users Group from.

Grant Douglas is a scientist at AgResearch and Ian McIvor a scientist Plant and Food Research.


Willow fodder browse block


Wood properties and use of poplar and willow Ian McIvor

Theprocessinganduseofbothpoplarsandwillowsfordifferentproductsarestronglyinfluencedbytheirwoodproperties−anatomical,physicalandchemical.Thatiswhyusecannotbediscussedwithoutconsideringspecificwoodproperties.Inaddition,theoverallqualityofthewoodhasaneffectonvarioususes.Qualitycanbeaffectedby thepresence, sizeand frequencyofgrowth-relateddefects,suchasknots,spiralgrainandtensionwood,andbydiscolouredheartwood,decayorlogsize.Theseareinherenttotherawmaterial.Finally,thereareotherimportantaspectswhichalsoplayarole.Theseincludecompetitionfromotherspeciesandothermaterials,quantityandpriceoftherawmaterial,energycosts,technologytrendsanddistancefrommarkets.

Globally, about 91 per cent of the current poplar resources grow in natural forests and woodlands, six per cent is found in plantations and three per cent in agro-forestry production systems. The largest proportion of natural poplar stands occurs in Canada, the Russian Federation and the United States. China accounts for about 73 percent of the world’s total area

of poplar plantations. The largest area of natural willow forest is in the Russian Federation.

Knowledge and experience in the use of poplars and willows are tilted heavily in favour of poplars because global poplar resources are far greater than willow resources. But in general, that experience can be applied to willows as

The face and end grain of willow Salix sachalinensis on the left and S. cardiophylla on the right


The face and end grain of poplar. Populus nigra on the left, P. maximowiczii on the right.


well because the wood of the two is quite similar. However, willows are rarely available as large size trees in sufficient volume in natural forests or plantations. So the industrial use of willows remains relatively minor, except in South America.

The anatomical features of the wood of poplars and willows are very similar, making their positive identification and separation quite challenging. The anatomy and general wood characteristics of all poplar species including hybrids and cultivars are the same.

The grain is generally straight but there are differences between species in the texture, density, strength, wood quality traits, and sometimes the colour. Therefore information about wood density and strength properties is essential for decisions concerning wood use.

Wood density and qualityThe wood density of poplar and willow is similar to that of softwoods. This comparison is mainly based on their potential for structural applications. Poplar and willow wood show high strength values in relation to their limited density. The moisture content of standing trees for poplars and willows is usually quite high.

Wood quality strongly influences both product quality and value. Determining wood quality depends on the end purpose for the wood. Researchers generally agree that density, fibre length and microfibril angle are under partial genetic control, with the inheritance of density appearing to be most strongly controlled.

Tension woodThe formation of tension wood in poplars is induced by gravity with tension wood most probably at the tree base. Tension wood appears mainly on the upper face of leaning stems and branches, although sometimes it can also form in upright stems due to internal stresses caused by sustained winds, or uneven crown. Tension wood contains more cellulose and less lignin than normal wood. The increased longitudinal shrinkage in tension wood leads to warping in timber. On timber and veneer, tension wood causes a woolly surface seen in milling, which presents problems in drying, sanding and finishing.

Product options Product options for the conversion and use of poplars and willows are numerous. They range from timber to veneer, plywood and composites as wood-based products, as well as pulp and paper as fibre-based products. In addition, chemicals and energy may also be produced from poplars and willows.

The wood can be used in many construction applications, as well as for containers and furniture. In addition, several new technologies and new alternative uses for poplar wood are rapidly emerging globally, especially in the engineered wood composites sector, in chemical extracts and in bio-energy. One of the major advantages of growing poplars and willows for various products is their rapid growth rate, enabling their production in relatively short rotations.

Use of poplars and willows for erosion control - continued on from 5

Every few years each tree needs to be inspected for broken or diseased branches which should be removed, with the lower branches pruned to reduce shading around the trunk. This encourages stock to move around the tree for shade rather than sitting under it. This work can be done in the summer dry periods, providing supplementary fodder.

Willows regularly harvested with the nest in the centre of the trunk providing a safe position from which to cut the branches

Carbon farmingPoplars provide the opportunity for farmers to farm carbon and meat farm on the same site while reducing the erosion risk. This could be a major advantage to hill country farmers as they can continue grazing, have a supply of drought fodder, and grow carbon.

The requirement for carbon farming is to have a 30 per cent tree canopy cover. If a slope is space planted in poplar, after 12 years each tree could be expected to have a canopy with a five metre radius canopy, giving a canopy area of just under 80 square metres. This means that to achieve 30 per cent ground cover, no more than 40 trees would be needed for each hectare, a spacing of about 19 metres.

Because the trees would be used for drought fodder, a 60 per cent ground cover would be advisable to allow for the losses when pollarding. This would require around 80 trees per hectare. Careful tree selection could provide a profitable combination of pastoral production, carbon farming and drought fodder.

If you are interested in learning more about soil erosion and its control, MAF Policy and regional councils are sponsoring a series of one day workshops around the North Island. Upcoming workshops are in Masterton on 23 November and Gisborne on 2 December

Call your local regional council for the location and the free registration.



Willow biomass in the Taupo regionIan Nicholas, Kevin Snowdon and Ian McIvor

The growth of shrub willows have been investigated for bioenergy and as a biopolymer resource in the Taupo area since 2004. Background information and some results have been presented in previous Tree Grower articles in November 2007 and February 2009.

Two of the project plantations were also assessed for biomass production. A demonstration planting west of Lake Taupo was established in 2004, and another a larger scale trial north of Taupo established in 2005. The large scale trial evaluated species, cutting length and the effects of site preparation.

This trial was assessed after three years, but growth had been affected by lack of rainfall during the critical growing periods. No significant differences were found in treatments within the sub-trials.

The productivity was 10.2 oven dry tonnes per hectare for the eight treatments in the trial after three years. The amount varied from 8.15 to 12.19 oven dry tonnes per hectare, but there was considerable variation within each treatment as

shown in the table. Within the 53 plots in the trial there were eight plots producing over 15 tonnes per hectare and four of these produced over 20 tonnes.

ProductivityBiomass was also measured in the demonstration trial which has had more regular rainfall than the site north of Taupo. This site was coppiced in 2007 and biomass data was collected from plots of Salix viminalis and S. schwerinii in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Treatment Mean Range

Oven dry tonnes per hectare

Oven dry tonnes per hectare

Salix schwerinii 12.19 6.3 to 24.3

Salix purpurea 9.25 2.8 to 22.8

Salix viminalis 8.87 1.9 to 22.3

20 cm cutting 8.15 4.8 to 22.8

25 cm cutting 10.51 3.3 to 20.2

33 cm cutting 11.76 2.6 to 24.3

Cultivated 10.88 2.2 to 24.3

Not cultivated 9.34 1.9 to 22.3

Western Bay willow species demonstration planting a year after coppicing

Biomass productivity from trial plantings at three years

S. viminalis Range S. schwerinii Range

Oven dry tonnes per

hectare

Oven dry tonnes per

hectare

Oven dry tonnes per

hectare

Oven dry tonnes per

hectare

Year 1 7.8 7.2 to 8.6 11.1 8.6 to 12.5

Year 2 11.1 8.6 to 13.0 13.0 10.7 to 15.5

Year 3 17.0 15.5 to 18.4 18.1 12.7 to 23.6

Biomass productivity from demonstration plantings after coppicing

The productivity of the demonstration planting is considerably higher than the trial plantings north of Taupo, although there is considerable variation between the plots. This is possibly from the better rainfall in this area, despite there being less than normal rainfall for two of the years the coppice has been growing.

A large three-year-old S. schwerinii coppice stem being taken for weighing

The good productivity may also be a result of the older root systems generating the coppice. However the root age is what would be expected from a typical second rotation managed stand.

The results from these biomass studies indicate that short rotation willow plantations can be quite productive. The most productive species has been S. schwerinii, but it also has shown the most variation between plots. The S. viminalis has also performed well and has been a consistent performer across both sites. The results of these plantations gives confidence that willow could provide a planting option for generating bioenergy or biopolymer resources.



The West Coast a forest region rich in natural resources

With its low population and vast area the West Coast remains a near natural land, still steeped in

extensive forests as well as other natural highland and wetland vegetation associations. New farming

settlers have followed in the wake of Maori greenstone gatherers, early European explorers, gold and

coal miners, and timber cutters and sawmillers, occupying some of the more fertile valleys. However,

this is a high rainfall area with a mild climate that will always be optimal forest growing land.

This series of articles complements our May 2010 feature on the West Coast, which describes the

work and properties of some of our local members. From the air, native or exotic forests dominate

a landscape broken only here and there with green farms snaking up the river valleys, or occupying

the main river flats. It is a unique environment to be treasured and a resource to be carefully and

sustainably managed.

High value alternatives to pineMatt Lysaght

Whenin1993LindaandI,alongwithpartnersRobandTrishRoney,decidedtoestablisha forestryblock, itwasplanned toprovidea substantial supplement toour respectiveretirementincomes.However,itmaybethattheland,ratherthanthetrees,isthemainincomegenerator.

We bought a 35 hectare ex-mining block at Camerons, approximately 15 km south of Greymouth planning a mixed species forest. Our first call was to Timberlands, the now defunct government owned forestry company, where we made contact with Mike Craw, a senior forest manager for Timberlands. Mike’s knowledge, expertise and advice were invaluable as we began our first plantings of radiata in 1994, and his support and well-considered advice remains our most valuable tool.

Approximately 16 hectares, half of our total plantings, were radiata pine. These were planted

in 1994 and 1995, but we were keen to establish other species

that produced timber which was not so reliant for durability on chemical treatment. We were very conscious of the environmental demands that forestry and its products could impose. Carbon credits and global warming were not such hot topics in 1993.

Planting cypressMike pointed out the success of Lawson cypress plantings made by the old Forest Service in the Mahinapua Forest south of Hokitika many years before and so we decided to plant 4,500 of those on four hectares of V-bladed ground. We wanted to try macrocarpa, but were advised against it due to the high incidence of canker. Another cypress, lusitanica, was suggested as being more resistant and we settled on 6,500 of those on seven hectares in 1994, again on V-bladed ground.

In planting these two cypress species we were aiming to grow high grade, high value trees that would overcome the high transport costs and provide a good return on investment. We were also wanting to grow trees that were naturally durable, had multiple end uses, and yet were still within our timeframes of 30 to 40 year rotations.

The growth rate achieved in some of the larger Lawson cypress after 16 years

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Successful at sixteenThese two species have been very successful to date. Despite some advice to the contrary, we pruned the Lawson cypress to between four and five metres and now have some excellent stems with a diameter at breast height of 20 to 25 cm with some over 30 cm. However, as with the lusitanica, there is heavy branching and a greater incidence. The possible consequence is that there may be little value in the logs above five metres. It is obvious that the soil is a significant determinant of their growth rates, with the trees on the rockier, lighter soils having a smaller diameter at breast height than those on the heavier soils.

The lusitanica look impressive. Form pruning began with secateurs in year two and so we now have an excellent coverage of good straight trees and with diameter a little greater on average than the Lawson cypress. They are pruned on average to between 4.5 and 5 metres, but the heavy multiple branching above this is obvious and frequent. While we are impressed with the growth and form of the trees, does the market give them a value which agrees with our opinion?

A noticeable feature of the different species is that in recent years the pines have been hit hard with windthrow, particularly as a result of strong easterly winds. The Lawsons and lusitanica have not had any obvious toppling at all. Given the significance of this problem to commercial forestry on the West Coast, should future investment confine itself to high value trees such as these?

Forestry mixOur final plantings undertaken in the winter of 1996 over three hectares was a rather interesting mix of seven different species. This block was in an area which was fairly wet underfoot with high scrub and re-growth bush. A large digger soon opened up the main drain, added a couple of others and began digger mounding.

The aim was to establish a long-term, sustainably managed, high value timber forest that would avoid clearfelling at harvest and not require disruption to the water channels again. We also wanted to avoid destroying significant canopy cover at any one time and to have a minimal effect on native

fauna at harvesting time in the future.The plantings were of 2,300 trees in total – 30 per cent

Lawson cypress, 24 per cent lusitanica, 12 per cent western red cedar, 11 per cent blackwood, nine per cent Douglas fir, nine per cent japonica, and five per cent coastal redwood. The mix was decided on what we knew would grow well on the West Coast, what we hoped would grow well and what has subsequently struggled to do anything.

Too earlyIs it working? It is too early to decide. The management of fertilising, pruning and thinning has been a battle as all trees have been treated under one regime. Pruning has been a challenge as the different species have different timing requirements and treatment methods to be applied.

As a result it would have required a far more intensive management approach to ensure the best form and growth was obtained from each species than has been possible. Difficulties of access due to excessive re-growth of blackberry, flooding and inundation by water-borne gravel, slumping and blocking of drains have all had an effect. It will be some time and take more investigation to reveal what trees have survived and in what proportions.

We believe the concept is very worthwhile and in an area with fewer site challenges could very well work successfully. Experience will determine the right combination of trees and the right proportions.

Why bother?Is the effort and expense of this type of forestry worthwhile? A recent nearby forest block sale of 20-year-old pines is to a dairy farmer who intends to remove the trees to waste and convert to pasture.

Given the slowly encroaching dairy herds coming up the valley, do we stop any further input to the trees and wait till they make us an offer? Is there any indication that the species we planted for a more durable and sustainable forestry future are providing the returns necessary to attract future investment let alone maintain the present forests? Or are clovers and carbon credits the only foreseeable alternatives?

Heavy branching and deformity is obvious above the pruned height in the 16-year-old lusitanica block

The experimental, mixed-species block with differing pruned heights and heavy blackberry growth

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New land clearing and preparation for dairyingMichael Orchard

DairyingisnowthemajorindustryontheWestCoast,withanindependentco-operativedairycompanyWestlandMilkProductsbasedinHokitika.Itisamulti-milliondollarcoreindustryoftheWestCoastwithaturnoveraveragingover$400millionayearduringthelastfouryears.Thereare380individualfarmsuppliers,anddairyfarmlandoccupiestwopercentofthe2.8millionhectarelandareaoftheWestCoast.Onthefarmsthereare140,000cows,togiveanaverageherdsizeof360cowsperfarm,thepredominantbreedbeingJersey,followedbyHereford.

Westland Milk Products speciality focus is high quality nutritional products, together with milk powders, milk fat and milk protein. In the 2009 year it produced 44,000 tonnes of milk powders, 22,000 tonnes of butter, and 7,000 tonnes of protein. Over 340 employees are involved in processing and manufacturing milk products, mostly based in Hokitika, and the company owns a fleet of 20 milk tankers with trailers, seen daily on the roads from Karamea to Franz Josef.

High demand for dairyWith our high rainfall and mild climate, where generally grass grows most of the year and sufficient supplements for over-wintering can be made on site, it is not unexpected that there is a high demand for dairying quality land. However big investments are required in its development including draining, shaping and fertilising the land, as well as building modern shed facilities.

This puts pressure on the landowners to get as quick a return on investments as possible. This includes new land clearing and development, both of former exotic and indigenous forest. Each year a number of new suppliers are encouraged to join and convert their land from sheep, beef or deer, with an occasional greenfield development from previously unfarmed shrub or forest land.

Forestry land conversionWe are seeing a number of exotic forestry block conversions as part of this process, both after logging of mature forest is completed, or where young stands are tipped over and cleared without material recovery. This also happens in some regenerating indigenous stand clearing, although recovery of small beech or rimu logs for private or commercial firewood production is often the normal practice.

I will not venture an opinion on whether this is a desirable practice or not, except to say that it would seem to be the economic natural order of things, to see land being put to best use at the time. I have seen a number of young stand conversions recently of 15-year-old trees. I can only assume that the timeline assumptions of annual dairy cash flow for the next 15 years is more attractive than a less certain forestry product payout when the trees reach the age of 30. It is time for the economists to do some studies again.

Fertile dairying country near Te Kinga, Lake Brunner, previously carrying tall kahikatea forest

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More effort neededHowever, what is important is for the NZFFA is to make increased efforts to encourage dairy and other farmers to plant and manage more exotic and indigenous tree plantations, as well as natural biodiversity sites, on non-dairying land. In addition, to help these farmers meet the strict environmental conditions that are increasingly being applied to effluent run-off and streamside management, farm shelter and erosion control, we have a lot to offer in helping with species selection, landscape design and new bioengineering initiatives. In other words, we are experienced at growing trees.

There are lessons to be learned from the past in this respect. It was not that long ago that livestock and farm prices were so low that dry stock farmers, especially in the Canterbury high country, were under financial stress. Some then discovered old stands, particularly of Douglas fir on their properties, some even the result of past wilding regeneration. At the height of the wood price boom they were worth the extra equivalent of between a quarter and a third of the total property value itself, and renewable and economically sustainable. There has therefore been a steady increase in planting on these sites by entrepreneurs and owners ever since.

Mature stand conversion case studyThe site owned by Anne Bradley, of a local farming family, was on old gold dredge tailings near her home farm in the Arahura Valley near Hokitika, close to some of our own forestry sites. Great mounds of shingle tailings from these giant machines lined all the major rivers of the West Coast, the top soil having been lost for ever by the poor practices of the past. Surprisingly these bare rocky sites were good for forestry, especially growing radiata pine, and the Forest Service and private owners made extensive plantings.

At maturity, about age 30, despite only partial pruning, a good spot price was obtained by the experienced logging company, to give a reasonable return to Anne. Our local branch took a close interest in the operation over several field trips. Following harvesting the owner decided to convert it to farmland, and we were privileged to see a land clearing and shaping operation of major proportions, using several earthmoving machines over a number of days.

We should remember that in terms of land use, that this has been a very dynamic site. In the space of less than 100 years, at different times in its history it has been virgin forest, supported a sawmilling industry, been mined for valuable gold, grown a mature exotic forest crop, and now it has been shaped and grassed for high value dairy farming.

West Coast forest mapsMichael Orchard

Forestry is a practical land based science, and tools to help in its management are essential. Aerial forest photographs or maps are one of the most important of these, as shown in the two examples. The first is an online geographical base map published by the Greymouth District Council, to help in the region’s planning and management. The second, shown on the next page, is a special purpose infra-red map produced by Timberlands West Coast to help land use planning.

Landowners should fully research what is available for their project from the beginning. Google Earth maps vary in quality but can be a good start, or you can have your own taken by local resource management specialists for your site.

Regular flying and aerial photography for many purposes has been an important management tool for all the big forestry owners. We on the West Coast have been extremely fortunate because of the large amount of Crown land here and aerial photography of this almost always overlaps with our privately managed land and forest areas.

Bushby family forestsThis 2005 Grey District Mapinfo aerial photograph is an example of resource mapping tools. It shows in detail the forest patterns of V-blading and hill planting, unstocked areas, native bush, wetland, sphagnum moss enclosures, tracks, streams and roads. Bushby family forestry block and nature forest

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This photograph is published here as a tribute to the hard work and effort that Jim Bushby and his family have put into developing private plantation forestry on the West Coast, and to thank him for his cornerstone work in supporting others and our branch.

This property at Kotuku, in the Grey Valley towards Lake Brunner is one of their main forest properties. It comprises 200 hectares of freehold land, in which 170 hectares has been planted in GF 17 radiata pine in 1993. The trees have been thinned and pruned for log grades between 4.5 and 6 metres.

Management of surrounding land shows, the encroaching dairy farmland or undeveloped scrubland. Broader views, enlargements or area calculations can now be done at the flick of a computer mouse. The Grey District Council likes to encourage its ratepayers and landowners to make the maximum use possible of this Mapinfo series, as it does for its own statutory management work.

Special purpose infra-red This 1997 Timberlands West Coast map was flown by Aerial Surveys Ltd. It was part of a West Coast forest management series, this one being part of the Waimea Forest run, near Hokitika. Initially sent as a base map for another purpose − Timberlands then would co-ordinate and undertake all the dothistroma spraying for private forest owners – it seemed to

be a great new mapping tool. First it showed all the wet in blue and dryer in red

portions of our forestry and surrounding farmland – very useful for planting planning. Then it indicated the reason why we had had to dig a large new drainage ditch to plant the northern forest half. There was a big snaking occasional waterway, seemingly feeding into the kahikatea forest, which was from swamp land to the east and was not detectable on the ground. A straight line separating red from blue near the bottom of the picture indicates the gravel base formation of an old logging tram route to Malfroy’s Sawmill where the sleepers are still in place.

Secondly on the same photograph, infra-red shows up very clearly the difference between the tall regenerating kahikatea forest in blue, and the rimu and hardwood forest as red and white along the more well drained riverbank of Fox Creek. In normal photographs this could not be detected nor even could the river course be determined with certainty under the dense forest canopy. Individual trees show up and if you look carefully you can detect two giant kahikatea trees in the north near the prominent river bend.

Old photographs and newIn the late 1980s the government invested $300,000 to have the entire portion of the West Coast, south of the Cook River near Fox Glacier, photographed in high quality aerial colour positive film. This was mountains-to-the-sea resource mapping, and many black and white copies were made for use by field crews for forest mapping and recording data.

For your land you may be able to find older black and white stereoscopic paired photographs, which were the most common type taken. Although the land cover may change, the shape of the land surface does not, and the ability to see it in a three-dimensional format using a simple viewing tool is extremely useful.

Recently taken for their own management purposes, the new Crown Forestry series of images may be available for some areas of private landholdings. In my own forests, patches of windblow from recent storms were of concern because they catch the eye. However, looking at the new colour aerial photograph revealed the forests to be almost completely intact, only around two per cent damaged along one side of a track. Orchard property at Fox Creek

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Recognising site quality for forest productivityMichael Orchard

If we were a big organisation looking to buy the optimal piece of land for forestryproduction,wemightgotothefertilepumicelandsoftheBayofPlentyorashcountryofTaranaki.Therewecouldlaughinthefaceofthefertilisersalesman,aswecouldinPovertyBay,althoughoccasionaltropicalcyclonesanderodablesoilslippingfromunderthetreerootswouldbeadanger.SimilarlywecouldgotoCanterbury,coveredinfertileloessoverashinglebase,orsimilarlyalonganymajorriverinNewZealandwithrecentalluvialsiltdeposits.However,wemightfirstneedthebigsoil-rippingtynes,ortoensureourstopbankswereinorder,andwewouldhavetoworryabitaboutfire,droughtandlittlefurrypests.

Important pointsFor any land use, including forestry, there are many important criteria to consider. These include −

Availability of skills and labour •Knowledge of establishment techniques and management •Potential species for the site •Availability of good roading materials and machinery •Ease of logging •Future processing plant availability •Distance to the mill and markets •Regulations of the local territorial authorities. •There will always be potential competition from other

land uses, depending on the state of the economy at the time. Some regions are just natural forestry areas. These include

the West Coast and Northland, as well as just about anywhere that there is good rainfall. Native forests have been growing there successfully for at least 10,000 years, mostly without disease and pestilence, and will continue to do so. However,

the high rainfall has meant some of these soils have become compacted and impoverished, often with iron pans forming.

Good for forestryFor successful exotic forestry, just as for farming, these impediments have to be overcome. For native species the trees just keep on growing, with a little help from 1080 and similar products to keep possums at bay. It is well known on the West Coast that if you keep fire out of a native block which may have been heavily harvested, then it will naturally regenerate to its original forestry type.

Even if the economics of harvesting has meant a probable reduction in planting of pine by the government, then such hill country areas are eminently suitable for carbon farming. On more of the front country, they will be managed for high quality timber production as long as they are wind-firm long rotation species such as Douglas fir, redwood and cypress. They could be mixed in with deciduous hardwoods and

Site indexA forestry technical measurement of site productivity is the site index. The site index of a stand of trees is defined as the mean top height or the mean diameter of the 100 largest trees per hectare, at a given reference age. This is 20 years for radiata pine and 40 years for Douglas fir. Other reference point systems could be developed internally for West Coast conditions and tree ages.

The site index is an easily measured estimate of productivity but relationships may vary between species and from region to

region. Site indices for radiata pine may be broadly classified as ranging from poor at 22 metres, through to good at 35 metres. The productivity of a stand can be increased by cultivation and fertiliser, but may be decreased by the passage of heavy machinery.

In earlier times both the Forest Service, and private companies would have had site index rankings for all their forests often by applying averaged data to soil map typing, and would have used these for internal tree management planning, and new land purchase decisions.

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native timber species, then managed on continuous cover forestry principles.

Many of these opportunities will be on private farms as that is where the only real land banks remain. These will be on the periphery of their core farm areas such as wet sites, terrace sides, back hill blocks, shelterbelts, or even along streams in conjunction with native under storey species. These zones will be most under pressure for planting to meet clean stream accords. Many farms on the West Coast have sizable areas of regenerating or semi-mature indigenous forest that could be integrated into this process.

The following examples have been designated good and lower quality sites for the purpose of comparing biological productivity within the West Coast. It is important to note that with its deeper soils and wetter peat areas the good quality site will be the most expensive for road construction and harvesting, as they may require hauler use with gravel to be trucked in. The low quality site, where rotation length will probably have to be longer on an old rocky glacial moraine, will be cheaper and easier to log by ground based machine.

Good quality site This seven hectare Arahura site near Fox Creek was a deep peat flax swamp. It was originally failed wet farmland reverting to gorse, sphagnum and weed species. We did not

initially notice the tall and dense regenerating kahikatea forest forming the northern boundary when looking at the potential pine block area. While we were V blading we could hardly see the top of the bulldozer over the short scrub, which appeared to be working in a deep brown soupy mess.

Occasionally it would get caught on an old podocarp stump and eventually we had to stop half way, because of the wetness, to dig an additional main drain and return to finish the job the following year. However once we saw the dense tall regenerating trees in the kahikatea forest block we knew this had to be a good site for growing more trees.

Some good radiataThis has certainly turned out to be the case, and the radiata pine in the photograph below is 14 years old and will become a wall of wood on its own. It looks dense because it is unthinned, although pruned and standing at over 600 stems per hectare. It is too difficult to thin now because of potential windthrow and cost, so we hope there is a good pole market around at time of harvest. The kahikatea mature pole stand is probably standing at between 1,000 and 2000 stems per hectare and there are some reasonable sized diameters on the bigger trees.

Flax swamp and manuka wetland

Typical soil profile of gleyed organic soils

Radiata pine growing on these sites following drainage, V blading and fertiliser application

Kahikatea stand nearby for comparison

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I estimate that the site index for radiata pine at this site to be over 30 and will carefully measure it at age 20 years. Between the main exotic and native blocks there are two drains and an access road. Along this, partly for amenity purposes, I thought it needed some longer rotation exotic coniferous trees to be compatible with the stature of the native forest edge. As a result some 13-year-old Chinese fir and coast redwoods can be seen as part of the species mix.

Good for native treesEcological site productivity is also related, and should be encouraged on all farm forestry properties. Native birds regularly use both sites, and there is a variety of fish, insects, spiders, fungi and special plants in among the exotics.

The natives have a rich forest understorey. In autumn the kahikatea trees annually produce large quantities of berries, and the forest becomes a cacophony of sound and pigeons soaring. In spring tui closely barrel through the pine forest in twos and threes, at such speeds you really need a hard hat, and the bellbirds enjoy the flax and eucalypt combinations.

In the younger exotic forest, fernbirds, moreporks and brown creepers have been seen, in addition to all the more common weka, fantails, tomtits, silvereyes and grey warblers, with pukeko in farmland next door. One day I may block off one of the drains in the upper reaches to recreate a wetland pond.

Lower site qualityFarther up the road on our other 20 hectare joint venture site on the better drained hill soils, the gorse and scrub was over five metres high in places. The area was completely inaccessible until we carefully followed behind the blade of the first tentative bulldozer passes, and the lie of the land and eventual planting pattern could be determined.

The mixed podocarp forest on the hilltop had deep well-drained black forest soil, which extended out to the tall regenerating manuka stands under which many other young native plants were beginning to appear. But outside this area depleted soils and naturally poorly drained pakihi areas on

iron pan or impeded grey clay base soils were very shallow and nutrient depleted.

Lower site indexAs a result the trees we planted were much shorter at 14 years than on the good quality site. Canopy spread was less, so when fertiliser was applied it was partly taken up by the gorse and shrubland between the trees. In the longer term it will still be released to the trees as the gorse and understorey vegetation dies and rots away.

I estimate that the site index for radiata pine at this lower quality site to be under 25. But although productivity is lower and growth slower in comparison to the first deep peat soil type, access on the rolling pakihi and moraine hills is very good. There is plenty of rock for road building, and harvesting would be cheaper as it is all accessible to wheeled or tracked ground hauling machinery.

With lower fertility, it is standard to have wider spaced trees, to allow more root spread for each to take up their essential nutrients, so this site has been thinned to about 350

Redwood blocks growing between the radiata pine and kahikatea main forested areas

Soil profile on pakihi country, showing impeded drainage layers and rock base

Pakihi vegetation before development

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stems per hectare. Trees can be expected to be shorter and stouter at harvest, and growing in the rocky side slopes may be slightly more wind firm.

Better in eucalypts?Nearby one wetland area was so deep in organic peaty material that the soil looked more fertile and discussion was held as to what more interesting production species might be tried there. Most species are generally more specific in their site requirements than the ubiquitous radiata pine. So Eucalyptus nitens was chosen for the flat and E.fastigata for the hill slope, both being reasonably frost hardy, along with some attractive amenity eucalypts around the perimeter.

Spacing for eucalypts needed to be much wider as the purpose is to grow large diameter trees that have reduced growth stress for milling. The intended use is for veneer or sawlog and pruning, especially of big branches, should be undertaken. Therefore the stands have been thinned to below 200 stems per hectare so that large crowns can develop to produce big trunks. The site is still poor so we have skinny trees, compared with the large volume eucalypt trees that we can grow on fertile lowland sites.

On the environmental side, eucalypts are favoured trees for native birds with tui and bellbirds often looking for insects under loose bark or feeding off nectar from the flowers. E. fastigata is particularly impressive, with great numbers of yellow flowers in season, attracting many insects, and feeding frenzies of fantails and other insectivorous birds. A large deep infertile swamp with different vegetation occupies the bottom of the basin on which all of the above trees grow around the side slopes. Fertiliser application and spraying

All trees on the West Coast need regular periodic nutrient deficiency testing and fertiliser application of many essential elements, particularly phosphate, calcium, magnesium and boron. Even fast growing previously healthy stands can simply stop when nutrients run out. You begin to see thin canopy leaf density and dead branches on the lower stems just above pruned height, even though canopy closure has not occurred.

Often signs of yellowing or deformation of stems are clues in pines. This discolouring should not be confused with dothistroma or other fungus diseases which should be surveyed for regularly and treated.

Luckily we have very few introduced leaf browsing eucalypt pests on the West Coast. Although our native pinhole borer will attack trees under stress, eucalypts often kill them, so the timber is usually not degraded. Eucalypts under stress generally have red colouring of the leaves as nutrients are re-mobilised to be sent back up to the to growing tip, and often require extra slow release nitrogen fertiliser in addition to those other basic nutrients listed above.

Eucalyptus fastigata on slightly better hill slope ground conditions with some radiata pine on the left

Eucalyptus nitens in modified infertile pakihi terrace soils

West Coast feature

Annual conference in the Wairarapa This conference is based in Masterton from Sunday 10 April to Thursday 14 April. The registration form is in this issue of the Tree Grower, with more information on page 20.Book now and confirm your hotel accommodation.


Land – trees – community 55th Annual Conference in Masterton 10 to 14 April 2011Stuart Orme

I have recently returned from a six week look-around in Germany, Austria, Italy and Denmark. I was constantly reminded that in other parts of the world our conference theme of ‘Land Trees Community’ has been a celebrated and accepted way of life for centuries. We look forward to seeing how the values that those three words encapsulate can become a wider reality in New Zealand, as trees and forestry experience a renaissance due to improved harvest income and the ETS.

It is with some growing excitement and expectation that we extend an invitation to join us in the Wairarapa in April next year for the 55th NZFFA Annual Conference.

Book earlyThe venue and conference base for the main meetings will be in the Copthorne Hotel in Masterton.

If you are planning to stay at the hotel we suggest that you book early. In addition if you are intending to take the train from Wellington, which is a handy option for those flying in from the South Island or parts further north, let the Copthorne Hotel know. They will pick you up form the station and refund your train ticket.

The town of Masterton has several other options for accommodation and some of these are given in the enclosed registration forms. Early booking is recommended. It will secure a bed in a town that can fill up quite quickly as summer and autumn festivals occur from time to time.

Getting there Getting to Masterton is easy. There is a daily flight from Auckland on Air New Zealand arriving in the evening and flying out in the morning. That is the only direct link by air but it keeps our skies quiet, apart from multiple war bird planes that emerge from the local air museum.

For those flying into Wellington there are trains that come straight from Wellington to Masterton. Car pooling to the Wairarapa could be a good option. Masterton is approximately an hour from Palmerston North and around 90 minutes from Wellington.

The programme and why book earlyPukaha Mt BruceOn Wednesday will be the dawn chorus breakfast at the Mt Bruce Bird Reserve. We will all be there for breakfast, but only the first 100 who tick the 5.30 am box get to go on

the walk up the hill on a benched track through the forest in search of the kokako amongst the myriads of other critters. DOC have never provided this opportunity for a group before.

Iconic stations Castlepoint on the coast and Pirinoa Station in the south of the valley have invited us on to their properties and are looking forward to hosting us. These are both magnificent properties with a long farming history, well understood by our hosts. They have a successful approach to farming and the use of trees that they will share on the days we visit.

Community initiativesRewanui Forest Park is managed by an elected board which has used forest revenues from their initial land holding to buy a second property. Here, existing native vegetation and grassland have been retired, with 20 species of indigenous trees and 12 exotic species planted in various trials.

With the help of a Sustainable Farming Fund grant it is all being monitored in a programme valued in excess of $300,000. Much of the information gathered is to be released to the conference for the first time when we visit and take the opportunity to walk through the property.

Wairio is another community initiative, shared between Ducks Unlimited, Greater Wellington Regional Council, local schools and local interest groups. Now into its fourth year, it is showing real progress and DOC are excited about the re-emergence of rare species among the developing vegetation. Other community initiatives will be visited throughout the week

Wine tastingDue to popular request a wine tasting has been organised at one of our evening meals. In addition to this, some iconic vineyards have offered to sponsor our event with access to wines which would otherwise be off the average conference budget.

Book nowThere is a registration form in this issue of the Tree Grower with all the programme details and options, including the optional days on the Monday and Friday. We look forward to seeing you there next April and sharing the conference with you.

Conference 2011


Farm and Forest Carbon Adding value to NZFFA membershipPatrick Milne

The NZFFA and its Executive are continually looking to add to and enhance the value of being a member. Recent initiatives have included information on the web site and in Tree Grower articles on the farm forestry model, the continuing upgrade of the web site and progress towards developing a group certification scheme.

The latest initiative is to provide a way to pull together and market carbon for members involved in the ETS and maximise returns to them. This initiative is known as Farm and Forest Carbon and this article is to introduce and explain it to members. A detailed explanation will be provided later.

No commissionsThe NZFFA has entered into an exclusive relationship with CF Partners, a London based advisory and investments firm which specialises in environmental and global carbon products. Together we have formed Farm and Forest Carbon. CF Partners is one of the most active traders of carbon credits internationally and has one of the largest teams of carbon specialists. They have over 200 trading accounts in carbon emissions approved in spot market trading. CF Partners is currently working on carbon transactions with a notional value of approximate €1.2 billion.

So what is in Farm and Forest Carbon for members of the NZFFA? By aggregating the relatively small quantities of carbon units or NZUs owned by small forest growers, Farm and Forest Carbon will allow members to take part in larger-scale, global transactions, but with no commission charged on the sale of carbon credits.

Obviously there will be costs associated with running the scheme. The NZFFA cannot provide Farm and Forest Carbon free of charge, so there will be an administration fee. The current suggestion is that this fee will be the set at the same level as your normal annual membership, payable in each calendar year that credits are sold.

Significant savings for NZFFA membersHow would this work? One example is where a member has 30 hectares of forest of which 20 hectares is radiata and eligible for the ETS. This member would be paying an annual NZFFA membership fee of $125 a year.

The radiata would be producing 25 tonnes carbon per hectare per year which is a total of 500 tonnes a year. At $20 a tonne, the gross income from the carbon units will be $10,000 a year. If this carbon was traded through Farm and Forest Carbon, the cost of the trade would be $125. If the

trade was carried out elsewhere, the typical commission of five percent would apply, a total of $500, so this is a saving of $375 a year.

Using the same figures for 50 hectares of radiata, the gross income from carbon units at $20 a unit would be $25,000. The cost to a member would be $188, which is equal to the normal ‘over 40 hectare’ membership fee. This is also significantly less than the alternative five percent fee of $1,250.

Under the current membership structure, $188 would be the maximum cost for annual membership of Farm and Forest Carbon. There would be no upper limit to the number of NZUs or tonnes of carbon that can be traded in any calendar year by a member of the NZFFA.

Security and certaintyThe actual transaction or sale of units and payment to members will be handled by Deutsche Bank as an independent third party using an escrow account. An escrow account is an arrangement where an independent trusted third party, in this case Deutsche Bank, receives and disburses money or assets for two or more transacting groups or individuals The involvement of Deutsche Bank in the process will provide both security and certainty to members and also ensure that everyone is paid.

There is still a considerable amount of work to be done, but the plan is to have the necessary structures in place and be ready to go by the beginning of 2011. The NZFFA web site is being modified to handle enquiries and provide information on membership and participation.

Confidence to plantThe ETS is now well established in New Zealand. Recent statements by the government confirm that it is an important part of underpinning Brand New Zealand and will not be going away in the near future.

The second part of the above statement is important as it removes a major risk to carbon trading and at the same time provides landowners with the confidence to plant trees with a view to taking part in the ETS. The development of Farm and Forest Carbon will ensure that NZFFA members who are involved in the ETS will have a good market for their NZUs. It will also provide an incentive for would-be participants who are not currently members to join the NZFFA so they can benefit, which can only be good for the future of farm forestry.

NZFFA


Trees in the working landscape A no-fuss approach gets resultsVivienne McLean

TheFarmForestryModelisallabouthowtreesandfarmingoperationscanworkhand-in-handtoenhanceoverallproductivityandsustainability.Itisimportanttoremember,however,thatthisdoesnotneedtobecomplicated.Itdoesnottakealotoffussordramatomaketreespartofyourworkinglandscape.Butthebenefitsgainedfromaddinganotherrevenuestreamtoyourcashflowandenhancinganimalwelfarecanbesignificant.

Chris Sime of Outram, Otago, is a good example of a farmer who takes a pragmatic approach to the farm forestry mix. He grew up on the 685 hectare property that he and his wife Jo farm, and was happy to return after completing a farm management degree at Lincoln University in 1989.

Chris says the land was originally covered in manuka scrub before his grandfather and father developed the farm in 1955. An investor with spare cash, who did not know anything about farming, asked his grandfather to look the place over. They saw the potential and bought 3,000 acres for a pound an acre, and Chris’s father set about developing the property. In 1984 1,300 acres were subdivided off leaving the 1,700 acre property.

Today the farm predominantly runs sheep, with 2,800 Perendale ewes and a small beef herd of 12 cows. Chris describes the soils as not too bad, with a clay base and about fifteen centimetres of topsoil on the lower parts of the property with a schist rock base further up.

Climate Most of the ridges run north-south. The prevailing north-westerly wind does most damage and the southerly brings rain. The property rises from 300 metres above sea level up to 360 metres at the back of the farm and the view out over the Taieri looks straight into the teeth of the southerly. Howeverm with a lot of shelter in the gullies wind is not a major issue.

Annual rainfall averages 750 mm and temperatures get up to 25°C degrees in summer and around 12°C degrees in winter. There are about with about 10 days of frost a year and three or four snow days where the snow usually thaws by the afternoon.

Summer dries seem to be more prevalent in recent years although the farm has avoided the worst of recent droughts that affected south and north Otago. They are lucky with a lot of manuka – where there is a lot of manuka it is higher rainfall.

Trees on the farmForestry and sawmilling run in the family’s blood. Chris’s grandfather was a sawmiller at Tapanui. His father is quite skilled at cutting trees down as he started planting trees in 1955 and has continued since then. Trees on the Sime property are planted for profit, to get a return from unused or low production areas on the farm, and for shelter.

The interest Chris has in planting trees was triggered at a young age. His father has always been a member of the NZFFA, and Chris recalls going on a field trip with his parents to Jolyn and Enny Manning’s property in Alexandra. He was in the third form and took along a friend from school. His parents thought he was probably not taking much interest, but coming home in the car he asked, if he planted some trees on the place, could he have them for himself. His father said he could but he would not guarantee anything if the farm got sold. When Chris left school in 1986 the first thing he did was plant a block of trees.

Farm Forestry Model


Farm Forestry Model

PlantingOverall since 1955 there have been around 22 plantings, mainly in radiata pine with just one block of Douglas fir. The total number of hectares with trees is not known precisely. ‘You just plant an area and know that 2,200 trees went in, or there are 1,300 in that block down there.’

In the earlier days Chris would just scrub cut and prepare the site manually, then burn it and plant it out themselves. Now they get a digger in to root rake it. They plant 1,300 stems a hectare and thin down to a final stocking of 350 to 400 a hectare.

They plant trees in the gullies where they would not get much production from grazing. Fighting gorse is a constant battle in this area, but rather than pouring money and chemicals into keeping it down, Chris says it makes more sense to put the digger in, root rake it and plant it out. He says getting an extra fence on the edge of the paddocks can be good for the stock, with more edges for break fencing.

‘You can spend a lot of money spraying gorse but it just keeps coming back. You might as well put trees on it because they will suppress the gorse and then you get something out of it in the end. Once the canopy fills in the gorse disappears, although it does come back when you harvest if you do not replant.’

A block each yearHis main aim is to get 30 blocks of trees so that theoretically, he will have one block a year to harvest. They therefore try to plant every year, usually in August. The planting decision often depends on whether it has been a dry summer. If that is the case they simply hold over planting until the next season, rather than risk a poor take or ending up with poor stock at the end of a planting season.

However in 1994 they had a lot of trees left over so had to find different places to put them. In addition to the main planting they ended up planting five other little bits rather than let them go to waste.

Radiata grows well on the property and at this stage there

is no intention to plant more Douglas fir or other species. The neighbours have planted Douglas fir at high altitudes but also plant radiata around the same level as the Simes. Although Douglas fir is popular with sawmillers Chris reckons the slower growth rate means he probably would not see a return.

Harvesting The first trees were harvested in the early 1990s, with Chris and his father felling a small block behind the woolshed and doing all the work themselves. The prices were not too bad and it was all K grade.

Now contractors do the job. Harvesting, all ground based, is carried out during a dry period to avoid the need for roading. Chris uses local forestry consultant Dave Pearson to gauge the state of the market, sell the logs and organise crews.

Chris admits some of the earlier blocks probably had not been tended as well as they might have been, but they were still worth it. For example, a block harvested last autumn had not been well managed. However the small 24-year-old trees had good tight rings and went to the local market as posts, poles and smaller logs, rather than export. Having a post market close by on the Taieri, as well as Young Brothers sawmill and treatment plant in Mosgiel, is a major advantage.

Financial returnsChris works on a return of about $100 a tree as a rough rule of thumb. He acknowledges others consider the figures of around $30,000 to $60,000 a hectare, which is around $70 to $150 a tree, but reckons that getting any more than $100 a tree for a six metre pruned butt is a bonus.

He assumes the tree is ready to harvest if you give a tree a hug and you cannot touch your fingers. Down south they can grow good fat logs – but with knots due to the big branches.

They are not going to get rich from the trees, but it is not a bad income. Some blocks are just one or two hectares but for every 400 trees in one of these blocks, at $100 a tree means $40,000. As a rule of thumb they can harvest when


the trees are 27 to 28 years old and if they drop down a block of trees every year that is quite a nice addition to the farm income.

So does he replant? The answer is a definite yes, and Chris considers that he would be a fool not to. The second crop is faster because the soil has the right mycorrhizae along with all the goodies from the roots of the trees in the soil.

With just over 360 hectares as effective grazing out of the total 685, Chris says that leaves around 320 hectares with potential for forestry. He is interested in calculating at what point tree planting would enable the farm to be carbon neutral, and looking at government incentives for tree planting

Shade, shelter and fodderApart from the obvious shelter belts, there is not a lot planting purely for shade or shelter for the stock. But Chris notes that the trick is to do it cunningly. It is another facet of his no-fuss approach.

When he puts in his trees they are protected by temporary fencing, which is taken out when the trees are established. It is not long before the sheep are going in under the shade, particularly during the summer dry period. Mustering is not a problem Chris just uses two dogs, and says the Perendales are a pretty cooperative lot. With the likelihood of more dry summers he is now looking into poplars as fodder feed during droughts.

Farm Forestry Model


Forestry rights and the ETSStuart Orme

Theadventofthe‘forestryright’somethreedecadesagohasallowedlandowners,alongwithsomeonewithoutan interest in the land, to investandownforests together inahandyandusuallyeconomiclegalmechanism.Fromtimetotime,variationshavebeenmadeonaforestryrightbythoseinvolved.Thesevariationswouldbetomodifytheterms,usuallytoreflectanalterationinhowthefinalrevenueswouldbeworkedout,becauseofachangeintheinitialinvestmentintentionsorothercircumstances.WiththearrivaloftheEmissionTradingScheme,forestrightholdersshouldbeawareofhowtheyareaffected.Thisisforbothpre1990ForestAllocationPlan(FAP)andforareasplantedoneligiblepost1989forestland

Pre 1990 forest landThe land owner, known as the grantor in the forestry right, has the responsibilities and obligations now associated with the pre 1990 forest land. They can apply for an exemption to allow change of land use in the future, if they own less than 50 hectares of pre 1990 forest land, or claim the compensation credits available for that land.

Post 1989 forest landFor land forested after 1989, anyone with their name on the land title can make an ETS application to register a block of land into the ETS. Anyone with their name on the land title can open an NZEUR account to receive credits which accrue from that land. When making the application anyone with a registered interest in the land, for example with their name on the title, is required to sign an interested parties form which is submitted as part of the process.

Interested parties may be a person or entity with a registered lease, access arrangement or forestry right that enables them to use the land, or be the owner of the land. This is a process which is partly to make sure that anyone who has a registered interest is aware of what is happening and to allow them to ‘make a call’ if they will be affected by an ETS application.

The above five comments in summary say that the land owner, the tree owner or a mixture of both can apply for the credits. Therefore it is possible for those involved in a forestry right to apply for the credits together and enjoy the benefits and obligations that the ETS makes available.

Example for forestry after 1989In 1994 two parties created a forestry right to reflect a 40/60 split on future tree revenues. This was based on the grantor providing the land and the grantee supplying the cash to plant and tend the trees. The termination of the forestry right is in July 2024, which is 30 years from planting.

With the emergence of the ETS, forest now growing on land which was planted after 1989 can attract an annual allocation of carbon credits that can be traded on the open market. The above participants could now look at applying a variation to the existing forestry rights that allows both parties to take advantage of this eventuality in an informed way.

Criteria Important dates

Entity to get the pre 1990 allocation of compensation credits

Land owner on 20 July 2010

Land ownership to gain 60 NZUs Land purchased on 31 October 2002 or before

An exemption can be applied for if the owner on the 1 September 2007 owned less than 50 hectares of pre 1990 forest

1 September 2007

Exemption to deforest land Closes 30 September 2011

Allocation of credits for pre 1990 forest

Closes 30 November 2011

Summary of key Forest Allocation Plan dates

There are multiple exclusions that may allow land owners with a change of ownership title after November 2002 to still gain the 60 units per hectare.

Those with shares in the forest but not the land, known as the grantees in a forestry right, have no input or obligation unless they are actual land owners of the land beneath the trees. This has raised issues around the landowner now having to replant forest which at first they may not have intended to. It is introducing a potential cost to partners or shareholders who expected to not be involved the forest once it was harvested but then find they have replanting and potential management obligations to fulfill.

ETS


Carbon profile

Species Year planted Area in hectares Silviculture Forest Right expires

Radiata pine 1994 50.0 Prune and thin completed 2024

Year Carbon units on the 50 hectares

At a price of $20 a unit

2008 1,700 $34,000

2009 1,800 $36,000

2010 1,850 $37,000

2011 1,900 $38,000

2012 1,850 $37,000

2013 1,850 $37,000

2014 1,850 $37,000

2015 1,750 $35,000

2016 1,750 $35,000

2017 1,650 $33,000

2018 1,550 $31,000

2019 1,550 $31,000

2020 1,450 $29,000

2021 1,400 $28,000

2022 1,400 $28,000

2023 1,400 $28,000

2024 1,350 $27,000

Total 28,050 $561,000

At an assumed market price of $20 for each carbon unit there is potentially, in the period 2008 to 2024, a total of 28,050 carbon units, which at $20 a unit comes to $561,000. For 2008 to 2012, the first commitment period, there would be 9,100 units which at $20 a unit comes to $182,000.

If this is all registered in time, in other words by 30 March 2011, there would be enough credits to amount to $107,000 which would be allocated in March and April 2011.

Potential harvest revenue from 50 hectares at $20,000 a hectare

$1,000,000

Potential credits available between 2008 and 2024

28,050 carbon units

Less credits not required to be surrendered Zero carbon credits

Nil credits to be surrendered 28,050 carbon units

The current carbon profile for the forest is outlined in the table below. The profile assumes that the forest will be grown through to 2024 on a 30 year rotation and sequest 28,050 New Zealand Units over this period. Of these, 9,100 are available this commitment period from 2008 to 2012. The carbon sequestration numbers are determined from the MAF sequestration tables for the lower North Island region, but the concepts are transferrable across the country.

split will occur. For example, assume that the 50 hectares of forest has a net revenue of $20,000 a hectare in 2024.

If we divide the potential harvest revenue of $1,000,000 by the 28,050 credits to be re-purchased at forest harvest, we have potential buy back revenue available of up to $35.65 per credit. If the grantor has 40 per cent of the carbon allocated, this comes to 11,220 carbon units valued at $20 a unit. This is a total of $224,400 over the 2008 to 2024 period, but there would be $400,000 of potential harvest revenue to buy back the credits at harvest.

What if the grantor has more land available for planting that would be better in trees than its current use? Then, assuming it is still in the lower North Island or Hawkes Bay region, they would need to plant approximately 35 hectares of land to generate the credits required to surrender by 2024.

Put simply, it is very easy for those involved in a forestry right to apply for and receive their credits. However, there may be a number of unrelated individual or groups involved. Therefore time and thought needs to go into the variations involving a forestry right to make sure everyone is aware of the obligations that will arise and that they can honour them.

For further information can be obtained by contacting the writer on [email protected] or [email protected] or at www.woodnet.co.nz

Important datesEntity to get the pre 1990 Allocation of Compensation Credits

Land owner on 20 July 2010

Land ownership to gain 60 NZU 31 October 2002 or before

Land ownership to gain 39 NZU 1 November 2002 to 19 July 2010

Exemption to deforest land Closes 30 September 2011

Allocation of credits for pre 1990 forest

Closes 30 November 2011

Providing forest consulting services for pre 1990 forest land owners

Supporting the NZFFA conference in Masterton 10 – 14 April 2011

We can help you withConfirming applicant eligibility•Opening the required NZEUR account•Provision of required Certification of Title and •legal descriptionsMapping and shape file creation•Determining claim amount•Support with NZEUR account management•Channel to market advice•

Different split of revenueIf the allocation of carbon is different from the logging revenue split, and if you are looking to buy back credits with harvest revenues, a disproportionate revenue and obligation

ETS


Insuring carbon in your treesGeoff Manks

Itisreasonabletoaskhowyoucaninsuresomethingwhichwithouthelp,youcannotsee,hearorfeel.FollowingtheintroductionoftheETS,forestownerswhotradetheircarboncreditsnowfacethisissue−theassetandliabilityvaluesofthecarbonwithintheirforests.

New Zealand has a long history of growing trees and exporting timber. The systems, processes and precedents involved in this industry are well understood by most of those involved, but it is only natural that the introduction of something new to this sector may take a while to swallow and then digest.

As with anything introduced, there is the predictable bell curve graph of those who adapt early versus those who never will. This applies to forest owners facing the dilemma of entering the ETS and what to do with carbon credits.

protection or insurance for carbon trading activity. This subject seems to be causing some uncertainty with forest owners in New Zealand so an explanation may help.

What is being insured?If we look at the tree, we first need to reconsider all that we have learned in the past 30 years and ignore the gate value of the timber as the means of setting the insured value. We are insuring a carbon forest, and as such, need to assess the asset value of the carbon in the tree now, and in the future. With a degree of certainty we can determine the actual value of a carbon tree or forest at any given time based on current and forward prices of carbon. Therefore with a market for carbon we can quantify the insurable value of the carbon in a tree.

The tree grown for timber is no different from one being grown for sequestering carbon. Two main areas of distinction between these forests is the value attaching to them and how an insurance claim needs to be settled. To highlight the differences between the two the following explanation may help provide some clarity.

Until a tree is cut down, it will have an estimated value at harvest of $x. If the tree is lost before that harvest date as the result of an unforeseen event such as fire or earthquake, the forest owner claims for the future lost earnings that would have been produced if the tree survived until harvest. This amount will be reduced by the value of the salvaged timber along with re-establishment costs to replant the affected area. Traditional insurer models are quite clear for determining the

If the above reflects the uncertainty facing forest owners, given the potential financial benefits achievable perhaps it may be more of a lopsided curve towards the right. Possibly one of the stumbling blocks in the way of a rush to become part of the ETS is the uncertainly around obtaining appropriate risk

NZ CARBON INSURANCE

Uncertain when it comes to insuring your forest for your carbon activity?ETS or PFSI, New Zealand Carbon Insurance can help. We are insurance brokers who specialise in arranging forestry insurance for carbon farms. We work for our clients to provide solutions for:

• Protecting your surrender liability• Establishing the right insured value for your carbon farm• Placement of your insurance programme with specialist forestry insurance underwriters• Providing ongoing claims management and support

Carbon Credit Forestry InsuranceIf you want to know more about reducing your carbon credit risk, talk to us. We will work in your best interests to achieve a competitive and robust insurance programme that best suits you.

Get the right advice and the right outcome by speaking to New Zealand's leader in carbon credit insurance.

Email: [email protected]: 09 950 4902 Mobile: 027 65 65 333

www.nzcarboninsurance.co.nzA

ETS


forests value and the increase in the insured value per hectare as the tree gets closer to harvest.

Tree B is in a carbon forest, and if a loss occurs then the owner has an immediate surrender liability to the government for all credits issued over the affected forest area. The measurement of this liability forms one part of establishing the insurable value. A number of credits would have been deemed to be released back into the atmosphere and therefore the forest owner must surrender an equivalent number back to the government.

As with tree A, we also need to add to this figure the re-establishment costs and loss of future earnings as a way of arriving at a final insurable value. Each forest owner will have a different view on what this may be worth, so the formula to arrive at these values is flexible. A final part of the equation can sometimes include the supply of credits to supplement any shortfall under an off-take agreement with an emitter.

What risks can you get covered?Having worked through the process to arrive at an insured value for our carbon forest, we then need to know what risks we can get insurance against. Naturally if tree A is situated across the road from tree B, and they are of the same species and age, there really is very little difference in risk to the insurance company. The types of risks available to forest owners can vary depending on where the forest is but may often include the choice of the following −

Fire from any cause other than excluded events such as •war Malicious damage•Impact from a land vehicle or aircraft•Windstorm•Volcanic eruption•Earthquake•Hail•In this example, because there is no significant risk

difference between tree A and B, the factors which differentiate the premium which risks you want covered and the insured value of the forest.

Claim timeNow that the carbon forest is appropriately insured for the correct value and risks, the most important question of any insurance contract is how it will respond in a claim. Most traditional forest policies will settle the loss on the agreed value per hectare, less salvage and less deduction if the tree is in poor condition which would affect the yield at maturity.

For a carbon forest, because of the legislative implications on forest owners, such uncertainty is not acceptable. The value settled needs to be pre-agreed and understood so it is sufficient to meet the surrender obligations the owner will face, along with re-establishment costs and loss of future earnings. An appropriately structured carbon insurance contract will respond in this way and can be one of the single most important aspects to the forest owners’ insurance policy.

The local and international insurance markets are slowly responding to the needs of carbon forestry. Insurance solutions are available now to replace traditional timber insurance policies. These policies deal with the unique aspects associated with carbon credits, namely the valuation and settlement basis of carbon forests.

Forest owners who trade their carbon credits only need to maintain one insurance policy over their stand of trees, and do not need a policy for the timber and one for the carbon. As highlighted above, the carbon and timber insurance policies are effectively the same, but with several important technical changes made to reflect the unique implications carbon forests attract. Currently there are a limited number of insurers of carbon forests. Over time, the insurance market will respond more actively as the carbon credit sector develops, thereby creating more choice for forest owners when selecting their insurance carrier.

Geoff Manks is the managing Director of NZ Carbon Insurance, a company specialising in insuring carbon forests

ETS

B – Carbon forestA – Timber forest


Learning from Australia’s firesStuart Anderson

Whensummerturnsupitsheatonceagain,weareoftenremindedofthebushfiresthatcreatedsuchtragedyinAustraliainFebruary2009.Althoughfiresonthatscaleareunlikely to happen in New Zealand, a number of valuable lessons arose from BlackSaturdaythatarerelevanttoanyonelivinginruralorsemi-ruralareas–particularlythosewhogrowtreesontheirproperty.

Following the bushfires in Victoria, the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) assembled a group of fire researchers to provide an independent analysis of the factors surrounding these series of fires. Rural fire researchers from Scion were among those conducting the investigation.

The size and ferocity of the fires was well beyond what most of us will ever experience. However, climate modelling research suggests that extreme fire conditions are likely to become more prevalent in New Zealand, particularly in eastern areas of the country already prone to drought.

Every year we see enough wildfires in New Zealand to know that even a relatively small fire is enough to put lives and properties at risk. The Australian fires served to highlight what anyone living in rural areas should think about – namely the value of being prepared. The decisions faced by individual members of the community were similar to those for any rural fire that encroaches on people’s homes.

Prepare, act, surviveFire authorities in Australia widely promoted the slogan − prepare, stay and defend, or leave early. This has now changed to − prepare, act, survive. While most people living in Victoria are aware of this advice, an in-depth study of actual behaviour showed that some key aspects of this message were not really getting through. Many deaths occurred because people left their escape too late, and many homes were lost because properties had not been adequately prepared to withstand fire.

For those who like living near trees, it is particularly important to manage the vegetation around your home to ensure the property can be adequately defended. Some of the houses that we saw in Victoria were located so close to forest that they would have been difficult to protect at the best of times. When faced with the intense fires that occurred in February, these properties were doomed from the start.

Be preparedBeing prepared for fire also involves having an adequate water supply and a reliable method of using it. It means being realistic and ensuring you are physically fit, and mentally tough enough to face a fire. This can be a terrifying experience, with the fire, smoke and ash causing poor visibility, darkness, breathing difficulties and in many cases there being a roar from the fire and burning vegetation.

It was sobering to note that even in the State of Victoria, which experiences possibly some of the highest fire danger levels in the world, many people were not sufficiently prepared for what happened to them. As more and more people in New Zealand make their home on the urban fringe, we see an increasing number of properties facing similar risks, although on a smaller scale.

New Zealand is a country of abundant vegetation, and most of it burns well when it dries out enough. All it takes is a spell of moderate to hot weather, the right wind and a source of ignition. These conditions do occur and they are tipped to occur more often as the climate changes.

Continued on page 32


Getting redwood right for New ZealandWade Cornell

AcallisgoingouttothoseinterestedinredwooddevelopmenttoseeifNewZealandcanfindandgrowthebestredwoodsontheplanet.AnewredwoodtrialisbeingorganisedincorporatingclonesselectedinNewZealandfromseedcollectedin2002byProfessorBillLibbyandWadeCornell.Thistrialwithcontrolshasthepotentialtoindicatethefirstclonesselectedforadaptationtoourconditions.

We have seen imported clones such as Kuser and Simpson brought here on the basis that they grew well in California. We have since found that good growth in California conditions does not necessarily equate to their growing well here. Even clones selected must go into further trials, otherwise all that could be said is that they grew well on that one site. We also need to ensure that we are not reacting to the dead cow syndrome − a bigger tree because a cow died there a few years before planting.

Of special note will be the inclusion in the upcoming trial of what could be called the ultimate seed collection from the southern and inland portions of California’s natural redwood stands. The collection was partly funded by the US government over concerns about losing some of the northern natural forests due to climate change, and partly by the NZIF.

Seed collectionPascal Berrill of Humboldt State University, Professor Bill Libby and myself, with a crew of climbers and ground crew, spent a month on the survey and collection last year. Cones were collected from unrelated trees that were the biggest and best from those forests. Cores were taken to check wood properties and determine growth rates. This collection will probably best match New Zealand’s conditions as these redwoods have shown exceptional adaptation to the hottest, driest areas with little or no fog cover. Temperatures can be over 30oC with rainfall under 1000 mm.

The purpose of these new trials is for New Zealand to find clones that are best suited to our conditions. Then we need to select clones that have excellent wood properties which will ensure high value timber. It is unfortunate that large areas of redwoods, other than trials, have already been planted. Redwood is potentially a very high value timber, but only if the wood has excellent stability and durability with appropriate consistent density.

Some redwood nursery and sellers, while endorsing the need for clones with tested wood properties, have not actually performed those tests or provided results for all the required wood properties. Ask questions and be cautious.

Very variable timberRedwood is enormously variable with densities that can be as low as balsa wood, or up to 400 kg per cubic metre. Durability can be no better than untreated pine, or up to class 1 durability. Seedlings and untested, or only partially tested, clones that have been planted will probably result in a poor quality resource that will do little for New Zealand’s reputation for a high quality product.

The only market that appears willing to take this type of material is for coffins in Taiwan and Korea. The millions of poor quality variable redwoods already planted are likely to swamp this relatively small low, value market and this is where most of the recently harvested resource has gone.

It will take a dedicated effort for those who eventually grow good clones to try and capture high value markets using quality assurance programmes and certification of stands tested for all wood properties. The other hope for recently planted redwood is to accumulate carbon credits. The viability and longevity of the carbon credit scheme is unpredictable. It should not be the only justification for planting redwoods that do not also have good wood properties and a potential high market value.

Owners of recently planted stands but not trials may wish to consider whether they should spend more time, money, and continue to tie up land in a crop that is may not give a viable return. The good news is that recent planting has demonstrated that redwoods grow well in many of the warm and wet districts of the country.

The trialsNow it is time to get back to basics and plant trials of what will eventually enable us to grow high quality high value wood. Trial participants will need −

2,000 square metres• that can be fenced off from stockCommitment to maintaining the trial•Willingness to undertake occasional measurements.•Trial participants will have first priority on availability of

the clones that this trial generates. For further information and to register to be part of the 2011 trials contact Wade Cornell [email protected]

Research


A day in the life of Forestwood 2010 A forest industry conferenceJulian Bateson

Thisonedayconferenceon12OctoberinWellingtonwashostedbytheWoodProcessors,ForestOwnersandForestryIndustryContractorsAssociations.ItwasalsosupportedbytheNZFFAwhowerecloselyinvolvedinitsorganisation.TheconferenceaimwastofocusontheparttobeplayedbyforestindustriesinthefutureprosperityofNewZealand,andhowtomaximisevalueinthesupplychain.

Around 300 people filled the lecture theatre at Te Papa – most of the top movers and shakers in New Zealand forestry. This was a rare event, getting all these people under one roof. It was doubly important that Prime Minister John Key, who opened the conference, and David Carter, Minister of Agriculture, who closed it, were able to see everyone together for the day. The government has been known to suggest more than once that they do not see forestry speaking with one voice.

In his opening address, John Key reckoned that forestry will do well as we come out of the recession, particularly as wood exports to China are already four to five times the level they were a few years ago. His overall message was that the government was behind the forestry industry as it grows in size and profitability.

As usual he showed he was on the ball when answering questions about economics and politics. It is a pity he showed a lack of knowledge when it came to trying to answer a question about sustainable harvesting of indigenous trees. There is work to be done there yet.

The day of speakersWhen you are used to farm forestry conferences, which are mainly spent on a bus or out in a forest, it is quite hard to

sit in a conference with 300 people for a whole day. But Forestwood did quite well. There were over a dozen speakers, with a wide variety of information to impart, one speaker was our very own President John Dermer. So did we learn much from the day and will farm foresters benefit?

Confidence in wood supply was one important message which was not just for the large forests owners and contractors. With log prices still about half of what they were in 1993 in real terms, adding value often seems to be the option, but it was suggested that is better to ship logs profitably than to process them unprofitably.

China a growing marketThe increasing importance of China for exports of logs should not be dismissed, and it was mentioned frequently throughout the day. The GDP in China is growing at up to ten per cent a year and world commodity prices are increasing, even if only slightly. China is going to need a lot more wood for quite some time and New Zealand can fill most of the gap left by the reduction of supplies from Russia.

The sad part is that most of the radiata going to China is used for concrete forming, pallets and crates. We saw a few pictures of radiata logs arriving in China and the quality left a lot to be desired. Perhaps many of us in the audience thought pallets was the best use for such wood.

Forestry importanceWe learned that forestry stimulates the rest of the New Zealand economy quite significantly. For example if forestry doubles from its current 1.1 per cent to 2.2 per cent of GDP, then GDP overall increases by 6.6 per cent. How do we know? Apparently the equation

Ln(Q

t) = ßo + Σ ßiLn (q i t) + u

will prove this, as explained by the Infometrics speaker David Grimmond. I may have got the odd part of this equation wrong, but I am not totally convinced by the maths.

John Key making his opening address


Timber building awardFortunately the rest of the day was a bit easier on the brain and we had an excellent presentation about an award winning three storey timber building in Nelson. All the strength in the beams and supports was laminated timber and none was treated pine. Not only was it a successful project, it has great possibilities for similar buildings in the future with wood as the main structural support.

Perhaps Christchurch will benefit in the rebuild. Bryce Heard of Lockwood had us convinced that all wood houses are the best in an earthquake. Apparently none of the Lockwood houses in the quake affected areas suffered any damage, whereas neighbouring buildings did.

Farm forestry

and hopefully good note was taken by all 300 listeners that the NZFFA members are an important part of the future of forestry in New Zealand

Wood chip opportunityOne of the benefits of such a conference is the chance to talk to a range of people over coffee or a drink, those professionals only seen occasionally or being met for the first time. The conference gave us plenty of time for this, perhaps encouraged by the number of exhibitors’ stands which needed a good crowd around them.

It was at one of these sessions that I had a discussion with Shaun Bowler of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority. He wants farm foresters to consider the opportunities of wood chips for heating, particularly for small groups to get together to supply the materials. It would be to provide the heating for perhaps a public swimming pool, or even a sewage treatment plant where the heat is used to help dry the material before disposal.

There seem to be some promising opportunities and the NZFFA, in the form of Hamish Levack, will be following this up to find out what may be available as financial help. When asked about the volumes of wood chip which might be needed, Shaun said around 100 tonnes a year would be a workable amount. This is approximately two tonnes a week, which is less than a decent sized radiata, or half a dozen small ones.

If a few farm foresters can get together to supply this amount and if the growers are relatively close to the customer it apparently makes good economic sense. Practical considerations need to be considered, such as running a big wood chipper and having some storage to make sure a continuity of supply can be maintained. Keep watching Tree Grower for more details on the potential available for wood chips from farm foresters.

As would be expected in such a conference, which covered most aspects of the forestry industry, farm forestry did not feature in a major way. However John Dermer gave a good account of the NZFFA in the short time slot he was given

Learning from Australian fires – continued on from 29

Serious threatThe challenge we have in New Zealand is to take this threat seriously, given that our fire risk is not perceived to be as serious as in Australia. Having witnessed first-hand what can happen to communities caught in the midst of a wildfire, we would urge landowners to take a hard look at their own risks.

Guidelines available from the National Rural Fire Authority or your local council are a good starting point for obtaining clear advice on how to prepare and defend your property from wildfire. Precautionary steps include clearing flammable vegetation from around buildings. Green lawn provides a much better safety zone than dense shrubbery or trees, for example.

Take a look at your water supply and check how effective it might be if a fire is bearing down on you and mains power is out. It also pays to ensure that you have sufficient escape routes from your property if the fire takes hold. This kind of emergency planning applies to anyone in a rural area or on the urban fringe – regardless of property size.

These guidelines and messages are not new. Hopefully

they will be more seriously heeded now that we have all seen just how damaging rural fires can be.

Stuart Anderson – formerly from Rural Fire Research leader, Scion


Hardwood in effluent schemesIan Nicholas, Angus Gordon, Stephen Pearce and Marie Heaphy

Thetreatmentofwastewaterisofincreasingvaluetolandmanagers,localcouncilsandsmallcommunitiesinNewZealand.Treeshavebeenusedforwastewatertreatmentatvarioussitesbyindividualfarmersanddistrictcouncilutilitymanagers.The use of fast growing hardwoods provides an excellent opportunity for carbonsequestrationandbioenergyproductioninadditiontotheremovalofnutrientsineffluentlandtreatmentsystems.TheNewZealandLandTreatmentCollectiveobtainedsupportfromMAF’sSustainableFarmingFundforthisprojecttoreviewhardwoodsineffluentschemes.

Almost any type of waste waterA total of 13 sites were investigated from Omaha, north of Auckland, to Invercargill. These covered a wide variety of sites and a range of effluent type from domestic waste water to sawdust leachate. The most common application method was spraying, although four systems used drip irrigation.

At 11 of the sites, data was collected from the establishment of growth plots which were measured for growth and yield. Two of the sites were not suitable for growth plot establishment and so no data was collected from them. At the Whakarewarewa site, high mortality resulted in too little data for individual plot summaries.

Best resultsThe highest productivity was achieved with Eucalyptus nitens at the Invercargill site. This was followed by the two Waihi Beach plots of E. maidenii with the closest spacing providing

Location of sites assessed

E. nitens plantation age 13 years at Invercargill

Inside E. maidenii plantation at age 10 years, Waihi Beach


Acacia melanoxylon. The A. melanoxylon at Puhoi and E. ovata at Blenheim showed very similar productivity. However, the coppice material at Blenheim would increase the site productivity from this species.

What the results meanCare is required in the interpretation of these productivity figures in several respects. Firstly the three top sites are no longer getting effluent. More importantly the interaction of eucalypt species and site is critical to the long term performance of systems involving eucalypts.

For example, while E. globulus plots have quite high productivity, the E. maidenii was the best performing of the three eucalypt species planted at Cooks Beach site. Here it was superior to E. globulus and E. ovata. The E. ovata, which was established in wetter areas with A. melanoxylon, has performed very poorly, but the A. melanoxylon is growing very well.

Eucalypt advantageThe review of schemes has shown that the hardwoods, mostly eucalypts, are growing well on a range of sites. The advantage of eucalypts in effluent schemes is they can accumulate considerable biomass in a short period of time.

Of the 13 sites evaluated the best example of a successful effluent scheme, with crop removal to remove nutrients off site, was the Whiritoa plantation. This is running very well with periodic removal of stem wood for firewood. It is the only scheme that is being managed according to the objectives where the coppicing ability of select eucalypts is used to remove nutrients from the system. The Blenheim site is also achieving the same effect in a sporadic manner rather than in a managed system.

E. botryoides plantation coppice at Whiritoa, receiving effluent, established in 1989

the higher volume. The Whiritoa site provided the fourth ranked volume, only just superior to Whitianga with E. globulus, and the mixed plots from the Omaha plantation which has combinations of E. saligna, E. botryoides, and

Eucalyptus botryoides, Omaha, age 21 years


The performance of E. ovata was extremely variable. In some previous effluent trials it had performed very well. It was performing well at Blenheim, but was very poor at Cooks Beach where A. melanoxylon had superior growth and health. At Halcombe growth was adequate but not very impressive. Other than E. nitens near Invercargill and E. botryoides at Whiritoa, other species that performed well were E. maidenii and A. melanoxylon.

While this review has focussed on hardwoods, it was very interesting to note that adjacent radiata pine plantings looked healthy and productive at several sites. There is considerable experience with pine in effluent systems. If the attributes of fast early growth, high nutrient uptake, and coppicing

Location Species Age in years

Stocking in stems per hectare

Mean diameter in

cmMean height

in metres

Volume in cubic metres per hectare

Volume MAI in cubic metres per hectare per year

Invercargill E. nitens 12 1450 23.0 24.9 544.1 43.5

Waihi Beach E. maidenii 9 2497 13.8 15.1 227.8 25.3

Waihi Beach E. maidenii 9 1012 19.2 15.2 174.7 19.4

Whiritoa E. botryoides (coppice) 3 3350 7.4 7.9 52.6 17.5

Whitianga E. globulus 11 2659 12.4 14.7 190.5 17.3

Omaha Mixed species 21 788 42.1 39.5 343.7 16.3

Puhoi A. melanoxylon 13 963 20.9 13.1 184.1 14.0

Blenheim E. ovata 12 792 18.7 16.0 166.4 13.9

Omaha E. botryoides 21 582 23.8 24.1 271.0 12.8

Omaha E. saligna 21 450 25.8 25.8 214.3 10.1

Sanson E. globulus 10 1575 12.9 11.3 69.2 9.7

Cooks Beach A. melanoxylon 10 875 17.1 10.0 84.2 8.5

Cooks Beach E. globulus 10 1184 11.3 12.1 60.5 6.1

Halcombe E. ovata 10 2525 10.5 9.8 53.0 5.4

Sanson E. camaldulensis 10 1725 12.3 6.9 41.0 4.2

Cooks Beach E. maidenii 10 467 14.0 12.9 38.9 3.9

Cooks Beach E. ovata 10 463 11.2 8.9 15.3 1.5

Omaha A. melanoxylon 21 200 18.1 12.5 40.4 1.9

Cooks Beach E. ovata 10 463 11.2 8.9 15.3 1.5

Blenheim E. ovata (coppice) ? 350 7.5

Plantation growth data from sites assessed

characteristics of hardwoods are not being used, then pine should also be considered for land treatment schemes.

ConclusionThe eucalypt plantations which were evaluated varied in performance. Some were highly productive with an MAI oft 43.5 cubic metres per hectare per year, whereas others showed poor growth with only 1.5 cubic metres per hectare per year. Very few of the are being managed for nutrient removal. It appears that most are being used simply as land application sites without making use of the hardwood species for nutrient removal.

The most productive species were E. nitens in Southland, E. botryoides at Whiritoa, E. maidenii and A. melanoxylon at Waihi Beach and Cooks Beach. The selection of species for effluent schemes should take location and management system into account. The potential for bioenergy plantations as a management system to remove nutrients is still an option. However, it is not one that has been recognised in most of the locations evaluated.

The best example of a site which is managing nutrient inputs and removing material for bioenergy is the one at Whiritoa. Two crops have been removed since 1989, with most of the material used for firewood. Two sites, Halcombe and Sanson have potential to be used for firewood because of their favourable topography.

The support from the MAF Sustainable Farming Fund and the Land Treatment Collective for this project are most appreciated, along with significant support from other organisations

Recent harvesting in 13-year-old E. ovata, Blenheim


Improving safety for farm foresters

Safety

One serious accident each weekIt is difficult to separate out serious injuries that have happened to farm foresters compared with professional foresters or farmers. However ACC have worked out some rule of thumb figures. The accident rate for professional foresters is just over 300 a year. The accident rate for what they judge to be farm foresters is approximately an additional 50 a year, or around one each week. This figure could easily increase as farm foresters start the more dangerous tasks of harvesting small woodlots planted from the early 1990s on.

ACC can see the downward trend in the accident and injury rate for professional foresters, but not farm foresters. Some clever people may have already worked out that if there are about 2,000 members of the NZFFA, that 50 accidents a year is one in 40 and they know 40 members who have not been injured for quite some time. Are the figures suspect? In fact there are around 15,000 farm foresters out there, perhaps more, and the NZFFA only has about 15 per cent as members, so the accident rate is closer to one in 300.

What next?The next phase is good news but requires a bit of work. ACC managed to reduce the professional forestry accident rate by working closely with the industry and producing a series of cunning plans. These plans were based on knowledge gleaned from research they carried out using a small series of workshops involving professional foresters.

They want to do the same with farm foresters and are prepared to fund this, so that eventually the farm forestry accident rate will plummet, ideally to zero. ACC worked out that that there is a strong correlation between good safety systems and good overall business management. Conversely those who are careless about safety are usually bad at almost everything else. If ACC can facilitate good overall management and forest practice it will also reduce the accident rate.

They need information which they will get from special workshops and the first of these has already been planned for 30 November in Palmerston North. It will involve a maximum of 20 farm foresters from the southern part of the North Island. The workshop will be run by Dr Hillary Bennett who ACC use as an expert in teasing out the information required.

Volunteers may be neededSome members will have already been asked to come to this full day workshop. By the time Tree Grower is published, about two weeks before the workshop, we may have a full complement, but possibly not. If you think you can handle a full day of being put through the mill, figuratively speaking, helping Dr Bennett get a full picture of farm forestry, then please contact myself at [email protected] or Hamish Levack at [email protected] as you may be needed.

Once the first workshop information has been analysed ACC will decide if they need one or more of these workshops in another part of the country. Whatever the outcome, by the middle of 2011 they want to have a system for farm foresters up and running by the NZFFA to significantly improve safety.

Reductions in the ACC levyWe all know that the ACC levy has to be paid, it is the equivalent of an insurance premium. The ACC system in New Zealand is admired around the world, in spite of the fact that we always seem to find ways of complaining. One main problem of ACC is that individual small companies who are very safe and have no accidents do not get a reduction in premiums in the way that a safe driver gets a reduction in motor insurance.

ACC intend to rectify this and are busy discussing the options available, which they intend to have in place by the end of March 2011. Nothing is confirmed, but they currently envisage three options.

There would be the standard payment for those companies or individuals who have a ‘standard’ number of accidents over a set period. There will be a higher payment for those who have significantly above average accidents. Finally, the good news is that for those who have significantly fewer accidents, the premium would be reduced.

Not only would fewer accidents mean less pain and misery, it would also mean less expenditure when those ACC levy envelopes arrive in the post. As mentioned earlier, this is all in the discussion phase and nothing is definite, apart from the start date of 1 April 2011. It means the sooner we start on being safer, the cheaper it may be, as well as fewer accidents.

Julian Bateson is the NZFFA health and safety representative

Julian Bateson

TherisksinthebusinessofforestryhavebeenknownforalongtimeandACChasbeentargetingtheindustryforthepastfewyears.Asaresulttheyhavemanagedtosignificantlyreducethenumberofaccidentstoprofessionalforesters.Theyexpectthatthisdownwardtrend in forestryaccidentswill continue,apart fromonekeyarea− farm forestersorownersofwoodlots.


Southern ladybird gets a second chanceToni Withers and Lisa Berndt

EffortsbyNZFFAmembersandSciontoencouragethespreadofbiologicalcontrolagent,Cleobora mellyi,couldbegoodnews,particularlyforblackwoodgrowers.ArecentsurveyfindsthehelpfulladybirdnowwidelyestablishedinNewZealand.The southern ladybird C. mellyi is a predatory beetle that feeds on eucalypt and acacia pests.ThisinsectwasintroducedtoNewZealandfromAustraliainthe1970sand1980sin the hope it would help control the eucalyptus tortoise beetle, Paropsis charybdis. UnfortunatelyitonlybecameestablishedatoneplaceintheMarlboroughSounds.

Scientists discovered that C. mellyi needed additional food sources to reproduce successfully, particularly in the form of sap-sucking psyllids. These species may not have been sufficiently abundant in the 1980s for the released ladybirds to establish successfully.

Only two psyllid species were present on eucalypts in New Zealand when C. mellyi was first introduced and

at certain times of the year these species are scarce, which could leave the ladybirds hungry. However, at least nine new psyllid species, as well as additional leaf beetle species, have established in New Zealand on eucalypts and acacias since the original release of C. mellyi. Therefore conditions were right to increase the distribution of this predator.

More pestsThe discovery in 1996 of a new tortoise beetle Dicranosterna semipunctata on blackwood caused renewed interest in C. mellyi, as it also feeds on the tortoise beetle which is now widespread in the upper North Island. In October 2005, Richard Davies-Colley and Dean Satchell re-collected C. mellyi from blackwoods and eucalypts in the Marlborough Sounds to try and relocate this predator to other areas. Collections were also made by Southwood Export Ltd. for release in Southland.

The collected beetles were reared in captivity. Then 1,350 eggs and over 5,000 adults were released at 19 sites in the North Island from October to December 2006 and in September 2007.

SuccessLast summer most of the sites were visited to check for establishment of C. mellyi. which were found at eight of the 14 sites visited in the North Island, as well as at one of the two Southland sites. At some sites establishment occurred

Cleobra adult beetle

Map showing where C. mellyi is now established, and where it has been released but not yet re-collected

Research


from releases of only 23 adult ladybirds. The southern ladybird is now established in Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, Waikato and Bay of Plenty, in addition to the Marlborough Sounds site.

Although search effort was concentrated on blackwoods, eucalypts were also examined at most release sites. However only one individual C. mellyi adult was found on eucalypts, suggesting they may have a preference for blackwoods and their pests. Further research is required however to understand what degree of effect C. mellyi can have on tortoise beetles and psyllids on eucalypts and blackwood.

Other ladybirdsDuring the surveys last summer, the presence of a number of other ladybird species on blackwood was noted with interest, as they are also likely to be feeding on blackwood pests.

Harmonia larvaCleobora larva

The most common ladybirds encountered were steelblue ladybird Halmus chalybeus, and large spotted ladybird Harmonia conformis. The latter species is easily confused with C. mellyi, as both larvae and the adults are similar.

Adult beetles are most easily distinguished as H. conformis have about 20 distinct black spots, while C. mellyi have a central black line with black zigzags on each side. These two species occur together in eucalypt plantations in Tasmania and have been recorded there as effective predators of the eggs of the leaf beetle Chrysophtharta bimaculata.

More information and photographs of C. mellyi are available on the NZFFA website www.nzffa.org.nz. If you would like to know which ladybirds are present on your trees email close-up digital photographs to the authors – [email protected],or [email protected]

LettersLetters to the Editor

The feasibility of forestry co-operatives.In ‘Letters’ of the August 2010 Tree Grower Gray Baldwin makes the valid point that the high cost of product-storage obliges dairy farmers to co-operate. However he is wrong when he says that, unlike milk, trees can be stored for free and so there is no imperative for forest owners to co-operate. By hanging in beyond the rotation of maximum profitability Gray will forego considerable income because his tree-growth rates will be diminishing and, being bigger for longer, his trees are more likely to be destroyed in the next wind-blow. Then, except for the unlikely event that he is harvest-ready at the right time, he will miss out on the next log-price-spike as well. Moreover by not being part of a harvesting and marketing co-operative he will forgo thousands of dollars per hectare in scale economies.

Gray goes on to say that rather than talking to the IRD, the NZFFA should talk to the stock exchange. What does he

mean? Putting your cutting rights into a cooperative in return for shares I presume. Not a bad idea, but only if we get rid of the cost of bush anomaly. Few seem prepared to bother to understand this.

Those, like Gray, who deny the feasibility of forestry co-operatives suffer from “Galapagos-isation”, a new word that I recently read in reference to the Japanese economy. Galapagosizers have a tendency not to think beyond what they are familiar with and so avoid getting outside their comfort zone. As another example of Galapagos-isation, I was told by Bruce Charles, the NZFS director of marketing, in the late 1970s, that logs would never be exported out of Wellington because the unions would never allow it. Within a decade he was proved wrong.

Hamish LevackWellington

Research


Market report

China sets the log prices

Radiata pine log sales(NZ$ per tonne) NNI Change CNI Change SNI Change NSI Change CSI Change SSI Change

P1 (P36-P38) 130 - 135 +5 133 - 137 - 125 - 130 - 130 - 142 - 125 - 130 - 125 - 130 -7

S30 100 - 105 +12 93 - 98 +3 90 - 95 - 92 - 100 - 90 - 96 - 85 - 90 -

S20 81 - 84 +6 74 - 78 +6 78 - 81 - 84 - 88 - 72 - 77 - 60 - 65 -

L30/A30 - - 85 - 90 - - - - - 64 - 69 - 65 - 70 -

Postwood 70 - 75 - 72 - 77 - 65 - 75 - 65 - 80 - 80 - 95 - 70 - 75 -

Chip 37 - 40 - 40 - 47 - 38 - 43 - 38 - 40 - 40 - 42 - 38 - 43 -

NZ$ per JAS

KA 104 - 109 +14 105 - 110 +12 96 - 100 +10 97 - 100 +7 88 - 90 +5 92 - 94 +9

K 98 - 101 +14 99 - 102 +12 88 - 91 +10 90 - 93 +7 79 - 82 +6 85 - 87 +9

KI 90 - 94 +14 90 - 93 +7 82 - 85 +9 85 - 88 +9 71 - 73 +6 80 - 82 +9

Pulp 80 - 84 +14 77 - 80 +8 75 - 78 +8 73 - 75 +9 65 - 68 +7 72 - 74 +9

Allan Laurie

A more dramatic than expected turn round in demand in China has seen wharf gate prices make some good gains in the last three months. Early settlements for the last quarter of the year suggest we will see continued price improvement leading up to Christmas.

A big effect on the wharf gate price is the shipping cost, which has been a bit like the Australian government and an ETS scheme − all over the place and fraught with uncertainty and indecisiveness. How this will play out, shipping costs I mean, will depend largely on the China steel industry which ends up controlling price and demand.

Variation in pricesOur pricing table shows log export prices up between $5 and $14 a cubic metre since my last report. The variation around the country once again depends entirely on shipping timing and whether the wood has been sold into an October or November sale. In the far north, competition for volume from up to 10 exporters operating out of Marsden Point, appears to be creating some margin.

In November we are predicting A grade to be around US$140 to $145 a cubic metre. This takes us back to the highs of March and April this year and even back to previously recorded highs. Information filtering down to me suggests this should be the peak in the medium term with increases beyond this being unsustainable.

US dollar exchangeThe quietly surging US dollar exchange rate continues to constrain wharf gate prices. As a matter of interest, at current price settlements a one cent movement upward in the exchange rate takes about $1.50 off a cubic metre of logs

and $4.00 off a cubic metre of timber. If we assume a five cent rolling increase since Christmas, in log export sales alone New Zealand forest growers are missing out on $6.37 million a month in potential revenue.

Across the domestic scene reports are very mixed. Some mills have reported a slow-down in demand for framing timber out of Australia and some an increase, meaning I am getting a lot of mixed messages. The Australian New Zealand dollar exchange rate must be helping and perhaps some mills are being a bit coy.

All eyes are on the Christchurch earthquake situation with many homes needing to be replaced. In Canterbury at least, most mills cutting framing timber have a quiet expectation of an increase in demand, although most comment they expect the big North Island mills to flood the Canterbury market eliminating any potential upside. For the moment, most of the Canterbury mills focussed on local sales are very quiet, hopefully this is temporary.

Export log marketMonthly export deliveries to all destinations have continued at around 850,000 cubic metres a month, despite the expectation that winter conditions would slow things more. Fortunately China has made an unexpected strong demand recovery with log inventories moving back quickly toward a more comfortable five to six week level. With New Zealand supply trailing off a little, 20,000 to 30,000 cubic metres a month, prices are under upward pressure.

Rapid growthThe key concern around the Chinese economy is the speed of growth, to which the government have been making some


Macrocarpa log salesMacrocarpa logs Landed at mill door

per tonneLanded at mill door per tonne

Nov – Jan sales South Island Change North Island Change

Pruned minimum SED 40 cm

230 - 250 - -

Pruned minimum SED 30 cm

140 - 160 - -

Small branch Minimum SED 30 cm

125 - 130 - -

Small branch Minimum SED 20 cm

90 - 100 - 85 - 100 [ROB grade]

Large branch/boxing/sleeper

80 - 90 - -

Firewood logs 60 - 70 - -

Market report

rather interesting policy adjustments. More recently this has seen them reducing power supply to steel mills to slow production. The New Zealand government and GST rises do not look so bad after all. These decisions will ultimately affect wood fibre consumption although recent reports suggest large construction projects are continuing unabated.

China consumption is continuing at around 450,000 cubic metres a month, Korea 230,000 and India quietly growing at 95,000 cubic metres a month. A snapshot of the demand profile for the last quarter of the year suggests New Zealand optimal production levels at around 800,000 cubic metres a month.

Unfortunately my spies around the country are indicating production levels are on the increase as summer approaches. If we get back up to 900,000 a month there could be some blood, and price, letting early in 2011. Given continuing international economic jitters I do not see the size of our log market increasing in the medium term.

Russian log supply has a big effect on other suppliers, not the least being radiata logs. There have been recent increases in Russian log prices allowing the competing radiata to also increase. However the traditional gap between the two is narrowing and if Russia decides not to increase tariff and increase production it could get a little ugly for us.

ShippingShipping cost settlements have been around the US$45 to $50 per cubic metre mark. Much depends on the number of port calls with this pricing reflecting a two port load and two port discharge.

Handy class vessels have been bucking the trend in the Pacific Rim with pricing general flat to firm. All of this is entirely due to New Zealand forest growers using about 40 per cent of the Pacific Rim Handy class fleet, with 30 to 33 shipments per month. This is keeping the demand high and the challenges greater for charterers to rein in increases.

The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) is a measure of sea freight costs generally centred on the key Capesize sector which has been in freefall. As an example, Capesize daily costs for an Australia China rotation vessel were in order of US$12,500 in July a staggering 86 per cent down on May levels. Since then prices have been more stable but still holding at these lower levels. World recession concerns are likely to keep things that way for some time.

Handysize vessels have been bucking the trend but probably for much longer. Expectations of new ship builds, together with ship owners keeping vessels on the water for longer, should see medium term softening in shipping costs.

Domestic log marketIn the North Island many of the domestic log grades are continuing to face pressure from export log prices with some respectable increases, particularly in larger framing S grade logs. In the south, it is more business as usual with markets resisting the pressure to respond.

Most mills appear to be getting the logs they require with some short term shortages during the winter months. This appears to be more the consequence of logging equipment disappearing in to a sea of mud than any price and demand push and pull.

Pruned sawlogs have increased by $5 a tonne in the north and decreased by $7 a tonne in the south. One is reported to be the consequence of demand for pruned logs at the port and the other the increasing US dollar exchange rate. It just proves that demand decides the price and therefore we need a lot more of it.

International softwood timber prices in KD industrial grade have weakened between five and 10 per cent over last quarter, with demand in Asia and the UAE coming off the boil. This is not what we wanted to hear but this will probably be around until there is some real international economic recovery.

Mind you, the latest round of money printing by the US and the UK should see artificial certainty, at least until Santa comes down the chimney. Clearly and unequivocally, and I make no apology for being boringly repetitive, the only way forward for climate and country is to get out there and plant more trees, and quickly.

Allan Laurie is the managing director of Laurie Forestry Ltd providing valuation, consulting, carbon trading, forest management and harvesting and marketing services.


Young farm forester of 2009 field dayMarie Taylor

DeanMartinandhisfatherGeraldhosted27farmforestersatGlenlandsononeofthefewdrydaysinlateJanuary.ThefielddaycelebratedDeanwinningtheMichaelHayMemorialAwardforYoungFarmForesteroftheYearin2009.

Dean is passionate about trees, both native and exotic, as well as wetlands and duck shooting. He has retired many wetlands and valley bottoms, planting thousands of trees, many of which he has grown himself. The field day traversed these and more, including a demonstration of making charcoal.

Glenlands has many woodlots, including a six hectare pine block planted in 1983 and ready for harvesting. A stand of blackwoods, planted in a gully in 1983, is one of the most impressive in Hawke’s Bay. But the Martins think the second rotation of trees will be better than the first, because resulting suckers have better form than the parent trees.

These trees have had a great deal of pruning to ensure they have a dominant leader. Harvest might be another 10 years away.

A text book woodlotThe Martins have tried several different species of eucalypts, and Eucalpytus regnans has proved to be the fastest growing, with the best form and in the best site. At a major wetland Dean has planted a wide range of species specifically for ducks. These include many different oaks, including willow oak, red oak, English oak, which are the fastest growing, Holm, pin and cork oaks. These produce acorns over several months until late May for bird food. Fruit trees such as figs, plums, loquats, and feijoas are also planted in this area. Japanese snowbell trees, which drop nuts, are particularly favoured by pheasants. Dean prunes most of his trees, but has learned that oaks can only cope with a little bit of pruning at a time otherwise they sulk.

Cedars made another impressive planting for shelter along the tops of deep, steep-sided gorges. These are now 10 years old, create excellent shelter for stock.

It was a textbook woodlot, and visitors were surprised that on such a tough, dry site none of the trees had died when small and required replacing. Because of their successful growth on the farm, another kilometre of replacement roadside plantings of cedars is planned this winter. There are also three blocks of lusitanica on the farm, including an historic planting trial by Forest Research which also has macrocarpa, and almost everything in between.

Change after Cyclone BolaDean’s father Gerald Martin explained that Cyclone Bola had changed the family’s farming practice. They now protect gullies and gorges by allowing natives to regenerate.

Glenlands had 900 mm of rain, usually the entire year’s rainfall, in only 36 hours. It was like standing in a warm shower with the pressure turned to high. But not only did it come during a drought, the land went back into a drought right after.

A whole face of land near to his house disappeared – along with his dog and the goats he was mustering at the

Continued on page 42


Young farm forester of 2009 - continued on from 41

time. Afterwards, he did not have one stock-proof paddock, and nor did his neighbours. Gullies were filled with silt and dead sheep with their legs sticking out.

They lost 200 hoggets where Dean’s wetlands are today. A stream was dammed by a slip in the neighbouring estate, and it let go, with a wall of water trapping the sheltering hoggets. There was plenty of other damage as well. The power was out for three days, vehicles would not start because their electrics were too wet, and the roads were closed.

Cyclone Bola changed their outlook and farming systems completely. Although they had begun planting trees beforehand,

Bola made them think about protecting the gorges by letting them regenerate back into bush.

Nominations for 2011In 2010 no names put forward to be judged for the Michael Hay Award for Young Farm Foresters, and subsequently no winner. Can all branches look at their young farm foresters, and if they are worthy of an award, get the application in promptly. There will be no winners again if there are no names put forward to be judged.

Are the Australian greens the environmental mafia?

From the patron

On the 20 August Dr Peter Volker, President of the Institute of Australian Foresters, issued a press release − Say no to the environmental Mafia. Dr Volker was responding to a call from the Australian greens for a ban on indigenous forest logging. The greens hold a position of enormous political power after the recent indecisive Australian elections. On first reading I thought that the label appeared extreme but after consideration it does appear appropriate.

Where will the wood come from?The greens could not have thought through what their demand will mean for either the Australian forests or the Australian economy. According to recent annual statistics, Australian native hardwoods in 2008/9 contributed 7.8 million cubic metres, or 31 per cent of the nation’s wood harvest. Wood imports annually cost Australia about $2 billion. Imports are mostly tropical south east Asian hardwoods. Softwood imports from New Zealand are only just over 600 million cubic metres.

If there is a ban on indigenous harvesting where is Australia to get its hardwoods from? Or are the greens suggesting Australia uses less wood and makes up any shortfall in the wood supply with polluting and energy consuming alternatives? The move to either a greater volume of hardwood imports or to wood substitutes is environmentally irresponsible. The viability of rural communities would be reduced as loggers and wood users would be without a job.

Not trueThe campaign by the greens implies that the indigenous forest is under threat. This is a gross distortion. A large percentage of the most productive forests, the wet forests of eastern

Australia, Tasmania, and south-western West Australia, are already in permanent conservation reserves. Victoria has only seven per cent of its forests available for harvesting. Although Tasmania can practise harvesting on 47 per cent of its forest, 90 per cent of its old growth is already in National Parks. In West Australia the annual cut of karri, jarrah and marri is probably a third of what it was 10 years ago. Queensland has recently announced a complete closure of its native forest industry.

Australian forests are not under any threat by harvesting. Almost all forests are managed on sustainable yield principles and have been for decades. The volume harvested is rarely greater than the forest growth.

Without management, which costs money, fire is a major concern. Where there is forest management, the fire risk is usually reduced by deliberate low intensity burning. If the forest is left unmanaged there is an accumulation of forest fuel, and wild fires can be catastrophic usually when conditions are hot, dry and windy.

Re-think demandsWithout any income from harvesting it is difficult to see large amounts of federal or State money being diverted to pay for forest management, especially fuel reduction. What other expenditure options are the greens prepared to forgo to manage the unharvested indigenous forest?

Some of the tactics of the environmentalists are unethical. These include threats to local hardwood sawmillers and wood users, frightening the Japanese pulp and paper industry into not using Tasmanian woodchips and blockading lawful forestry operations.

Unless they want the label of environmental mafia the Australian greens should seriously rethink their demand for a ban on indigenous harvesting.


Trade directory

Murrays Nurseries LtdSowry Road - Box 44, Woodville phone (06) 376 5212 evenings

Growers since 1961 of open ground timber and shelter, conservation trees and flax plants. Precision sown Pinus Radiata is our specialty.

Send for our May price list

The mail order suppliers of books on forestry, trees and farming.

New and second hand titles all listed at :

http://touchwoodbooks.co.nz

Box 610, Hastings. Phone: (06) 874 2872 Fax: (06) 874 2701 Email: [email protected]

TOUCHWOOD BOOKSTOUCHWOOD BOOKS

To book this space phone 09 406 2218

We are interested in good quality logs or timber, we can give you top prices based on a range of log grades. We are also trying to source eucalyptus and macrocarpa.

Please contact our office on 03 7328 414 or [email protected]

ALL INDIGENOUS SPECIES Matai, Tawa, Rimu, Totara

WANTED


Branch secretaries 2010Far North Li Legler 93 Onekura Rd, RD2, Kerikeri

Phone: 09 407 4991

Email: [email protected]

Mid Northland Peter Coates RD4, Whangarei

Phone: 09 436 5774


Lower North Julie Ryan 7A Preston Ave, Mt Albert, Auckland

Phone/Fax: 09 846 7917


South Auckland Dave Gravatt C/- 8 Albury Avenue, Epsom, Auckland

Phone: 09 630 6933


Waikato John Simmons PO Box 4221, Hamilton East

Phone: 07 856 5710


Waitomo Trevor Blackburn 24 Irvine Road, RD5, Otorohanga

Phone: 07 873 0748

Coromandel Jim Davies 80 Colville Road, RD4, Coromandel

Phone: 07 866 8696

Bay of Plenty John Douglas PO Box 364, Whakatane 3158

Phone: 0800 368 267


Taupo & Districts Herwi Scheltus 131 Tamamutu Street, Taupo

Phone/Fax: 07 378 8636


Gisborne E Coast Jenny Reid 283 Lake Rd, RD2, Gisborne

Phone: 06 929 1543


Hawkes Bay Ross Haliburton Shereden Station, 1157 Taihape Rd, RD9,

Hastings

Phone: 06 874 3111


Taranaki Bill Davies Te Popo, RD24, Stratford

Phone: 06 762 8619


Middle Districts David Hammond ‘Kailoa’, 21 Tutaenui Road, Marton 4710

Phone 06 327 4119, Fax 06 327 5119


Wairarapa Shane Atkinson 72D Woodside Rd, Greytown

Phone: 06 304 8967 Fax: 06 372 7714


Wellington Eric Cairns 178 Mangaroa Valley Rd, RD1, Upper Hutt

Phone: 04 526 7929


AMIGO GroupChairperson: Ian Brown, 109 Dixon Road, HamiltonPhone/fax: 07 843 4389

Cypress Action GroupChairman: Dean Satchell, 33B Skudders Beach Rd, KerikeriMobile: 021 235 7554, Phone: 09 407 5525, Email: [email protected]

Eucalypt Action GroupPresident: Angus Gordon, 8076 State Highway 1, RD3, TaihapePhone: 06 388 1571, Email: [email protected]

Indigenous Forest SectionChairman: Philip Smith, PO Box 437, TaupoPhone: 07 378 5450, Email: [email protected]

Sequoia group Chairman: Russell Coker, PO Box 68 601, AucklandPhone: 09 309 9917, Email: [email protected]

NZFFA special interest groups

Nelson Nancy Cowan 148 Tunakino Valley Rd, RD1, Rai Valley

Phone: 03 571 6366


Marlborough Sandra Sewell Camerons Road, RD 1, Havelock

Phone: 03 572 8081


West Coast Michael Orchard The Tree Centre, Box 80, Hokitika

Phone: 03 755 7310


North Canterbury Gary Fleming Mt Grey, RD2, Rangiora,

Phone: 03 312 9274


Central Canterbury Derrick Rooney Hororata Road, Hororata

Phone: 03 318 0763


Ashburton Bernard Egan 329 Burnett St, Ashburton

Phone/Fax: 03 308 5182


South Canterbury Allan Laurie Laurie Forestry Ltd, 196 Maytown Rd,

RD8, Waimate 8791


North Otago Scott Johnston 109 Tokarahi-Tapui Rd, 13 C R D, Oamaru

Ph: 03 432 4255

Mid Otago Chaz Forsyth 70 Evans St, Opoho, Dunedin

Phone: 03 473 8317


South Otago Graham Hunter Konini, 1 Rd, Lawrence

Phone/Fax: 03 485 9567


Southland Roger Washbourn 130 Grant Rd, RD9, Invercargill

Phone: 03 231 0968


Men of Trees Ernie Nicholson 297 Tweed St, Invercargill

Phone: 03 216 9585


Southern High Cliff Tapper 16 Pioneer Court, Cromwell, C Otago

Country Phone: 03 445 1044


Association


Are you a member of the NZFFA?

Why join the NZFFA?Tree Grower

The New Zealand Farm Forestry Association has been around for over 50 years. There are 29 active branches and around 2500 members.If you are reading this issue of the Tree Grower you are probably already a member, but could well just be a casual reader or subscriber. If you are a member, you could make a gift membership to a friend or relative. The cost of joining if you have less than 10 hectares of trees is only $78 a year.

Special interest groupsIf you want to know more about cypress, eucalypts, redwood, blackwood or indigenous trees, then you can have the opportunity to join one or more of these groups. Some have their own magazines, such as Indigena for the indigenous group. Many are involved in field trials that you can join and help with. For example the eucalypt group are trying to find the best places to grow ground-durable eucalypt poles to supply the vineyards.

Annual conference

You will get four copies a year of the Tree Grower – the best source of information about growing trees in New Zealand.

Field days

Your branch will hold regular field days where you can see what other farm foresters have grown, where they may have made mistakes, and what trees grow well. This is an opportunity to mix with other like-minded tree growers

I would like to join the NZFFA q $78 a year q $125 a year q $188 a yearI enclose a cheque payable to NZFFA qPlease debit my credit card: q Visa q Mastercard

Number: Expiry date:

Name on card: Signature:

Address:

Postcode

Official journal of the New Zealand Farm Forestry AssociationFebruary 2010

Special feature on Wairarapa

Feature on cypress

Macrocarpa – the fatal flaw • Himalayan cypress and hybrids

A Canadian’s view on cypress • A new plan for cypress

Wairarapa land use and cover

Land, trees and community

Castlepoint and trees

Woodlots in the Wairarapa

Official journal of the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association August 2009

Conference fi eld daysNick's Head StationKnapdale Eco LodgeTe Koawa StationHackfalls ArboretumWensleydale

Forestry in the hill country • Deforestation exemptions Gullies and sediment on the East Coast Tree growing in Australia

Official journal of the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association May 2010

Main feature on the

Feature on radiata

Improving forest inventory • Getting the most from radiata pine

Radiata silviculture in Chile • Mapping radiata productivity

Farm forestry with a difference

A passion for trees

Down on the farm or forest

Way down south at Whataroa

West Coast

This is held in a different region every year. The conference is mainly field days and gives attendees the chance to visit farm forestry properties, QEII Trust covenanted areas, logging sites or other places of interest. It is also an opportunity to attend the AGM, meet up with over 200 other members of the NZFFA and have a good time.

How to joinJoining is very simple. Copy the form below, complete the details and send it to NZFFA, PO Box 1122, Wellington.You will get some free back issues of Tree Grower and all your membership privileges.If you have less than 10 hectares of trees the membership cost is only $78For 10 to 40 hectares the cost is $125 a year. For over 40 hectares of trees the cost is $188 a year.

Keeping your crew safeshould be your first priority

Order your safety guidance leaflets now

See www.acc.co.nz/injury-prevention/safer-industries

or call 0800 THINKSAFE (0800 844 657)

This Information Leaflet contains pr

actical

guida

nce on saf

e meth

ods of

workin

g on forestry

skid sites w

hich will redu

ce str

ain or

sprain

injuries

. Over 40% of injury claim

s in forestr

y and

logging are muscle

strains an

d ligament sprain

s. These include injuries to

many parts of th

e body;

back, knee, an

kle, shoulder.

The ha

zards

which

cause

muscle

strains

and li

gament

sprain

s –

like ba

ck, ne

ck, kn

ee pain

are:

Twisted and aw

kward postu

res

Bending and stooping for periods

of time

Extreme bending of th

e back

Unexpected jar

ring and jolting

Heavy weights a

nd high forces

Slips, trips an

d falls

Vibration

Over-reach

ing puts stra

in on shoulders as w

ell as

the back. This b

ent and tw

isted postu

re increase

s

the risk of in

jury.

Slipping over debris, or fa

lling off logs ca

n cause

major inj

uries lik

e a seriou

s back inj

ury or

sprained

ankle, as well as

cuts and bruises.

27% back or

spine

21% knees

11% ankles

8% shoulders

These are the most c

ommonly reported body are

as for

strain and sprain

injuries (ACC fig

ures, Octo

ber 2002)

FOREST S

AFETY

GUIDA

NCE LEA

FLET 1

AVOIDI

NG STRA

INS AND S

PRAINS

ON THE S

KID SI

TE

ancece

jurieses

Thees

27% babacspipin

he most commmm

sprain injuriees

he most comm

most

E LEAFLE

T

ANAND SPRSPR

AINS

IDD FOREST SAFETY GUIDANCE LEAFLET 3

AVOIDING INJURIES when

PRUNING AND THINNING-to-WASTE

There have been 471 serious injuries in silviculture in last 4 years, resulting in ACC claims totalling

over $2 million. In 2002, nearly half of all silviculture Accident Reporting Scheme (ARS) reported

injuries (lost time and minor) were during pruning operations and a fifth were during thinning

operations. Most of the reports were minor injuries, but 255 days were reported lost from work.

These injuries have financial and personal costs - to individuals (pain, reduced performance, time

off work) contractors and the industry.

Refer to Best Practice Guidelines for Silvicultural Pruning,

Tree Felling and Chainsaw Use for detailed guidance about

carrying out these tasks (Forest Industries Training).

In Thinning-to-waste operations:

123 days were lost, averaging over 12 days

per LTI.Over two thirds (67%) of injuries (minor

and LTI) were a result of being ‘struck

by’ something, usually a branch, the

chainsaw or a tree.

Large numbers (nearly half) of the injuries

were lacerations, e.g. because of chainsaw

kickback or falling onto the saw.

Injuries were spread between upper and

lower limbs, the spine and head/eyes in

thinning, examples including back strains

and sprains, and being hit by falling trees

and branches.

In Pruning operations:

In 2002, 135 days were lost in pruning

operations, averaging over 5½ days per lost

time injury (LTI).

Half the injuries (LTI and minor) were a

result of being ‘struck by’ something, like

pruners or loppers, branches or ramicorns,

or ladder.A third of the injuries occurred because the

worker either slipped or tripped (eg in

undergrowth) or fell (eg from a ladder).

More than half the injuries in 2002 were to

the upper limb, including shoulder strains

and sprains from pruning over shoulder

height, and finger and hand lacerations

usually from pruners.

FOREST SAFETY GUIDAN

AVOIDING INJURII whwhenen

PRUNING AND THINNII -to-WASTSTEE

ave been 471 serious injuries in silviculture in lasst ears, resulting in ACC c alling

million. In 2002, nearly half of all silviculture AA

(lost time and minor) were during pruning oo

ons. Most of the reports were minor injuries,s,

njuries have financial and personal costs - toto

rk) contractors and the industry.

Pruning ope2002, 135erations, ame injury (f the injuesult of beruners or

or ladder.third of thworker eitundergrowore than hthe upperand spraiheight, ausually fr

Planting and release operations accounted for 20% of all silvicultural Accident Reporting

Scheme reports and over 30% of reported lost days, in 2002. A total of 182 days were lost,

and an additional 57 minor injuries were reported.

Planting and release operations are physically demanding, so workers are faced with challenges

of adequate hydration and nutrition along with physical fatigue and numerous hazards.

FOREST SAFETY GUIDANCE LEAFLET 4

AVOIDING INJURIES WHEN

PLANTING AND RELEASING

Planting injuries

The main hazards associated with planting & release operations are:

♦ Twisted postures and bending/stooping for long periods of time

♦ Jarring and jolting of joints, & acceleration forces

♦ Repetitive movements & manual handling

♦ Rough & steep terrain, slash, heavy undergrowth and uneven ground

♦ Chemicals♦ Hazards associated with equipment such as spray packs, planting boxes, slashers

♦ Exposure to extreme weather conditions

♦ Fatigue due to dehydration and physically demanding work

Arm & shoulderinjuries, including

a dislocatedshoulder. Hand,

finger & wristinjuries, mostly

slipping andlanding onoutstretchedhand

Knee, ankle & leg injuries,

largely sprains and strains

from slips and falls

Eye or head injuries,

including stings and

bruising from falls

Spray and manual releasinginjuries

Upper torso,including two

fractures, oneserious from

an ATVaccident

Head/eye usually‘struck by’ sticks or

branches

Ankle and kneeinjuries, all from

slipping

Lower torso,from slipping

over and frommanual handling

or overexertion

Arm, hand &fingers including

falls, stings andoveruse strains

ctors and

erations:5 days were lost in pruningng

averaging over 5½ days per losos

(LTI).uries (LTI and minor) werer

eing ‘struck by’ somethingng

loppers, branches or rammi

he injuries occurred becec

ther slipped or tripppp

wth) or fell (eg fromm

half the injuries in 2200

r limb, including shoho

ins from pruning

nd finger and hhaa

rom pruners.

anting and release operations accounted for 20% of allll s silvilvicvicultural Accident Reporting

Scheme reports and over 30% of reported lost days, in 2n 202000202. A total of 182 days were lost,

and an additional 57 minor injuries were reported.

Planting and release operations are physically demandinndingngg, s, so workers are faced with challenges

of adequate hydration and nutrition along with physicysicalcal al ffatigue and numerous hazards.

AFLET 4G INJURIESS WWHWHENENN

NTING AND RELLEEAEASEASING

Planting injuries

The main hazarzardsds a associated with planting & release operations are:

♦ Twisted posposturtureures and bending/stooping for long periods of time

♦ Jarring andand jd joljolting of joints, & acceleration forces

♦ Repetititivve me momovements & manual handling

♦ Rough &h & ststeteep terrain, slash, heavy undergrowth and uneven ground

♦ Chemicmicalalss♦ Hazaazardsrds ds associated with equipment such as spray packs, planting boxes, slashers

♦ Expoxposuosursure to extreme weather conditions

♦ FatFatigtiguegue due to dehydration and physically demanding work

Arm & shoulderrinjuries, includdiningng

a dislocated

njuries, inclj ries

shoulder. Hanand,d,finger & wrisristt

injuries mostllyly

injuries, mosmostlystlyy

inger & wr snger &

slipping andand

njuries, mojur

landing onon

lipping aipp

outstretetchecheded

anding nhand

Knee, ankle & leg injunjuririees,es,

ee a kle & l g injurie

largely sprains and sd stratraraiins

Knee, ankle & leg injjur s,

Knee, ankle & lefrom slips and fallslls

argely sprains and

rgely sprains nd

Eye or head injuries,

including stings and

Eye or head inju ies

ye or head injubruising from falls

ncluding stings and

ncluding stings an

Spray and manualual rerelereleasinginjurieries

manu lman

Upper torsrso,including twtwo

Upper torspper

o,fractures, oone

ncluding twoserious froroman ATVaccident

Head/eye usually‘struck by’ sticks or

Head/eye usually

Head/eye usuabranches

struck bytruck

Ankle and kneeinjuries, all from

slipping

njuriesjur

Lower ttorso,from slslipping

over annd from

from s ppingppmanual al handlingor overrexertion

manual ndling

Arm, hand &fingers including

falls, stings and

alls, stings and

fingers including

ngers includingoveveruse strains

a s, s ngs and

FOREST SAFETY GUIDANCE LEAFLET 5

AVOIDING FELLING INJURIES

The main hazards associated with motor-manual felling operations are:

♦ Falling trees, spars, sailers and cones

♦ Hazards associated with equipment such as chainsaws, wedges

♦Twisted postures and bending/stooping for long periods of time

♦ Repetitive movements & manual handling

♦ Rough & steep terrain, slash, heavy undergrowth and uneven ground

♦ Working in extreme or changeable weather conditions

♦ Fatigue due to dehydration and physically demanding work

In 2002, felling operations:

Accounted for most logging injuries reported to the Logging Accident Reporting Scheme

(in previous years most injuries occurred during skidwork)

Resulted in 2 fatalities

Accounted for a third of all lost time injuries (38 reported felling LTI)

Resulted in 667 reported lost days

Averaged over 17 days lost per LTI

In many cases the loggers involved were skilled, experienced loggers, which raises concerns

about maintaining skills and hazard awareness.

Most of the felling injuries were “struck by” events, including being hit by a spar or by sailers

and cones. There were also 77 minor felling injuries in 2002, usually the result of a slip, trip

or fall.Forestry SafetyGuidance leafletsare ideal for healthand safety trainingfor your crew or inductionof new crew members.

ACC4742

ACC16422-Pr#1.indd 1 18/07/2008 9:40:57

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