Forestry in Wairarapa 2022

26 FEATURE SUPPLEMENT

Thursday, November 17, 2022 Wairarapa Times-Age

FEATURE SUPPLEMENT 27

www.age.co.nz Thursday, November 17, 2022

FORESTRY IN WAIRARAPA Wood is Good – Log Truck and Forestry Engagement Program comes to South Wairarapa The na�onal team from the schools engagement program “Wood is Good” recently visited both Featherston and South Featherston schools to bring the fun of log trucks and forestry to students and teachers alike.

Forestry a big feature at Fieldays 2022 Fieldays Forestry Hub will give visitors the opportunity to learn about the forestry and wood processing sector under one roof – for the first �me ever at Fieldays this year, 30 Nov - 3 Dec. Visitors can explore the many facets of forestry and how it mi�gates climate change and be introduced to the possibili�es of trees.

Anything that’s a fossil fuel today can be made from a tree in the future.

Visitors will see leather

shoes tanned with pine bark tannin, a showcase of drone technology, what forest bugs are ‘good’ and gain insights into biofuels.

Visitors can try out heavy machinery harvest simulators and children to enter the ‘Kids Grow a Great Tree’ campaign.

Landowners can talk with prac�cal experts about several planta�on species and how to integrate trees on farms to increase long-term returns and

ensure sustainability.

All visitors will find out more about wood products, �mber construc�on, forest biosecurity and biodiversity.

New Zealand has 1.74 million hectares of produc�ve forests around the country and is currently the world’s largest exporter of so�wood logs. Plans are being finalised for an Industry Transforma�on Plan, to add more value to our forestry sector by processing more wood materials in New Zealand. This will create even more career and job opportuni�es.

The Hub is about sharing informa�on so that forestry is be�er understood.

Forest Enterprises from Masterton will be among the Hub’s 35 exhibitors.

Jobseekers and students interested in a career in forestry and wood processing can learn about opportuni�es in this mul�billion-dollar sector that employs more than 35,000 people.

The Hub is a collabora�on between Fieldays and an advisory group comprising Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service, Forest Growers Levy Trust, Scion, NZ Forest Owners Associa�on, Red Stag, and NZ Farm Forestry Associa�on.

Visit the Fieldays Forestry Hub, Sites G78-G86, corner of G Street and I Road. www. woodourlowcarbonfuture.nz

OFFICE 06 377 4443 GUY FARMAN 0274 488 810 EMAIL Guy@�f.co.nz WEBSITE www.FTF.co.nz

• Harves�ng • Log Marke�ng

• Forest Management • Forest Valua�on

• Silviculture • Establishment

“Wood is Good”, funded

by Te Uru Rakau – New Zealand Forest Service, and Forest Growers Levy Trust is a na�onal educa�onal program developed and run by the Wood Councils of New Zealand. A log truck is parked at a primary school so that students can sit in the truck, talk about the logs and hear presenta�ons around safety on the road, where the logs have come from and where they are going along with how forestry works in New Zealand.

These two south Wairarapa

days were a�ended by Forest Enterprises staff member Max Saathof and drivers and staff from McCarthy Transport. Max is a recent graduate from the New Zealand School of Forestry and belongs to the Future Foresters, a networking group for young foresters throughout New Zealand. Max loved si�ng with students, reading them stories, and le�ng them try on his spike boots that are worn in the forest. (Guess what kids want to buy Dad for Xmas?). Big thanks to Forest Enterprises for again ge�ng involved in forestry community events and providing their staff for these cri�cal informa�ve sessions.

McCarthy Transport have a regional hub office in Masterton and are heavily involved with community events. Staff members Peter MacLean, Jemesa and Tana

were great representa�ves of their industry, and spent many hours helping students into their truck cab and explaining how log trucks work. There will be many children who will never forget this experience.

Thanks McCarthy Transport for taking a truck off the road for the day and commi�ng your �me and exper�se to engage with our youth.

Along with the careers talks and forestry videos, the team from “Wood is Good” provided free Forestry Ac�vity books for all students at the schools, sets of “Fred the Forester” book series for their libraries along with free wooden toys, ac�vi�es, and prizes for the colouring-in compe��on.

Visit www.woodisgood.co.nz to book your free school visit for 2023

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28 FEATURE SUPPLEMENT

Thursday, November 17, 2022 Wairarapa Times-Age

FEATURE SUPPLEMENT 29

www.age.co.nz Thursday, November 17, 2022

FORESTRY IN WAIRARAPA Pine conspiracy needs reality check Farm Foresters are saying journalists and commentators need to educate themselves about the reality of planta�on forestry.

The FFA President, Graham West says ‘Frequent an�-pine rants on Newstalk ZB and in print media repeat the same misinforma�on about pines that is simply not true.’ ‘This climate of emo�onal dogma against carbon sequestra�on jeopardises New Zealand’s ability to make any real change to how our greenhouse gas emissions are hea�ng the planet’ ‘Surely, they should have enough common sense to check statements, or at

least give these emo�on filled opinions a quick logic test,’ Graham West says.

‘The most recent one is a rehash of the completely untrue fable that pine stops growing at age 30 years and then rots.’ “A�er 60 years of forest research in Rotorua by hundreds of scien�sts, there is a mountain of evidence that shows this is not true. These statements are at best lazy and at worst malicious.’ ‘Everyone has seen very old pine trees in parks and paddocks. Many go back to the first introduc�on of pines nearly 150 years ago.’ ‘They are ancient and haven’t suddenly developed rot. We have many measured stands of pine that are now well over 100 years old.

We have examples of individual radiata pine in the Wellington Botanic Garden that are s�ll standing a�er 152 years.’ ‘While forest fire risk may increase with droughts, with modern forest

management prac�ces, the risk is very low. Kaingaroa forest is 190,000ha and has had very few fires in its 100-year history.’

Graham West cites a FENZ report which showed last summer there was nearly four �mes the number of wildfires on hill country farmland than there were in planta�on forests. ‘Furthermore, wood is now being used for thousands of products.

Bioplas�cs, biofuel, heat energy, earthquake resilient structures, are just a few.

Wood is used in food as a filler, and to add fibre, in many parts of the world. It doesn’t require fer�liser on most sites.

It doesn’t emit nitrates, and doesn’t need milking twice a day.’ ‘Without much tending it grows for at least 70 years and silently absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide.’ ‘Global warming from carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide is the real issue. The physics of gases reflec�ng the radiated

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this is an increase from the previous year total of 38,278 ha. But before giving alarm to this rising total, consider how much of New Zealand is in pasture.’ ‘Pasture covers approximately 10 million ha, which is about one third of the land area. So, the conversion rate last year can be calculated at about 0.5% per year. At this rate it will take 20 years to convert 10% of farmland to forest.’ ‘I suggest at the current rate of climate warming, if we don’t act with some urgency, the change in climate may have reduced pastural produc�on by much more than 10% in 20 years.’ ‘This is conjecture but the current pa�ern of extreme weather events, flooding, erosion, droughts, and wind, doesn’t look promising for shallow rooted crops like pasture.’

heat back to earth has been known for more than 50 years.

It’s complex and we have been slow to react.’

‘Meanwhile, alarmist comments of the country covered in pine trees have proliferated. This is despite

factual informa�on, such as Beef + Lamb NZ’s recent independent (Orme)

report that gives the real estate records of farms sold to forestry related

companies’ ‘Orme reports the area bought for afforesta�on last year was 52,000 ha.’ ‘Yes,

Graham West says the important ques�on for the public is ‘At what level of global warming will we decide to seriously address the issue with the technologies in hand?’ ‘Our grandchildren will ask us an even harder ques�on “How do we reverse climate change?” ‘Biological

sequestra�on of carbon dioxide is currently the only technology we could deploy at scale to cool the planet.’

Graham West accepts that in the world context we could be seen as virtue signalling to the big emi�ers. ‘But what else can we do than stand on the moral high ground and tell the world that we have adopted a strategy that includes land use change to get us quickly to carbon zero or carbon nega�ve.’ ‘It may only be a 50 – 70-year fix, but it may just give us �me to find an alterna�ve.’

‘Our gross emissions of 80 million tonnes per year CO2 e (reduced to net emissions of 55 million tonnes per year CO2 e thanks to forestry sequestra�on) have not diminished at all in the past 20 years.’ ‘Giving out misinforma�on about forestry science is simply a distrac�on from the bigger issues and not helping to produce a construc�ve dialogue.’

Graham West President Farm Forest Associa�on 027 441 0353