June Forestry in Wairarapa.pdf

26 FEATURE SUPPLEMENT

Thursday, June 17, 2021 Wairarapa Times-Age

FEATURE SUPPLEMENT 27

www.age.co.nz Thursday, June 17, 2021

FORESTRY IN WAIRARAPA FORESTRY BIG DAY OUTS

National Forestry Conference Comes to Masterton

Last week saw the completion of 3 “Forestry Big Day Out” bus trips across the lower North Island. Kapiti College, Paraparaumu College, Fielding Agricultural High School, Whanganui City College and Cullinane College students all participated in ÿ eld trips to see harvesting Operations with McDougall Logging, SMH Logging and NAB Logging Ltd. John Turkington Ltd, Forest Enterprises Ltd and Mitch Pine Sawmill all gave time and sta˜ to these full day ÿ eld trips and we thank them!

This full day bus trips are fully funded by the Forest Growers Levy Trust with many students and teachers enthralled by the use of technology and advanced systems used to harvest wood, as well as ÿ nding out where our logs go and what is made at a local sawmill. A pruning demonstration for students

has resulted in 20 students now looking for holiday and after-school work in the bus on the Kapiti Coast, and local contractors are scrambling to keep up with the demand. It is not often members of the public are taken onto fully working logging sites, and we thank all the contractors for allowing this happen and taking the time to explain their work sites to bus-loads of 50 students.

Ray McDougall (Logging Contractor) has taken on many

The New Zealand Institute of Forestry (NZIF) is bringing its annual industrywide conference to Masterton. Hosted at Copthorne Hotel and Resort Solway Park between the 27th and 29th of June, there is a massive programme of events scheduled to share the latest news and innovations in forestry.

A goal for the NZIF this year is to address and break down some of the myths that circulate in the community around forestry practices, and to that end two Agricultural classes from Rathkeale College have been invited and sponsored to attend the conference, fully paid and including the ÿ eld trips.

students in the past for both work experience and fulltime jobs in the Whanganui region, and he may have a few more turn up after this!

Nick Bunn and NAB Logging in Levin wowed students

with their millions of dollars of equipment and huge harvesting machines that showcased the investment and experience going into harvesting.

Students from Feilding Agricultural High School get up close with a hauling machine at NAB Logging in Levin.

23 year old machine driver Kaitlyn explains her job to interested female students from Feilding Agricultural High School.

Sunday the 27th will include CPD workshops on forest ÿ re protection, leadership, and resolution procedures with the Arbitration and Mediation Institute of New Zealand (AMINZ). A fun Future Forester Quiz, giving those new to the industry the chance to mix and mingle will follow.

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Monday is packed full of terriÿ c speakers covering everything from climate change and carbon farming to forest investments and the future of Te Uru R° kau, plus an after-conference cocktail party to unwind with. Monday night will see the NZIF’s 93rd Annual General Meeting dinner held at Carterton Events Centre, where scholarships and awards are presented.

Tuesday kicks o˛ with the Women in Forestry Breakfast featuring inspiring guest speakers and wraps up with two ÿ eld trips where groups can choose between seeing farm forestry and advanced logging systems or log transport on trains with a tour of a local sawmill.

You don’t need to be a NZIF member to register, this entire conference is open to the public and sessions can be booked separately so individuals can select events they’d like to attend. To be amongst them, register before the 20th of June at www.nzif.org.nz.

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28 FEATURE SUPPLEMENT

Thursday, June 17, 2021 Wairarapa Times-Age

FEATURE SUPPLEMENT 29

www.age.co.nz Thursday, June 17, 2021

Improving Health and Safety in the Sector

Every June, Forest Enterprises kicks o˛ the planting season in their Wairarapa and Gisborne forests. This year, the company is replanting 1.6 million trees in the areas harvested in 2020.

Juana Doyle is the Health and Safety Advisor for Mills Albert Ltd, a locally owned Kapiti-based contracting and forestry business operating within the North Island.

Forest Enterprises has two planting crews operating in Wairarapa (about 20 planters) and one crew of 15 in Gisborne.

Each crew member can plant about 1,000 trees a day.

Juana was nominated for the Outstanding Health and Safety category at the recent Southern North Island Wood Council Awards and the whole team turned out on the night in Palmerston North.

Juana has built great relationships in the sector dealing with civil engineering and forestry harvesting with clients like Forest360. She is known for her can-do attitude and positive customer focus, and nothing is an issue that can’t be ÿ xed.

Health and safety is a major focus in the forest sector and with experienced sta° like Juana, we have no doubt that new innovations and attitudes will see considerable improvements.

Juana, we salute you!

Replanting after every harvest Forest Enterprises replants all land after harvest. Replanting maintains soil health and supports land stability. Replacing the forest cover helps maintain the land’s production value.

Winter provides the best conditions for replanting.

Good rainfall is necessary for tree survival, and it softens the ground to ease planting.

Seedlings are also dormant in winter which minimises planting shock.

Nurturing a high-quality crop Forest Enterprises replants with the latest genetics to produce a tree crop with optimal characteristics in growth and form. Their trees are contractgrown from seed by Murray’s Nursery in Woodville.

The best trees are pruned to a height of around 6 metres to produce high value knot-free

MARCUS MUSSON DIRECTOR FOREST360

Contact Forest Enterprises to learn how you can invest in sustainable forestry. www.forestenterprises.co.nz

Forest Enterprises foresters Chris Hawthorn (left) and Pierre Bellé inspecting the health of last year’s seedings. timber. The crop is later thinned.

Thinning is the selective harvest of the poorest quality unpruned trees, leaving the better trees to grow bigger and straighter with smaller branches.

Forest Enterprises’ second rotation forest investments beneÿ t from improved soil conditions and superior tree stock. Combined with harvest infrastructure already in place, these natural characteristics can enhance the return on investment.

Protecting the land Forest Enterprises is New Zealand’s original and most successful forestry investment

manager. A key principle of forestry investment is to protect the underlying asset being the land.

Replanting is subject to a high level of planning to protect the land during its ‘window of vulnerability’, a period of around 5 years after harvest.

Combining the replant strategy with harvest planning ensures the next crop of trees provides a superior level of land protection and sustainability. Planning involves identifying high-risk steep areas and downstream risks and planting these areas in alternative species. Retiring land is also an option.

Another month, another set of record export prices. June has seen A grade export logs increase a further $8/JAS to around $170/JAS, a level that pruned logs were at not so long ago. With improved genetics and season factors, the conversion from JAS (the sale unit of export logs) to tonnes for A grade logs is generally over 100%, meaning that the actual price is more like $177/tonne!! If we back the harvesting, transport and roading costs out of these ÿ gures, you would be looking at a net return between $35,000 and $40,000 per hectare for an average pruned hill country forest with a distance to the port of 180km. If that forest was ° at to rolling and only 100km to the port then the net increases to over $50,000 per hectare, or $2,000 per hectare per year.

Nothing has changed in the global log supply dynamic in that China and Australia are still pulling faces at each other across the playground, the European’s can’t ÿ nd containers

to put their logs in, USA and Canada are using all their supply domestically as Bidens stimulus package has created a building boom and Russia has signalled a total log export ban from the start of 2022.

To put the global log supply into perspective, China’s imported softwood demand sits at around 60 million cubic metres annually of which around 22 million comes from NZ, 12.5 million from Europe, 6.5 million from Russia, 5.5 million from Australia, 3 million and from the Paciÿ c Northwest. The remainder comes from a number of smaller suppliers. New Zealand is the single largest supplier of Softwoods into China, dwarÿ ng all other suppliers by a signiÿ cant magnitude. While we are only around 35% of the total imported softwood supply into China, China is around 60% of our total log market. It’s easy to see that if our Govt leaders take a similar line to Australia in criticising the Chinese regime, the e˛ ect of a log ban on NZ logs would be catastrophic. Having said that, China is still happily importing

Export A grade AWG Price ($JAS)

180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40

Aug 11 Nov 11 Feb 12 May 12 Aug 12 Nov 12 Feb 13 May 13 Aug 13 Nov 13 Feb 14 May 14 Aug 14 Nov 14 Feb 15 May 15 Aug 15 Nov 15 Feb 16 May 16 Aug 16 Nov 16 Feb 17 May 17 Aug 17 Nov 17 Feb 18 May 18 Aug 18 Nov 18 Feb 19 May 19 Aug 19 Nov 19 Feb 20 May 20 Aug 20 Nov 20 Feb 21 May 21

OUR PEOPLE IN FORESTRY -

FORESTRY EXPORT REPORT

REPLANTING SEASON UNDERWAY

A GRADE SALES PRICE $NZ/JAS AWG

FORESTRY IN WAIRARAPA

PERIOD iron ore from Australia, which makes up around two thirds of the total iron ore imports into China. Steel is obviously a key component of the Chinese construction and manufacturing industry and, as there is no other country able to supply at the quality and levels of Australia, China cannot ban this valuable product – especially if it wants to reach the GDP target of 8.4% in 2021. New Zealand radiata is in a similar situation, there is no other alternative supply that can

match the volume and delivery performance of our export market. As with steel, lumber is a very important ingredient in construction and therefore a consistent supply is vital. This is somewhat comforting as, should we decide to join Australia and pull faces across the playground, the log supply might just keep ° owing.

The last time we saw a sustained log price increase such as this was in the 2012 – 2014

The Southern North Island Wood Council provides a collective voice for the forestry sector in Taranaki, Whanganui, Manawatu, Wairarapa, Tararua and Wellington. Members have a common interest in ensuring the long-term success of the sector. Membership is open to any company or individual with an interest in the local wood industry.

Erica Kinder, SNI Wood Council CEO, can be contacted for more information. sniwoodcouncil@gmail.com

0273 290 498

sniwoodcouncil.co.nz/

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Our Services • Forest management and operations, e.g. planting, spraying, thinning, pruning.

• Harvest planning, management and log marketing.

• Carbon & ETS advice including the sale/purchase of credits.

• On farm land use assessments – financial modelling, carbon profiles, marginal land options & grant funding assistance.

• Change of forest ownership/succession advice (ETS implications).

• Forest valuations and inventory, feasibility assessment and planning. www.forest360.nz | 0800 366 700 70D Chapel Street Masterton | info@forest360.nz

period where increases were in the magnitude of $30/JAS. Although there was a couple of signiÿ cant crashes in the 18 months following that period, the market rebounded quickly and continued to increase albeit slowly through to mid-2019.

Fingers crossed we may have now taken another leap in long term price levels.

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