New
Zealand soils and climate are well suited to forest
growth, and New Zealand pine achieves a growth rate
of approximately 23m3/ha per year. This makes it one
of the fastest growing commercially traded softwood
species. It is also recognized internationally that
New Zealand’s planted resource is among the most intensively
managed and is capable of yielding large volumes of
high quality logs on an average 27-year rotation. This
provides a number of commercial advantages, for example:
: Quicker
capture of genetic improvements : faster
financial returns : smaller
forest areas are required to produce a sustainable yield
New
Zealand forest industry supplies 1.1% of world and 8.8%
of Asia Pacific’s forest products trade. All from just
0.0005% of the world’s forest resource and an annual
harvest area equivalent to 0.000009% of global forest
cover.
New
Zealand plantation forests will also ensure business
expansion in future. New Zealand has about 14 million
hectares available for all types of productive land
use. About two-thirds of this area is suited to forest
growing, however, much of this land is too valued for
other land uses such as intensive dairy farming or cropping
to be readily available for forestry.
In
spite of the above, there is still huge opportunity
for new planting on the 4 to 5 million hectares of marginal
pastoral farmland, particularly hill country, where
forestry is a more viable land use from an economic
and environmental perspective. Increased awareness of
forestry’s commercial potential has already resulted
in a massive increase in annual new planting levels
from about 15,000 hectares in 1990 and 1991 to almost
100,000 hectares in 1994. Although the rates of new
planting have generally declined since 1994, a Ministry
of Agriculture and Forestry estimate in 1999 indicated
that new planting from 2000 to 2010 is still likely
to be around 40,000 hectares per year under a "medium
conditions" scenario.
New
Zealand has good forest resource to support timber industry
and we are proud of locating ourselves here in New Zealand
so that we can meet our customers requirements.
Reference:
"Investment
Opportunity in the New Zealand Forest Industry"
:Ministry of Forestry, 1995
"New
Zealand Forest Industry Facts & Figures 2000/2001"
:New Zealand Forest Owners Association, 2000
For
more detailed/updated information, please visit:
New
Zealand soils and climate are well suited to forest
growth, and New Zealand pine achieves a growth rate
of approximately 23m3/ha per year. This makes it one
of the fastest growing commercially traded softwood
species. It is also recognized internationally that
New Zealand’s planted resource is among the most intensively
managed and is capable of yielding large volumes of
high quality logs on an average 27-year rotation. This
provides a number of commercial advantages, for example:
New
Zealand forest industry supplies 1.1% of world and 8.8%
of Asia Pacific’s forest products trade. All from just
0.0005% of the world’s forest resource and an annual
harvest area equivalent to 0.000009% of global forest
cover.
