Farm Forestry New Zealand

• Events
• Reports
• Headlines

Afforestation grant Scheme update

Crown Forestry joint ventures

MPI incentivising forestry

Up to $180 million for tree planting

President
Neil Cullen
cullen@farmside.co.nz
-North Otago
-Mid Otago
-South Otago
-Southland
-Sthn High Country (south)

Immediate Past President & Newsletter editor
Dean Satchell
dsatch@xtra.co.nz
-Far North
-Mid North

National Office
Natalie
admin@nzffa.org.nz
Phone: 04 4720432

Executive
Angus Gordon angusg@xtra.co.nz
-Taupo & Districts
-Middle Districts
-Hawkes Bay
-Gisborne East Coast
-Taranaki

Michael Orchard
 orchards@xtra.co.nz
-West Coast
-Marlborough
-Nelson

Hamish Levack hlevack@xtra.co.nz
-Wairarapa
-Wellington

Patrick Milne patrick@cypress.co.nz
-North Canterbury
-Central Canterbury
-Ashburton
-South Canterbury

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

Don Wallace
don@wallace.gen.nz
-At large

 

Notices

Conference 2018, Nelson 6-9 May

Thank you for all those who have registered early for the 2018 New Zealand Farm Forestry Conference in Nelson.

A reminder to those who are still contemplating going that registrations after March will incur the $50 late fee.

Also we do have a cut off of 200 registrants for the conference due to the size of the venue. So...Please get in early if you want to secure your place at the Nelson conference. We are working hard to make this a great conference and look forward to seeing you there. www.nzffa.org.nz/conference/conference-2018/

Clair Gavin, Conference Registrar

Events

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

• Southern Wood Council and Industry meetings  When: Wednesday 14 March 2018 Where: Rosebank Lodge, Balclutha The Southern Wood Council is running it’s first meeting for industry members in 2018. Two presentations at the start of this…
• Hawkes Bay branch field day  Where: Springfield Station Joint Venture When: 14 March 2018 at 10.00am The entrance is off Puketapu Road. From Taradale it is the first driveway on the left at the bottom of the hill. It…
• Forest Biosecurity Conference 2018  Ramping up our biosecurity - licence to use tomorrow's toolbox? March 14th, Rotorua The conference will feature a keynote address from Tim Ebata. Tim is currently the forest health officer for…
• Waitomo branch field day, dinner and AGM  When:  Sun 18 March 1.30pm (perhaps 5pm at Loveridge’s). Where: Nick Ashmore’s Mill, 89 Princess Street, Putaruru Nick Ashmore is very successfully milling a substantial redwood resource on a portable Mahoe mill.…
• ForestWood 2018 Conference  When: Wednesday 21 March 2018 Where: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa  Website: www.forestwood.org.nz The new government has thrown a sudden and revolutionary challenge to our forest industry. To…
• Taupo and Districts branch field day and AGM  Forest visit and AGM Where: Whakaipo Bay, Taupo When: Wednesday 21st March - 4pm to 6pm The Whakaipo Bay Recreational Reserve is a pumice gully system managed by DOC to…
• Wairarapa branch AGM  When: Thursday 22nd March Where: Woodnet Offices, 4.00pm – 5.30pm 4.00 pm Guest speakers: Wairarapa Rural Fire team The structure of rural fire services saw some major changes in 2017.…
• NES meeting, Marlborough  Where and when: Thursday 22 March 2018, Emergency Centre, Wither Road Extension, Blenheim. Morning tea and a light lunch is available to those registering. Meeting room open from 9.30am for…
• Mid North branch field day  Where: Gravatt's farm, 1493 Pukehuia road, Tangiteroria When: Saturday 24th March, 10.00 am Theme in the morning: "Protecting Norths erosion prone hills" January 1999 a rain storm dumped 150 mm…
• Middle Districts branch field day, March  National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry - what you need to know Where: Feilding Events centre, first floor, 10-12 Bowen Street, Feilding. When: Monday 26th March, 10.30 am - 12.00 pm…
• Growing Confidence in Forestry’s Future (GCFF) Conference, Rotorua:  Current innovations and opportunities in forest management and productivity When: Wed 4 – Fri 6 April 2018 Where: Rotorua The 5th Growing Confidence in Forestry’s Future (GCFF) conference will be held…
• Poplars and Willows for the Wairarapa Hill Country Field Day Jointly run by the Wairarapa FFA, Beef+Lamb NZ, Greater Wellington Regional Council, and the Poplar and Willow Research Trust Wednesday 6th April, 1.00pm – 5.00pm Meet at Pakaraka, nr Masterton, then on…
• International Forest Engineering conference 2018  When: 16-19 April 2018 Where: Holiday Inn Hotel, 10 Tryon St. Rotorua 6th International Forest Engineering Conference (FEC2018), for a full description please visit the FEC 2018 conference information page. Use this website to…
• NZ Wood Resene Timber Design Awards  This is New Zealand’s only Timber Design award event and allows engineers, architects, architectural designers and builders to showcase innovation using timber. Professionals worldwide are using wood in often new…

Reports (Members Area)

• Executive minutes » Executive minutes November 2017

Headlines

• Assessing the feasibility of a continuous cover forestry system for radiata pine in small-scale forests March, 2018. Wellington and Wairarapa Branches of the NZ Farm Forestry Association have received a Sustainable Farming Fund grant of $52,140 for a feasibility study to evaluate the potential for a continuous…
• Zero Carbon Act solution in planting more trees March, 2018. The Forest Owners Association says the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton, should be listened to when he says "Words need to be turned into deeds to achieve New…
• Streamlining applications for overseas ownership in New Zealand forests clarifies investment signals March, 2018. The Forest Owners Association says streamlining the application process for overseas investment in New Zealand forests is a major step forward and will make clear to potential investors that New…
• Consultation starts on fumigant for forest industry to replace methyl bromide February, 2018. A significant milestone has been reached in replacing methyl bromide as the standard fumigant for export logs and timber. The Environmental Protection  Authority has just released application details for approval…
• Billion tree planting timetable gives industry confidence February, 2018. Forest Owners say the announcement of the timetable for the government’s billion tree ten year project will give confidence that the massive afforestation is a serious proposition. The Forestry Minister…

Afforestation Grant Scheme update

Afforestation Grant Scheme 2018 funding round now open

Forestry offers a range of benefits – it can help you to invest in your family’s future, help diversify your income, improve productivity, help climate change, protect the environment and create jobs.

If you’re thinking of planting trees on your land, the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Afforestation Grant Scheme (AGS) could help. The 2018 funding round for the AGS opens today (23 February) and closes on 14 May 2018.

The AGS contributes to the Government’s One Billion Trees Programme.  Through the AGS, MPI provides grants of $1,300 a hectare for landowners to plant new small to medium-sized forests of between 5 hectares to 300 hectares.  

The purpose of the AGS is to achieve a better environment through planting new forests. Whether it be carbon absorption or reducing land erosion, the scheme is already making a real contribution.  Native or exotic trees can be planted and your application can include a mix of forest species.  A forest species is one able to grow to at least five metres in the place you have planted it.

Every application is assessed against eligibility criteria, which includes a technical forestry assessment.

If you would like to apply or for further information, head to www.mpi.govt.nz/ags.  If you would like to get in contact directly, please email funding@mpi.govt.nz

(top)

Crown Forestry joint ventures

Entering a commercial joint forestry venture with, or leasing your land to, Crown Forestry

As part of the Government’s One Billion Trees Programme, Crown Forestry is seeking land to plant.  You and your neighbours can be part of it.

Crown Forestry is offering two options:

1. Leasing your land for commercial forestry (possibly joining with your neighbours to create a viable block).
2. Partnering  in a joint forestry venture.  Crown Forestry will be your equity partner in the tree crop, but not your land.

Crown Forestry will cover all forestry establishment and management costs including rates and ongoing costs of crop protection.

You’ll receive returns either through:

• annual land rentals (inflation indexed); or
• a share of net revenue at time of harvest (“Stumpage share”); or
• a mix of both.

If you enter into the Emissions Trading Scheme, you’ll be entitled to eligible carbon credits.

For more information, including the criteria you land must meet, please check out www.mpi.govt.nz/crown-forestry

(top)

MPI incentivising forestry

Report on MPI Workshop 27th Feb. 2018

Luke Southorn and Justine Gilliland from MPI outlined the Government’s priorities with the Provincial Growth Fund and Future Investment. The PGF has $1 Billion/year in funding for the next 3 years and has a focus on economic, social, and environmental gains. It will work through three different tiers;

1. Regional Projects
2. Sector Investment (this includes the 1 Billion trees programme)
3. Enabling infrastructure.

The projects must link to the PGF outcomes, have volume, and regional stakeholders, and have good processes. Oversight will be with MPI and MBIE. A couple already mentioned are investigation of a wood processing centre in Gisborne and a totara industry pilot for Northland. These projects can be initiated from the regions or by Central Government.

Re the billion trees in ten years, MPI envisage this being a combined effort guided by three dictums; the right tree, in the right place, for the right reason. A big emphasis is on creating jobs and boosting regions. MPI is working on how to best incentivise the new planting in addition to the Crown Forestry initiative. A report is due in June. Five current programmes that may be enhanced to play a part are;

1. AGS Afforestation Grant Scheme – applications opened early, $6.5 m. available this year, would like it oversubscribed.
2. ECFP Erosion Control Funding Programme – specific to Gisborne area.
3. HCE Hill County Erosion Programme – currently jointly funded by central & regional govts in NI.
4. PFSI Permanent Forest Scheme Initiative
5. ETS Emissions Trading Scheme

It is still difficult to get a grasp on how MPI is restructuring. Forestry NZ will be a branded business unit within MPI with Judy Collins as interim head reporting to Ben Dalton. More to emerge in second part of 2018. Hopefully they can create simpler titles than “Senior Regulatory Analyst-Spatial, Forestry, and Land Management.”

Emily Geck gave a power point presentation on Afforestation Outreach and Extension. This built on pilot workshops ran last year that sought to understand the barriers to landowners; planting trees on farms, accessing funding, and entering carbon schemes. The general finding from those workshops was a lack of widespread knowledge with landowners on the funding schemes and the ETS and how they could work for farmers. Case studies were the most commonly requested tool so MPI is developing four of these for:

1. Single age class less than 100ha forest;
2. Multiple age class less than 100 ha;
3. Permanent Forest – revegetating indigenous;
4. Large scale – more than 100 ha. Forest.

All these will consider carbon income and liabilities and risks and the experience of participants in the schemes.

So MPI is building its resources, increasing engagement with landowners, enhancing relationships with councils and industry, exploring catchment and regional opportunities, all towards really driving tree planting from 2019 onwards. They have not yet decided whether they will have a team of regional extension officers to deliver the message or contract advisors. Either way FFA will have an important role in providing support and examples of how trees on farms can work.

Neil Cullen

(top)

Up to NZ $180 million for tree planting

Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says up to NZ$180 million of his new NZ$3 billion fund will end up being spent on his plan to plant one billion trees over the next 10 years - and it could see some Landcorp farms converted to forestry. 

He said after the Budget in May the new Forestry Service, to be located in Rotorua, would be established. That would have its own budget line and up to NZ$180 million would go into trees. 

He warned it could take some time for the tree planting programme to ramp up. About half the trees would be planted by commercial forestry operators as part of their usual business. The other half would be a mix of Crown planting, community organisations and the Department of Conservation planting native trees. 

Jones plans to use Landcorp land for forestry - and Jones would not rule out some Landcorp land converting from dairy or other activities for the tree planting. He said that was up to the Landcorp Board, but he believed there were too many eggs in one basket. 

"And I think that Landcorp is not only a farming enterprise, it's a land use enterprise. As we roll our climate change ... I think Landcorp has every capacity to play its role as New Zealand's best farmer. If that involves forestry, it gets a big fat tick from me." 

Source: nzherald

(top)