See also:

• Health and safety best practice guides:
• Treefelling
• Breaking Out
• NZ Forest Road Engineering manual
• New Zealand Forest Road Engineering Manual (pdf, updated February 2020)
• New Zealand Forest Road Engineering Manual (mobile friendly version)
• Operators guide (mobile friendly version)
• A National Industry Standard for Sustainable Plantation Forest Management (2005).

Earthworks Construction

• 1.1 Earthworks Construction – Planning and Design
• 1.2 Earthworks Construction – Clearing and Stripping
• 1.3 Earthworks Construction – Bulk Earthworks
• 1.4 Earthworks Construction – Fill Construction and Compaction

Erosion and Sediment Control Measures

• 2.1 Erosion and Sediment Control Measures – Water Tables
• 2.2 Erosion and Sediment Control Measures – Cut-outs
• 2.3 Erosion and Sediment Control Measures – Berms
• 2.4 Erosion and Sediment Control Measures – Road Drainage (Stormwater) Culverts
• 2.5 Erosion and Sediment Control Measures – Flumes
• 2.6 Erosion and Sediment Control Measures – Sediment Traps and Soak Holes
• 2.7 Erosion and Sediment Control Measures – Silt Fences
• 2.8 Erosion and Sediment Control Measures – Sediment Retention Ponds

Crossings

• 3.1 Crossings – Battery Culvert River Crossings
• 3.2 Crossings – Drift Deck River Crossings
• 3.3 Crossings – Ford Crossings
• 3.4 Crossings – Single Culvert River Crossings
• 3.5 Crossings – Single Span River Bridge Crossings
• 3.6 Crossings – Temporary Crossings

Tracks

• 4.1 Tracks – Track Construction and Use
• 4.2 Tracks – Track Rehabilitation

Vegetation to Manage Erosion

• 5.1 Vegetation to Manage Erosion – Grassing
• 5.2 Vegetation to Manage Erosion – Hydroseeding
• 5.3 Vegetation to Manage Erosion – Mulch
• 5.4 Vegetation to Manage Erosion – Slash

Harvest Slash

• 6.1 Harvest Slash – Managing Processing Slash on Landings
• 6.2 Harvest Slash – Managing Cut-Over Slash on High Risk Slopes
• 6.3 Harvest Slash – Managing Slash in and around Rivers
• 6.4 Harvest Slash – Slash Traps

• Harvesting Innovation Workshops
  G. West and J. Schrider, December 2019 (Access: unrestricted)
  From six workshops on harvesting innovation of small-scale forests, we have gained some very useful insights into recent developments. We have also updated a key group of levy stakeholders on…
• Report: Small-scale Grower Harvest costs and returns
  Graham West, June 2019 (Access: unrestricted)
  A previous survey of small-scale forest owners (SSFO) interests (reported in May 2017 Tree Grower) clearly showed a strong interest for more information around the harvesting and marketing segment of…
• Report: An alternative to clear-felling radiata pine
  Mark Bloomberg, Eric Cairns, Denny Du, Harriet Palmer and Chris Perry, February 2019 (Access: unrestricted)
  Background to the project Members of the project team all have a long-held interest in continuous cover forestry systems. In 2018 we obtained funding from the MPI Sustainable Farming Fund…
• When to harvest - That's the million dollar question
  November 2017 (Access: unrestricted)
  Determining the best time to harvest your woodlot can often feel like gazing into a crystal ball. We all know that the wood market can be volatile and naturally we…
• Are you harvest-ready?
  November 2017 (Access: unrestricted)
  Why being able to press go whenever you like is the smartest position to be in... If your forest is over 20 years old, you should be thinking about getting…
• What is the best way to sell my forest?
  November 2017 (Access: unrestricted)
  There is a lot of debate about the best way for forest owners to sell their trees/wood. The reality is that more than 90% of such sales in New Zealand…
• Forest Harvesting Engineering – making it work for you
  November 2017 (Access: unrestricted)
  Q1. I’ve got some gear – should I be building the roads and landings? Some forest owners like the idea of using their own gear, or friends or family to…
• Timber Harvesting in New Zealand
  Rien Visser, NZ School of Forestry, December 2016 (Access: unrestricted)
  Plantation forests occupy about 7% of the NZ land area and forestry and logging employ about 7,000 people directly. About 50,000 ha., or 25 million m3, is harvested each year.…
• Radiata harvesting
  Nick Kingsford, Northland Forest Managers, September 2014 (Access: unrestricted)
  Optimal time line to prepare for harvest: 2 years before harvest - begin the resource consent process (required if moving more than 5,000m3 of soil) 12-18 months before harvest -…

• Alternative harvesting systems (Access: NZFFA membership)
  Roger May, November 2021
  Small-scale low impact forest harvesting is rare in New Zealand. Mainstream industry is almost entirely based on a clear-cutting regime. Clear-cutting is common because it is the most economical harvesting…
• Is the harvesting company doing an honest job? (Access: NZFFA membership)
  Ian Smith, November 2021
  This article is written as a guide in response to the article ‘Retirement nest-egg hopes dashed as forest harvest leaves costly mess’ published in June on the Stuff website. A…
• Continuous cover forest harvesting in action (Access: NZFFA membership)
  Nick Ledgard, August 2021
  Many readers will have visited Woodside and be familiar with the sustainable management and harvesting being practised in the beech forests. Woodside is the 120-hectare property of John and Rosalie…
• Logs on trains instead of roads (Access: NZFFA membership)
  Alan Piper, August 2021
  New Zealand’s peak ‘wall of wood’ is expected to be reached during the next 15 to 20 years. Over that period KiwiRail wants to increase its valued role in keeping…
• Why alternatives to clear felling harvests should be seriously considered (Access: unrestricted)
  Mark Bloomberg, May 2021
  New Zealand currently harvests about 37 million cubic metres of logs a year. About 99 per cent of this harvest volume is from clear felling harvests, with approximately one per…
• TreeFarmer to help with woodlot harvest decisions (Access: unrestricted)
  Graham West, May 2021
  TreeFarmer is the latest of a series of levy-funded projects aimed at improving a small-scale forest grower’s woodlot harvesting experience.  TreeFarmer does this by raising the grower’s awareness of the problems and decisions they…
• A forwarding solution for harvesting small forests (Access: unrestricted)
  John Schrider and Jack Palmer, May 2021
  In the February Tree Grower we reported on a harvesting system using a Valtra agricultural tractor with a log trailer driven by power take-off. The second system evaluated is a harvesting…
• Lessons for owners of forests on erosion-prone land (Access: unrestricted)
  Hamish Levack, February 2021
  In 1970 a report was published of the technical committee of inquiry into the problems of the Poverty Bay and East Cape District called Wise Land Use and Community Development,…
• Transitioning from pine to mixed species continuous cover forestry (Access: unrestricted)
  Chris and Harry Livesey, February 2021
  Chris and Harry Livesey are a father and son team. Chris planted the forest in 1993 and is planning to harvest the pine component some time in 2021. Then Harry…
• A forwarding solution for small-scale forest growers (Access: unrestricted)
  John Schrider & Jack Palmer, February 2021
  A project to find some solutions to the challenges of small-scale forest grower harvesting is underway, led by members of the NZFFA. One element of this project is an evaluation of…
• Continuous cover forestry (Access: unrestricted)
  Rachel Rose, November 2019
  There is a lot of erosion prone land in the Manawatu-Whanganui region, plenty of existing forestry and like other parts of the country, growing and organised opposition to the conversion…
• Selection harvesting of radiata pine (Access: unrestricted)
  John Wardle, November 2019
  Judging by the number of articles which have appeared in the February and May issues of the Tree Grower, there is obviously a certain amount of interest in selective harvesting…
• Results of survey for small-scale forest harvesting (Access: unrestricted)
  Graham West, August 2019
  This project was aimed at improving the knowledge and investment experience of small-scale forest owners during the harvesting phase. The research used input from farm foresters and harvesting management consultants over…
• A new phase of science innovation (Access: unrestricted)
  Russell Dale and Harriet Palmer, May 2019
  Contributing to a low-carbon future for New Zealand, boosting forest productivity and health, reducing environmental impacts and improving worker skills and safety, are all behind a new science innovation strategy…
• Target diameter harvesting – beyond the transition (Access: unrestricted)
  Howard Moore, May 2019
  The short paper on target diameter harvesting in February’s Tree Grower was supplemented by the excellent field day at Tinui Forest Park in the Wairarapa, where around 45 people turned…
• Harvesting a forest of 22 to 23-year-old trees (Access: unrestricted)
  Graham Milligan, May 2019
  Like all keen farm foresters, we have planted our share of trees over the years. This has included several blocks of forestry species dominated by radiata pine. Having harvested a…
• Small-scale harvest near Upper Hutt (Access: unrestricted)
  Eric Cairns, May 2019
  As many of you will know, I have been experimenting and advocating for continuous cover forestry for many years. Recently I chaired the NZFFA group looking at the economics of…
• Can target diameter harvesting work in radiata pine plantations in the lower North Island? (Access: unrestricted)
  Mark Bloomberg, Eric Cairns, Denny Du, Harriet Palmer and Chris Perry, February 2019
  In March 2018 a team of continuous cover forestry enthusiasts embarked on a feasibility study. It was funded by the Sustainable Farming Fund and was to investigate the potential for…
• New automatic coupler will cut harvesting costs for owners of small forests (Access: unrestricted)
  Keith Raymond and Harriet Palmer, February 2019
  A new harvesting tool – the automatic quick coupler – is almost ready for commercial use. It has been developed as part of the Steepland Harvesting Programme, and is particularly…
• A straight-forward woodlot harvest (Access: unrestricted)
  Neil Cullen, August 2018
  When we took over management of the family farm at Glenomaru, South Otago in 1991 there were 45 hectares of established radiata pine woodlots. This, and the considerable potential for…
• Continuous cover forestry feasibility study (Access: unrestricted)
  Harriet Palmer, August 2018
  Continuous cover forestry involves regular harvesting small areas or individual trees which then avoids clear-felling. An NZFFA and Sustainable Farming Fund project to investigate the feasibility of a specific continuous…
• Do not let harvesting mishaps paint a false picture of forestry (Access: unrestricted)
  Nick Ledgard, August 2018
  I recently wrote an article for our branch newsletter about forests on the move. This focused on the so-called window of vulnerability, a period of about six years after a…
• A three phase harvest on the sand (Access: unrestricted)
  Richard Weldon, May 2018
  I recently completed harvesting my forest at Waikawa Beach near Otaki north of Wellington, with some pleasing results. The terrain is rolling to steep sand dunes, interspersed with swampy gullies.…
• Challenges and opportunities for harvesting New Zealand’s farm forest blocks (Access: unrestricted)
  Kristopher Brown, February 2018
  For the owner of a small-scale forest or woodlot who is preparing to harvest there are many points to consider. These can include financial returns, health and safety, environmental protection,…
• Logging day demonstration (Access: unrestricted)
  Julian Bateson, February 2018
  On the last day of the conference was an extra field visit to Greenock Forest. This was a demonstration day about harvesting research work funded predominantly by the levy. Woody…
• Harvesting rules in the National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry (Access: unrestricted)
  Elizabeth Heeg, November 2017
  This article provides an overview of harvesting activities in the National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry. It is not intended to be used as guidance or as a replacement for…
• Evolution or revolution in harvesting? (Access: unrestricted)
  Keith Raymond, November 2017
  As many small-scale growers prepare to plan to harvest their forests and woodlots planted in the 1990s, there is a quiet revolution being planned in how harvesting these forests on…
• When to harvest: The challenge of decision making (Access: unrestricted)
  Allan Laurie, August 2017
  At this year’s Fielding conference I was approached by a number of people all who had similar questions to ask. These revolved around pressure being applied by forestry companies to…
• Wensleydale 2016 woodlot harvest of an agro-forestry block (Access: unrestricted)
  Nick Seymour, May 2017
  We planted three agro-forestry woodlots with trees at a spacing of ten by eight metres equivalent to 150 trees a hectare. The first woodlot was planted in 1986 with GF…
• A harvest result to confound the experts (Access: unrestricted)
  Malcolm Mackenzie, February 2017
  Many forestry experts frequently speak or write of the need for scale to create good returns. They emphasise that to cover the costs of roading, skid preparation, and harvesting we…
• Harvesting a small woodlot: Trials, tribulations and lessons (Access: unrestricted)
  Gavin Adlam, November 2016
  In 2015 we engaged a contractor to harvest our small block of pines – approximately 2.5 hectares – on our six hectare block. The trees were planted in about 1994…
• A bridge too far (Access: unrestricted)
  Neil Cullen, February 2016
  In late 2012 we started to make preparations for constructing a crossing capable of carrying fully laden logging trucks over the main waterway, the Glenomaru Stream, which bisects our property.…
• Levy funded Transportation Committee (Access: unrestricted)
  John Robinson, November 2015
  The Transportation Committee has a work programme to complete on behalf of the wider levy paying community. This programme aims to represent the interests of all forest growers in matters…
• The CutoverCam hauler (Access: unrestricted)
  Paul Milliken, November 2014
  The CutoverCam is a new hauler system which provides improved vision of the working area for the hauler operator. It helps to improve safety and increase productivity by giving the…
• New harvesting technology for a safer future - Challenges of harvesting steep land (Access: unrestricted)
  Keith Raymond, November 2014
  The large areas of forest planted in the 1990s, now aged 15 to 21 years, are expected to reach harvesting age from 2018 onwards. As harvesting increasingly moves into these…
• Harvesting a private woodlot (Access: unrestricted)
  Darrin Collett, May 2014
  This article focuses on harvesting and marketing a woodlot at Kaukapakapa, north of Auckland. During my 23 years of experience in forestry I have found that harvesting and marketing private…
• After the harvest (Access: unrestricted)
  Graeme Flett, November 2013
  Congratulations. You have waited a long time for your harvest, but before you go off to spend the profits there are some things to consider. The first is what the…
• Harvest surprise (Access: unrestricted)
  Malcolm Mackenzie, August 2013
  We have recently harvested a woodlot planted in 1989. The planting regime chosen was as a result of a Waitomo branch farm forestry branch trip to the Bay of Plenty…
• A Wellington Regional Council perspective on harvesting (Access: unrestricted)
  Christina Schierlitz, February 2013
  Regional councils in New Zealand have a responsibility to look after the natural resources in their districts. This includes land, water, air, soil, minerals, energy, plants and animals. Harvesting trees…
• What to do when that arrangement with your contractor turns sour (Access: unrestricted)
  John Schrider, February 2013
  All farm foresters reach a point in their tree growing when they must decide to cut all emotional ties they have with the woodlot they have carefully established and nurtured…
• Harvesting mature macrocarpa – never judge a book by its cover (Access: unrestricted)
  Allan Laurie, February 2013
  This case study reviews a recent harvest project involving 17 mature macrocarpa trees harvested in south Canterbury. It is very much a story of being aware of what you are…
• Time to harvest that woodlot? (Access: unrestricted)
  Jeremy Waldegrave, February 2013
  Harvesting a farm woodlot is often the finale to years of input and interest given to your block of trees. The planning, the harvesting and marketing of your woodlot is…
• Once in a lifetime harvest of your woodlot (Access: unrestricted)
  Matt Hanna, November 2012
  Forestry is a long-term crop that gives forest owners the luxury of timing the harvest. However unlike most other crops, once the harvest is complete there is no next season,…
• Preparation for harvesting (Access: unrestricted)
  Ken Stephens, November 2012
  Quite a few years ago I was asked by a farm forester what the most important thing was when selling a woodlot. That really had me thinking for a while,…
• Increase profitability of harvesting - small-scale forests on steep terrain (Access: unrestricted)
  Keith Raymond, November 2012
  There are many challenges facing the forest industry due to decisions taken in the past. In the 1980s and 1990s the plantation forests in New Zealand increased significantly. Many areas…
• My trees have grown up – what should I do? (Access: unrestricted)
  Peter Gresham, November 2012
  This article is aimed at foresters who are contemplating managing their own harvesting and marketing. It is not advice about how to proceed or when to sell, rather it is…
• Harvesting radiata pine at Tinui (Access: unrestricted)
  Harriet Palmer, November 2011
  In April 2011 we harvested a 1.5 hectare block of 1985 radiata pine. The block was planted by previous owners of the land under guidance of Wellington Regional Council, and…
• Continuous cover forestry (Access: unrestricted)
  Ian Barton, May 2009
  Continuous cover forestry is the management of forests using ecological principles which are patterned on natural processes so that the forest canopy is always maintained at one or more levels…
• Continuous cover forestry: Management practice (Access: unrestricted)
  Ian Barton, May 2006
  This is the second and final part of the article on continuous cover forestry. The first part was published in the November 2005 issue of the Tree Grower. Establishing the…
• Continuous cover forestry - an introduction (Access: unrestricted)
  Ian Barton, November 2005
  This article covers the basic principles of continuous cover forestry. The second part, due to be published in the February Tree Grower, will deal with establishment, silviculture and harvesting. Continuous…
• Log value recovery in a woodlot context (Access: unrestricted)
  Andy Dick, May 2005
  Commercial forest owners and forestry research organisations have over the years attempted to maximise returns by developing tools, processes and disciplines called log value recovery. If you have a good…

• Steepland harvesting in Northland: Dean Satchell's blog, June 26, 2018
  Innovation always interests me. Some innovations become lost to time while others become the next step in evolution and lead to greater things. Often they are just a minor tweak to the…
• Selective harvesting our indigenous forests: Wink Sutton's Blog, November 19, 2017
  Indigenous forests are living ecosystems. In untended indigenous forests the total standing volume usually only varies by a small amount. Although old trees die, fall over and rot on the…
• Introduction to Continuous Cover Forestry: Eric Cairn's Blog, April 25, 2016
  Introduction The Wellington branch intends to run a series of articles and field days on Continuous Cover Forestry. Government policies, particularly in regard to Permanent Forest Sink Initiatives and in…
• Not all doom and gloom for alternative species: John Fairweather's blog, December 23, 2015
  The last issues of the North Canterbury branch newsletter covered some interesting issues associated with growing and harvesting alternative species. Two points stuck out to me. One was that there…
• Bare Hill's Hauler logging: John Purey-Cust Ponders, August 13, 2014
  A little while ago I went on a field trip to look at a logging operation at Bare Hill, a high and miserable pine plantation on the top of the…

• Trees for steep erosion prone land report released August 2018
  A report on alternative plantation forest species is now available on the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association website detailing the characteristics of a wide variety of tree species that are…
• Forest owners vow to deal with forest harvest slash June 2018
  Forest Owners say the industry is focused on measures to make sure a repeat of the recent floods transporting harvest debris out of forests and into Tolaga Bay isn’t repeated…
• Forest industry reputation damaged by mobilisation of forest harvest residues May 2018
  The successful prosecution of a forest management company by the Marlborough District Council has been endorsed by the Forest Owners Association. Merrill and Ring has been fined $39,000 and ordered…
• Forest industry backing judgment against forest companies April 2018
  Forest industry associations are supporting penalties imposed in the District Court against Bay of Plenty forest owner Whitikau Holdings and two harvesting contractors. The companies pleaded guilty to charges laid…
• 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 for a feasibility study to evaluate the potential for a continuous cover forestry system…
• National Environmental Standard a step up and forward for plantation forestry August 2017
  Forest Owners say the introduction of a National Environmental Standard for Plantation Forestry is vitally needed for better environmental outcomes. The government has just released the NES, to bring in…
• Timber Harvesting in New Zealand: A guide for Small Scale Forest Landowners February 2017
  This information resource has been produced by NZFFA with growers levy funding and is the first in a series of web-based information pages to be produced for growers. Timber Harvesting…
• Forest industry’s challenge to manage supply fluctuations August 2016
  The pan forest and timber processing industry organisation, the New Zealand Wood Council (Woodco) says there is a supply challenge for many regions in the domestic processing industry. Woodco Chair,…
• Council forestry rules a mishmash September 2015
  A forest owners’ spokesman says council rules for forestry are a mishmash which vary from district to district without good cause. Often they are also more stringent for forests than…
• Growing Confidence in Forestry’s Future (GCFF) Research Programme July 2015
  Updating you with the latest research from the programme Identifying the forest productivity gap, improved management of soil resources and efforts to study water quality in forested areas are a…
• National Environmental Standard –Plantation Forestry June 2015
  The NZ Farm Forestry Association is heartened to see that the proposed NES for Plantation Forestry was released for public consultation in Rotorua yesterday by the Dr Nick Smith, Minister…
• Forest standard will make it easier to be green June 2015
  Forest owners say they are thrilled that a National Environmental Standard (NES) for Plantation Forestry is within sight. Environment minister Nick Smith and associate primary industries minister Jo Goodhew announced…
• What science is the forest levy providing farm foresters? April 2015
  Growing Confidence in Forestry’s Future (GCFF) Research Programme: At the recent GCFF conference a wide array of results with direct relevance to farm foresters were presented by the scientists working…
• Media release: Remote controlled tree felling trial shows promise August 2014
  A successful trial in remote controlled tree felling could lead to significant advances in the safety of forestry harvesting operations. The trial was completed by the Steepland Harvesting programme—a partnership…