Trees for Biomass/Energy
- Light my fire (Access: unrestricted)
Hamish Levack, February 2019
During a field day at the Hokitika conference in 2016 we heard about the value of growing some trees for firewood, a concept which was at odds with those growing…
- Growing a bio-fuelled New Zealand (Access: unrestricted)
Michelle Harnett, May 2018
Put a tree into the tank of your tractor, or truck, or even your private jet. Large-scale biofuel production and use in New Zealand is within our grasp, if we…
- Consequences of the current fall in energy prices (Access: unrestricted)
Wink Sutton, May 2015
On 17 December 2014 the New Zealand ethical investment company Prometheus collapsed and was put into receivership. The company invested in renewable energy areas such as bioenergy, solar and wind…
- The need for fuel wood (Access: unrestricted)
Wink Sutton, November 2014
On a recent cruise we visited several countries in the Middle East including India and Egypt. As a forester I was well aware of the absence of trees but very…
- Developing a wood energy industry in Central Otago (Access: unrestricted)
Rhys Millar, August 2014
Wood energy for heating has been around for a long time and most New Zealanders will be familiar with drying and storing wood for winter, preparing and starting the fire,…
- Realising the opportunities for biofuels and bioproducts (Access: unrestricted)
Peter Morgan, August 2012
The one-day conference I attended was mainly about bringing together as many existing and potential stakeholders in all areas of bio-activity as they relate to the forest industry sector. Presentations…
- Bioenergy demonstration planting, Bay of Plenty (Access: unrestricted)
Ian Nicholas and Kevin Snowdon, May 2011
As part of a Sustainable Farming Fund project evaluating willow as a feedstock for ethanol production in the Taupo area, a demonstration planting was established in 2006 on Whakapoungakau Lands…
- Hardwood in effluent schemes (Access: unrestricted)
Ian Nicholas, Angus Gordon, Stephen Pearce and Marie Heaphy, November 2010
The treatment of waste water is of increasing value to land managers, local councils and small communities in New Zealand. Trees have been used for waste water treatment at various…
- Willow biomass in the Taupo region (Access: unrestricted)
Ian Nicholas, Kevin Snowdon and Ian McIvor, November 2010
The growth of shrub willows have been investigated for bioenergy and as a biopolymer resource in the Taupo area since 2004. Background information and some results have been presented in…
- Energy farming with willow near Taupo (Access: unrestricted)
Ian McIvor, Ian Nicholas and Kevin Snowdon, February 2009
The end of cheap oil now is a reality and there is growing evidence of the connection between climate change and carbon emissions’, wrote David Wright, chairman of the New…
- Forest residues for bioenergy (Access: unrestricted)
Peter Hall, November 2007
After forest harvesting there is inevitably material left behind that is not suitable for selling as logs. Rather than leave this to rot, there are a number of ways in…
- Short rotation coppice willow as low carbon bioenergy farming (Access: unrestricted)
Ian McIvor, November 2007
Bioenergy is not new. Before the invention of the steam engine and internal combustion engine society was dependent on horsepower of a different kind − the real horsepower. Horses needed biofuel…
- Biofuel from biomass – a future opportunity? (Access: unrestricted)
Rick Swan, November 2006
Apart from a brief respite in the price of oil in recent months, the price has generally been escalating. There is reason to believe that peak oil production has been…
- Transitioning to a low carbon energy future: Brian Cox's Blog, June 27, 2019
The talk of transitioning to a low carbon energy future seems to be more about continuing the status quo rather than actually having a transformation. It seems also to be…
- Christchurch hospital will soon be using biomass fuel: Brian Cox's Blog, March 11, 2019
The decision by the Canterbury District Health Board and the Government to install two biomass fuelled boilers at Christchurch hospital to replace the existing coal fuelled boilers demonstrates the increasing…
- Residues as fuel: Brian Cox's Blog, February 18, 2019
The decision by the Government of British Columbia to introduce policy reforms which require greater added value processing of wood within Canada, rather than export of unprocessed logs, shows that…
- Biomass as energy: Rik Deaton's Blog, September 05, 2016
I have a strong interest in the biomass-as-energy-source sector of renewable energy generation and I see it as inevitable that this country’s incomprehensible barriers to uptake will shortly be torn…
- New strategies for expansion of the bioenergy and biofuels market: Brian Cox's Blog, August 17, 2016
Recent work to identify the amount of greenhouse gas emission reductions that the bioenergy sector could contribute to achievement of the Paris climate change emission reduction targets has shown that…
- Bioenergy opportunities for New Zealand's future energy needs
Bioenergy Association (Press release),
September 2010 (Access: unrestricted)
Within 30 years, more than a quarter of New Zealand's energy needs and nearly a third of our transport fuels could come from energy crops and materials that are currently…
- Govt now needs to focus on its Energy Efficiency Strategy June 2017
The Bioenergy Association says it’s pleased the Government’s refresh of the New Zealand Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy (NZEECS) focuses on the heat and transport opportunities available across New Zealand…
- Energy from wood is good for NZ and the climate
Scion, August 2018
- Bioenergy options for New Zealand: Research and development strategy
Jack, M. and P. Hall (2009).
- Wood energy, EECA business
- Energy Farming with Willow in New Zealand
Snowdon, K., McIvor, I., & Nicholas, I. (2010).
SFF project report reviewing the potential for willow grown for biomass as a farm crop, especially around Lake Taupo.
- Bioenergy from sustainable forestry: Principles and practice. Proceedings of IEA Bioenergy Task 18 Workshop, 16-20 October, 2000, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia
FRI Bulletin No. 223, Richardson, J., R. Bjorheden, P. Hakkila, A. T. Lowe and C. T. Smith (2000)
- Developing systems for integrating bioenergy into environmentally sustainable forestry: Proceedings of the International Energy Agency, Bioenergy Agreement Task 18, 7-11 September 1998, Nokia, Finland
FRI Bulletin No. 211, Lowe, A. T. and C. T. Smith (1999).
- The firewood venture: Planning, execution, evaluation
FRI Bulletin No. 137. Shula, R. G., A. E. Hay and G. L. Tarlton, 1993
Farm Forestry - Headlines
Article archive »
- Wilding Conifers - A legacy issue that needs continued, collaborative management
Sunday, October 29, 2023
Forest owners welcome the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s (PCE) acknowledgement that the presence of wilding conifers across New Zealand is largely a legacy issue, but caution against placing costs…
- Stock take of the commercially viable alternatives to Pinus radiata
Tuesday, October 03, 2023
Scion has published a “Stock Take of the Commercially Viable Alternatives to Pinus Radiata” for MPI, which reviews alternative species, their expected growth rates, climatic range, resilience to pests or…
- SNA regulations 'confusing ecological naivety'
Thursday, July 06, 2023
Forest Owners say the just released National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity (NPSIB) is a classic bureaucratic formula of confusing ecological naivety which will not help rare species and likely…
- Primary sector leadership not addressing economics as the real climate change issue
Tuesday, July 04, 2023
The immediate past president of the Farm Forestry Association (NZFFA) says the leaders of the primary sector and government are ineffectively tinkering with lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Graham West says the…
- Forest Owners hail ‘Biosecurity Hero’
Monday, May 22, 2023
The Forest Owners Association and Scion want more people to report suspicious imported wood products which might be infested with introduced wood and forest pests. FOA Biosecurity Manager, Brendan Gould,…
- Ministerial inquiry could have widespread implications for Tairawhiti community
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
The New Zealand Institute of Forestry says the just announced Tairawhiti land use inquiry is recommending measures which will stop the very activities which are vital for the region’s recovery.…
- Tairawhiti land use inquiry not addressing wider issues
Sunday, May 14, 2023
The Forest Owners Association says the Ministerial Inquiry into landuse in Tarawhiti has a core of practical recommendations, but has not addressed some more difficult and fundamental issues. President, Grant…
- Forest Owners say carbon-only forestry should be kept off productive land
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
The Forest Owners Association would like to see production forestry and farming on productive land – rather than this land used for carbon-only forests. It says this should be a…
- Opportunities from Trees Workshops - NZ Wide
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
The NZ Farm Forestry Association (NZFFA) is running 18 extension workshops in May and June with a target audience of landowners, or people with access to land, who are potential tree…
- Forest Owners back more trees for Tairawhiti
Sunday, April 16, 2023
The Forest Owners Association has told the Ministerial Inquiry into land use in Tairāwhiti, that the region’s future has to include more trees for land stability. But it appreciates forest…
- Small scale woodlot owners have their say in Tairawhiti Land use Inquiry
Sunday, April 02, 2023
he outgoing President of the Farm Forestry Association says it has been vital for farm foresters to directly address the Ministerial Inquiry into forestry and other land use in Tairāwhiti.…
- Future forests need to be multifunctional to meet climate change in Tairawhiti
Thursday, March 16, 2023
The Farm Forestry Association says the just convened Ministerial Inquiry, into land-use across Tairāwhiti, needs to look closely at the tree options for shoring up vulnerable farm and former forest land in…
- Hill country farming campaign shows they think climate change is someone else’s problem
Thursday, March 09, 2023
The Forest Owners Association says the latest campaign against forestry, led by Beef+Lamb New Zealand and 50 Shades of Green, is climate change responsibility denial, and is dangerous in the…
- Forest Owners says two months too brief to look into the complex land issues in Tairawhiti.
Thursday, February 23, 2023
The Forest Owners Association says the two month long inquiry into land use in Tairāwhiti doesn’t give enough time or depth to find solutions. The Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins has…
- Forest Owners want genetic technology approved
Thursday, February 16, 2023
The Forest Owners Organisation says New Zealand needs to concentrate on the safety of genetic technology on a case-by-case basis rather than persisting with blanket bans. The FOA wants approval…
- Fieldays Forestry Hub to demonstrate that forestry is a solution
Monday, November 28, 2022
A range of solutions to farmers’ current problems will be on display in the Fieldays Forestry Hub near Hamilton between 30 November and 3 December, says Farm Forestry Association president,…
- Innovative uses of forestry and wood products unveiled at Fieldays
Thursday, November 24, 2022
New and innovative uses of forestry and wood products will be on display at 35 stands in the Fieldays Forestry Hub near Hamilton between 30 November and 3 December, including…
- Pine conspiracy needs reality check
Thursday, November 10, 2022
Farm Foresters are saying journalists and commentators need to educate themselves about the reality of plantation forestry. The FFA President, Graham West says ‘Frequent anti-pine rants on Newstalk ZB and…
- Farming’s forestry hysteria
Sunday, October 30, 2022
Beef &Lamb NZ and Federated Farmers media release on recent results of an opinion survey on forestry offset adds to the misuse of information that’s building alarm and public hysteria…
- Foresters ask James Shaw if the government wants more trees or not
Tuesday, October 11, 2022
Foresters are saying a suggestion by Climate Change Minister James Shaw to centralise buying carbon credits in central government, and decoupling the Emissions Trading Scheme from forestry, is a message…
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