Neil Cullen, Glen Omaru Valley, Balclutha, South Otago branch July 2014
Neil Cullen describes his award-winning farm which includes sheep and beef enterprises, plantation forestry and native forest. Neil stresses the importance of good planning for successful forestry ventures, particularly thinking…
Eoin Garden, Avenel Station, Central Otago branch July 2014
The Garden family farm this 2000 hectare hill to high country station, producing sheep, beef, and venison. Some 200 ha is now planted as shelterbelts and woodlots with shelter a…
Donald Gordon, Crofthead, Milton, South Otago branch July 2014
Forty hectares of trees have been established on this Otago sheep and beef farm. Key species are radiata pine, macrocarpa and Douglas fir. The earliest plantings (planted in 1981) are…
Dennis Larsen, Clutha, South Otago branch July 2014
Dennis Larsen describes his large-scale sheep and beef unit in South Otago. trees were originally planted for erosion control, shade and shelter, and then timber production - some 92 hectares…
Alan Roulston, Hillend, South Otago branch July 2014
A 400-hectare rolling farm with sheep, cattle, outdoor pigs and cropping. Trees have been planted in riparian zones, for shelter, timber, wildlife, fruit and nuts, and aesthetics. Stock management, animal…
Ken Stephens, Balclutha, South Otago branch July 2014
Ken Stephens describes how, as a second-generation farm forester, he has carried on where his father Vic left off. The Stephens are now harvesting continuously so receiving a steady income…
Bill Wise, Balclutha, South Otago branch July 2014
Bill Wise has been planting trees for timber and shelter on his sheep and beef farm for 50 years on poorer, gorse-infested areas. He is now into the second rotation…
Field Day at Millligan's Property, Dipton August 2022
A cold and windy afternoon greeted us as we gathered at Graham Milligan’s woolshed to hear about his current eucalyptus logging. 18 attendees listened to the first guest speaker, Greg…
South Island Farm Forester of the Year 2020 - Scott McKenzie (Access: unrestricted)
February 2021
It is Scott’s name on the award for farm forestry at Pineview in South Otago but it is very much a family enterprise. The farm is run by Colin and…
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,…
Bell Vue with Steve Robertson (Access: unrestricted)
Doug Lane, February 2013
This is one of the field day reports from the 2012 Balclutha conference. Alighting from the bus on the edge of Lawrence township we were reminded of the gold-mining history…
The gilded lily of Tuapeka West (Access: unrestricted)
Dennys Guild, August 2012
The road to Mark and Marjorie Hay’s farm, called Glenayr Farm, is very inappropriately called Athenaeum Road. Athenaeum is one of those odd words borrowed from the Romans by the…
Verterburn Station (Access: unrestricted)
James Barton, August 2012
On Friday 13 April four busloads of attendees of the conference visited Verterburn Station, where they were hosted by Robert, Jill and Andrew Reid. Located about 25 km west of…
Singing the Cullen song (Access: unrestricted)
Nick Ledgard, August 2012
While returning to Telford in the bus after a dinner during the recent conference in Balclutha, we sang songs and told jokes. With due respect to the fine voices of…
Conference visit to Chardale (Access: unrestricted)
Chester Holmes, August 2012
Chardale is a gem of a property at Hillend just north of Balclutha – and the South Pole. Owned by Allan Roulston, it has been in the family since 1919,…
Husqvarna South Island Farm Foresters of the Year 2011 - Neil and Pam Cullen (Access: unrestricted)
Ian Jackson, May 2011
New Zealand has numerous isolated valleys which are farmed to varying degrees, and have tremendous potential for forest development. One such valley is the Glenomaru Valley in South Otago, 25…
Nothing fancy, nothing wasted (Access: unrestricted)
Neil Cullen, February 2011
Ron and Carol Alderton, along with sons Bruce and David and his partner Paula, were the Supreme winners of the Ballance Environment Awards for Otago for 2010. The family were…
Calder Stewart Industries forestry (Access: unrestricted)
Bruce Stewart, February 2011
The forestry division of construction and development company Calder Stewart Industries is the largest private forest owner in the Otago region. As company co-founder I was keenly interested in farm…
Skilbister forest farm (Access: unrestricted)
Graeme and Joy Flett, February 2011
Skilbister, named after the Orkney Island farm where the family originate, was taken up by Henry Flett in 1877. The farm was expanded by Henry and son Robert to become…
South Otago Branch President A bit more than a farm forester (Access: unrestricted)
Ken Jones, February 2011
If you stop making a profit in any venture you undertake, you should make changes to arrest the decline or you should get out of the venture. This is one…
The forestry scene in Otago (Access: unrestricted)
Mid Otago branch, February 2011
Otago has a rich forestry history, dating back 160 years. As early as 1849 a water-powered mill was operating on the Leith Stream to provide timber for the newly established…
Hidden gems of the south (Access: unrestricted)
Murray Harris, February 2011
This is an overview of the people, the geography and production capabilities of the area south of Dunedin to west Otago and inland to central Otgao. The colonising movement in…
NZFFA submission on Industry Transformation Plan Thursday, October 06, 2022
The Ministry for Primary Industries has issued a draft Forestry and Wood Processing Industry Transformation Plan. This is a welcome contribution and appears to be well researched, but we feel…
RECOGNITION FOR FORESTRY’S HIGHEST ACHIEVERS IN 2022 Sunday, September 18, 2022
This week at an awards dinner held in Auckland the New Zealand Institute of Forestry (NZIF) announced the winners of its three most prestigious awards. The 2022 recipients are acknowledged…
Wooden cities key to cutting worldwide carbon emissions to combat climate change Tuesday, September 13, 2022
The Forest Owners Association President is predicting massive increases in the worldwide demand for engineered timber construction. Grant Dodson has told delegates at the Forest Institute Conference in Auckland today…
Forestry Transformation Plan could be ‘game changer’ Sunday, August 21, 2022
Forestry Transformation Plan could be ‘game changer’ for New Zealand economy and for combating climate change The Forest Owners Association says the Forestry and Wood Processing Industry Transformation Plan has…
New campaign launches to attract more people into forestry careers Wednesday, August 10, 2022
A new recruitment campaign called ‘Find Your Fit In Forestry’ aims to draw attention to the varied career opportunities available in the growing forestry industry. A sector-wide initiative, the campaign…
Trees on Your Farm – Pilot Workshops Friday, July 01, 2022
In May, members of the NZFFA held three pilot workshops in the lower North Island aimed at encouraging hill country farmers to grow more trees. The format was a day…
Federated Farmers struggling with both the law and arithmetic Thursday, June 30, 2022
The Forest Owners Association says Federated Farmers have got their sums wrong on the rate of forest planting and don’t understand the law on overseas investment either. FOA is responding…
‘Smart spade’ one of new technologies for forest silviculture project Thursday, May 05, 2022
A ‘smart spade’ which identifies exactly where to plant a tree seedling is just one of the new technologies in the seven-year $25.5 million Precision Silviculture development project. The newly…
Forest Owners call for forest trade mission to India Monday, April 11, 2022
Forest Owners call for forest trade mission to India following approval of new fumigant for log exports The Forest Owners Association wants a delegation of government ministers to urgently go to…
Joint efforts under way after unwanted pest detected in Tauranga Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Biosecurity New Zealand is working with primary sector and Te Tiriti partners after a single confirmed egg mass belonging to the moth pest the fall armyworm was found in Tauranga.…
Forest Biosecurity update March 2022 Thursday, March 10, 2022
Check out the latest Biosecurity newsletter which gives an update on the biosecurity surveillance system, pitch pine canker, red needle cast, tortoise beetles, a new ladybird (always good) and the…
Forest Owners says IPCC doesn't back Anne Salmond Wednesday, March 02, 2022
The Forest Owners Association says highly qualified reservations in the latest International Panel on Climate Change report, do not back anthropologist Anne Salmond’s claims that New Zealand should switch exclusively…
Forest Owners puzzled at overseas investment reform Thursday, February 24, 2022
The Forest Owners Association is asking why the government needs to reintroduce more process around overseas investment for conversions from pasture to plantation forests. The Associate Minister of Finance, David…
Forest Owners tell government to look across the Tasman Monday, February 21, 2022
The Forest Owners Association is telling the government that Australia’s support of plantation forestry is in sharp contrast to the increasingly restrictive measures being promised in New Zealand by our…
The folly of the native forest carbon solution Monday, February 21, 2022
The Farm Forestry Association says anthropologist Dame Anne Salmond’s recently publicised views, that planting native forests offer the best solution to the climate crisis, is misinformed and misleading. Association President Graham West says the overwhelming…
Forestry Minister has strategic leadership opportunity in farm forestry Friday, February 04, 2022
The Farm Forestry Association says Forestry Minister, Stuart Nash, should incentivise farmers to plant more trees to combat climate change. Association President Graham West asks, “Why isn’t the government working…
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