Forestry in New Zealand
Forestry in New Zealand has a history starting with European settlement in the 19th century and is now an industry worth seven percent[citation needed] of annual revenue. Much of the original native forest cover was burnt off and logged, however forests have been extensively planted, predominantly with fast-growing cultivars of the Monterey Pine. Wood chips, whole logs, lumber and paper products are exported from New Zealand.
Deforestation in New Zealand on public land attracted opposition with protests and environmental groups becoming very active until it ended in 2000. Logging of native forests now only occurs on private land if it is shown to be sustainable.
History
Milling of New Zealand's extensive native forests was one of the earliest industries in the European settlement of the country. The long, straight hardwood from the kauri was ideal for ship masts and spars. As the new colony was established, timber was the most common building material, and vast areas of native forest were cleared. Rimu, tōtara, mataī, and miro were the favoured timbers.
The Monterey pine (
Plantation forests
Plantation forests of various sizes can now be found in all regions of New Zealand except Central Otago and Fiordland. In 2006 their total area was 1.8 million hectares, with 89% in Pinus radiata and 5% in Douglas fir (
Deaths
Figures from WorkSafe New Zealand show that forestry is the most dangerous job in New Zealand, with 56.73 fatalities per 100,000 workers.[7][8][9][10]
Woodchipping
Softwood and hardwood wood chips are exported from New Zealand.
Opposition to native forest logging
Legislation
See also
- Conservation in New Zealand
- Kauri Museum
- Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (New Zealand)
- New Zealand Arboricultural Association
- New Zealand Forest Service
- New Zealand Journal of Forestry
- Timberlands West Coast Limited
References
Notes
- ^ New Zealand Official yearbook, 1990
- ^ McKelvey, Peter (August 1991). "Thomas William Adams 1842-1919 Early farm forester" (PDF). N. Z. Forestry.
- )
- ^ a b "Situation and outlook for New Zealand agriculture and forestry" (PDF). NZ Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-05-22. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ^ a b Arnold, Naomi (July 2018). "Slipping away". New Zealand Geographic (152): 10.
- ^ "The Forestry Industry in New Zealand". Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Archived from the original on 2009-03-26. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
- ^ HUTCHING, GERARD (18 August 2018). "Forestry not agriculture is NZ's most dangerous job". Stuff.
- ^ Scott, Wayne (30 January 2023). "Forestry, agriculture, construction deaths are nearly all avoidable". Stuff. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- .
- hdl:10289/12964.
Further reading
- Roche, Michael; (1990) History of New Zealand Forestry. Wellington: GP Print Ltd. ISBN 0-477-00004-5
- Boon, Kevin; (2005) The Forests: Developments in New Zealand History. Waiatarua Publishing. ISBN 1-86963-201-X
- Mike Colley, ed. (2005). NZIF Forestry Handbook (4th ed.). NZ: NZ Institute of Forestry.
External links
- Ministry for Primary Industries
- New Zealand Institute of Forestry
- NZ Wood - industry promotional website