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Forestry Resources

• Introduction
• Indigenous Forest
• Planted Forests
• New Zealand Overview

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New Zealand Forest Resources

Introduction

New Zealand's forest resource, covering 29% of the total land area, can be divided into two distinct forest types:

1. A large natural forest estate comprised of species indigenous to New Zealand and consisting of either virgin or regenerating forest
2. An extensive but smaller forest estate, which has been planted with non-native, coniferous species

Indigenous Forest

New Zealand's 6.4 million hectares of indigenous forest are located mainly in the mountain lands, particularly on the West Coast of the South Island. The major indigenous tree species in these complex forests are beech, kauri, rimu, taraire and tawa. Indigenous forests harbour large numbers of unique wildlife, of which some are classed as endangered or threatened.

Indigenous Forests - a Unique Heritage

Our indigenous forests are a key part of New Zealand's environment and help protect the natural values of our ecosystem. Cultural values encompass recreational, scientific, historic and scenic dimensions. The main threats to these forests are from introduced animals and plants, and an increasing demand for access and recreational opportunities.

The Crown is the major indigenous forest owner. Through the Department of Conservation it manages about 77 percent of the estate for conservation, heritage and recreational purposes. Twenty-three percent of the estate is in private hands. Privately owned indigenous forests are required by law to be managed in a way that maintains their ability to provide products and amenities in perpetuity. The Forest Act 1949 does this by:

• requiring private owners to manage their forests through sustainable management plans and permits,
• controlling the indigenous timber input to sawmills, and
• prohibiting indigenous woodchip and log exports.

Only around 140 thousand hectares of privately owned forests are currently considered to be available for sustainably managed timber production. A further 145 thousand hectares of indigenous production forest owned by Government was set aside under the 1986 West Coast Accord - opening it up to production over a twenty year period.

Having a large planted forest resource enables New Zealand to sustainably manage its Crown and privately owned indigenous forest. Less than 0.1 percent of New Zealand's total forest production is now harvested from indigenous forests.

Planted Forests

Detailed statistics on New Zealand's forest resource can be found on the National Exotic Forest Description page.

New Zealand has had planted production forests, of mainly softwood species, since the early 20^th century. As at present (1999) over 1.7 million hectares of planted production forests have been established. They are:

• dominated by one particular conifer, radiata pine, which accounts for 90 percent of the total planted resource
• young, with 61 percent being 15 years old or younger
• fast growing - the average time to harvest is 28 years
• high quality - 62 percent of the resource has been pruned
• managed in recognition of the interdependence of ecological, economic and social sustainability principles under an accord between industry and environmental groups

Planted Forests - Establishment/Tending and Harvesting

Around 33 percent of the planted estate (but a larger proportion of mature forest area) is situated in the Central North Island. Other major forest growing areas include the regions:

• Northland
• East Coast
• Hawkes Bay
• Nelson and Marlborough
• Otago and Southland

New Forest Planting (hectares)
1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999p	2000p
15,000	50,200	61,600	98,200	73,900	83,600	63,700	51,200	40,470	37,440
Restocking of harvested areas (hectares)
N/A	20,400	25,200	28,200	29,300	28,200	29,700	29,200	29,300	31,900

Note: for areas planted prior to 1991, go to the National Exotic Forest Description.

The New Zealand Government was historically the dominant commercial forest owner in New Zealand. It controlled in 1984 just over half of the planted resource. However, as part of a major restructuring of New Zealand's economy most of the state-owned planted forests were sold to private companies. The majority of cutting rights were purchased by international corporations. Now, in 2000, around 37% of New Zealand's planted production forests are owned or managed by two major forestry companies (Carter Holt Harvey Ltd and Fletcher Challenge Ltd).  Seven medium sized forestry companies own a further 20% of forests.  Six percent of the forest area remains in central Government ownership, managed primarily by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and two State-Owned Enterprises.  Local authorities own a further 3% of the area while the balance (34%) is owned by a large number of private owners including Maori Trusts.  Small private investors and land owners continue to establish an expanding area of planted production forests.

Contact for Enquiries

Senior Analyst
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 1340
Rotorua
NEW ZEALAND

Phone: +64 7 921 3403
Fax: +64 7 921 3402

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