PRESIDENT'S COLUMN

Kia ora members,

Last week, the NZIF Council met and continued our work on defining priorities and determining the appropriate weighting for each of our activities. This is part of our ongoing response to the member survey from around six weeks ago, as well as feedback received during the AGM. We want to acknowledge and thank all those who contributed their thoughts through the survey and AGM. Your feedback has been invaluable, and we encourage you to keep it coming as we work through these matters. The goal is to develop a comprehensive plan to present to you by next June. We especially want to hear your thoughts on what you consider are "must-haves" and "nice-to-haves" as part of your NZIF membership.

In addition, we continue our efforts to correct the misinformation about forestry, much of which, unfortunately, originates from the media and even within our own Government. Most recently, we saw comments from Ministers Patterson and Hoggard blaming forestry for the closure of the meatworks in Timaru. This is categorically untrue. I have written to both Ministers, requesting they explain and retract their statements. While I’m not expecting an apology, it’s essential we set the record straight.

Looking ahead to the 2025 Conference, planning is progressing well. We’ve locked in our speakers and have distributed the sponsorship pack. Sponsorship plays a key role in helping us keep fees manageable, so I encourage you to talk with your employers about the possibility of supporting the event; especially as we can defer invoicing until the next financial year if needed. Make sure you pencil in June 26-28, 2025, in Napier. The website will be live soon, and it’ll give you a preview of the program, speakers, CPD opportunities, and field trips. This conference is shaping up to be a must-attend event!

Based on feedback from the AGM, we’ve begun the process of aligning NZIF with the new Incorporated Societies Act. A small committee, comprising myself, the Vice President, and the Treasurer, has been appointed to work with our lawyers on crafting a new Constitution which will meet the legal requirements while keeping it at a high level, as members suggested. Additional Rules will focus on the day-to-day management of NZIF. We’ll keep members informed throughout this process, aiming for approval at the June 2025 AGM and registration under the new Act before the deadline. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me.

Finally, I want to thank those members who have reached out directly or contributed to the Members’ Voice section. It’s vital we continue to hear from you to ensure the changes we’re making align with the needs of the majority and genuinely enhance NZIF’s operations. Please don’t hesitate to share your ideas, either with me or through the newsletter.

Ngā mih
James

KEEPING YOU IN THE LOOP

Email us!  We love hearing from you.

Interaction with our members is important to assist the Council in moving NZIF forward into the future and thank those taking their time to give us some feedback.

Email:  Talk to us!

Scion launches indigenous forestry podcast

Scion is launching a podcast that delves into the world of indigenous forestry in Aotearoa.

"Branching Out: Reflections on Indigenous Forestry" is a captivating new podcast series hosted by Early Career Researcher Ki-Taurangi Bradford from Scion’s Te Ao Māori team.

Through conversation with special guests, Bradford (Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Hine), will explore the vast knowledge and experiences of researchers who have spent their careers studying indigenous trees.

Read more

Forest Growers Levy Vote: Have your say
Voting opens October 1

If you own a plantation forest, small or large, you are required to pay a levy on the volume of wood material harvested from your forest.

The Forest Growers Levy Trust (FGLT) is the custodian of this levy money, ensuring it is appropriately spent in areas such as research and development, biosecurity and promotion, for the collective benefit of levy payers and forest growers in New Zealand generally. 

The current levy order is due to expire on 17 November 2025 and is therefore up for renewal.

Read more about the Harvested Wood Material Commodity Levy

Read more about the levy and how it helps your forest

Please refer to the Levy Vote Grower Booklet for everything you need to know about the levy and how to vote.

WEBINAR UPDATE

Short Rotation Forestry for Bioenergy

As New Zealand aims to decarbonise and use less fossil fuels, bioenergy is attracting increasing interest as an alternative source of energy and feedstock for a range of products traditionally derived from petrochemicals. Already in parts of NZ demand exceeds supply at present pricing levels and predictions are that both demand and value will increase over time.

What then are the implications of this for current forest owners and are there opportunities for new forest investors from this rapidly changing environment?

The webinar, presented by Dr Alan Jones, Senior Scientist in Silviculture and Forest Carbon at Scion, will look at the drivers of this increased demand, the potential impact of the supply and demand dynamics and their impact on price and the implications of this for forest investment and management.

Alan is a senior scientist at Scion and has been involved in climate change, sustainable land management and driving policy-relevant development of resilient forests optimised for carbon, biodiversity, timber production and bioenergy. He is responsible for strategic leadership of several multiyear research projects, one of which is focused on Bioenergy from Sustainable Short Rotation Forests.

Alan completed his studies in the UK and worked for five years before joining Scion as a research leader in 2019.

Date:   Tuesday, 15th October 2024

Time:   7:30pm

Read more and register

Utilising AI to enhance productivity, at every level, for forestry professionals

This practical training will equip you for enhanced decision-making and operational efficiency, with AI, particularly if you are a

• Senior company executive
• Forest manager
• Operations / District Manager

Regardless of your current level of AI literacy or AI platform—be it Co-Pilot, OpenAI's GPT, or Gemini—you’ll gain the essential skills necessary to elevate your effectiveness in every one of your role deliverables.

Date:   Wednesday, 27th November 2024

Time:   2:30pm in the afternoon   

Read more and register

LOCAL SECTION EVENTS

Gisborne Local Section Event held:  Thoughts and observations of a 60+ year career in forestry

The evening was well received.  Those attending said it was enjoyable and interesting.  It was a very relaxed affair, more akin to sitting in the lounge and having a chat with ‘grandad’. ….that would be you Andrew! 

Given some of the young ones have only been on this earth for 20 years or so, much of what Andrew spoke about was of course well before their time – and so a terrific bit of insight to those half interested.

Once again Andrew, many thanks to you and Mary for taking the time to share things with us.

From the presenter:

Future Foresters/NZIF Meeting, Gisborne, 26 September 2024

Andrew McEwen, NZIF Registered Forester and member of the NZIF Registration Board

This event arose from a conversation between some Future Foresters and Mary & me at the recent NZIF AGM & Conference in Nelson.  When she heard we would be in Gisborne shortly afterwards to visit my older brother David, who is in care, Jess Bourke used her initiative to ask if I would be able to give to give a talk while there.  “What about?” I asked and her response was “Your career”.  After seeing if we could change arrangements to have a bit more time in Gisborne I agreed and the meeting was arranged.

Appropriately enough, David had a hand in my career.  When he was in year 13 at college and I was in year 11, David brought home a bundle of career pamphlets.  I looked through them as well and saw one from the NZ Forest Service (NZFS) on forester trainees.  I thought it looked interesting and two years later, at the end of 1961, I applied and was accepted.  Nearly 63 years later, I have no regrets about that choice.

Another reason for agreeing to talk came from the NZIF/Future Foresters/International Network of Professional Forestry Associations “Global Virtual Field Trip for Young Foresters” in May last year.  I enjoyed hearing why today’s young foresters got into forestry and where they saw their careers going.  When there was a comment from one presenter about old fuddy duddies stuck in their ways, I thought why not ask some of them and find out why they got into forestry and how their careers developed.  Here was my opportunity.

Mary & I were both born towards the end of WWII, so we are pre-baby boomers and part of the “silent” generation.  We met at Victoria University and started married life when I was doing a forestry degree at Aberdeen, Scotland.  This was before the current School of Forestry at Canterbury was established and the NZFS trainee scheme involved one year in the field (the single men’s camp housing about 200 guys in Kaingaroa Forest was a bit of a shock for a school leaver from Upper Hutt!), then a Science degree at a NZ University, followed by a forestry degree at an overseas university.  After that my career (and Mary’s and my life) has been in three parts .......

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Bill Wheeler, NZIF Member, Gisborne, who set up arrangements for the talk commented:

• The evening was well received by the folk who attended.  A discussion among a couple touched on the importance of capturing the life-long forest professional experiences and ‘journeys’ of folk like yourselves…before the opportunity is lost.
• Your talk provided an excellent potted history of key political moments that have shaped NZ Forestry…. Much of this may have been news to the young attendees.
• With many young Future Foresters taking up employment in Gisborne, a new energy for NZIF is likely to emerge.

Canterbury:  30 years managing a wilding forest at Mt Barker' by Nick Ledgard

Date:  Wednesday, 9th October 2024

Speaker: Nick Ledgard

Venue: Room F1, School of Forestry, University of Canterbury

Time: 5.30 pm

Register Here

Auckland: Investing in our Climate Future - Challenges and Opportunities

Date:  Thursday, 17^th October 2024

Speakers:
Scott Pollard (Head of Business Development)
Peter Casey (Chief Executive Officer), New Zealand Carbon Farming

Time: 5.30pm

Venue: Rayonier Matariki Forests, Level 1, 8 Mahuhu Crescent, Auckland

Register Here

Hawkes Bay: Esk Valley Forest Field Trip

Date:  14^th November 2024

Host:   Gavin Wright, Hawkes Bay Manager, Forest Enterprises and other FE staff as appropriate

Time:  Departure 9:30am at meeting place

Register Here

CNI: Red Stage CLT Mill Visit

A tour of the CLT mill – it won’t be running, but will be quiet, which will allow for the opportunity to talk through the products, opportunities, process, etc.

Date: Thursday, 28th November 2024

Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Location: Red Stag Mill

Meeting: Red Stag Mill investments office (map below) - signage out so you will know where to turn.

Register Here

To view all the events on the NZIF website - Link

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Scan the new Foundation barcode and donate taking only a few minutes.

NZ JOURNAL OF FORESTRY

A reminder you can view all the NZ Journal of Forestry publications online.

Like one particular article, print out a pdf and read it at your leisure. Articles from the last issue include:

NZ Journal of Forestry Volume 69, Number 2 - August 2024

Download Full Journal

Click on the links below:

Guest editorial
Enhancing member value – NZIF Council initiatives
James Treadwell, NZIF President

Professional papers

Application of satellite sensing of under canopy soil moisture – a new approach for forest managers
Barbara Höck, Dean F. Meason, Tim Payn, Konstantinos M. Andreadis and Vanessa McWilliams

The development story of New Zealand pine nut business Pinoli Ltd
Andrew Wiltshire

Pine plantations a promising solution to New Zealand’s kiwi population decline
Erin Reilly and Craig Balsom

Addressing the wallaby problem in New Zealand’s production forest estate
Anne Beex

Ngutukākā – new hope for forest treasure kākābeak
Marie Taylor and James Powrie

Discount rates used for forest valuation – results of 2023 survey
Bruce Manley

Last word
Peter Casey

To view other issues of the Journal of Forestry, click HERE.

Note:  This Journal has a linked index to all articles within the Journal.

All articles are in pdf format that can be printed out.

How to Navigate the full pdf Journal Online

RECENT FORESTRY ARTICLES

Hi-tech trials boost research on native forest carbon stocks

Feds warn of fire danger from forestry

'People are on the brink of closure' - Tairawhiti forestry decline hits local economy

When we can’t see the good for the trees

Traders strike deals for deforestation-free coffee to Europe

Transitioning Tai Rāwhiti away from forestry

'End of an era' - Winstone Pulp International closes after 45 years

'Widespread illegal logging': PNG leader's claim govt sustainably managing forests false, NGO says

EU's deforestation delay good news for NZ meat sector

New Zealand First refuses to say if it would support buying climate action from other countries

Boom or bust in the sawmill industry

Scrapped Hawke's Bay dam project may be revived under fast-track bill

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this newsletter are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or endorsements of NZIF. We make no warranties regarding the completeness or accuracy of the content provided. Readers are encouraged to use their own discretion when applying any information contained herein. Links to external sites are provided for convenience purposes only, and their inclusion does not constitute an endorsement of the content found on those sites.