NZIF Newsletter: 23rd October 2024
VICE-PRESIDENT'S REPORT
Dear Members
Work continues from the NZIF Council as we proceed to work on defining priorities in following on from the member survey. I would like to extend a thank you to Mark Bloomberg for assisting with this evaluation and the summary using a multi-criteria method (AHP). This is an important process for all members and I want to take this opportunity to thank members who have provided feedback so far. Please do not hesitate to share your thoughts on what you want from NZIF as it is all helpful in designing the future.
Last week the Forestry Minister, Todd McClay, announced the establishment of a Forestry Sector Reference Group to drive better outcomes from the Forestry Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The establishment of the Reference Group follows an independent review of the operational costs of the forestry ETS Register announced earlier this year. NZIF has been invited to be part of this group and work with the Minister along with FOA, NPaT, FFA and CFA. One of the first tasks will be to look at ways to reduce ETS fees.
Finally, work is underway on the next NZIF conference being held in Napier on the 26th to the 28th of June 2025. The conference organising committee has now released the sponsorship opportunities available for this conference. Please contact the President if you would like to look at sponsorship options and receive the sponsorship pack.
Thanks
Adrian Loo
VP NZIF
KEEPING YOU IN THE LOOP
Better data to tell the story of wood processors and manufacturers – MPI’s short survey
The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) is updating a directory of commercial wood processing and manufacturing entities through a short survey.
The contribution of the sector to New Zealand needs to be better understood by government and stakeholders. This survey is the first step to further engagement to collate sector information and share information.
If you are part of the wood processing and manufacturing sector, please fill in the survey: https://mpi.wsp-tools.app/wpd. It should take only 2-5 minutes to complete.
You could also scan this QR code to access the survey.
The survey has straight-forward questions about company details, processing locations and capacity.
If you have any questions, please contact kyle.wills@wsp.com (NZIF member)
Forestry ETS Alert
1. Consultation opens on resetting the Emissions Trading Scheme annual charge for post-1989 forestry participants
Consultation is now open on two proposals relation to cost recovery settings for Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) forestry participants. We anticipate that changes would be made by early 2025.
Proposal one - A reduced annual charge for post-1989 forestry ETS participants
If you have post-1989 forest land in the ETS, the per hectare annual charge is calculated for the financial year. It's based on the amount of land you have in the ETS on 1 July.
We are proposing to reduce the per hectare annual charge from $30.25 to $14.90, starting in the 2024/25 financial year. This reduced annual charge has been achieved in part due to operational efficiencies being realised and revisions to cost modelling. While the forestry ETS is in a transitional period, it is proposed that the Crown covers some additional costs.
Details on how the updated annual charge has been calculated, including a breakdown of costs, can be found in the Discussion Document.
Proposal two - Amending the Climate Change (Forestry) Regulations 2022 for the field measurement approach during the 2023–25 reporting period
Forestry participants with at least 100 hectares of post-1989 forest land in the ETS are required to use the field measurement approach (FMA) to calculate carbon stored in their forests for their emissions returns.
When the previous (2023) cost recovery regulations were enacted, they imposed a service fee. The fee resulted in additional costs for those who could rely on their existing FMA data or use default carbon tables to calculate carbon stock, during the shorter 2023–25 reporting period.
To address this issue, we are proposing to update the regulations. This means, that for any emissions return that covers all or part of the shorter 2023–2025 reporting period, people using the FMA can calculate carbon stock using:
- a) the default carbon tables (in regulations) if they do not have FMA participant specific tables; or
- b) existing participant specific tables if they are available to the participant.
Consultation closes at 5pm on 13 November 2024
See further details and information on the consultation page: Resetting the Emissions Trading Scheme annual charge for post-1989 forestry participants | NZ Government
2. Invitation to webinars on resetting the Emissions Trading Scheme annual charge for post-1989 forestry participants
To support our consultation, we are running two webinars and an online hui. These sessions will provide an opportunity for you to ask questions and discuss the proposals.
We encourage you to view the discussion document on the MPI website through the link above before you come along to these events.
You are invited to attend at these session times:
Webinar one: 4pm Thursday, 31 October 2024
Webinar two: 12pm Thursday, 7 November 2024
Online hui: 12pm Monday, 4 November 2024
Reserve your place today.
How to contact us
If you have any questions about this consultation, please email: etsforestrychanges@mpi.govt.nz
For enquiries not related to the above consultation, you can:
- email forestryets@mpi.govt.nz
- raise a service request in Tupu-ake or
- call 0800 254 628.
WEBINAR UPDATE
Past Webinar: Short Rotation Forestry for Bioenergy
Speaker: Dr Alan Jones, Senior Scientist in Silviculture and Forest Carbon at Scion
This webinar was really appreciated by the audience with some great Q&A at the end.
If you missed this webinar but would like to view it, then please visit the NZIF Shop
Short Rotation Forestry for Bioenergy.
Remember to be logged in to get the member's rate.
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
Details for the NZ Tree Improvement Story will be released later this week.
AUSTRALIAN WEBINAR | Rapid detection of fire in Australia’s forests
Date: Wednesday 20 November 2024
Time: 12.30 to 1.45pm (AEDT)
Cost: $10 AUD for NZIF members
For NZIF Members to register, please click HERE.
About the webinar:
Join us for an interesting webinar that dives into recent innovations and emerging technologies, their critical role in fire detection to safeguard our forests and plantations, and the many values they provide to the community. Rapid fire detection and response play an important role in fire management, and this session will explore cutting-edge technologies used for forest fire detection.
Hear from forest fire managers about the latest advancements they are using, and the important contribution they are making. Attendees will gain insight into how these innovations have already transformed response strategies, as presenters share their learnings from the rollout of technologies, and provide context for their use and practical limitations. We’ll also discuss what the future holds—potential developments and improvements that could further enhance our ability to protect forests and plantations from unplanned fires.
Swift action can reduce losses from unplanned fires. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with experts to understand the potential for rapid fire detection to play a greater role in fire management in forests and plantations.
Please note:
You can listen live or listen later – everyone who registers will receive a copy of the webinar recording and slides.
The link, with joining instructions, will be sent to all registered attendees 24 hours before the webinar commences.
For more information on the event, please visit our website HERE.
2024 NELSON CONFERENCE VIDEOS AND CPD NOW AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE
All those who attended the conference will receive an email with a link to the Videos and presentations that were recorded.
For those who missed the event but would like to view any one of the three sessions, they are now available in the NZIF Shop, NZIF Conferences along with a copy of the presentation:
Session 2: Alternative Species, Values and Uses
Session 3: Residue Management, End use Products
To view the contents of each session and speakers please select here: NZIF 2024 Conference
This folder can be found on the website under resources and publications/conference presentations.
NZIF 2024 Conference CPD Session:
All those who attended the CPD session will receive an email with a link to the three CPD Videos and presentations that were recorded.
For those who missed the event but would like to view any one of the three sessions, they are now available in the NZIF Shop, NZIF Members only shop:
CPD 01: Using Remote Sensing to Evaluate woody debris / slash for compliance
