Australia and New Zealand - How similar is our forestry?

Authors: Piers Maclaren
Publication: New Zealand Journal of Forestry, Volume N.Z.J.For. 2010, Issue N.Z.J.For. 55(4) 2011, pp 2, Jan 2011
Publisher: New Zealand Institute of Forestry

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Abstract: This is the International Year of Forests, and New Zealand is hosting the ANZIF meeting in Auckland, in May. Time to turn our thoughts outwards. The New Zealand forestry profession can be very introspective, and often forgets how very different we are. We are mostly dealing with privately owned exotic plantations, growing unsubsidised wood for export in the most profitable way we know, often with minimal concessions to other forest values. It’s not like that everywhere or maybe even anywhere else. New Zealanders travelling abroad are often confused with Australians - the two peoples are sometimes regarded as identical. While it may be true that the predominant European settlers of both countries have common origins, it is undeniable that the landscapes, climates, ecosystems and indigenous inhabitants are radically different. Rather than sharing the same continent, the two nations might be at opposite ends of the world. No, the Sydney Harbour Bridge does not link the two countries - Europeans are often surprised to discover that the distance from Sydney to Christchurch is almost as far as London to Moscow and, in forestry terms, may be separated by a similar cultural distance.

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