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Forest growing and processing in Otago-Southland
Authors: Grant Dodson, Parnell TrostPublication: New Zealand Journal of Forestry, Volume N.Z.J.For. 2016, Issue N.Z.J.For. 61(3) 2016, pp 3-4, Nov 2016
Publisher: New Zealand Institute of Forestry
Abstract: A rich history of commercial forestry activity Commercial forestry has been a feature of the Otago–Southland landscape for more than 160 years. A water-powered mill was established on the Leith Stream (a couple of miles from the Octagon) in 1849, and in 1876 New Zealand’s first mechanised paper-making facilities were established in Dunedin and Mataura (near Gore). The early timber industry depended on the region’s natural timber resources. Plantings of introduced species commenced in 1898 at Conical Hill and Naseby, and the first production thinnings were processed in the early 1930s, with largerscale processing occurring in the post-war period. The Dunedin City Council began planting what is now the City Forests Estate in Dunedin water catchment areas in 1906 with the objectives of stabilising soil, improving water quality and growing a commercial tree crop. The planting patterns in Otago and Southland have mirrored those in other regions, with significant periods of planting in the 1920s and 1930s, 1970s and 1980s, and the mid-1990s through to the early 2000s.