The view from the boundary

Authors: Trevor Best
Publication: New Zealand Journal of Forestry, Volume N.Z.J.For. 2020, Issue N.Z.J.For. 65(2) 2020, pp 2, Aug 2020
Publisher: New Zealand Institute of Forestry

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Abstract: Last week I had the good fortune to visit various forests in Te Tai Rawhiti. To a forester, a visit to the forestry conurbation that is Tauwhareparae, inland from Tolaga Bay, is to pay witness to a marvel. The natural productivity of the landscape has produced radiata pine forests that have good form and high volumes. A small army of people travel up the road each day to do the work that will provide for their families and put money in their communities (Gisborne and Tolaga Bay). The engineering systems used to harvest wood from these long, steep, broken slopes are way beyond what was originally envisaged when the forests were planted. Eastland Port is now the second largest log exporter in the country, with capacity for three million tonnes per year and an intention to grow that to five million. What has happened within the forest boundary stands as a testament to the skill and capability of generations of kiwi foresters and engineers. The act of faith represented by greenfields afforestation in the 1960s and 1970s has been largely confirmed and rewarded.

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