Conference field days - Pelorus Sounds, Marlborough Ridge, The Throne and The Pyramid - New Zealand Farm Forestry Association
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Official journal of the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association August 2014
Conference field days
Pelorus Sounds, Marlborough Ridge,
The Throne and The Pyramid
Sustainable use of diverse forests
Wind damage and obligations under the ETS
Developments in forest safety
Riparian planting
Forestry a permitted activity?
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Vol 35 No 3 August 2014
ISSN 0111-2694
CONTENTS
Blenheim conference 2014
Gerard’s Pelorus Sounds farm – Hopai and Elie Bays...................................3
Mike Gerard
The last full conference day – Marlborough Ridge, The Throne and
The Pyramid............................................................................................6
Julian Bateson
Sustainable use of diverse forests.............................................................9
Jeanette Fitzsimons
Husqvarna Farm Foresters of the Year North Island
– John and Diny Dermer..........................................................................12
Angus Gordon
General articles
Transforming Taranaki with riparian planting.............................................14
Blenheim conference Don Shearman
3 Developing a wood energy system in Central Otago..................................18
Rhys Millar
A new willow insect pest – The giant willow aphid......................................22
Ian McIvor and Trevor Jones
Wind damage to forests and the consequences........................................23
John Moore
Storm damage and obligations under the Emissions Trading Scheme.........27
Ollie Belton
Management of forest growing research and development
The levy at work.....................................................................................29
Russell Dale
Retrospective law affecting the ETS – bad government?............................33
Storm damage Stuart Orme
Forestry a permitted activity?..................................................................35
23
Barry Gilliland
Is it an oops, or was it completely avoidable?...........................................36
Allan Laurie
Developments in forest safety.................................................................39
Julian Bateson
Keeping records of your woodlots...........................................................42
Graham West
Regulars
From the President...................................................................................2
From the Patron.....................................................................................21
Emissions Trading Scheme.....................................................................33
Keeping records of your woodlot Market report.........................................................................................36
42 Safety...................................................................................................39
Letter to the Editor.................................................................................41
The opinions expressed in Tree Grower are not necessarily the opinion of, or endorsed by, NZFFA, editorial staff or the publisher. Every
effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information, but neither NZFFA nor the publisher accept liability for any consequences
arising from reliance on the information published. If readers have any doubts about acting on any articles they should seek confirming,
professional advice.
New Zealand Tree Grower August 2014 1
President’s comment
Official Journal of the New Zealand Farm
From the President
Forestry Association
Welcome to the winter issue of Tree Grower. What a difference three months makes
President in the forest industry. Back then, log prices were at their peak but a basic lesson in
Ian Jackson economics has seen prices tumble. The supply increased to such a level, coupled
Phone: 03 689 5578 with a small decline in usage, that there quickly became a glut of logs in our main
Email: ijacko@xtra.co.nz Chinese markets. The increase in supply mainly came from the small-scale forest
sector in response to the very good prices.
National Head Office Next time prices are high there will probably be the same reaction and a
NZ Farm Forestry Association resultant collapse in the market. The corporate forest sector did not increase
9th Floor, 93 The Terrace their production to any great extent and even now continue to cut as in their
PO Box 10 349, The Terrace programmes so that they do not lose logging crews.
Wellington 6143 On a more positive note it would appear that we have, at least for now, halted
Phone: 04 472 0432
the decline in NZFFA membership numbers. We have had a slight increase in
Email: nzffa@clear.net.nz
member numbers to just under 1,900.
Website: www.nzffa.org.nz
New NZFFA Manager
Editor In my last column I reported that we were in the process of selecting someone to
Julian Bateson manage the NZFFA business in our Wellington office. It gives me great pleasure
Bateson Publishing Limited to inform members that in May we appointed Glenn Tims to the role of manager.
PO Box 2002 He is employed for 30 hours a week, working five days until 3.00 pm each day.
Wellington Glenn is a professional architect, but was looking for a change of jobs when he
Phone: 04 385 9705 applied for our position. Some years ago Glenn worked for the Building Standards
Mobile: 021 670 672
department in the government and currently is a technical writer for the Water
Email: bateson.publish@xtra.co.nz
Membrane Association − the ones which keep water out of houses. Glenn brings
Assistant Editor
many skills to the NZFFA including a sound knowledge of the end use of wood.
Helen Greatrex He has already met or talked to many members. If you have any queries please do
not hesitate to contact Glenn and check out his efficiency in responding to you.
Advertising Management
Health and safety
Bateson Publishing Limited
The health and safety space has been uppermost in NZFFA dealings over the last
Phone: 04 385 9705
few months. Along with the Forest Owners Association and the Forest Industry
Design and Layout Contractors Association, the NZFFA is a sponsor of the Independent Forestry
Bateson Publishing Limited Safety Review, for which we have been involved in making submissions and in
the consultation process. The panel have put out an initial public consultation
document with a number of questions and propositions, which we have recently
responded to.
All the panels’ writings so far are available on their website www.ifsr.co.nz. Our
submissions on the process are also available on our website. The panel members
have so far got to grips with the problems and it would be fair to say that whatever
they recommend will be considered very seriously by the government. Because of
the importance of this process it is paramount that the NZFFA are involved and
that we have our say and influence in the final recommendations. The review is
expected to be concluded in another two months.
Along with the review your Executive has been getting to grips with the
Subscriptions: $50 annually for New Zealand, impending Health and Safety Review Bill, presently being drafted by the Ministry
$NZ55 for Australia, $NZ60 for the rest of the of Business, Innovation and Employment. At our last Executive meeting we
world, including postage. met personnel from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and
Subscription enquiries and changes of address WorkSafe to get a briefing on the objectives and implications of the Bill for forest
should be sent to NZ Farm Forestry Association, growers.
PO Box 10 349, The Terrace, Wellington.
The Bill will cover contractual obligations and liabilities for employers. If you
Phone 04 472 0432
NZ Tree Grower is published in February, May, run a business you will be affected. The concept of a ‘person conducting a business
August and November. or undertaking’ will become a part of your vocabulary, along with the fact that you
will not be able to contract yourself out of obligations and liabilities. We are assured
that the Bill will be based on the concept of ‘reasonably practicable’ actions and
conduct of your business.
Ian Jackson
President.
2 New Zealand Tree Grower August 2014
Conference 2014
Blenheim conference 2014
The conference got off to a foggy start and then just became
damp. However this did not deter enthusiasm and the field
days were as successful as ever. The first report is a bit
different, as the weather was not conducive to presentations
and discussions.
The fog prevented some speakers from getting to the
conference and one of those was Jeanette Fitzsimons, a long-
time member of the NZFFA. The conference organisers were
able to go to plan B on the day, but they requested that her
presentation, adapted for the printed word, be included in this
issue of Tree Grower.
Gerard’s Pelorus Sounds farm
Hopai and Elie Bays
Mike Gerard
I would like to make an apology to all the farm foresters who visited our farm on the Pelorus
field trip at the Blenheim conference in April. Due to the ‘diverse’ weather conditions on the
day, which are not uncommon when living this close to Cook Strait, our planned presentations
and discussions about the farm did not take place. This is our story.
The farm consists of two bays, Elie and Hopai which a result there had not been any significant input to the
were originally two separate farms first settled around farm for many years − no plantings, shelterbelts, power
the late 1850s. Te Rauparaha’s raids of 1828 to 1830 had yards or sheds.
devastated the local Ngati kuia tribe leaving the land Common to most areas in New Zealand, the early
unoccupied and eventually available for government sale. Marlborough Sounds settlers milled all the accessible
There had been a long list of owners by the time native forest and then fenced and grazed the hills until
we bought the farm. Hopai in particular had a total of the fertility ran out. When roads and power came in the
12 different owners many of whom were absentees. As late 1960s, gorse with other weeds and pests quickly
New Zealand Tree Grower August 2014 3
Conference 2014
followed. Fertiliser also became available about this time $1,600 a hectare. Lambing and calving time is fairly busy
and was spread on the flats. However the high costs and as everything is expected to rear a baby, or two or three.
requirements for the denuded hillsides spelled the end of Because of the high rainfall the ewes are shorn twice a
farming on much of this hill country. year and produce a high yielding fleece.
Our Simmental cows do well and their calves sell at
From scrub to farm to forest a weaning average of 280 kilograms. We also produce
My parents bought the property in 1979 and we 250 bales of winter feed every year for the cows as well
took over in 1984, just before Rogernomics crippled as crops for wintering and finishing lambs. Although
the farming industry. Using government land production is good, costs are high due to our isolation
encouragement loans we had been busy bringing back from essential services. For example one unit load
marginal steep hill country blocks, and then fighting of stock is $1,500, and a tonne of lime is $82 before
the subsequent reversion problems of gorse, ferns and spreading.
kanuka.
With the high fertiliser and chemical requirements, Shelterbelts
and then the high interest rates of the late 1980s, this
became unsustainable and by the early 1990s forestry
became an alternative solution. Even though we were
initially not keen on radiata pine forests, we could see
from the large numbers of wildings that they would
thrive in this environment.
By 2000 the majority of the steep hill-country
which we had tried unsuccessfully to farm was forested.
Two-thirds of our forestry is radiata pine, which we
have managed with appropriate pruning and thinning.
However with local radiata harvesting returns at around
10 per cent of gross income to the grower, or about
$7,000 a hectare, this is not going to be a major income
earner. We have to hope that the other third of our
plantings, where we opted for higher value hardwood
trees, will make the farm viable for the next generation. Some of the four kilometres of shelterbelts
Shelter on the flat paddocks has been a focus over recent
Farming operations years as the Marlborough Sounds are frequently swept
On the 160 hectares of farmed flats and easy hill we with heavy rain and strong winds in the spring. Around
have 1,000 breeding ewes and 100 breeding cows. four kilometres of shelterbelts have been established and
Production is good with an average gross income of all the creeks fenced and planted with a diverse mix of
plants mostly propagated on the farm. Planting is mostly
locally sourced natives, but also includes fruit trees and
Farm facts
flowering shrubs for shade, shelter, bird and bee feed.
• 1,100 hectares in total area This is now almost a full-time job – growing, planting,
• 65 hectares of pines, 30 hectares of blackwood maintaining and carrying out the necessary weed and
and eucalypts, with five hectares rewarewa and pest control.
beech One result of tree lucerne plantings in Hopai
• 800 hectares of regenerating native hill was the arrival of native pigeons after a long absence.
country Everywhere else round the farm the increase in bird
• 40 hectares of shelterbelts, fenced off creeks numbers is very audible and visible.
and wetlands
• 160 hectares in grass
Weeds and pests
• Coopworth ewes and Simmental cows
• Rainfall average is 1,500 mm but varies a lot Much of our time on the farm is spent on controlling
• Mild wet winters, few frosts, plenty of wind problems. Wilding pines have become a big problem
and variable summers as they have invaded areas previously grazed. They are
• Clay base soil, shallow topsoil with low pH capable of readily establishing in any open ground
• Road access is three hours to Blenheim from wind-borne seed carried from the pines around
• Mailboat once a week homesteads.
• Freight is via road or barges for forestry We started poisoning the wildings here about 10
years ago, our aim being to eliminate any pine outside a
forest area, to help native regeneration and improve the
4 New Zealand Tree Grower August 2014
Conference 2014
Poisoned wilding pines
Some of the old pines recently harvested
aesthetics of our area. Many thousands have been dealt
with already. Our three children have enjoyed growing up in
Plants we have to regularly deal with on the pasture this unique environment, and come home as much
land are gorse and broom, as well as blackberry in the as they can. Our home, styled to look like an original
shelterbelts and creeks. Climbing dock, old man’s beard, homestead, is built overlooking Hopai Bay, Ouokaha
hawthorn, kikuyu and muehlenbeckia have become a Island and the peninsula. We used milled timber from
problem with no grazing pressure. Although a native, the farm – macrocarpa, old man pine, matai and rimu. It
muehlenbeckia is an obnoxious blanketing menace is surrounded by a large garden fenced to the sea, with
which tries to throttle any tree in its territory. Animal a lot of native and exotic plantings, a garden, orchard,
pests also keep us busy over the whole farm. These shade houses, propagating house and a tropical hothouse
include pigs, goats, possums, rats and recently deer, – all of which allow us to be nearly self-sufficient.
requiring hunting and trapping. We have worked hard over the last 30 years
to establish a farm which is environmentally and
Significant Natural Areas economically sustainable, and also a beautiful place to
In 2005 we entered into the Significant Natural Areas live and work. It is a vision we hope the next generation
programme with the Marlborough District Council, will share.
which is a voluntary partnership to promote and protect
Forest & Woodlot
areas of ecological significance. We have 620 hectares of
regenerating native bush hillsides protected under this
owners
agreement. This has enabled us to apply for biodiversity
funding for wilding pine control and protection fencing.
Similarly, we have several wetlands identified on
our property which are being protected. We have had
a good working relationship with the council staff and If you are considering harvesting in the next 1-3 years, NZ
Forestry Ltd provide professional harvesting and marketing
support the principles of these programmes as we are advice and management to maximise your net return. We
very proud of our special areas. By working to improve cover Northland/Auckland/Waikato/Taranaki regions.
the ecological attributes in these areas with weed and We start with careful planning to complete the operation
pest control, and putting back in endemic native tree efficiently, evaluate all the sales options, & minimise your
risk. It is our responsibility to manage the health, safety &
seedlings, we hope to help with their recovery. environmental risks of your job.
All our forestry, and 350 hectares of the indigenous
We also provide general forest management services, and
regenerating hillside are eligible for carbon credits. will provide sound and practical advice for your growing forest
We carried out measurement plots on 29 sites in these asset. So if you wish to replant we will advise your options.
areas in 2012 under the guidance of Nelson forestry We have two Registered Forestry Consultants who can
consultant Roger May. This was a very big project, and undertake valuations where required & provide expert advice.
we wait to see if there is going to be any benefit. For an obligation free discussion contact NZ Forestry Ltd
today!
Home and family
When we bought the farm the original homesteads
had been subdivided, along with more than a dozen
waterfront sections for holiday homes. We therefore lived
in a small house on the property until our first child
reached school age 20 years ago. Then we built a new Freephone (0800) 50 50 77
house at the northern end of the farm within driving E jeremy.w@nzforestry.co.nz
W nzforestry.co.nz
distance of the school bus.
New Zealand Tree Grower August 2014 5
Conference 2014
The last full conference day
Marlborough Ridge, The Throne and The Pyramid
Julian Bateson
On the final full day of the conference the weather still did not lighten up. However for most
of the time the rain was just intermittent and the only real concern was trying to take a good
photograph in poor light.
Marlborough Ridge other restrictions to limit their numbers.
The first stop was at Robin and John Cuddon’s property Planting and landscaping was carried out using
Marlborough Ridge. They bought the 60 hectares of the services of Paul Millen and naturally this included
land in 2002 and built their house on the highest point. a trial eucalypt block planted just over two years ago.
The land had been designated for development to build However there has also been a considerable amount of
a number of houses. Robin and John have allowed part landscaping and native planting over the past eight years,
of the land to be developed, but retained the land near which also includes a trial block of totara, as well as the
their house with no titles. The houses which have been development of a wetland and small lake. A large part of
built on the developed land have height covenants and the land is now under a QE II covenant.
Robin and John Cuddon’s house Native plantings and trial eucalypts
Houses with height covenants Small lake and wetland
6 New Zealand Tree Grower August 2014
Conference 2014
The Throne Harvesting the trees
The next stop was The Throne first settled by David The woodlot contractor outlined the harvesting project.
Dillon’s great-great-grandfather in 1842. David, who He explained that David made some restrictions such
said he was humbled by so many visitors, took up as no skidder tracks, so they used shovels and bulldozers
management of the farm in the 1970s. At that time it instead. However by not making roads they saved quite a
was virtually all one paddock. bit of expenditure as each kilometre of road would have
There are now two storage dams because it is dry in cost up to $50,000.
the summer. The first dam was put in by David’s father The first site to be harvested was 11 hectares, at 33
in 1968 and because of its size he was told it could flood years old and 375 stems a hectare, all pruned to between
Renwick if it burst. David decided they still needed four and six metres. The trees in general were smaller
another dam but had to dig down 14 metres to get to than average for their age but the time taken to improve
solid rock for a dam which could hold as much as 30 was not worth waiting at the then current good log
million cubic metres of water. He said ‘You can die with price. The average production was 400 tonnes a hectare.
no debt and no water or all debt and all water.’ Harvesting started in December 2013 when the prices
were quite high, which was a happy coincidence.
Woodlots and shelterbelts Stumpage was one of the highest this contractor
David has had a policy of planting a woodlot or was involved with. Topography meant a reasonable
shelterbelt every year to make sure each paddock has harvesting rate, the workers did not have to travel very
shelter. far and the land is close to a mill. The logging costs were
In the 1980s and 1990s David said that the only around $30 a tonne, transport was between $12 and $25
things ‘going up’ were trees. He planted 35 hectares of a tonne giving a nett return of $28,000 a hectare.
radiata pine in the 1980s and thought they were not Other values of the trees on the farm were a surprise
worthwhile until recently harvested and the money to David. When a bank brought a trainee to value the
started to come in. He has calculated that they were farm a few years ago as a training exercise, 17 per cent of
three times better value than having sheep on the land. the value of farm was applied to aesthetics and landscape.
Area recently harvested Some of the other forestry planting and shelterbelts
A radiata woodlot The long track to lunch
New Zealand Tree Grower August 2014 7
Conference 2014
The Pyramid premium it is back to producing maximum volume. The
Chris Dawkins started his presentation with a claim of lesson is that you cannot predict the future, so keep your
a shortage of time for attention to the trees as the farm options open.
and animals took priority. This excuse did not carry This woodlot was planted in blocks of four, instead
much weight with his audience. of being evenly distributed, as this was the guide at
He bought the farm in 1978. It covers 415 hectares the time. Chris said that pairs and triangles were the
and ranges between 200 metres and 250 metres above preferred option, so he planted in fours so that it would
sea level. Rainfall is 760 mm but for seven months of be easy for his children to select the best two.
the year there is a soil moisture deficit. They were planted in 1989 at 625 stems a hectare.
It is a finishing sheep farm with 13 per cent in However four years later the wind blew many of them
woodlots of eucalypts, acacia, cypress and radiata, all over. Most of the trees were lying on the ground so the
disappointing apart from radiata. Dudley Franklin visited fours were reduced to twos when they were put upright.
some years ago and thought he was the canker king of There was too much nitrogen on old pasture which
the South Island. Within an hour of the visit Dudley meant excessive top growth with not enough roots to
handed the crown to Chris who he reckoned could support them. It was not an uncommon problem.
grow canker better than anyone. The Scion sample plots started in 1995 were
The radiata was planted from 1981 to 1999 in each measured every two years until 2007 then a gap until
of 12 blocks of around four hectares in size, to keep 2013. The results for this woodlot showed a final
it simple. A block of acacia and eucalypts, near where stocking rate of 313 stems a hectare. The mean diameter
Chris gave the first part of his talk, were planted in 1989 at breast height was 45 centimetres at 24 years and a
and they established well. A few years ago Leith Knowles mean top height of 34.7 metres.
came for a field day and said the siting of the mixed There were 632 cubic metres per hectare of standing
species block was ideal for road access, because the only volume at age 24 which shows it is quite a productive
use for the block would be firewood. Chris has to agree site. The mean annual increment is 25 cubic metres
he might have been right. per hectare per year. There were two dips in increment
The final stop of the afternoon was by a woodlot which were in the dry years. Therefore although
of radiata pine. We heard a speaker from Scion outline a drought year affect the increment but they still
some quantitative information on productivity and how continued to grow, unlike the grass.
the stand is performing. A number of years ago it was The evening gloom started early due to the heavy
suggested that to make money from trees you needed cloud cover and further discussion was restricted as
large pruned logs to make god sized pruned butt logs to we all started to head for the buses. It was the end of
get the price premium for pruned logs. Without such a another fascinating day at the conference.
The disappointing acacia and eucalypts Radiata woodlot
One of the shelterbelts An attentive audience
8 New Zealand Tree Grower August 2014Conference 2014
Sustainable use of diverse forests
Jeanette Fitzsimons
One of the presentations at the conference was to have been made by Jeanette Fitzsimons a
long-time member of the NZFFA. Unfortunately the weather conditions meant that a number
of flights were delayed or cancelled and this presentation could not be made. The conference
organisers asked if a modified version could be printed in this Tree Grower.
In the second decade of the 21st century we are facing a and provide us with exercise, recreational opportunities,
very uncertain world, where perhaps the only certainty stunning, diverse landscapes and the peace and beauty of
is that the future will not be like the past. Among this forests. At the same time the products can give us new
uncertainty there are a few challenges which stand out. export opportunities in the form of –
• How can we reverse the build up of carbon dioxide • Earthquake resilient buildings
in the atmosphere which is already destabilising • Ships, fences and bridges
our climate and threatening our biologically-based • Writing, printing and photocopying materials
economy? • Clothing
• How can we strengthen our economy, which is too • Solid fuel for industrial boilers and home heating
dependent on one industry which may be threatened • Liquid fuels for transport.
by changes in climate?
• How can we protect fresh water quality which is Strategic asset
already degraded by increased use, especially for In my vision for the sustainable use of diverse forests
irrigation, and by animal effluents? and their wood products, trees are our greatest strategic
• How can we maintain transport systems which advantage for maintaining a prosperous economy and
currently run on mineral oil, when oilfields are in a healthy way of life in an uncertain future. First, there
decline and the energy required to extract each would be more of them. Every stream would be planted
barrel is rising fast? with wide margins. Steep hillsides would be replanted
Along with these, and connected with them, are with permanent forests to sequester carbon permanently,
some subsidiary challenges hold water and slow erosion. These would be mainly
• How can we feed our stock in the droughts which native forests with habitat for wildlife and opportunities
look like becoming the new normal in some parts of for people to enjoy. The permanent carbon sequestration
the country? would be valued and paid for.
• How can we maintain the health of bee colonies we Neighbours recently pointed out to me that they no
rely on for pollination? longer see the two waterfalls that used to gush down our
• How can we build to better withstand earthquakes? mountainside after heavy rain. Instead they see a trickle
• How can we reduce our use of coal? a couple of days later which goes on for much longer.
• Can we make steel without coal? That is after just 20 years of natural revegetation with
• How can we slow the rate at which our hills are mainly kanuka and mahoe.
slipping into the sea?
Stock feed
Farms in my future would all have trees specially planted
A single solution – trees for stock feed in times of drought or snow. They would
These are, of course, very diverse questions and the not just be willow and poplar, although these are good.
answers must also be diverse. There could not be a single During the most recent drought, which was as serious as
answer to all of them. It is not a secret that the answer to last year in our valley, branches from mahoe, kawakawa
all these questions is trees, but it is widely ignored. and coprosma, then blackwood if they are really hungry,
It is amazing that one type of living organism can have kept our cows and ewes in good health and saved
sequester carbon, filter water and slow down run-off, our hay for the winter.
hold soil together, provide feed, shade and shelter for In my future we would need less irrigation water.
stock, feed bees, maintain native birds, cool the landscape A few years ago I visited an intensive dairy farm in
New Zealand Tree Grower August 2014 9Conference 2014
Canterbury which has 40 hectares of pasture dotted If business is to plan and invest for the long term it is
with mature trees of many kinds, mostly food bearing. no good creating a speculative market in carbon where
It was a beautiful landscape, but conventional wisdom the price fluctuates between $25 and a few cents. That
advised they should fell the trees to make room for is fine for those whose game is speculation, but not for
travelling irrigators. Instead the farmer installed pop- honest growers of timber, and not for the country at
up irrigators in lines between the trees. This was more large wanting to maximise the use of its major strategic
expensive, but it turned out he could then live within advantage. I know some foresters did quite well out of
his water right allocation because the partial shade selling credits obtained for post-1990 plantings at $25
reduced his water need by a quarter. The cows were also and buying more for cents before deforesting. But I
appreciative of the shelter. think even they would agree that is not good for the
At about the same time I visited Bruce Wills’ farm long term future of forestry.
in Hawkes Bay where drought can be extreme. He told A decent stable carbon price which gradually
the story of how his father used to go out with the increased over time in a planned way would also make
chainsaw and fell the kanuka which kept coming up in fuels from wood waste start to look very interesting
the paddocks. He now lets them grow and prunes them compared with fossil fuels. By this I mean the large
as high as he can, creating patches of shade that move quantities of logging residues which are piled at skid
around with the sun, shade stock and conserve water. sites and left to rot or even burned to get rid of them.
There are so many potential uses for this in a
Tree products post-fossil fuel economy that a whole new industry
What about the products from trees? Present practice could be built around harvesting, drying, chipping and
is to grow virtually all radiata pine, waste half the transporting them. As chips they are boiler fuel. Further
tree at harvest, then export more than half of the rest processed they can eventually make liquid transport
unprocessed for very low value. It is a bit like having fuels. A major strand in the national wood strategy needs
only Friesian cows, knocking their calves on the head, to pull together the research being done by Scion and
taking only the cream and throwing away the milk. others, fund it well and set an objective of replacing a
Many people in the NZFFA know the pleasure of large part of our oil based fuels within a decade.
planting special purpose species, pruning and managing Even newer and more innovative, is so-called green
them, and finally having them turned into fine furniture. coke. A local start-up business, less than 10 km from
We planted our chestnuts at five metre spacing to select the conference in Blenheim, has created an innovative
those with the best nuts and have a fine set of bedroom micro-wave process to turn waste wood chips into high
furniture from those that did not make the grade. This carbon coke that can be dropped into a blast furnace to
employs local craftspeople and creates economic return make steel.
with virtually no imported content and an almost zero
carbon footprint. Vision and determination
Therefore we have a picture of a future New Zealand,
Rebuilding Christchurch where coal and petroleum fuels are replaced by
In my future we would have a national wood strategy, sustainably managed biofuels and petro-chemicals are
developed with the industry, foresters, processors, replaced by bio-chemicals made in bio-refineries. We
scientists and everyone else involved. It would start have the science in our Crown Research Institutes and
with a ‘wood first’ requirement for all government universities and in private industry. We have the land. We
buildings. It would not be that they must use wood, have the skills to grow and manage and harvest trees. We
but that they must consider it on a total cost-benefit still have the climate, and even a changing climate will
basis before choosing anything else. It is tragic that be kinder to trees than to dairy cows.
Christchurch is being rebuilt mainly in steel and We could have thousands of new jobs in a raft of
concrete. These generate very high carbon emissions in new industries that would replace products we currently
their manufacture and do not provide the carbon storage import. We could protect ourselves against oil shocks
which a wooden building does. and the rapidly rising ‘energy return on energy invested’
It is years now since Canterbury University proved which has caused peak oil and rising oil prices. We could
its world-leading pre-stressed, laminated timber have a beautiful, diverse landscape that brings us more
beams which can support a building up to six stories. joy than video games.
Christchurch could have been internationally famous It needs people who can think outside the square
for demonstrating this in most of the new buildings. and see the new possibilities. It needs leadership. It also
The greater demand for timber could have seen some needs a big change in national policy to see our future
of those raw logs which leave our shores staying here, as growing above the ground rather than digging under
sequestering carbon, resilient in earthquakes and earning it. If we want that future, it is there for the taking with a
us more than the low price we currently get. bit of vision, imagination and determination.
10 New Zealand Tree Grower August 2014Conference 2014
More conference photographs
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New Zealand Tree Grower August 2014 11Awards
Husqvarna Farm Foresters of the Year
North Island
John and Diny Dermer
Angus Gordon
John and Diny Dermer’s farm Waipiko is located at Cheltenham, 15 kilometres north
of Feilding. The farm is a mixed cropping, sheep and beef fattening farm and has been
owned by members of the Dermer family since 1909. Occupying 186 hectares the farm
was originally the home of a stud Jersey herd, as well as Romney and Southdown flocks.
Since 1948 when the dairy cows left, it has had its current livestock and cereal mix.
Initially this consisted of 1,700 breeding ewes and 80 This year a 1982 riparian pine block produced 769
cattle which limited seasonal flexibility. Now it runs 400 tonnes from the west bank of the Kiwitea stream. Trees
breeding ewes, finishes 2,000 lambs to 22 kilograms, 60 on the opposite side of the stream were harvested aged
bulls to 380 kilograms, and grows 40 hectares of barley. 22 years immediately following the disastrous 2004
The flexibility of this trading stock and cropping system, floods. These floods tore out much of the east bank
and the proximity to the fielding sale yards, has made plantings and deposited up to 500 millimetres of silt on
farming this property considerably easier, especially as some of the lower terraces. This block adjacent to the
John and Diny do most of the farm work themselves. Kiwitea stream exemplifies John’s attitude to farming
The farm consists of low alluvial terraces formed and forestry – cropping and animal fattening on the
by the Kiwitea stream and two other creeks which class one and two soils, with riparian buffers fenced and
bisect the property, along with gently rolling loess planted in trees around the terrace edges and streams.
covering higher and older terraces. At an altitude of 200
metres above sea level, and with an annual rainfall of Water use and protection
approximately 1,100 millimetres, this property generally There is an extensive network of tile and mole drains
has a long and stable growing season. on the heavy loess soils, and the mole drains need re-
pulling after each cropping rotation. Water protection
Harvesting and floods and reticulation have also featured in the positioning
John and Diny came to the farm in 1974 and joined of woodlots and retirement of the last remaining
the NZFFA in 1996. When John took over the reins at indigenous trees on the property.
Waipiko there was a collection of old plantings of oak, Even though Waipiko is connected to the Kiwitea
macrocarpa, radiata, plane, ash, elm, linden, walnut as stock water scheme, John rarely bothers to use his
well as an old heritage fruit tree orchard. allocation due to the strategic fencing and protection of
Many of John and Diny’s earlier woodlot plantings the large permanent spring in the centre of the property.
were carried out before joining the NZFFA and it is The water always runs cool and clear due to shade from
those earlier plantings which have just been harvested. trees and the exclusion of livestock.
12 New Zealand Tree Grower August 2014Awards
Many of the farm plantings reflect the fashion at is a nice stand of well-pruned cypresses on the dry well-
the time. Along the western boundary is a high pruned drained sloping ground with alder sitting at bottom of
timber belt. In one of the small gulley systems there the slope in areas of perched water table. John’s attention
are two woodlots, one of lusitanica cypress and another to this sort of detail has been very much one of trial and
of coastal redwood. Many of these plantings show the error and learning from what the local conditions have
effects of the prevailing westerly winds and moisture- thrown up.
holding loess soils, but the farm would be much the Away from the confines of Waipiko, John and Diny
poorer without them. were shareholders and directors in an investment
Many plantings on neighbouring properties suffer forest in the northern Tararua range foothills south of
from poor form and inevitable windthrow with the Palmerston North. Woodpecker forest has now been
combination of loess soils, fertility and exposure. John sold, partly to the Palmerston North city for recreational
and Diny are in good company when it comes to these activity with the remaining areas harvested.
challenges. When tree planting is combined with John’s As many of you will know, John is the immediate past-
other passions, providing habitat for water fowl and their President of the NZFFA and he did a nine-year stint on
harvesting, the combination of trees and water brings a the national executive. Previously he was a board member
pleasant aesthetic look to an otherwise gentle landscape. of Ducks Unlimited, and in his spare time a district
An old river meander which has had its oxbow councillor. This commitment to the community has also
lagoon recreated, instead of drained and farmed, provides extended to hosting agriculture students from nearby
one of the most pleasant views on the property and the Massey University, and setting aside part of the property
diversity of wildlife living around it has to be seen to for the exclusive use of the Cheltenham fullbore rifle club
be believed. On the eastern side of the farm a well- as a range on club days. The woolshed is also the home to
planted stream provides what must be the best wind Middle Districts annual plant auction held every June, and
shelter on the Dermer property. This is a mixed eucalypt I suspect that many of the farm plantings may well have
planting of Eucalyptus nitens, E. obliqua, E. regnans and E. originated from that very event.
muelleriana. It is a haven for nectar-loving birds at certain This is a pleasing property to visit. All too often,
times of the year, and this mix of species is proving very intensive animal and cropping operations push the
adept at shrugging off the prevailing winds without any local environment to its absolute limits or beyond with
apparent physical damage. little regard for any other benefits due to changing
John’s comment about trees and shelter is that ‘we the land use on small portions of the property. The
have a very sheltered wee farm now and it is great.’ current buzzwords of ‘accruing eco-system services’
This planting is probably the most successful in terms of and ‘thoughtful diversified land use’ apply well on the
growth and form in this environment and it has grown Dermer family farm and it is a credit to both partners in
at a most impressive rate. On the eastern boundary there this family farming operation.
New Zealand Tree Grower August 2014 13Riparian planting
Transforming Taranaki with riparian
planting
Don Shearman
North Taranaki dairy farmer Blue Read, now also a Fonterra director, sums it up − ‘Riparian
planting is going to happen in Taranaki. We farmers can choose to be the heroes by getting
on with doing it now, or we can be the villains and force the regional council into a more
regulatory enforcement attitude. It is our choice’
More than 300 streams and rivers flow from Mount they are transforming the Taranaki landscape.
Taranaki which geographically defines and visually The council regards the project as a critical strategy
dominates the region. Fencing and planting all these in protecting and enhancing water quality. As well as
waterways is an ambitious long-term project of keeping stock out of waterways, well-established riparian
international scale. Farmers, the dairy industry and the strips also filter contaminated run-off, provide shade,
Taranaki Regional Council are working in partnership keep water temperatures down and enhance biodiversity.
to achieve the objective. Painstakingly and methodically Contrary to the perceptions of some, water
14 New Zealand Tree Grower August 2014Riparian planting
quality in Taranaki is still generally good and has been The scientific evidence
showing some improvement in recent years because of There is clear scientific evidence supporting what is
investments made by the farmers and community. With being done in Taranaki. This includes national and local
cow numbers now around 500,000, the riparian project studies as well as research being carried out overseas.
is seen as essential to future-proof the dairy industry. Measures which reduce pasture run-off and protect
stream banks from erosion or collapse due to stock
Riparian management plans movement, such as riparian management, have an
The council adopted a riparian management strategy immediate and direct benefit for improving water quality.
in the early 1990s. From the outset the council took Streamside vegetation also promotes long-term
a methodical approach, with a firm emphasis on benefits in the ecological health of waterways.
developing productive relationships with landowners. This happens by increasing shading, reducing water
The first step involved the preparation of a specific temperatures, providing a greater diversity of stream and
riparian management plan drawn up by a land bank habitat, which in turn helps the survival of more
management officer who consults the owner and walks complex and healthy ecological communities.
the farm’s stream banks. It is all being confirmed by environment monitoring,
with long-term trends for ecological health becoming
more encouraging in recent years. A technical paper on
the effectiveness of riparian margins, published by the
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, noted that ‘riparian
management can be viewed as the last line of defence
for attenuating contaminants before entering the stream.
Fencing stock out of streams and retiring riparian
margins from agricultural land use are also particularly
important practices to improve stream water quality.
Buffer zones can filter contaminants and sediments from
overland flow by increasing the infiltration into soil,
intercepting particulates, and removing soluble nutrients.’
Other studies
A New Zealand study by NIWA compared the water
in stretches of waterway where there were riparian
buffer zones to areas where there were none. The study
showed the water within the buffer zones had improved,
and that even short isolated riparian strips result in
improvements. In a study conducted by the University
of East Anglia in the United Kingdom, researchers
created a model of the various factors that lead to such
pollution. This was then used to test the effectiveness
of different methods of cutting the pollution using the
catchment of the river Humber as a case study.
Methods used ranged from reducing the number of
dairy cows in the area by 20 per cent, cutting fertiliser
use by 20 per cent, or fencing off stream banks and
Advances in information and mapping technology planting riparian vegetation. The results were very much
have greatly helped. They allow the plans to evolve from in favour of fencing. The model suggested that faecal
a basic schematic with recommendations and costings bacteria pollution could be as much as 59 per cent
to the current computer-based model using customised lower with fenced streams and riparian vegetation than
geographic information system software. Follow-up help without. In contrast, reducing the number of cows led
and encouragement includes − to a 12 per cent reduction, and cutting fertiliser use cut
• The supply of riparian plants at wholesale bulk- the bacterial concentrations by less than 10 per cent.
purchase rates
• The coordination of contractors to carry out Supply of plants
planting and maintenance work if farmers do not The Taranaki Regional Council has developed a
want to do this themselves tendering system to meet the growing demand for
• Free advice as riparian plans are implemented. riparian plants, along with a relatively small number of
New Zealand Tree Grower August 2014 15Riparian planting
plants for hill country and dune stabilisation. The tender Advice, help and incentives
was first advertised in 1996 to supply 15,000 plants By the end of June 2013, a total of 99 per cent of the
consisting of 20 different species and was awarded to six 1,769 ring plain dairy farms had riparian management
nurseries. Since the tendering scheme started, more than plans. The focus now is now on getting the work
three million plants have been supplied to holders of done. There has been a strong message to plan holders
riparian and other farm plans. that as the scale of planting increases, the logistics of
plant supply become more of a problem. This makes
Number of plants
600,000
it essential for them to assess their requirements and
order their plants at least two seasons in advance. Plant
500,000 numbers on this scale are not available off the shelf.
Throughout the year, land management officers
400,000 visit individual plan holders to liaise, advise, monitor
progress and take plant orders for the following season.
300,000
The graph below shows how this one-on-one contact
200,000
with plan holders, mainly riparian, has intensified in
recent years as the focus has switched from preparation
100,000 to implementation.
Number of contacts
0
Plant numbers
Native plants are supplied because of the moist
Taranaki climate and the potential to enhance the
region’s biodiversity. Planter bag B3s or higher are
favoured because experience shows that plants which
are 50 centimetres high with sturdy stems and full root
development regularly achieve survival rates of 90 per
cent or higher. Smaller-grade plants grown in containers
do not fare so well in riparian margins. Individual contacts with plan holders
Plant species
Botanical name Common name Botanical name Common name
Austroderia fulvida Toetoe Hoheria sexstylosa Lacebark
Carex secta Purei Kunzea ericoides Kanuka
Phormium cookianum Mountain flax Leptospermum scoparium Manuka
Phormium tenax Flax/harakeke Melicytus ramiflorus Whiteywood
Aristotelia serrata Wineberry Metrosideros excelsa Pohutukawa
Carpodetus serratus Putaputaweta Myrsine australis Mapau
Coprosma repens Taupata Olearia lineata var.dartonii Twiggy tree daisy
Coprosma robusta Karamu Olearia paniculata Akiraho
Cordyline australis Cabbage tree Olearia solandri Coastal tree daisy
Corokia species Corokia Olearia traversii Chatham Island akeake
Corynocarpus laevigatus Karaka Pittosporum crassifolium Karo
Dacrycarpus dacrydioides Kahikatea Pittosporum eugenioides Lemonwood
Dacrydium cupressinum Rimu Pittosporum tenuifolium Kohuhu
Dodonaea viscosa Akeake Plagianthus regius Ribbonwood
Fuchsia excorticata NZ fuchsia Podocarpus totara Totara
Griselinia littoralis Broadleaf Pseudopanax arboreus Five finger
Hebe stricta Koromiko Pseudopanax crassifolius Lancewood
Hoheria angustifolia Narrow leaved lacebark Pseudopanax laetus Broad-leaved five finger
Sophora microphylla Kowhai
16 New Zealand Tree Grower August 2014Riparian planting
Numerous case studies featuring the achievements required most suppliers to meet stock exclusion and stock
and experiences of farmers who are committed to the crossing requirements by the end of 2013. In recognition
riparian programme have been prepared and published. of the added benefits of riparian vegetation, Fonterra has
They are designed to reinforce the message that riparian allowed an extra two years to its suppliers opting for the
protection is regarded as standard business practice. Taranaki method of planting as well as fencing. The small
Besides the environmental benefits of effective riparian number of suppliers not taking this option were given
management, these case studies have highlighted its strong messages about the need to allow room for riparian
other advantages including − planting when fencing their stream banks.
• More stock shelter and windbreaks
• Biodiversity gains, especially richer birdlife Progress so far
• Better stock management Since 2002 the council has been monitoring the
• Reduced risk of stock drowning or contracting liver implementation of riparian management plans, recording
fluke from drinking stream water the amount of fencing and planting that takes place
• Elimination of workplace hazards such as removing each year. By the end of June 2013 plan holders had
the need for farm workers to retrieve stock from fenced 2,880 kilometres of stream bank and planted
steep stream gullies 1,460 kilometres of stream bank. In total, 47 per cent
• Taxation advantages from environmental enhancement of all recommended fencing and 27.6 per cent of all
• Increased aesthetic and property values. recommended planting had been implemented. Taking
Fonterra’s 2012 Waterway Management Programme pre-existing fencing into consideration, 10,330 kilometres
of stream banks are now fenced – 76 per cent of the
stream bank length covered by the riparian plans.
The path to the future
The task is a big one, probably New Zealand’s largest
environmental enhancement project. However, the
Taranaki Regional Council is confident that it will
be fully implemented by the end of the decade. In an
industry whose environmental credentials have come
under increasing scrutiny, domestically and offshore, the
programme has been an opportunity for dairy farmers
to demonstrate leadership in this area and to future-
proof their businesses.
The council has aimed for a sense of ownership by the
farming community, most importantly by maintaining a
voluntary non-regulatory approach. The Regional Fresh
Water Plan for Taranaki is currently under 10-year review,
with a new plan expected to be implemented in 2015.
This will probably secure completion of the riparian
programme by introducing an element of regulation by
the beginning of the next decade, aimed at those who are
still making no effort to protect their riparian margins.
The message to landowners is clear. As quoted at
the beginning of this article, farmers can choose to
be the heroes by getting on with doing it now, or be
the villains and force the regional council into a more
regulatory enforcement attitude. It is your choice.
Don Shearman is Land Services Manager for the Taranaki
Regional Council.
New Zealand Tree Grower August 2014 17Bioenergy
Developing a wood energy industry in
Central Otago
Rhys Millar
Wood energy for heating has been around for a long time and most New Zealanders
will be familiar with drying and storing wood for winter, preparing and starting the fire,
adding logs to keep the space warm, and having to empty the ash bin. The same steps
apply to modern wood boilers except they are now fully automated and highly efficient.
Seasoned wood fuel, in the form of wood chips or wood Natural forest
pellets, is transferred into an on-site bunker, a heat gun Planted forest
– pre 1990
starts combustion and fuel from the bunker is transferred
Post 1989 forest
to the boiler using a series of augers. The boiler can
turn on and shut off automatically and is able to relight
itself when required. The only real intervention with a
new modern boiler is to empty the ash bin and perform
regular maintenance.
Renewable fuel source
In 2013 Ahika Consulting Ltd completed an assessment
of the potential for the Queenstown Lakes District
and the Central Otago district to provide a significant
proportion of its industry’s energy requirements using
locally owned and sourced wood as a renewable fuel
resource. The feasibility report assessed the potential to
develop an effective regional wood energy cluster. To
be viable this required two main ingredients – a secure
supply of feedstock and demand for wood fuel. The first Forest types and extent across Central Otago and Queenstown
part of the report addressed the requirements of the Lakes districts
supply, from the forest floor to point of sale, beginning The potential of each of these sources, with specific
by assessing the volume of usable wood biomass residue regard to Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes, is
available within the region. outlined below.
Raw resource Use of existing local low-value log products
The raw resource for wood energy can arise from five The distance from Central Otago and the Queenstown
main sources − Lakes to industry chipping facilities, ports and the
• Use of existing local low-value logs which are medium-density fibreboard plant based at Mataura is
currently marketed and sold into alternative markets significant. It makes supplying these chip log markets
• Importing low-value logs into the region with lower value log products a difficult proposition.
• Obtaining wood residue not currently sold from the Instead, local firewood markets are traditional for low-
forest site grade logs. Demand for firewood logs is high, with an
• Use of the wilding conifers estimated 40 firewood merchants across the two districts
• Use of other local biomass currently sold into supplying an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 cubic metres
alternative markets. of loose firewood each year. As a result, the historical
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