Other Sustainable Forestry Initiatives
The Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for forestry is part of a comprehensive package of climate change initiatives for the sector. Other measures that will assist the forestry sector include the Permanent Forest Sink Initiative (PFSI), Afforestation Grant Scheme (AGS) and East Coast Forestry Project (ECFP).
This flowchart shows how the sustainable forestry schemes fit together.
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD)
Land-use change is one of the leading contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, with deforestation accounting for the majority of land-use change emissions. Deforestation emissions from developing countries have increased dramatically in the last 50 years and currently account for approximately one-fifth of human-induced carbon dioxide emissions.
This has led interested parties to advocate the development of a mechanism which would incentivise developing countries to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD).
Permanent Forest Sink Initiative (PFSI)
The Permanent Forest Sink Initiative (PFSI) promotes the establishment of permanent forests on previously unforested land.
It offers land owners the opportunity to earn Kyoto Protocol compliant emission units (Assigned Amount Units or AAUs) for carbon sequestered in permanent forests established after 1 January 1990.
To be eligible the forest must be "direct human induced .... through planting, seeding and/or the human-induced promotion of natural seed sources".
PFSI participants will have a covenant registered against their land titles for a minimum of 50 years.
Limited harvesting is allowed, on a continuous forest canopy cover basis.
Forest owners will meet all costs of administration, monitoring, auditing and compliance and also carry the liability for maintaining the carbon stocks.
The PFSI is complementary to the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme for forestry. Landownders may also want to consider their options under the ETS and the Afforestation Grant Scheme.
Further information about the PFSI
Afforestation Grant Scheme (AGS)
The Afforestation Grants Scheme (AGS) is ia contestable fund designed to encourage more planting of trees in small forests and on farms. It was announced last year by the Government as part of its package of climate change initiatives and offers an alternative to the proposed NZ ETS as a way to encourage greater levels of greenhouse gas absorption by increasing the area of Kyoto-compliant new forest in New Zealand.
There are two funding components under the AGS. Half of the funding will be available to Regional Councils to help them meet their sustainable land management objectives. The other half is available to the general public via a public tender pool.
The majority of this public funding pool (70 percent) will be allocated to species that have high sequestration rates. These will be the usual exotic plantation species such as pinus radiata and Douglas fir.
The remaining 30 percent of these public funds will be reserved for species with low carbon sequestration rates. This is as a result of public interest in planting indigenous species, which have low carbon sequestration rates.
The first round of public tenders is now open, with most of the 2008 tenders expected to be for 2009 planting. The closing date for the first tender round in the public pool has been extended to 30 June 2008.
- AGS Guidelines
- PDF download [440KB PDF]
- Afforestation Grant Scheme Tender Form [30KB PDF]
- AGS Guidelines Appendix 3 Grant Agreement [35KB PDF]
- AGS Guidelines Appendix 4 Deed of Novation [15KB PDF]
East Coast Forestry Project
The East Coast Forestry Project was set up by the Government in 1992. Administered through the MAF's Gisborne office, the project's objective until June 1999 was to plant 200,000 hectares of commercial forest over 28 years on severely eroding and potentially erodible land in the East Coast of the North Island. Following a Ministerial review this objective has been modified to target 60,000 hectares of the most at risk lands plus immediate surrounding areas. Protecting the land will be achieved mainly through commercial forest planting.
Further information about the East Coast Forestry Project
Contact for Enquiries
Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change
MAF
Pastoral House
25 The Terrace
PO Box 2526, Wellington
Tel: 0800 CLIMATE (254 628)
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