Forestry in Nelson/Marlborough
Forestry Development
Nelson/Marlborough’s first production forest of any size was planted in the early 1900s by prison labour at Dumgree in Marlborough. In the 1920s, the sawmilling company H Baigent and Sons Ltd began acquiring reverting farmland in the Moutere hills and planted the first significant areas of radiata pine. This was quickly followed by the State Forest Service acquiring many uneconomic farms in the Golden Downs area and beginning large-scale planting there.
The first planting boom, as elsewhere in the country, took place during the 1920s and 1930s. A second boom in the 1970s saw the New Zealand Forest Service carrying out large-scale new planting programmes throughout the region.
In 1987 all the region’s State-owned planted forests came under the management of New Zealand Timberlands Ltd, the forest-growing subsidiary of State-owned enterprise New Zealand Forestry Corporation Ltd. Most State-owned natural forest in the region was assigned to the Department of Conservation.
Since 1990, the Government has sold most of the State forest assets, including forests and land improvements, to forestry companies. It granted Crown Forestry Licences, which provide the right to harvest existing forests and establish new forests. Crown Forestry Licences are now held by all the major companies; Weyerhaeuser New Zealand Inc., Carter Holt Harvey Forests and Rayonier New Zealand Ltd.
Natural Forests
Natural forest and scrubland cover approximately 1 100 000 hectares, or 49 percent, of the Nelson/Marlborough region. The Department of Conservation administers most of this area, with major areas being the Nelson Lakes National Park, Abel Tasman National Park, Kahurangi National Park and Mount Richmond Forest Park. Reserves total 97 000 hectares and Stewardship areas 280 000 hectares.
Natural forest areas, dominated by beech, extend up to 1350 metres above sea level. Podocarp species are restricted to small, scattered areas in the region.
Beech forests, particularly red and silver beech, offer the best prospects for sustainable management. However, the potential for sustainable management of beech timbers from private forest areas is limited to small-scale operations. Legislation excludes harvesting within the conservation estate.
Planted Production Forests
As at April 1999, planted production forest covered 172 490 hectares, 7.6 percent of Nelson/Marlborough’s land. The forest has a standing volume of 31 381 000 cubic metres and an area-weighted average age of 13.7 years.
Nelson/Marlborough forests are dominated by radiata pine (90 percent), much of it under 20 years old. Conservative regimes on at least half of the region’s resource have produced small branched logs, which are well suited to producing knotty edge-glued panels for doors and furniture. Radiata pine wood densities are medium in the south and east, and high on isolated coastal patches.
Douglas-fir is the second most important species in the region, accounting for 7.6 percent of local planted production forests. Large areas of Douglas-fir in the Golden Downs Forest have shown very good growth rates and in some parts of the region Douglas-fir has proved more productive than radiata pine. The timber is mainly used for building construction, so is generally not pruned.
Cupressus macrocarpa and Cupressus lusitanica also have significant potential as alternative softwoods. Eucalypts have not been widely planted in Nelson/Marlborough, but species with some commercial potential include Eucalyptus nitens, E. obliqua and E. fastigata.
Table 1: Planted Production Forest Areas in Nelson/Marlborough by District
as at 1 April 1999
| District | Area (ha) |
Vol (000 m3) |
| Tasman District | 90 743 |
19 102 |
| Nelson City | 9 133 |
2 114 |
| Marlborough District | 71 389 |
10 002 |
| Kaikoura District | 1 225 |
162 |
| Total | 172 490 |
31 381 |
Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Table 2: Area/Age Class Distributions in Nelson/Marlborough as at 1 April 1999
Age class (years) |
||||||||||||
| Territorial Authority | 1-5 |
6-10 |
11-15 |
16-20 |
21-25 |
26-30 |
31-35 |
36-40 |
41-50 |
51-60 |
61-80 |
Total |
| Tasman District | 19 380 | 15 174 |
11 769 |
15 410 |
15 925 |
9 919 |
2 160 |
474 |
258 |
98 |
176 |
90 743 |
| Nelson City | 1 660 | 1 120 |
1 076 |
1 852 |
2 124 |
991 |
231 |
34 |
42 |
0 |
3 |
9 133 |
| Marlborough District | 25 131 | 10 405 |
12 810 |
9 046 |
9 129 |
4 438 |
333 |
50 |
18 |
20 |
9 |
71 389 |
| Kaikoura District | 571 | 210 |
107 |
67 |
157 |
63 |
26 |
12 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
1 225 |
| Total | 46 742 | 26 909 |
25 762 |
26 375 |
27 335 |
15 411 |
2 750 |
570 |
321 |
123 |
192 |
172 490 |
Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Table 3: Estimated Roundwood Removals for Nelson/Marlborough
(Year ending 31 March)
Volume (000 m3) |
|||||||||||
| Year | 1990 |
1991 |
1992 |
1993 |
1994 |
1995 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
| Nelson | 726 |
835 |
963 |
1075 |
1154 |
1104 |
1228 |
1262 |
1201 |
1086 |
1442 |
| Marlborough | 68 |
63 |
86 |
92 |
157 |
194 |
240 |
215 |
238 |
253 |
391 |
| Total | 794 |
898 |
1049 |
1167 |
1311 |
1298 |
1468 |
1477 |
1439 |
1339 |
1833 |
Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Nelson
Table 4: Forest Areas by Species in Nelson/Marlborough as at 1 April 1999 (hectares)
| District | Radiata pine | Douglas-fir | Other Softwoods |
Hardwoods | Total |
| Tasman | 78 329 |
9 668 |
2 113 |
633 |
90 743 |
| Nelson | 7 807 |
1 052 |
231 |
43 |
9 133 |
| Marlborough | 67 839 |
2 292 |
702 |
556 |
71 389 |
| Kaikoura | 1 133 |
72 |
10 |
10 |
1 225 |
| Total | 155 108 |
13 084 |
3 056 |
1 242 |
172 490 |
Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Harvesting
Harvesting of planted production forests in Nelson/Marlborough has increased from 794 000 cubic metres in March 1990 to 1 833 000 cubic metres in March 2000.
Harvesting is expected to exceed 2.6 million cubic metres per annum by the year 2005. The greatest proportional increase will take place in Marlborough, where harvest volumes are predicted to increase from 391 000 cubic metres in March 2000 to around 700 000 cubic metres per annum in about 2005 (based on independent analysis by the Marlborough District Council).
Table 5: Log Production Nelson/Marlborough - Year ended 31 March 2000
| Market | Log Type | Volume (m3) |
Percentage |
|
| Domestic | Sawlogs | 763 500 |
42 |
|
| Chipwood | 467 000 |
25 |
||
| Export | All log types | 602 500 |
33 |
|
| Total | 1 833 000 |
100 |
||
Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Future Wood Supply
Wood supply forecasts for the Nelson/Marlborough region were developed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry with the oversight of the National Exotic Forest Description (NEFD) Steering Committee. The Committee comprises representatives from the forest industry and government agencies nominated by the New Zealand Forest Owners’ Association and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
The wood supply forecasts include six modelling scenarios:
- Three clear fell age scenarios with:
- the base cut target clearfell age for radiata pine of 28 years;
- the early cut target clearfell age for radiata pine of 25 years;
- the late cut target clearfell age for radiata pine of 35 years.
- Three national new planting scenarios of:
- 20 000 hectares per year;
- 40 000 hectares per year;
- 60 000 hectares per year.
The three rates of new planting modelled are intended to provide a best estimate of future medium-term new planting, along with a lower and an upper bound.
For the 40 000 hectares national new planting scenario, Nelson/Marlborough’s estimated share is 2800 hectares per annum.
The base cut scenario (when applied to the Nelson/Marlborough region) shows that harvesting from the region’s planted production forests has the potential to increase from 1.8 million cubic metres in March 2000 to a forecast level of over 2.6 million cubic metres in 2005. Longer-term forecasts indicate production increasing to 2.8 million cubic metres by 2010.
In addition to the increasing wood harvest levels, the mix of log types changes. In the base cut scenario, the predicted proportion of pruned logs, while variable, increases from 6 percent of the total volume in 2001 to 2005 to 11 percent in 2011 to 2015. Over the same periods the projected level of pulp logs decreases from 27 percent to 22 percent.
These changes reflect the increasing percentage of pruned resource that will be harvested in Nelson/Marlborough, and the future improved tree quality. Table 6 shows the predicted wood supply by log type in five-year intervals.
Table 6: Predicted Nelson/Marlborough Wood Supply - Base Cut Scenario by
Log Type (000 cubic metres per annum)
| Years | Pruned logs |
Unpruned logs |
Pulp logs |
Thinnings |
Total recoverable volume |
| 2001-05 | 147 |
1633 |
660 |
34 |
2474 |
| 2006-10 | 267 |
1794 |
625 |
46 |
2732 |
| 2011-15 | 326 |
1882 |
640 |
22 |
2870 |
| 2016-20 | 309 |
1936 |
694 |
15 |
2954 |
| 2021-25 | 375 |
2016 |
668 |
19 |
3078 |
| 2026-30 | 323 |
2090 |
656 |
25 |
3094 |
| 2031-35 | 219 |
2146 |
697 |
39 |
3101 |
| 2036-40 | 254 |
2104 |
695 |
31 |
3084 |
Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
All the data relating to the National Exotic Forest Description – National Wood Supply Forecasts can be found at http://www.maf.govt.nz/forestry/
Contact for Enquiries
Policy Analyst - Forestry
Innovation and Research
MAF Policy
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
PO Box 2526
Wellington
NEW ZEALAND
Tel: +64 4 894 0100
Fax: +64 4 894 0741
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