An Overview
New Zealand's planted production forests covered an estimated 1.83 million hectares as at 1 April 2003. Seventy percent of the area is in the North Island and 30 percent is in the South Island. Thirty-two percent of the entire planted forest estate is in the Central North Island wood supply region. Other significant forest resources are in the Northland, Nelson/Marlborough and Otago/Southland regions.
Radiata pine is the dominant species, making up 89 percent of the planted forest area, with Douglas-fir the next most common species, making up 6 percent. The balance comprises other softwood and hardwood species.
About 67 percent (1.09 million hectares) of the radiata pine planted forest estate is, or is expected to be, pruned to a height of at least four metres. The area of pruned radiata pine approaching harvestable age is increasing. Approximately 9 percent (94,000 hectares) of pruned radiata pine is older than 25 years, while 16 percent (174,000 hectares) of pruned radiata pine is between 21 and 25 years old. Seventy-five percent (824,000 hectares) of the pruned radiata pine estate is 20 years old or younger.
Approximately 21 percent of the radiata pine planted forests currently is, or is expected to be, production thinned. The area of production thinned forest has declined in recent years: in 1995 28 percent of the radiata pine forests was, or was intended to be, production thinned. Production thinning of the radiata resource has decreased in the Central North Island wood supply region from 65 percent in 1995 to 33 percent in 2003.
An estimated 22,100 hectares of new forest were established in 2002. Thirty-one percent of this planting occurred on improved pasture, 20 percent on land where scrub was previously the predominant land cover and 49 percent on unimproved pasture. It is provisionally estimated that 14,900 hectares of new planting occurred during 2003.
The average new planting rate over the last 30 years has been 44,900 hectares per year. In the period 1992 to 1998 new planting rates were high; during this period new planting averaged 69,000 hectares per year. Since 1998 the rates of new planting have declined. At 14,900 hectares in 2003, new planting is now well below the average afforestation rate of the last 30 years.
Between 1990 and 2002 it is estimated that 640,000 hectares of new forest have been established. New entrants to forestry have carried out much of this new planting. Accurate details of the ownership composition of these new entrants are not available. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the majority of these new owners is either private land owners or syndicate investors and that most of the forests established by these owners are small in size. While these new owners have planted a significant area during the 1990s, 70 percent (1.3 million hectares) of the entire forest resource is still currently owned by growers with more than one thousand hectares of forest.
Maps 3 and 4 in this report show the location of New Zealand's planted forests as identified in the New Zealand Land Cover Database (NZLCDB).
Significant areas of forest established in the 1970s are now maturing and are expected to be harvested over the next decade. Details about these forecast increases in harvest levels are available in NEFD National and Regional Wood Supply Forecasts 2000.
An estimated 23.0 million cubic metres of roundwood were
harvested from New Zealand's planted production forests in the year ended 31
March 2003. An estimated 22.2 million cubic metres came from clear felling
49,000 hectares of planted forest, and 0.8 million cubic metres from production
thinning. About 39,600 hectares of previously clear felled planted forest
were replanted in 2002.
Contact for Enquiries
MAF Information Services
Pastoral House
25 The Terrace
PO Box 2526
Wellington, NEW ZEALAND
Fax: +64 4 894 0721
Contact this person
