3. Current Trends in Timber Use & Forest Management under Part IIIA of the Forests Act 1949
3.1 Likely Growth to 2010
In recent years the production of indigenous timber from land subject to approved SFM Plans and Permits has not been at the maximum allowable rate. The production of beech in particular is presently lower than the allowable rate of harvest. This is attributed to a limited consumer demand and less than optimal prices for beech and beech products. There are indications that private industry initiatives, coupled with the contraction in the supply of rimu and other podocarps, will see a significant increase in the harvesting and marketing of beech timber, especially red and silver beech.
The average annual rate of approval of draft SFM Plans (1 July 1993 to 30 June 2001) is 3 300 ha of indigenous forest producing up to 7 000 m3 roundwood per annum. The average annual rate of approval of SFM Permits for this period is 4 900 ha per annum providing for a total or "equivalent annual harvest" of 10 600 m3 of roundwood per annum.
The rate of approvals of both SFM Plans and Permits has been appreciably higher since July1996, when the Transitional Sawmilling Provisions of Part IIIA of the Forests Act expired. These provisions allowed qualifying sawmills to mill pre-approved maximum quantities of timber, harvested on an unsustainable basis and were a preferred option to sustainable forest management, for some landowners.
The rate of approval of SFM Plans since July 1996 is 5 100 ha per annum with an approved annual rate of harvest of 10 500 m3 and for SFM Permits 7 400 ha per annum with a total or "equivalent annual harvest" of 15 200 m3.
Based on these more recent trends the projected area and allowable harvest of indigenous timber from private indigenous forest is:
Table 1. SFM Plans and Permits - Projection to 30 June 2010
| Area (ha) | Total Volume/annum (m3) | |
|---|---|---|
| SFM Plans | 72 300 | 150 900 |
| SFM Permits | 105 7001 | 15 2002 |
| Total | 178 000 | 166 100 |
1 SFM Permits will begin to progressively expire prior to 30 June 2010. While dependent on the rate of permit approval/renewal, the total area under permits should begin to stabilise by 2010;
2 Because the harvest under a SFM Permit is a total, one-off harvest, the estimated annual volume does not increase with area.
The total approved harvest in 2010 is thus likely to be up to 166 100 m3 per annum, an average rate of about 2m3 per ha per annum.
Assuming rates of harvest from SILNA land are maintained at existing levels (about
20 000 m3 per annum total roundwood), the total indigenous timber harvest by 2010 may be up to 186 000 m3 per annum, equivalent to pre-1993 levels. The likely rate of sawlog production will be lower, at about 110 000 m3 per annum. This is attributable to the increasing area of beech forest under management, with its relatively high proportion (40 percent) of industrial quality logs compared with less than 10 percent for podocarp species.
3.2 Potential for Long Term Growth
Of the available (and unfettered) 1 million ha of indigenous forest on private land, up to 50 percent may have potential for sustainable forest management. However confirmation of this requires detailed analysis of the private indigenous forest estate in terms of forest type, degree of past modification and physical constraints to management. Restrictions placed on the management of indigenous forests in some localities (rules in district and regional plans pursuant to the Resource Management Act 1991) may also limit timber production under sustainable forest management.
The three main species groups that have potential for management are beech, the podocarps (principally rimu) and broadleaved hardwoods (principally tawa). Beech will remain the most important species group in terms of production, by virtue of the resource available and superior growth rates compared with the podocarps and most other indigenous hardwood species. The podocarps and tawa are likely to be available in sufficient quantities to supply niche markets. Together, the podocarps and tawa are likely to supply about 20 000 m3 of the total indigenous sawlog production in 2010.
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