New Zealand: Forestry
Foresters could have arbitrage case, says expert
30 May 2014
A litigator turned forest manager says that the Government’s surprise move to close an arbitrage loophole for forest owners could be legally challenged.
New environment rules keep foresters in line
16 May 2014
A new standard provides forest owners and managers with environmental, economic, social, and cultural criteria that support the sustainable management of forests.
Scientists answer soil microbes questions
9 May 2014
Scientists from the United States, China and Ireland may have settled one big question about climate change: don’t rely on the soil microbes to help to damp down the temperatures.
NZUs issued to post-1989 forest owners
2 May 2014
Nearly seven million NZUs have been issued so far this year to owners of post-1989 forests.
At last, we're moving on wood carbon rules
24 Apr 2014
New Zealand is finally moving to recognise carbon stored in wood products – two years after it could have done so.
Wooden skyscrapers cool idea in a warming world
11 Apr 2014
By TIM RADFORD.- US scientists have a new green solution to urban construction: chop down trees and use the wood for buildings.
We need a price target range, says forest expert
28 Mar 2014
A LEADING forestry services executive is calling on the Government to set a target range for carbon prices.
Not worth it, say international traders
28 Mar 2014
INTERNATIONAL carbon traders say there is little incentive for the private sector to get involved in carbon-sequestering forestry projects.
Carbon price inaction could hurt Nats at poll
21 Mar 2014
National could feel at the ballot box its failure to take action on carbon prices and lack of vision on forestry.
Post-89 emissions returns trickle in
21 Mar 2014
Only a quarter of post-1989 forest owners registered in the Emissions Trading Scheme have submitted their 2013 emissions returns.
Greens have plans for timber buildings
21 Mar 2014
The Green Party in Government will put $1 million toward the cost of the first 10-storey or higher New Zealand building made with structural timber, co-leader Dr Russel Norman said this week.
Wood foam joins the list of insulations
14 Mar 2014
By PAUL BROWN.- Every energy expert and scientist would agree that one of the cheapest and quickest ways to cut fossil fuel use and stave off dangerous climate change is better insulation of homes, factories and offices.
Reluctant PM fends off $600m iwi ultimatum
7 Mar 2014
The Prime Minister says he accepts that 50,000 new jobs would be created by Maori following through on a promise to plant one million hectares of new forest if the Government lifts carbon prices.
Government says no to national forest policy
7 Mar 2014
The Government is refusing to adopt a national forestry policy, despite relying on tree planting to meet international greenhouse gas emissions reductions obligations.
Labour plan aims to boost forestry
7 Mar 2014
The Labour Party is about to announce a policy using forestry to provide jobs and environmental services.
Government knows how we can be carbon-neutral
28 Feb 2014
Planting just over half of New Zealand’s marginal land in forest would make the country carbon-neutral – and the Government knows it.
Big Wood keen on iwi carbon price action
28 Feb 2014
The wood sector is gearing up to join Maori in making carbon prices an election issue.
Iwi forest plan key to processing boom
14 Feb 2014
A proposal by iwi to plant a million hectares of new forest over 10 years could provide the economies of scale needed to kick the New Zealand industry into large-scale processing.
Pine nurseries got it wrong, says Groser
14 Feb 2014
The destruction of hundreds of thousands of tree seedlings is part of a “market correction” and not due to a dysfunctional Emissions Trading Scheme, the Government says.
We're willing to pay for an ecosystem, says study
31 Jan 2014
New Zealanders are willing to pay cold hard cash for the ecosystem services provided by plantation forests.
More forest owners decide to leave ETS
24 Jan 2014
The number of post-1989 forest owners quitting the Emissions Trading Scheme quadrupled last year on the back of cheap carbon prices.
ETS dysfunctional, says forestry academic
20 Dec 2013
Deforesation and a lack of new planting means New Zealand is unlikely to meet its 2030 emissions reduction target, a forestry expert is warning.
Search is on for native forests carbon
20 Dec 2013
Government officials are reviewing just how much carbon is stored in our native forests.
Errors in forest returns could be costly, says expert
13 Dec 2013
Many forest owners could run into costly penalties for innocent mistakes in their carbon returns, a consultant is warning.
Move on carbon units worries foresters
13 Dec 2013
Last week's Government announcement on the future of carbon units after 2015 does nothing to stimulate action to reduce the nation’s net greenhouse gas emissions, says the Forest Owners’ Association.
Business needs to back deforestation battle
22 Nov 2013
The REDD scheme alone will not combat deforestation – business needs to step up to the plate, says the author of a new book launched in Warsaw this week.
World foresters go face to face in Rotorua
1 Nov 2013
Financing forestry to mitigate climate change will be on the agenda when international foresters meet in New Zealand next week.
Young forester happy to play the long game
25 Oct 2013
A young forestry investor says he’ll start selling carbon when spot NZUs get to $10.
Forest trust for all seeks board members
11 Oct 2013
The Forest Growers' Levy Trust, the new organisation representing the interests of all plantation forest owners, large and small, is calling for nominations for its first elected board.
BOC boasts fumigant is ozone safe
6 Sep 2013
BOC gases has come up with a non-ozone-damaging fumigant to replace methyl bromide.
Foresters in the know eye big profits
16 Aug 2013
Savvy forest owners are banking millions of NZUs in the expectation of big profits in the future.
Forest figures meaningless, say growers
16 Aug 2013
One hundred and seventy owners of post-1989 forests left the Emissions Trading Scheme last year.
Foresters cool on wood fuel project support
26 Jul 2013
The Government’s decision to back the initial stages of a wood-to-biofuel plant is welcome - but it’s not the game-changer that the industry needs.
Beehive backs Stump to Pump project
26 Jul 2013
A private project to investigate the commercial viability of turning wood waste into biofuel has won Government backing.
Prices force rethink of forestry carbon rules
21 Jun 2013
Forest owners exploiting low carbon prices to convert forest land to dairy farms have forced government officials to rethink this country’s net forestry carbon position.
Deadline looms for forest owners
21 Jun 2013
Forest owners have just over a week to file returns for the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.
Woodies want large-scale biofuel plant
14 Jun 2013
A massive wood-processing plant with a substantial biofuel plant add-on could be viable, the sector says.
Govt vow ‘huge news’ for foresters
24 May 2013
The Government says it is committed to the Permanent Forest Sinks Initiative.
Bring back natives, says tree scientist
24 May 2013
Plantation forests could prove a valuable site for native forest regeneration.
Co-operate or crash, warns forests expert
26 Apr 2013
A forestry expert is calling for co-operation between farmers, conservation interests, scientists and officials to avoid a “biodiversity train-wreck” in New Zealand.
IT’S OFFICIAL: Forests make way for dairying
19 Apr 2013
Government figures have confirmed what the carbon market has known for months – forests are being cleared and converted to dairy farms on the back of rock-bottom carbon prices.
Wood industry report shows the way
8 Mar 2013
The wood industry’s investigation of future economic opportunities – including biofuels and biochemicals – is finished.
Forests emissions returns due soon
22 Feb 2013
Emissions returned for 2012 have been filed for nearly a fifth of post 1989-forests registered under the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Wood-waste plant idea excites biofuel pioneer
8 Feb 2013
Ground-breaking biofuel company LanzaTech is interested in building a woody-waste gasification plant in New Zealand.
Low prices way out for pre-90 foresters
25 Jan 2013
Record-low carbon prices could see hundreds of thousands of hectares of pre-1990 plantation forest cleared or converted to post-1989 forest.
Second tranche units make an appearance
25 Jan 2013
Units from the second tranche of the pre-1990 forests allocation are starting to trickle into the market.
Profit-rich foresters might quit ETS
18 Jan 2013
Forest owners who have made a tidy profit by selling carbon high and buying low are now looking to quit the Emissions Trading Scheme.
Forest returns dragging the chain
18 Jan 2013
The sluggishness of the carbon market appears to be reflected in this year’s post-1989 forest carbon returns.
Forest owners to vote on industry voice
18 Jan 2013
Forest owners will vote in March on a plan that aims to give all commercial forest and woodlot owners a say in the future of their industry.
Climate at the ballot box in local govt elections
Mon 15 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | Climate action as well as anti-climate stances are both the subject of promises at this year's local government elections, with pledges to focus on resilience to extreme weather events widely supported, while plans for cutting emissions have been countered by promises to block such action, as voting papers hit mailboxes last week.
Watts not considering removing electricity from ETS
Today 11:15am
Energy and Climate Change Minister, Simon Watts, says he is “not currently considering” removing electricity generation from the Emissions Trading Scheme, as proposed by NZ First Minister Shane Jones.
International scientists slam NZ govt's proposed approach to methane
13 Aug 2025
New Zealand's proposed approach to methane emissions has again been attacked by international climate scientists, with a new study saying the attempt to redefine climate target-setting by livestock-exporting countries undermines the transition to a sustainable and equitable food system
Vector hits emissions reduction goal five years early
5 Sep 2025
By Liz Kivi | Auckland lines company Vector has met its 2030 emissions reduction reduction target five years early, more than halving its direct emissions, and crediting innovation and a laser-focus for its success in a hard-to-abate sector.
NZ needs to be part of a regional SAF strategy: Z, Air NZ
9 Sep 2025
By Pattrick Smellie | New Zealand needs to be part of a regional strategic approach to sourcing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with domestic production less the aim than ensuring access to the fuel from one of a number of strategically positioned bio-refineries around the world.
'Non-negotiable' – EU carbon pricing to hit Kiwi exporters, expert warns
Thu 11 Sep 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | High carbon exports will inevitably face a high carbon tax at the EU border, possibly in the next five years, and high methane agricultural products might not be exempt, an international expert told a local audience yesterday.
