New Zealand: Forestry
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.
Everyman's guide to Tiger Country
23 Nov 2012
Forest owners and farmers now have access to detailed information about carrying out earthworks on steep hills that are often prone to erosion - the "tiger country" where plantation forests are increasingly grown.
Govt eyes better planting policies
2 Nov 2012
The Government is looking for new policies to encourage afforestation.
Dunne seems deaf to foresters' pleas
26 Oct 2012
The forestry industry is focusing its lobbying attention on United Future’s Peter Dunne to try to stop changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme which they say will stop planting in its tracks.
Worried forest owners urge Key to act
28 Sep 2012
The heads of eight major forestry companies have asked the Prime Minister to intervene directly over the flow of cheap foreign carbon credits into New Zealand.
Government lying to us, says forester
28 Sep 2012
The Government is being accused of lying to New Zealanders over plans to encourage afforesation as a means of reducing greenhouse gas levels.
Foresters put faith in new technology
24 Aug 2012
The forestry sector is pressing ahead with plans to transform itself by adopting new technologies to get the most out of its harvest.
Tasman pact aims to fight illegal logging
24 Aug 2012
New Zealand and Australia are to join forces to combat illegal logging.
We'll need years to get going, says forester
10 Aug 2012
Large-scale forest planting will not begin until several years after a substantial rise in carbon prices, a key industry player is warning.
Conference urges Govt to act on carbon
10 Aug 2012
A conference on feeding the world and saving the planet is calling for Government action to lift the price of carbon.
Foresters slam academic's pines attack
3 Aug 2012
Forest owners are dismayed at Otago University Professor Sir Alan Mark’s suggestion that he might assemble a group of activists to rip out forest seedlings on a farm near Dunedin.
'Back-to-basics' approach for councils ignores climate risk
Fri 11 Jul 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | While ACT is standing local government candidates to oppose councils' attempts to manage emissions and ministers are calling for local authorities to 'get back to basics' - or even suggesting scrapping regional councils altogether - one expert says this narrative is putting communities at risk in the face of climate change.
Fast, sustained phase-out of fossil fuels: best-performing countries in coal and transport sectors
Thu 10 Jul 2025
By Robert McLachlan | It’s true that climate change is getting worse – it will continue to get worse until emissions fall to near zero. But is action on phasing out fossil fuels really stalling?
Clear-sighted view to trade-offs crucial to reimagining our relationship with the land
Mon 7 Jul 2025
By Nick Swallow | COMMENT: New Zealand could see a 70% drop in the value of dairy land if we pursue our emissions targets for agriculture, according to a new report.
Mangroves' overlooked climate role
30 Jun 2025
By Shannon Morris-Williams | New Zealand’s mangrove forests are pulling tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere each year, yet their climate benefits remain unrecognised in national emissions reporting.
How flying can be a climate solution
16 Jun 2025
By Paul Callister and Robert McLachlan - Planetary Ecology | How can aviation contribute to tackling climate change when no practicable technology-based solutions are on the horizon?
NZ Post drops science-based climate target
Tue 8 Jul 2025
By Liz Kivi | NZ Post has dropped its science-based emissions reduction target of 42% by 2030 with no plans to replace it.
