Wood Matters

After a planning and development phase starting in early 2017, PF Olsen was pleased to be able to grant membership to the FSC Group Scheme of 10,600 ha of productive plantation in five forest blocks, all located in the Northland region.

Coming with the plantations are over 1,000 hectares of reserves, most of which are significant wetlands.  All non-forest areas have been extensively surveyed by leading NZ environmental services company Wildlands.  Future management requirements for these reserves have been identified and will be prioritised for funding by PF Olsen and its client, China Forestry Group NZ Ltd.

The now certified estate, is the most northern group of three groups of forests owned by China Forestry Group NZ Ltd. These other two forest groups are also in the ‘pipeline’ moving toward full certification. These include forests in Taranaki, the Waikato, Bay of Plenty and as far south as the Wairarapa.

Kit Richards, PF Olsen’s Environment and Group Scheme manager, says the new addition and its reserves provide a very interesting range of terrains, and in particular habitats ranging from coastal dunes to inland hill country and lowland wetlands. The step into certification will ensure there will be active work undertaken to ensure protection of kiwi and other fauna in the wetland areas, as well as pest weed control in those same wetland areas. The additional proposed active management programmes will result in the ecological values of these natural areas being retained and enhanced.  These natural areas include high quality examples of natural areas, including some of the very best examples in the whole region.

The plantations themselves are planned to provide a significant and relatively uniform yield of logs into domestic and export markets along with the associated local employment.