25 August 2026
Forest owners record major pest control contribution
Forest owners spent almost $4 million controlling over 160,000 pest animals across 1.4 million hectares of plantation forest in 2025, with pest-control activity reported across 77 percent of the national forest estate, according to a new survey.
The New Zealand Forest Owners Association (NZFOA) says the sector’s contribution is often overlooked in the national debate about who is responsible for controlling pests across private land.
The survey comes as Federated Farmers calls for greater responsibility from forestry and other land managers, identifying neighbouring forestry and Crown land among sources of pest reinvasion onto farms.
NZFOA chief executive Dr Elizabeth Heeg says forest owners already take a proactive role in tackling pests that affect both production forests and the wider environment.
“These figures show forest owners’ significant investment in reducing pest pressure, often in places where neighbouring farms, waterways, reserves and native bush also benefit,” Elizabeth says. “Pest control at this scale not only protects forests, but reduces pressure on native vegetation, wildlife and adjacent land.”
The survey found larger forestry companies spent almost $4 million on pest animal control during 2025.
Possums made up the largest recorded group, with nearly 90,000 controlled during 2025. The survey also recorded nearly 30,000 goats, 15,000 pigs and 11,000 deer, alongside 17,000 rats, mustelids, chamois and other pests.
Deer, goats and other browsing animals can damage plantation forests - particularly young trees - affecting tree establishment and growth; while pests such as possums, rats and mustelids can also affect native wildlife and vegetation within and around plantation forests.
Smaller-scale forest owners, including farm foresters and woodlot owners, are likely to add further to the overall figures, with the survey not fully capturing the contribution of this group. The survey findings therefore likely understate the forestry sector’s overall pest-control effort and investment, as well as in-kind contributions.
NZFOA environment manager Rachel Millar says pest control cannot be treated as an isolated property-by-property problem.
“Pests don’t recognise property boundaries, so neither should pest control,” Rachel says. “Forest owners are already doing substantial work, but there is an opportunity to make that work more effective by coordinating it across neighbouring properties and the wider landscape.
“This new data provides forest owners a better way to track progress, identify gaps and work more closely with councils, neighbours, contractors, hunting clubs and conservation groups.”
Hunting is another significant part of pest control in forests, with forestry companies issuing more than 8000 hunting permits during 2025, according to the survey.
“Managed hunting access is an important part of pest control on forestry land,” Elizabeth says. “When it’s well managed, hunting gives companies a practical way to reduce pest numbers while keeping people safe around forestry operations.”
Better coordination between forest owners, farmers, councils, conservation groups, hunting organisations and other land managers could help prevent pests simply moving from one controlled area into another.
“Forestry companies are already investing millions of dollars and putting substantial resources into pest control,” Elizabeth says. “The next step is making sure that effort connects with what is happening on neighbouring land.”
The survey provides a clearer picture of forestry’s contribution to national pest-control efforts, but Elizabeth says this is only one component of a much larger landscape issue requiring collective attention.
“Forest owners are already doing their part. The challenge now is to make pest control more coordinated across the landscape, so that the work being done on one property isn't undermined by reinvasion from another.”
Media contact:
Emily Pope
NZFOA Communications Manager
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Mobile: 027 6176 200
