11 Oct 2011

The University of Canterbury School of Forestry is conducting a one-day workshop on expanding the market for NZ beech timber. Red and silver beech timbers have excellent properties for furniture, and interior joinery in buildings and can be grown sustainably to marketable size within 60 years.

The seminar will be held from 9.00 am to 4 pm on 25 October at the School of Forestry.

The use of New Zealand native timbers has declined in recent years as a result of the cessation of harvesting in public forests, the introduction in 1992 of stringent requirements for sustainable forest management of privately owned forests and increased competition from imported timbers.

The traditional staple of New Zealand timber manufacturing rimu, is now available in only limited quantities due to its extended rotation and the need to manage this resource sustainably. By contrast red and silver beech regenerate easily and can be managed sustainably through to harvest within 60–100 years, actual time depending on site and management.

MAF has identified 166 000 hectares of beech forest under private ownership in New Zealand that have commercial possibilities. 55 000 hectares of which is in Maori ownership. The species of most interest are red and silver beech. Red beech is gaining increasing market interest for use in flooring. Silver beech from FSC certified forests in Southland has been used to line the new Supreme Court building in Wellington.

The workshop is supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Māori Trustee and the NZ Farm Forestry Association. It focuses on research recently completed by Dr Robert Donnelly from the University of Canterbury’s School of Forestry on market opportunities for beech.

The workshop will include the following presentations:

• Setting the Scene – Robert Donnelly; Alan Griffiths (MAF); Susan Wiser (Landcare Research)
• Perception/Exception – Jon Dronfield (NZ Sustainable Forest Products LP)
• Supply and Demand – Chris Wiffen (Timspec); Jon Dronfield (NZSFP); Alister Murray (Furniture Association of NZ)
• Panel Discussion 1: End Users/Market Development – Bill Skews (Bill Skews Architects); Bill Gregory (Warren & Mahoney); Mark McKenzie (Timbers of New Zealand Ltd); Dean Satchell (NZ Farm Forestry Association)’
• Panel Discussion 2: Small Beech Holdings/Owners – Jan Derks (TACCRA); Jim Doherty (Maori Forestry Interests); Ken Ferguson (Farm Forester); John Wardle (Farm Forester/Beech Expertise)

There will be exhibits of merchandise from some of the furniture designers and manufacturers who have contributed towards the research informing the report.

Registration forms and a programme are available at http://www.forestry.ac.nz with a closing date of 7 October at 4 pm. Space is limited to 60 guests. Registrations should be e-mailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The workshop is free.

Source: MAF Sustainable Forestry Bulletin #31