Barges taking load off road
Rayonier has an agreement with the council to barge out all its export logs and use trucks to transport to domestic mills. Underwood Farms can cart all their logs out by road.
Transfund, now the NZ Transport Agency, agreed to subsidise the barges and provided $392,000 in funding in 2004 after about 100 truck trips created a daily hazard on the road.
Marlborough District Council assets and services manager Mark Wheeler said a growing number of logging trucks were using the road, but this would drop in July as Underwood Farms finished its harvesting contract in Port Underwood.
"There's a little more than normal but the numbers are acceptable. They're still barging a lot more than they are trucking out. The domestic market of Rayonier only makes up 20 per cent of production," he said.
Rayonier forestry managers' logging schedules shown to the council showed they moved an average of 17 loads by barge to every three sent by truck, Mr Wheeler said.
"There has to be a balance between safety and economic production, we can not just ban all the trucks.
"The council's agreement with the companies was set up in the hope the industry will co-operate and use of the roads will be mutually beneficial."
Rayonier's logging contract is scheduled to finish at the end of the year.
Story by Jared Nicoll, Marlborough Express. To read the full story click here.