4 June 2013
A major study report released by the Wood Council highlights the need for by-products from established industries like sawmilling if New Zealand is to develop profitable businesses based on emerging technologies, like bio-fuels and bio-chemicals.
The WoodScape study is the result of collaboration between the forest and wood products industry, the NZ Ministry for Primary Industries and NZ Trade and Enterprise, which together funded the project.
Crown Research Institute Scion, in partnership with FP Innovations and the Wood Council, evaluated wood processing investment opportunities in a New Zealand setting.
The study developed a NZ-specific model that can be used to evaluate potential opportunities for investment in traditional and emerging wood processing technologies that have the potential to generate more jobs and increase export earnings from New Zealand’s timber harvest.
Council chairman Doug Ducker says the study has highlighted a single key imperative – viable primary wood processing industries like sawmilling are vital to investment in further downstream secondary processing.
“If sawmillers on-sell wood residues to supplement their income this will in turn enable many new and emerging technologies like bio-fuels and bio-chemicals to generate acceptable positive returns on investment. Without the primary wood processing sector, these new opportunities will be less viable.”
The work is an important next step in the Wood Council’s Strategic Action Plan, which aims to increase the sector’s exports from the current $4.5 billion dollars to $12 billion dollars by 2022 . The role of the WoodScape study was to analyse future investment options to grow wood processing and manufacturing in New Zealand.
“We are on an exciting journey,” Mr Ducker says. “But it is important to understand that the WoodScape study has been conducted at a very high level and further analysis will need to be undertaken at a regional and individual company level to identify specific investment opportunities.”
A summary of findings of the WoodScape report as well as the detailed study reports can be found on the Wood Council’s website: www.woodco.org.nz
Background
The Wood Council of New Zealand is the over-arching body for the forestry and wood processing sector. Its members are the Forest Owners, Wood Processors, Pine Manufacturers, Farm Forestry and Forest Industry Contractors Associations.
For more information please contact Doug Ducker, Chair, Wood Council of NZ, Tel 06 831 0100
Established plantations of pine, macrocarpa and Douglas-fir over 40 hectares now co-exist with carefully positioned ornamental trees on the long and narrow property running 16 kilometres from the highway to the sea.
Often circling the plantations are lusitanicus and cypress that will remain standing when timber trees are harvested.
Another 30 ha of native bush is protected by QE11 covenant and the couple have fenced from stock about 100 ha in gullies for their personal pleasure.
Charles Wiffen said the trees had been planted at the 1400 ha farm as much for providing a pleasant working landscape as for shelter and shade for stock. He said they had made a point of planting oaks, poplars and cypress for variety.
The Wiffens, who also run a Blenheim vineyard and manage the Charles Wiffen label, have been at Inverness for 48 years with Charles' father first running the farm. Elms, maples and "every oak you could think of" now line the property.
Farm Forestry Association award judge Neil Cullen, Balclutha, said the trees were an example of good land use.
Many of the "awkward" corners and gullies had been planted in small tree blocks, shelter belts and ornamental trees to provide shade and shelter appreciated by stock this dry summer, he said.
"I was impressed with the way they have managed the property as far as land use goes. It's a long, stretched out property 16km to the ocean and although there is only 40 ha of tree blocks in 1400 ha a lot of the property isn't suitable for forestry because of access problems."
Wiffen said he was a farmer first and a forester second, but he had always appreciated trees for the qualities they brought to a farm.
Story by Tim Cronshaw, © Fairfax NZ News. To read the full story, click here.