Fir - Tree Grower articles
Douglas fir
- The Douglas-fir dilemma: Exploiting a reluctance to reproduce in the fight against wildings (Access: NZFFA membership)
Cathie Reeves, May 2020
Douglas-fir are notorious for their tendency to turn feral and spread themselves into places they are not wanted. Unfortunately, this ability to run wild limits where they can be planted,…
- Golden Downs forest Douglas-fir trial (Access: unrestricted)
November 2018
The following half dozen pages are the remaining the articles on the field days from the NZFFA Nelson conference earlier this year. The conference field days are very important, educational…
- Testing the strength of Douglas-fir cross-laminated timber (Access: unrestricted)
Minghao Li and Harriet Palmer, November 2018
Douglas fir is New Zealand’s second most popular plantation species with a total current planted area of around 104,000 hectares. Renowned as a structural timber, Douglas fir has been generally overlooked…
- Douglas fir and Swiss needle cast (Access: unrestricted)
Patrick Milne, May 2015
Douglas fir, with upwards of 110,000 hectares planted, is New Zealand’s second most commonly planted forest tree. Often referred to as Oregon pine, it is now mostly planted on higher altitude…
- Ernslaw One Douglas fir plantation (Access: unrestricted)
Chris Bossley, August 2010
Over lunch at Dipton Hall, on yet another fine day with the usual apologies from the locals for the weather, we were told about Ernslaw One’s vision for Douglas fir.…
- Understanding the stability of Douglas fir timber (Access: unrestricted)
Author not published, August 2007
Douglas fir has a history within the building industry as strong, stiff and stable timber, ideal for structural applications. Different interpretations of good stability can be given such as low…
- Douglas fir – Southern gold (Access: unrestricted)
Phil De La Mare and Matt Hitchings, August 2007
Ernslaw One has a planted forest area of 85,000 hectares, of which 13,000 hectares are planted in Douglas fir in Otago and Southland. There has always been a history of…
- Douglas fir – Grows well and reproduces well (Access: unrestricted)
Nick Ledgard, August 2007
Over the last decade, southern New Zealand has seen more new land planting of Douglas fir than any other tree species – including radiata pine. The reason is because it…
- Responding to moisture: How do Douglas fir and radiata compare? (Access: unrestricted)
Andrew Karalus, August 2007
Three research projects undertaken for the Douglas fir Cooperative have set out to quantify the differences between Douglas fir and radiata pine in terms of the responses to moisture by…
- Standing up for Douglas fir (Access: unrestricted)
Andrew Karalus, August 2007
It seems as if it were only yesterday that a coalition of the willing formed the Forestry Industry Action Group to submit against the Building Industry Association leaky homes proposal…
Grand fir
- A short guide to grand fir - Abies grandis (Access: NZFFA membership)
NZFFA, November 2021
You are probably aware of the species guides we prepared for helping new growers understand which tree species would probably do well on which sites. We produced 23 of them…
- Abies - An update on the Low-down (Access: NZFFA membership)
Howard Moore, November 2021
Back in August 2011 Charlie Low wrote a comprehensive article in the Tree Grower about northern hemisphere firs. Reading it I was reminded of the child who when asked for…
- Has New Zealand missed the boat with the members of the Abies genus? (Access: unrestricted)
Charlie Low, August 2011
The members of the Abies genus form an important part of the temperate softwood forests of the northern hemisphere. Abies species from the Pacific north west of America are perhaps…
Farm Forestry - Headlines
Article archive »
- Update to the Forest Owners Association Road Engineering Manual: Forest Road Design for HPMVs.
Thursday, September 19, 2024
The NZFOA/NZFFA Transport and Logistics committee is pleased to announce the release of a new appendix to the New Zealand Forest Owners Road Engineering Manual, titled Forest Roads for High…
- Emissions Trading Scheme fee review a relief for cost-struck foresters
Thursday, February 29, 2024
The New Zealand Forest Owners Association says the review of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) fees is a relief for foresters facing excessive costs and loss of climate change action. …
- Planting trees on pasture can have a positive impact on soil health
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Rather than damaging soil in New Zealand, planting trees on pasture restores soil to be similar to its original condition. A recent news story highlighting changes in soils from converting…
- Forest plantation soils have benefits too
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
The Forest Owners Association (FOA) says the fact that soils under plantation forests are similar to soils under native trees, does not make them damaged, as a recent Newshub report has claimed.…
- Wilding Conifers - A legacy issue that needs continued, collaborative management
Sunday, October 29, 2023
Forest owners welcome the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s (PCE) acknowledgement that the presence of wilding conifers across New Zealand is largely a legacy issue, but caution against placing costs…
- Stock take of the commercially viable alternatives to Pinus radiata
Tuesday, October 03, 2023
Scion has published a “Stock Take of the Commercially Viable Alternatives to Pinus Radiata” for MPI, which reviews alternative species, their expected growth rates, climatic range, resilience to pests or…
- SNA regulations 'confusing ecological naivety'
Thursday, July 06, 2023
Forest Owners say the just released National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity (NPSIB) is a classic bureaucratic formula of confusing ecological naivety which will not help rare species and likely…
- Primary sector leadership not addressing economics as the real climate change issue
Tuesday, July 04, 2023
The immediate past president of the Farm Forestry Association (NZFFA) says the leaders of the primary sector and government are ineffectively tinkering with lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Graham West says the…
- Forest Owners hail ‘Biosecurity Hero’
Monday, May 22, 2023
The Forest Owners Association and Scion want more people to report suspicious imported wood products which might be infested with introduced wood and forest pests. FOA Biosecurity Manager, Brendan Gould,…
- Ministerial inquiry could have widespread implications for Tairawhiti community
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
The New Zealand Institute of Forestry says the just announced Tairawhiti land use inquiry is recommending measures which will stop the very activities which are vital for the region’s recovery.…
- Tairawhiti land use inquiry not addressing wider issues
Sunday, May 14, 2023
The Forest Owners Association says the Ministerial Inquiry into landuse in Tarawhiti has a core of practical recommendations, but has not addressed some more difficult and fundamental issues. President, Grant…
- Forest Owners say carbon-only forestry should be kept off productive land
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
The Forest Owners Association would like to see production forestry and farming on productive land – rather than this land used for carbon-only forests. It says this should be a…
- Opportunities from Trees Workshops - NZ Wide
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
The NZ Farm Forestry Association (NZFFA) is running 18 extension workshops in May and June with a target audience of landowners, or people with access to land, who are potential tree…
- Forest Owners back more trees for Tairawhiti
Sunday, April 16, 2023
The Forest Owners Association has told the Ministerial Inquiry into land use in Tairāwhiti, that the region’s future has to include more trees for land stability. But it appreciates forest…
- Small scale woodlot owners have their say in Tairawhiti Land use Inquiry
Sunday, April 02, 2023
he outgoing President of the Farm Forestry Association says it has been vital for farm foresters to directly address the Ministerial Inquiry into forestry and other land use in Tairāwhiti.…
- Future forests need to be multifunctional to meet climate change in Tairawhiti
Thursday, March 16, 2023
The Farm Forestry Association says the just convened Ministerial Inquiry, into land-use across Tairāwhiti, needs to look closely at the tree options for shoring up vulnerable farm and former forest land in…
- Hill country farming campaign shows they think climate change is someone else’s problem
Thursday, March 09, 2023
The Forest Owners Association says the latest campaign against forestry, led by Beef+Lamb New Zealand and 50 Shades of Green, is climate change responsibility denial, and is dangerous in the…
- Forest Owners says two months too brief to look into the complex land issues in Tairawhiti.
Thursday, February 23, 2023
The Forest Owners Association says the two month long inquiry into land use in Tairāwhiti doesn’t give enough time or depth to find solutions. The Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins has…
- Forest Owners want genetic technology approved
Thursday, February 16, 2023
The Forest Owners Organisation says New Zealand needs to concentrate on the safety of genetic technology on a case-by-case basis rather than persisting with blanket bans. The FOA wants approval…
- Fieldays Forestry Hub to demonstrate that forestry is a solution
Monday, November 28, 2022
A range of solutions to farmers’ current problems will be on display in the Fieldays Forestry Hub near Hamilton between 30 November and 3 December, says Farm Forestry Association president,…