Farm Forestry New ZealandTrees for Timber
Forests provide many environmental benefits to society. These include improved water quality and reduced soil erosion, along with landscape, biodiversity and recreational values. Healthy forests in critical catchments reduce flood damage downstream and therefore reduce the cost to society from such events. By encouraging the use of timber and timber products, these wider environmental values are recognised.
Unlike other building materials, wood is a renewable product. This is in direct contrast to concrete and steel, where the raw materials are mined. Once mined, no new raw material is generated. In human timescales, timber is a renewable resource, while concrete and steel are not. Forests offer soil, water, recreation and biodiversity benefits that non-wood products do not. Forestry and wood processing is a significant source of sustainable local employment. Wood processing even utilises substantial amounts of wood residue for renewable bioenergy.
Tree Grower articles
- Telling better forestry stories (Access: NZFFA membership)
Michelle Harnett, August 2021
‘I don’t like radiata’ – A King Country farmer who wants to plant more trees. ‘I do not want any trees on my farm’ − a South Island farmer. ‘Farmers… - Think about your future forest (Access: unrestricted)
Michelle Harnett, February 2021
It is the year 2050 and you are about to the harvest unpruned radiata pine you grew at 600 stems a hectare. Has everything gone to plan? How different would… - How can I make my forest more productive and what does the latest research say? (Access: unrestricted)
Michelle Harnett, August 2019
Research. Some think it is essential, others think of it as a time-consuming, cash-devouring black hole. The people who have been working on the research programme Growing Confidence in Forestry’s… - Special purpose timbers research project (Access: unrestricted)
Peter Berg, February 2016
Scion’s diverse species programme came to an end a year or so ago. At this time a number of people in the forest growing community became concerned that initiatives in… - A house built with alternative timber species (Access: unrestricted)
Richard Thompson, November 2015
It takes an lot of timber to build a house. I naïvely discovered this as the first huge pile disappeared and we had to mill more and more. Our house… - Winner of Indigenous Timber Showcase Award 2014 - Evans family home (Access: unrestricted)
Michael O’Sullivan, November 2014
The NZFFA is the lead sponsor, along with support from Indigenous Forest Section and the Neil Barr Foundation, of the Indigenous Timber Showcase Award. This is part of the NZ… - Alternative species research five years on (Access: unrestricted)
Heidi Dungey, Greg Steward and Patrick Milne, November 2014
The last five years have seen significant progress in assessing the commercial potential of a number of alternative forest tree species. The Diversified Species research programme, one of several in… - My thoughts on wood residues (Access: unrestricted)
Wink Sutton, May 2014
My forestry interests are mainly focused on the growing and management of plantations. Although important, especially in determining stumpage, I have less interest in wood use. As my approach is… - From trees to timber (Access: unrestricted)
Dean Satchell, February 2014
Farm Forestry Timbers, the NZFFA’s newest and first nationwide branch, co-hosted the annual action group weekend held in Wanganui in November last year. The theme was quite different from the… - Adding value by thinking outside the square (Access: unrestricted)
Michael Cambridge, February 2014
The NZFFA conference in Blenheim will feature a session on using wood in cities. We will be looking at some of the new ways to use wood to compete with… - Re-manufacturing radiata pine from woodlots (Access: unrestricted)
Tom Boon, November 2013
Re-manufactured radiata pine products are of a higher quality than can be achieved with solid radiata pine. They compete with similar products manufactured from hardwoods or slow grown, more stable… - Adding value to specialty timber (Access: unrestricted)
Peter King, November 2013
In my experience, tree growers are usually interested in the characteristics of finished timbers and the uses they are currently put to. The higher the demand, the higher the market… - An inspiring wood advocate, Canadian architect Tye Farrow (Access: unrestricted)
Wink Sutton, May 2013
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of experiencing a presentation by the Canadian architect Tye Farrow. Jane Arnott, CEO of NZ Wood, deserves credit for arranging Tye’s visit… - Harvesting mature macrocarpa – never judge a book by its cover (Access: unrestricted)
Allan Laurie, February 2013
This case study reviews a recent harvest project involving 17 mature macrocarpa trees harvested in south Canterbury. It is very much a story of being aware of what you are… - Wooden windows – a missed opportunity? (Access: unrestricted)
Wink Sutton, August 2012
Our house in Rotorua was built in 1969. It has single pane glass windows in wooden frames. Although winter condensation is only a minor problem, when it does occur it… - Award winning house has blackwood floor (Access: unrestricted)
Ian Nicholas and Paul Millen, February 2012
In November last year, a Marlborough Sounds house built by Glenroy Housing of Blenheim won the New Homes category $350,000 to $450,000 house of the year Registered Master Builders award.… - Farm forestry timbers - Local timbers for local markets (Access: unrestricted)
Dean Satchell, August 2011
When it comes to growing special purpose timber species, in every part of the country I hear the same things − Can we sell our logs? Is there a market… - The house of a hundred timbers (Access: unrestricted)
Nora Flight, February 2011
Walking through our house with Bevan is like walking through a three dimensional story book. I realised as I researched for this article that every piece of wood triggers a… - Timber recovery and economics of short-rotation small-diameter eucalypt forestry (Access: unrestricted)
Dean Satchell & James Turner, February 2011
The high value and the diversity of end uses for eucalypt hardwood timber are increasingly being recognised. However, the downside is that eucalypts are considered problematic to mill. A new… - High value alternatives to pine (Access: unrestricted)
Matt Lysaght, November 2010
When in 1993 Linda and I, along with partners Rob and Trish Roney, decided to establish a forestry block, it was planned to provide a substantial supplement to our respective… - Wood properties and use of poplar and willow (Access: unrestricted)
Ian McIvor, November 2010
The processing and use of both poplars and willows for different products are strongly influenced by their wood properties − anatomical, physical and chemical. That is why use cannot be… - Our timber, our house (Access: unrestricted)
Ken Stephens, November 2009
It was with some trepidation that I agreed to relate our experiences of building a house of timber, most of which we had sourced on our property. However, if it… - How does Douglas fir compare with radiata pine in framing timber? (Access: unrestricted)
Mick Hedley, Dave Page, Jackie van der Waals, August 2009
Douglas fir, which comprises around six per cent of the New Zealand exotic timber plantation, has been used as untreated framing timber for over 70 years. Historically, there were no… - A pet project (Access: unrestricted)
Mike Halliday, May 2009
It all started with a trip to Kuratau to spend a weekend with a cousin who had a bach there. We fell in love with the place and put an… - Selling alternative species (Access: unrestricted)
Allan Levett and Dean Satchell, May 2009
Interest in farm forestry circles these days is turning increasingly to selling our precious alternative species logs and timber. This is not only because some of the species Dad and… - The house that mac built (Access: unrestricted)
Benjamin Lee, February 2009
My brother Julian and his partner Tricia have devoted their working lives to the New Zealand science community. Although still working, they have taken a step back from full time…
Headlines
- Farm Forestry Timbers - Local timber for local markets August 2012
The NZFFA now has a new nationwide branch – Farm Forestry Timbers. This branch will act as a national industry body representing the interests of local specialty timber producers and… - Farm Foresters says foresters should check all selling options for best returns November 2017
New Zealand Farm Forestry Association President Neil Cullen recommends small-scale forest owners check what offers might be available from local timber processors when they go to sell their woodlots. NZFFA,… - Timber industry ready to contribute to home building catch-up July 2016
The timber industry believes the government’s announced boost to home construction, through a Housing Infrastructure Fund, needs to have a timber focus. Woodco chair, Brian Stanley, says the volume of… - Report: Eucalyptus nitens, recovery and economics of processing 15 year old trees for solid timber September 2015
- National Environmental Standard –Plantation Forestry June 2015
The NZ Farm Forestry Association is heartened to see that the proposed NES for Plantation Forestry was released for public consultation in Rotorua yesterday by the Dr Nick Smith, Minister… - Trees on Farms: Exploring Hill Country Options April 2012
Following successful workshops in Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay, the next Trees on Farms workshop will be held on the King Country property of Barrie and Jude Tatham, and will explore… - Workshops promote diverse benefits of trees on farms September 2011
A new three year programme of regionally-based workshops launching this November will help pastoral farmers and their advisors identify the economic and environmental benefits of planting trees on their properties… - Farm Foresters Need Certainty, Says NZFEA Trust-MAF Scolarshop Report June 2011
Long-term enterprises such as forestry need to be protected from "short-term misguided political decisions", says Bay of Plenty farmer John Mackintosh in a special report prepared for the New Zealand…
Blogs
- Is Forestry Really All Evil?: Denis Hocking's blog, December 19, 2021
Opinion piece first published in Middle Districts Branch Newsletter October 2021 The ongoing debate on the pros and cons of forestry, and particularly permanent carbon sink plantings, versus farming, continues,…
Other sources of information
- Identifying Complementarities for the Dairy and Forestry Industries in the Central North Island
Monge, J., S. Velarde, R. Yao, S. Pizzirani and W. Parker (2015). - Strength properties of small clear specimens of New Zealand-grown timbers
FRI Bulletin No. 41. Bier, H. and R. A. J. Britton, 1999.
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