Denis Hocking's blog
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Why pruning/clearwood is one of our major competitive advantages
June 2022
Most members will be only too aware of this, but sometimes I feel it is worth restating and discussing the obvious. I will start by pointing out that knot free…
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Is Forestry Really All Evil?
December 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,…
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Stringing Up the Stringybarks
July 2017
The stringybark eucalypts were identified some years ago as a promising group for solid wood production in New Zealand with a combination of good growth rates, early heartwood formation, relatively…
2 posts.
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How Should We Manage Our Radiata Pine?
May 2017
At a couple of recent conferences we have had speakers urging higher stocking rates to increase total recoverable volume and returns from plantations. A recent paper by John Moore &…
2 posts.
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Digging the Good Dirt on Soil Bugs
October 2015
Volunteers Wanted: Scion soil scientist Simeon Smaill is looking for volunteers to help with a series of trials he is running around the country. He is looking at the effect…
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Fruit Hanging at Close to Ground Level
December 2014
On his return from the Climate Change Conference in Lima, earlier this month, Climate Change Minister, Hon. Tim Groser claimed that New Zealand was in a difficult position because it…
One post
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Radiata pine wood quality
June 2014
Radiata pine may be an easy and productive timber species for us to grow, but it has long been recognised that the timber does have a number of quality problems.…
Disclaimer: Personal views expressed in this blog are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent those of the NZ Farm Forestry Association.