Our Vision

Our vision is for New Zealand to be a world-leader in breeding ground-durable eucalypts, and to be home to a valuable sustainable hardwood industry based on eucalypt forests, by 2050.

In practical terms, the NZDFI aims to develop a valuable, complementary land-use for farmers in the warmer parts of eastern New Zealand where rainfall is low and unreliable.

We are:

• selecting elite trees from within our diverse genetic resource as a basis for our breeding programme
• developing rapid mass propagation techniques to speed up the delivery of superior planting stock to growers
• developing techniques to screen young trees for desirable wood-quality characteristics, so that selection and breeding work can yield the greatest end-use benefits
• researching and developing sustainable management systems for growing ground-durable eucalypts to produce high-quality hardwood.

The NZDFI is a unique, exciting project with a strong focus on strategic research goals. It is backed by an effective scientific programme, extensive on-farm trials, and an expanding industry network. To achieve these goals, we have put together some high-calibre teams, and developed a strategic plan to guide our activities.