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NZDFI has a vision of creating 12 regional hardwood industries based on centralised processing operations supplied by growers in surrounding wood supply catchments. Work is well underway with partners in priority regions to develop cohesive, long-term plans.
Work is underway in three regions to date: the Hawke's Bay, Wairarapa and Marlborough. They all generally have moderate winter temperatures and hot dry summers. Long-range climate predictions indicate summer droughts in these areas will become more frequent and intense.
We have begun to look in detail at how a wood supply catchment might work in the Wairarapa, northern Hawke's Bay and Marlborough.
A recent study by Scion* provides a full analysis of the implications of a small or a medium-sized regional hardwood processing operation. A small-scale operation is estimated to require 50,000 cubic metres of logs per annum; a medium-scale operation requires 80,000 cubic metres of logs per annum.
The NZDFI planting target for each wood supply catchment is 5,000 hectares over 30 years. This level of planting would sustainably provide sufficient volumes of timber to justify investment in a processing operation. Surplus timber would go to additional markets which may develop, or for export.
Employment created by a regional hardwood industry based on a small-scale processing operation
Further employment would be created in, for example, transport, administration, and support services.
Overall economic contribution of one regional hardwood industry
*Assessment of afforestation and future wood processing opportunity with non-radiata species - Wairoa District, Peter Hall, Scion, 2020.
Landowners growing durable eucalypts outside the main catchments will have the option of either transporting logs further for processing or utilising what we envisage will be an up-skilled mobile sawmilling sector to process harvested trees. Processed timber could then be used on-farm, sold to other local landowners e.g. for fencing and outdoor construction, or transported to higher-value markets.
NZDFI is working to develop the NZ small-scale sawmilling sector.
C/- Marlborough Research Centre Trust, PO Box 875, Blenheim 7201