NZDFI's aim is for the establishment of regional hardwood industries. Our focus is on growing trees which can be processed in regional centres to meet local and regional market demands.
The two products we are initially focusing on are:
- Ground-durable posts and poles, and other markets for durable timbers grown on shorter rotations
- Engineered wood products such as laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and cross-laminated timber (CLT).
Our growing regimes are designed to grow trees suited for processing into these products. Our vision is for regional wood supply catchments where growers will supply a central processing plant. Examples of these future processing operations include:
- a combined veneer peeling/post and pole plant taking smaller logs grown on shorter rotations
- a sawmill with associated remanufacturing operations taking larger sawlogs.
Growers in regional wood supply catchments can select their growing regimes in anticipation of likely future markets. We anticipate that there will be export demand for logs that are surplus to regional markets.
NZDFI also aims to support growers who are keen to grow and mill their own durable eucalypt timber for on-farm use. We are involved in an initiative to encourage development and up-skilling in the mobile sawmilling sector.