Regional Updates

Published Forestry Bulletin – 5 May 2015

Meetings have been held in Balclutha and Blenheim to update levy payers on the activities of the Forest Growers Levy Trust.

They follow the inaugural forest growing research conference and field day held for levy payers and other industry stakeholders in Rotorua last October.

FOA research manager Russell Dale says that since more than half of the levy is being spent on research and technology, the meetings focussed on those programmes and what they will deliver for forest owners.

"We also used the meetings to get forest owner and contractor input into the shape a new steepland harvesting research programme might take from mid-2016 when the current MPI Primary Growth Partnership programme is completed," says Dale.

The first well-attended meeting was held in Balclutha, Otago on 18 March in conjunction with a Southern Wood Council meeting. A short Future Forests Research (FFR) workshop on future research priorities in harvesting and logistics was held alongside. The second meeting, including the FFR workshop, was held in conjunction with the Marlborough Forest Industry Association and the local Nelson/Marlborough Farm Forestry Association branches on 23 April.

Find out more about FGLT activities at the FOA research website.