COUNTRY CALENDAR: FORESTRY

The Central North Island, with over half a million hectares planted, has become the proving ground for the fast growing pine. With pine export opportunities expanding and New Zealand’s two biggest companies, both timber based, the areas bush line will continue to change. A large rimu log being processed is one of the last logged in the Waimarino district in Raetihi. The rest were logged by pioneers or are now part of native reserves. Raetihi was established as a saw milling town and the forest, once the life line of Raetihi, is now almost gone. All the native trees have been milled and the area now faces a new destiny as a pine forest.
Winstones Afforestation have bought or leased 16,000 hectares to clear and plant pine. Everything has started from scratch but with new technology and machinery 32 kilometres of roading has been pushed through. By the end of the season 66 kilometres should be completed. Bush clearing before planting begins is contracted out to gangs. Once felled and dried a huge burn off is generally done in January. Then the planting of more than 22 million trees is to be carried out.