Forestry and wilding management
Ensuring the right trees are in the right place
There are two types of planted forests considered "commercial" in terms of forestry regulation. Both have economic and environmental benefits:
Like other wind-carried weeds, wildings are self-sown. Some of New Zealand’s most established infestations are multi-generational, linked to trees planted in back the 19th and early 20th century (it seems like a good idea at the time, for forestry, research, shelter and amenity plantings, and erosion control). These are referred to as ‘legacy wildings.’
Internationally, wilding conifers cannot be entered into emissions trading schemes (with very few exceptions). This is because it is widely agreed that wildings, even though they do store some carbon dioxide, do more harm than good for the environment overall.
To manage the risk of wilding conifer seed spread at the time of planting or replanting commercial exotic forests, the National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry (NES-CF) came into effect in 2023 introducing national rules for wilding management.
The NES-CF applies to all commercial forest plantings from 1 April 2024. It requires that the risks be assessed before afforestation (planting a new forest) or replanting of a forest after harvesting, and the risks identified are reduced.
Prior to NES-CF, the NES-PF (Plantation Forestry) was in effect since 2018. It placed similar restrictions, but these only applied to Plantation or production forests, not to non-production forests.
NES-CF only reduces the risk of new wilding spread from planting or replanting of new forests. It has no effect on plantings before 2018 or previous decades. However, it does require that any wildings that establish from any new plantings or from previous plantings are removed regularly from wetlands and significant natural areas within the property or adjacent properties under the same ownership.
Visit Te Uru Rākau - New Zealand Forest Service for more about forestry policy and rules, including:
Well-managed plantation forests, including exotic conifers, are hugely beneficial to New Zealand - economically and environmentally |
Un-managed wilding conifer infestations are a costly and a growing risk to New Zealand - economically and environmentally |
Economic |
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Production forestry is a multi-billion-dollar export earner for New Zealand. Average annual value to New Zealand of production forestry: $6 billion |
Average annual cost to New Zealand from the impacts of wilding conifers on farming, hydroelectricity generation, irrigation, biodiversity, plus the costs of control and management: losses of $120 million[1] |
| Forestry creates jobs, supports small businesses and earns tax income for the government. | The government has spent $140 million on control and management of wildings from 2016 to 2024 and other partners have added at least $20 million (excludes control work by forestry industry and volunteer hours). |
| Planted and managed woodlots can supplement farm incomes and provide environmental productive land use benefits such as reducing erosion on steep land. | Wilding control on farmland has cost individual farmers and landowners tens of thousands of dollars. |
Environmental |
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| Forestry is planned and planted in suitable places. Trees are spaced out, have road access for maintenance and must be clear of waterways, roads other properties. | Wildings grow indiscriminately, wherever wind-blown seeds land. They grow into dense infestations, taking light and space from vulnerable native landscapes with endemic species, shading roads and sucking up ground water with little benefit and they block or change iconic scenery and restrict other land uses until they can be removed. |
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Forestry provides a sustainable and renewable resource for everyday materials. It funds its own transport infrastructure to get to export points. |
Wildings are not a reliable source of good quality timber. They are often expensive or dangerous to reach. Some are harvested for biofuel, woodchip etc, which can cover removal costs, but profits are rare. |
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Well-planned forests are designed for measurable carbon sequestration, allowed to reach the required size and area to meet ETS criteria for carbon credits and predictable rates of sequestration. |
Carbon sequestration is inconsistent and can be difficult to measure due to variation in size, age and species, mix of dense and scattered stands. (The same is true of natural indigenous forests, but these provide other intrinsic and economic benefits) Wildings cannot be entered into the ETS to earn carbon credits, with few exceptions. |
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Well-managed forestry can protect waterways from soil erosion and sedimentation, regulate water flow during heavy rain and enhance other water qualities. Plantings can be set out and growth is managed to protect riparian zones from future harvesting activities to manage environmental risks. |
Although wilding forests may benefit water quality in some cases, stands of large wildings stop more rain reaching the ground because of rougher, denser crowns (Scion - see CBA 2022, pg.38) Compared to grassland cover, wilding infestations are estimated to reduce water flows in water sensitive catchments by 30% or more. The bigger they get, the more water they take. |
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Forestry can support and enhance indigenous biodiversity within productive landscapes as habitat for indigenous plants and animals. |
Wildings are self-sown and often establish in ecosystems where they are not beneficial - they grow faster than natives and above the native treeline on mountains. Once established, they become dominant and displace indigenous plants and animals. |
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Provides income, training and employment opportunities for Māori landowners. |
Wildings invade natural and historical sites of significance to Māori and are a drain on resources to control. |
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Coning from plantation forestry is reduced after harvest and until new plantings mature. |
Constantly produce cones and seeds from reaching maturity (four to ten years) for the life of the tree - until we stop them. |
[1]Annual cost of impacts (2022 CBA) $100m; plus, annual average spent on control through NWCCP 2016-2023 $20.8m (total allocation $140m, plus $6m partner contributions, averaged over 7 years).