Timber is well known for its sustainable and renewable qualities in the building industry. Forestry in New Zealand maintains a high level of management over its timber production with their obligations towards the country’s environmental legislations and various international schemes (in reducing impacts on environment and climate change) – in particular, the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) Standards in which the New Zealand forestry frame work is based upon.

• Timber is a renewable building material because trees from forests with sustainable management practices can be planted, cut and replanted to meet the demand for building materials again and again without adversely affecting soil quality or site stability.


• Plantation forests absorb CO2 from the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis. Trees and other woody biomass contain 50% carbon by weight. Furthermore, wood retains this atmospheric carbon long after being turned into manufactured products.


• The carbon sequestration rate for planted forests in New Zealand during a rapid growth phase is about 25 tons of carbon per hectare per year.


• Plantation forests are reservoirs of carbon (as defined by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) which could otherwise be CO2 in the atmosphere.


• Further information on the environmental benefits of timber can be found here.

• New Zealand plantation forests are managed to high environmental standards. Initiatives include an accord between Environmental NGOs and the forestry and wood industry, excellent environmental management practices with harvesting operations underpinned by Resource Management Act compliance monitoring, and continuing research into the environmental footprint of plantation forestry practices (the latter is a very good news story).


• New Zealand’s landmark 1991 Forest Accord sets out an agreement between Environmental NGOs and forestry and wood industry groups. The Accord includes recognition and acknowledgement of the unique role that plantation forests of either introduced or indigenous species play in offering an alternative to the depletion of natural forests. The Forestry and Wood industry is the only industry supplying building materials to have an accord with New Zealand Environmental NGOs.


• The Forest Accord has now been updated for 2007 to include Climate Change and has been ratified by key NZ conservation groups and the forest industry.


• In August 2007 the New Zealand Forest Owners’ Association released a comprehensive Environmental Code of Practice which covers areas such as the protection of waterways, endangered species, historical sites, sediment control and the management of fuel, oil and wastes – to name just a few. This was lauded by NZ Fish and Game Council, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and other organisations as leading the way for other sectors.


• The Environmental Code of Practice has being adopted by commercial forest growers and the NZ Farm Forestry Association. With these new Standards in place, forest growers are now moving to self audit and third party audit procedures, to ensure that the Best Environmental Practices defined in the Code are met or exceeded.


• The environment created by plantation forests is great for Karearea (New Zealand falcon). The habitat created by cutover provides ample hunting area, prey species, and because of pest control, there are few predators. Falcons tend to nest in small cavities or scratches on the ground, and cutover areas in plantation forests provide considerable nesting sites.


• A PhD study conducted in the Kaingaroa forest has reinforced the need for an integrated pest management approach to pest control, and led to the development of best practice guides for forestry operations at nesting time when falcon are most vulnerable. To date, the results have been very encouraging. The number of falcon nests in the Kaingaroa forest has increased from 20 in 2003 – 2004, to 40 in 2005 – 2006, a higher density than in the adjacent DoC estate. Native NZ falcon thrives in clearcuts!


• Clear cutting native forests can cause irreversible damage. By contrast the sustainable management of New Zealand's pine plantation forests relies on clear cutting of even age stands, although only 1/30 of a whole working forest is clear felled in any one year.