New Zealand Journal of Forestry (2015) 60(2): 43–45
©New Zealand Institute of Forestry

Opinion
Crisis. What crisis? Maintaining our social licence to harvest steepland forests

Keith Raymond <sup>*,1

1</sup> Harvesting Programme Leader, Future Forests Research Ltd, Rotorua. Email: keith.raymond@ffr.co.nz
^*Corresponding author.

Abstract: Managing forests for the future About one-third of the New Zealand plantation forest estate is located on steeplands with fragile erodible soils, where many of the forests were originally planted as protection forests to control erosion and are now managed almost exclusively for wood production. Despite the progress being made in the improvement of environmental management systems (EMSs), certification of forest management to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards, and the development of codes of practice and forest engineering guidelines, the overall performance of the forest industry in managing the environment for future generations (kaitiakitanga) is in my view rather mediocre. This is confirmed every time a group of non-forestry members of the public, or overseas visitors, goes out to a logging site anywhere in New Zealand and comments on the impact that harvesting methods have on soil disturbance, erosion potential and the landscape in general.
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