Sustainable forestry is crucial for our region

Sustainable management of forestry and farming activities has become a critical issue because too much sediment, wood and debris end up in our waterways and damage infrastructure.

Current rules allow this to happen so we need to change land-use rules if we want to see long-term, meaningful improvements in our freshwater and coastal environments. Two plan changes are being proposed to deal with these issues.

When done right forestry can benefit both the economy and the environment.

Proposed plan changes for sustainable forestry

  • Plan change 1: Forestry Harvest Provisions

    This plan change focuses on managing forestry activities on risky, erosion-prone land. This work includes:

    • Developing new provisions to better manage the effects of harvest activities.
    • Using a Four-Wellbeing’s Model to evaluate how existing and proposed forestry regulations affect social, cultural, environmental, and economic well-being.

  • Plan Change 2: Land overlay mapping and wider TRMP

    • Identifying the most extreme erosion-prone land, called Land Overlay 3B. This will form the basis of new rules to support the transition to long-term vegetation cover.
    • Other forestry issues will be addressed through the wider TRMP review. We will develop policy across the TRMP starting from the Regional Policy Statement and working through regional and district components.

The National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry (NES-CF) are national rules for managing the environmental impacts of forestry. They were meant to make things easier for the forestry industry while protecting the environment.

However, these national rules don’t fully address the high risk of erosion in our region. So, we’re updating our Tairāwhiti Resource Management Plan (TRMP) to better manage this issue.

Forestry management and catchment planning are closely linked due to the impact of land use on waterways. In Ūawa, 42% (23,264 ha) of the catchment is forested.

Ūawa was chosen as a pilot area to bring landuse and freshwater planning together.

Landslide Susceptibility and Connectivity Model

Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research has developed a Landslide Susceptibility and Connectivity Model for Tairāwhiti. This model identifies areas likely to experience landslides and their impact on waterways. It will help inform the development of Land Overlay 3B.