The New Zealand Institute of Forestry (NZIF) largely endorses the latest report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for
the Environment (PCE), “Going with the Grain: Changing Land Uses to Fit a Changing Landscape.” This comprehensive and
forward-thinking report underscores the indispensable role of all types of forests—native, plantation, and
regenerating—in addressing climate change and enhancing environmental resilience.
The PCE report compellingly argues forests provide more than carbon sequestration; they offer vital ecosystem services
such as biodiversity conservation, water regulation, and soil protection. These functions are crucial for the health of
our environment and the sustainability of our communities.
NZIF firmly believes New Zealand needs to increase its forest cover across all forest types to meet its environmental
and climate goals. Native forests are crucial for preserving biodiversity, plantation forests significantly contribute
to the economy and carbon sequestration, and regenerating forests, particularly on degraded lands, enhance landscape
resilience and carbon capture.
The report highlights the critical role of New Zealand’s production forests in the circular bio-economy. These forests
help reduce emissions through sustainable timber production and the use of forest biomass for energy. They support a
renewable resource economy, which is essential for transitioning away from fossil fuels and towards more sustainable
practices.
In light of the PCE report’s findings, NZIF strongly opposes any move to remove forestry from the Emissions Trading
Scheme (ETS). Forests are fundamental to carbon sequestration, and their inclusion in the ETS is crucial for
incentivising sustainable forestry practices and achieving New Zealand’s climate targets. Removing forestry from the ETS
would undermine climate mitigation efforts and could lead to increased deforestation and degradation.
NZIF fully supports the report’s call for a landscape approach to land-use planning, integrating forestry with other
land uses to meet broader environmental and societal goals. Key policy recommendations include incentivising sustainable
forest management practices, protecting existing forests, promoting the restoration of degraded lands, and ensuring
forests remain a key component of the ETS.
“Forests are vital to New Zealand’s environmental health and economic sustainability,” said NZIF President James
Treadwell. “Simply stated, forests very efficiently remove carbon dioxide from the air and provide the world with
oxygen. By expanding our forest cover and maintaining their inclusion in the ETS, we can ensure our forestry sector
continues to contribute to carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, and the circular bio-economy. The PCE report
provides a clear and compelling roadmap for the future, and removing forestry from the ETS would be a step backwards in
our fight against climate change.”
NZIF strongly supports most of the recommendations of the PCE report and urges the government to act to implement these
strategies. Expanding forest cover and maintaining their inclusion in the ETS are critical steps towards sustainable
land management and climate resilience in New Zealand, as well as meeting international climate change commitments.