Farm Foresters Support New Minister

15 August 2002

Farm Foresters Support New Minister

The president of the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association, Ken Stephens, has welcomed the appointment of the Hon Jim Sutton as Minister of Forestry.

"We have always had a very good relationship with Jim Sutton, and it goes without saying that we are happy to have one of our members at the 'top of the tree', so to speak.

"He has demonstrated a good understanding of forestry issues over the years, and not least the role of farm forestry in the bigger forestry scene. Often the distinctly different features of farm forestry, such as scale, location, land use decisions, soil conservation and different species, tend to be lost in the big forestry picture and we are confident that Jim Sutton is well aware of these issues," says Mr Stephens.

"After all, he has had plenty of experience tackling them at the farm level." Mr Stephens also believes the appointment of the Hon Jim Sutton augurs well for the wider forest industry.

"The combination of his portfolios of Forestry, Agriculture and International Trade should help focus the industry on the job of becoming an international, market-led wood and wood products supply industry where quality is king and the consumer can make their choice unhindered by trade barriers."

Mr Stephens says the NZ Farm Forestry Association looks forward to working with Mr Sutton in coming years.

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