Hon Louise Upston

Associate Minister for Primary Industries

13 March 2017

Funding round for forest planting opens

Associate Primary Industries Minister Louise Upston has announced the opening today of the Afforestation Grant Scheme 2017 funding round.

“The goal of the Afforestation Grant Scheme (AGS) is to increase the planting of new forests and the rate of afforestation,” Ms Upston says.

“New Zealand has a significant amount of land at serious risk of erosion, and forest cover is the best form of erosion control. We are on track to meet our goal of planting 15,000ha of new forest by 2020 through the AGS.”

Through the AGS, the Ministry for Primary Industries provides grants to growers to plant new small to medium-sized forests.

Launched in 2015, the AGS has so far resulted in contracts of just over $10 million to plant around 7700ha of new forest around the country.

“The AGS enables positive economic outcomes for farmers and landowners while also reducing some of the high costs associated with marginal land by increasing forest cover. The AGS will also boost regional economies by improving underutilised land so it can be used productively,” Ms Upston says.

“New forests will also deliver environmental benefits such as reducing soil erosion, improving water quality, and absorbing an average of 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year over the first 10 years of growth,” Ms Upston says.

Applications for the Afforestation Grants Scheme are open until 28 April 2017.

For more information about the AGS go to: www.mpi.govt.nz/ags

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