Hon Shane Jones
Minister of Forestry
20 December 2017
Crown Forestry to get planting
Forestry Minister Shane Jones has today welcomed a renewed mandate for Crown Forestry to enable it to kick-start the
Government’s tree planting programme.
Cabinet has given the green light to allow Crown Forestry to enter into new commercial arrangements to plant trees on
privately-owned land and to provide $14 million of funding to support the planting of trees next year and the purchase
of seedlings for 2019.
“The ambitious one billion trees planting programme is one of the Government’s cornerstone policies,” Mr Jones says.
“It will help encourage regional economic growth, create sustainable, high-quality jobs, provide opportunities for Māori
to develop their land, help meet our climate change targets and support more sustainable use of land, water and other
natural resources.
“Initial projections indicate that the planting of one billion trees over 10 years could lead to between 10 and 30
million tonnes of additional carbon dioxide removals.
“Quick action has been required by the Government to ensure Crown Forestry can purchase seedlings from nursery stock and
get planting during the winter season.
“While there are limited surplus radiata pine seedlings available for 2018, discussions with members of the New Zealand
Forest Nursery Growers Association have indicated that nurseries have the ability to scale up significantly for the 2019
planting season.
In addition to the trees that Crown Forestry will plant, work is under way to determine the potential to boost the
number of native trees planted as well as ensuring that the number of trees being planted can be accurately counted.
“Crown Forestry has the capability and connections with landowners in the regions to get new forestry plantings underway
immediately.
“Work is also under way to develop a comprehensive afforestation programme that takes various issues into account,
including the supply of labour, improving the Emissions Trading Scheme for forestry and afforestation and incentivising
land use.
“This is the first in many milestones in the tree planting programme. As further work is progressed to establish a
Forestry Service, I will take proposals back to Cabinet covering the more fundamental considerations on future funding
for Crown Forestry, its role and governance structure,” Mr Jones says.
ends