15 Apr 2014

NZ to look at pinus radiata alternative

2:19 pm on 15 April 2014

The Government is to put money into a research project which aims to diversify New Zealand's forestry and reduce its reliance on pinus radiata.

Associate Primary Industries Minister Jo Goodhew has set aside 23 thousand dollars to produce new information for foresters about alternative tree species.

In particular the minister is keen to look at cypresses and eucalypts.

New Zealand has about 1.6 million hectares of radiata pine, compared to about 22,000 of eucalypts and just 10,000 of cypresses.

Federated Farmers forestry specialist Anders Crofoot says it's time New Zealand moved on from its radiata pine obsession.

"New Zealand has just had a huge focus on pinus radiata and we're doing an incredible job with it. Being solely dependent on one species is always a recipe for disaster. To get a diversity of species around would be quite a good idea."

Anders Crofoot says pinus radiata is typically produced into low end product and even wood chips.

He says timbers which can provide more high value end uses will be a good thing for this country.

"The trouble with something like a pinus radiata it's a commodity product - it's got good markets but if we could be growing some higher value logs that would always be beneficial."

Jo Goodhew is calling on the forestry sector to get behind the new project. She says the grant money is just the beginning of several new initiatives designed to double the value of primary sector exports by 2025.