A. Typically we see two types of events — on very steep land we can get landslides occurring in areas that have been recently harvested. These will pick up the slash and form a debris flow down the hillside into the river.
We also get problems if landing sites (where logs are hauled to) have collapsed, or if they are poorly located. We don’t know what the source of the material is yet. We will be investigating this over the next weeks.
Q. Are the trees and logs going to be the biggest problem to clear from the area?
A. Damage to roads and bridges is likely to be the most significant problem. Wood debris is going to be a big issue, too, in terms of clean-up due to the sheer volume and how it is stored and disposed of. This is going to take some time to clear. Forestry companies have offered their full support and resources for assisting with the clean-up.
Q. Who pays for the clean-up costs?
A. The council and the NZ Transport Agency foot the bill to clean up roads and our assets. The forestry companies have offered their help with the clean-up of council drains and private property. They are working with us and have made equipment and staff available. We’re working with the companies to co-ordinate the works and they will get out and start work as soon as possible.
Q. How long will it take to clean up and at what cost?
A. The initial focus is on opening roads. The clean up will take months, with work on some roads taking up to three years.
We are still assessing the full extent of the damage but preliminary costs are likely to be the $10-million mark.
Q. Will the council be investigating if the forestry companies were following rules around harvesting and storing logs prior to the flood?
A. Yes we will be investigating the forestry companies in terms of compliance with their resource consents and storing of logs prior to the flood.
Q. Will the council be investigating company practices and policies around slash?
A. Yes. We’ve had ongoing investigations and have identified a number of issues that need to be addressed. These range from the macro — some land in forestry where it’s not suitable because of high risk of landsliding and debris flow, to the micro — design of slash catchers, location of landings and practices around forestry harvest.
Q. Is slash allowed to be left on the forest floor?
A. We require slash to be left in a stable location out of flood plains. If this has not occurred, then this is a compliance issue we will be following up on.
Q. Is slash management a condition in their resource consent?
A. Yes it is.
Q. Has the council failed to set and enforce appropriate riparian margins?
A. When these forests were planted 25 years ago, no riparian margins were provided for. Riparian margins are a requirement for new forestry planting.
Q. How often does the council monitor consents?
A. We monitor within the resources available and prioritise high risk consents. With the rapid increase in numbers of forestry consents we have not been able to monitor as much as we would like to. We now have around 1250 active forestry consents because harvest is staggered over a number of years.
Q. What are the council’s options? Will we be prosecuting the forestry companies?
A. We are currently in the investigation stage. We take non-compliance seriously. We will undertake enforcement action if we identify significant non-compliance.
Q. Is the council liaising with any ministries over the forestry slash issue?
A. Yes. with the Ministry for Primary Industries. We’ve been talking to them about the Billion Trees and also implementation of the national environmental standards for plantation forestry, and the need for Gisborne to be able to be more stringent to address our local environmental issues.
Q. What have we been doing to minimise the impact on our waterways?
A. The Government has produced a national standard for plantation forestry. We have lobbied long and hard to make that standard something which enables our issues to be addressed. We have introduced new rules in our Freshwater Plan aimed at getting forestry activities away from waterways.
Q. Why don’t they do burn-offs when they have finished harvesting to get rid of the bulk of it?
A. Some forests do burn some slash but burn-offs in the middle of a forest is quite risky from a fire hazard perspective.
Q. Has forestry practice worsened this weather event for residents, or is it only part of the issue?
A. We’re yet to be able to get into the area to assess forestry practice and resource consent compliance.
Q. What about all the debris on the Tolaga Bay beach?
A. Forestry companies Hikurangi Forest Farms, Ernslaw One and PF Olsen will carry out a clean-up of the Tolaga Bay foreshore starting today. The material will be stockpiled and burned at a later date.
Q. What’s the council going to do to prevent this from happening again?
A. Not easy to answer — it possibly will happen again.
