DoC unable to stop rimu logging

Police have impounded the logs. Picture / Wanganui Chronicle

A legal anomaly has left the Department of Conservation powerless to stop the logging of huge rimu in a pristine native forest on conservation land near Wanganui.

Last week, about 100 mature trees were felled, provoking accusations of environmental terrorism and a stand-off with local iwi, who prevented the logs leaving the district.

Taranaki businessman Chris Bergman owns the trees in the remote 200ha Taunoka Forest, near the middle reaches of the Whanganui River.

The rimu, if harvested for floors and furniture, have an estimated value of close to $12 million.

Mr Bergman bought the forest six months ago from the previous landowner, who had kept the cutting rights under a historic agreement with the former Lands and Survey Department.

The Conservation Department, which came into being later, was aware of the 1980 registration on the title when it took over the land.

Wanganui conservancy spokesman Jeff Mitchell-Anyon said yesterday that the department "was devastated".

"It goes against everything we stand for and we are powerless to stop it."

Conservation Minister Chris Carter, in Fiji for a local government symposium, could not be contacted yesterday but was said to be "extremely concerned".

Mr Mitchell-Anyon said the department could not legally prevent Mr Bergman logging his trees but he was restricted under the Wanganui District Council's plan to clearing half a hectare a year.

That included the area of indigenous vegetation destroyed when a tree was felled.

DoC estimated much more had been cleared and has referred the matter to the council.

But Mr Bergman, who will meet council officials today, disputes any wrongdoing and wants the matter sorted out.

"I own the forest. It is a good forest and I have the right to take the timber with a cut every calender year. In less than a month, it will be another year."

He said he had done everything he could to come to an arrangement with DoC, offering to sell the department the forest for $6.5 million - half its worth - or exchange it for some adjoining reverted farmland of much less value.

" I have been in hard negotiations since May, but they just said no to everything."

In frustration he then moved to log some of the rimu but strongly denied being a "vandal".

"We went to particular lengths to fell trees with heads blown out by the February storm," said Mr Bergman, who has worked in forestry for 25 years.

"Some trees were at the end of their lives and some were already uprooted."

Late last week, the first three truckloads, carrying about five of the monstrous rimu in total, were stopped by residents on a highway between the forest and Wanganui.

They demanded the logs not be taken from the district, saying the land on which the forest grew was subject to a claim by Whanganui iwi.

Veteran activist Ken Mair said they had become aware of the logging only about a week ago.

"We were just amazed. He was about to shift out these beautiful rimu and the local council and DoC were saying they couldn't do anything.

"If this was on Maori - or anyone else's - land we wouldn't get away with chopping down even one or two rimu.

"This was environmental terrorism of the worst kind. It was shameful." 

Wanganui police eventually escorted the trucks to town and ordered the logs to be impounded in a yard.

LOGGING WRANGLE

Businessman Chris Bergman is exercising cutting rights he owns in a Department of Conservation native forest near Wanganui, removing mature rimu trees worth millions of dollars.

DoC staff say they are powerless to stop him but cite an agreement with the local council limiting annual logging.

Local Maori, including veteran protester Ken Mair, have entered the dispute.