A new National Environmental Standard for Plantation Forestry to simplify and standardise Resource Management Act requirements was proposed today.
The proposal was announced by Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith and Associate Primary Industries Minister Jo Goodhew at Paengaroa Forest.
"The current system for environmental regulation of forestry is complex and
confusing with thousands of different rules across New Zealand's 78 councils. This proposed standard will simplify the rules and save the forestry industry millions in compliance costs while ensuring environmental issues like wilding pines, protecting spawning fish and erosion are better managed," Dr Smith said.
"This new standard is part of our reforms to simplify the Resource Management Act by providing clearer national direction. It parallels new policy statements and standards covering electricity, coastal management, freshwater management, telecommunications and water metering."
Mrs Goodhew said the purpose of the standard was to reduce costs for the forestry industry.
"Right now, the rules for plantation forestry vary significantly, depending on which local authority is responsible," she said. "Because forests often stretch across two or more boundaries the forestry industry has had to deal with unnecessary costs and uncertainty.
"Sometimes the differences between plans are in response to local conditions, but often the reason for the variation is not clear. These proposals will make a huge difference to the more than 18,000 people who work in the forestry industry.
"Forest operators will no longer need to ensure their crews meet multiple sets of planning rules, and the industry will be able to standardise their systems. It will also save the forestry industry from having to participate in hundreds of local planning processes and appeals across the many councils.
"Forestry plays a critical role in New Zealand's economy as our third largest export and this will improve our competitiveness and our environmental reputation. I encourage the industry and the public to provide feedback on the proposals to help us get this single set of rules right."
The proposal introduces technical standards for plantation forestry activities and includes a draft set of rules for each of the eight core plantation forestry activities: afforestation, pruning and thinning-to-waste, earthworks, river crossings, forestry quarrying, harvesting, mechanical land preparation, and replanting.
Forest owners have welcomed the news.
"The standard will give certainty to anyone establishing or harvesting a forest in New Zealand. Rules in all regions will be based on the soil erosion risks posed by a particular class of land, rather than the region in which the forest is located," said Forest Owners Association chief executive David Rhodes.
"The forest industry is extremely proud of its environmental credentials, which will be reinforced by the new standard. Instead of fighting regional council red tape, we can focus on doing a great job in our forests.
"Regional councils have played an important role in developing the standard, which will make forestry a permitted activity on all land of low erosion risk. On land of high erosion risk, resource consents will be needed to ensure that the erosion risks associated with forest roading and harvesting are minimised."
Mr Rhodes said a spin-off from the NES would be the development of improved environmental management tools that can be used across the country. Already, refinements are being made to the national soil erosion risk maps that underpin many of the proposed rules. A national fish spawning calendar is being developed and a wilding pine spread risk calculator has been adopted.
Forest Owners Association chairman Peter Weir said the standard would result in the rules relating to forestry becoming more detailed for activities like stream crossings, but will produce better environmental outcomes. There will also be a requirement for all land owners undertaking afforestation to take responsibility for any wilding conifer spread across boundaries.
"The development of the proposed NES has been greatly assisted by the hard work of the forestry team at the Ministry for Primary Industries, as well as the collaborative decision-making process," he said.
"As with the national water policy, collaboration has resulted in a high degree of co-operation and cohesion among interested parties, with special credit due in this case to the input from and perseverance of Fish & Game and Forest & Bird.
"Thanks to this process, we believe the proposed standard will have the broad support of most stakeholders, including environmental and land user groups. Nevertheless, consultation with the wider public is important in order to get the widest possible buy-in."
More information about the proposal, and how to make a submission, can be found on the MPI website.
The final proposals will incorporate feedback from submissions and, if progressed, the National Environmental Standard would come into effect in 2016.
The Ministry for Primary Industries will host a series of public meetings and hui where people can learn more about the draft rules and ask questions directly of those involved.
Further information, including the meeting schedule, the proposal, and on how to make a submission, is available at: https://mpi.govt.nz/news-and-resources/consultations/proposed-national-environmental-standard-for-plantation-forestry.