"We're entering an exciting phase in forestry and wood processing, which is creating huge employment opportunities. People of all ages and abilities can find great careers in this sector - from planting and managing native forests and looking after the forest environment, to managing people and resources and working with state-of-the-art technology.
"We'd also like to open people's minds to the possibilities of trees – anything that's a fossil fuel today can be made from a tree in the future. We'll have bioplastic vine clips, leather shoes tanned with pine bark tannin, biofuel insights and a showcase of how drone technology is a game changer," Alex Wilson says.
Farm Forestry Association president Graham West says FFA strongly supports the Fieldays Forestry Hub and has been heavily engaged in its design and development.
"We wish to reach landowners with the message that farm forestry is working well for our members and is an important option for future sustainable land use in New Zealand."
Graham West says the farm forestry section of the hub will have practical experts and information on multiple plantation species, focusing on redwoods, eucalypts, cypresses, poplar and willow, and radiata pine.
"We also support and facilitate the 'Grow a tree' competition for children."
Forest Owners Association president Grant Dodson also adds that forestry is an excellent land use opportunity for farmers.
"The hub is all about sharing information so that forestry is better understood and those farmers that want to can be better informed before investing.
"We see integrated land use, with trees on farms, as a real opportunity to increase overall long-term returns for farming, while improving environmental outcomes, especially around climate change."
New Zealand has about 1.7 million hectares of productive forests around the country and is the world's largest exporter of softwood logs. Plans are also afoot, through Te Uru Rākau's Industry Transformation Plan, to add more value to our forestry sector by processing wood materials in New Zealand, which in turn will create more job opportunities.
Because of this, featuring a new hub centred around forestry and wood-processing at Fieldays in 2022 was a no-brainer for Peter Nation, the CEO of the National New Zealand Fieldays Society.
"This is the first time Fieldays has included something so specific to the forestry and wood-processing sectors, which is well-deserved as they continue to be such an important primary industry in our country," Peter Nation says.
"There's a huge need for workers of all kinds in the sector – the breadth of skill sets that can be used is astounding.
"We're so lucky to have these companies and organisations here to showcase themselves and show how an interest in forestry can quickly become a career."
Children are encouraged to visit the Fieldays Forestry Hub, with the launch of the 'Kids Grow a Great Tree' campaign. Children who enter the competition will be given a young potted tree to take home and look after. Forestry experts will keep in contact with this next generation of tree growers and will offer advice on how to look after and nurture their trees.
The Fieldays Forestry Hub joins the Fieldays Innovation Hub, the Fieldays Opportunity Grows Here Careers Hub, and the Fieldays Hauora Taiwhenua Health and Wellbeing hub as key focus areas for visitors to explore during Fieldays.
Tickets to Fieldays are available at tickets.fieldays.co.nz/tickets/.
For more information head to www.fieldays.co.nz.
