Sustainable forestry is a term used to describe a forestry practice which is now commonplace for most indigenous forests within New Zealand. It is a forest management programme whereby the rate of harvest from a native forest is limited to a level at which the forest can continue to supply a periodic yield in perpetuity including the harvest of wind thrown or dead trees while retaining the forest's natural values.A passive management system that achieves this has been developed through experience and research over the past 50 years. It entails an extensive analysis of forest areas deemed "sustainable" which excludes areas that have conservation and environmental values such as wildlife & plant reserves, water ways, historical sites, landscape & recreational areas, and wahi tapu sites. The analysis covers all aspects of the forest, including age and species structure, the natural replacement pattern, growth patterns, wildlife dependence, forest recovery and adaptation to name a few. Once this analysis is complete a government approved management plan is developed which forms the basis of all production criteria for those areas deemed sustainable. Along with this, an independent assessment of the forest and management processes is undertaken by a American based non profit, non government institution, (FSC) see certification which focuses on ensuring these standards are adhered to, along with instigating a "chain of custody" so the consumers are satisfied the products they purchase are from a sustainably managed source.
Care is taken when felling selected trees to protect surrounding seedlings and saplings. If natural regeneration is not present seedlings are carefully planted around the harvest site. All harvesting operations are aerial based which reduces the need for roading, maintains a continuous forest cover, and minimises impacts to the surrounding ecosystem. In addition to this, an extensive monitoring system is put in place that measures the natural forest growth in areas not harvested and compares this to areas that are modified.In this day and age, with the technology and experience available, a natural resource can be utilised, whereby creating jobs and improving the countries economic prosperity without harming the very essence of this natural wealth.
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