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February 27, 2023
Radical reset needed on forest practice
Claudette Hauiti
Posted On February 27, 2023
Download AudioA Māori environmentalist wants to see a major change in forestry practice come out of the ministerial inquiry into forestry slash.
The two month inquiry led by former National government minister heka Parata has been asked to look at land-use practices and the impact of woody debris including forestry slash and sediment on communities, livestock, buildings and the environment.
It follows public outrage at the amount of slash left on riverbanks and beaches after recent weather events.
Tina Porou, who sits on the boards of forestry groups in Ngati Porou and Tuwharetoa, says it’s a complex problem.
“We actually have to change the whole way we harvest and manage trees to fix slash and we have to look more broadly at the,model, we have to look more broadly at the species and the clean ups can happen on bulldozers but that is just a plaster,” she says.
The review panel’s recommendations could include changes to central and local government regulations including the national environmental standards for plantation forests and the Tairāwhiti and Wairoa district resource management plans.
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