Green MP rejects New Zealand's 'One Tree Policy'

The Green Party is urging Government and industry to use the recession as an opportunity to plant trees to generate jobs, and plant a greater variety of trees instead of continuing to gamble on a 'One Tree Policy'.

The world’s first international conference on forest biosecurity started today in Rotorua, where world experts will speak about the risks to our plantation forests, of which 89 percent are one species - Radiata pine.

“One of the threats the conference is hearing about is the new Phytophthora fungus currently damaging Radiata pine forests in Chile”, said Green Party Forestry Spokesperson Catherine Delahunty.

“The fact that nine in every ten plantation trees in New Zealand are Radiata pine means that the risk of a pest or disease inflicting serious damage across our forests is extremely high and creates an unacceptable risk.

“If we do not heed the warning signs and begin to take the basic preventative measure of diversifying our forests in trees other than Radiata pine, we may wake up one day to find much of our $2.9 billion forestry industry has been toppled by a tiny bug or micro-organism.

“If New Zealand invested nine-tenths of our superfund in one company, we’d be rightly ridiculed. Yet here we are with nine-tenths of our forest planted in the same species.

“It is time to begin the shift from an all-eggs-in-one-basket gambling approach to a wise and sustainable investment mindset.

“By planting a more diverse range of plantation tree species today, we can generate jobs to help us through the recession, and reduce the serious risks facing our third largest export earner.

“The world market is entering a period where high-value wood is in short supply and New Zealand has an opportunity to benefit both our environment and economy by diversifying our forests.”

References:
Briefing to the Incoming Minister - www.maf.govt.nz/mafnet/publications/incombrief.html
National Exotic Forest Description 2007 - http://www.maf.govt.nz/mafnet/publications/nefd/
Phytophthora damage (includes photos) - http://src.fabinet.up.ac.za/tpcp/news/pinifolia.pdf