Mahi Pāmu
Forestry Operations
Background
Pārengarenga A Forest is referred to as A Block. It is situated to the east of the small settlement of Te Kao and runs alongside Te Oneroa-a-Tohe (or 90 Mile Beach). A Block consists of more than 5,000 planted hectares and we harvest our own tree crop.
In the 1960s, A Block land was leased to the Crown by Pārengarenga Incorporation (PINC). Forestry operations included marram planting, establishing lupin (and then picking lupin seed), planting trees, pruning and thinning. From the early 1990s production thinning and then clear-fell harvesting operations took place. A good number of shareholders and local people (including women) were employed to work in the forest.
Government officials at the time did not believe that the economics of forestry in Te Hiku would stack up. They thought that it would be too hard to grow trees in our northern sands. They thought that our location was too far from domestic log markets to ever be economic. But our whanau persisted, and eventually the voices from the north were heard by Ministers. And once the political support was in place, the New Zealand Forest Service was given the mandate to make a forest.
What was created turned out to be a very good forest indeed. Yes, the sand is low in fertility compared to other sites. This meant that the trees are smaller and the yield lower than elsewhere in Aotearoa. And the trees closest to the coast do suffer from exposure to salt-laden winds that burn the needles and deform the trunks. But the wood from these forests is pretty much the best in Aotearoa because of its high density and strength.
In 2016, ownership of the trees on our land was transferred to PINC by the Crown. We commenced production thinning and thinning to waste operations in 2018. In January 2023 we invested in new machinery and started harvesting the second rotation mature tree crop. Today we employ our own harvesting, thinning and planting staff. Many are shareholders and local people.
Background
In 2021 Pārengarenga Incorporation bought the Pārengarenga B3C block forestry rights held by Taumata Plantations Limited. This comprised of around 2,300 hectares of tree crop located on the east coast. The land had been under lease for many years and the harvest of the first rotation merchantable tree crop was completed in 2015. Replanting of the second rotation was completed in 2016. Tending operations of the second rotation will be managed by PINC staff. It is anticipated that harvesting of the second rotation crop will start around 2038. In the meantime, we are thinning the current rotation of trees as well as clearing vegetation, to enable this forest to reach its potential.
FORESTRY STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL®
On 28 March 2024, Parengarenga Incorporation was certified as meeting all of the necessary qualifications of a ‘well managed plantation forest’. Certification followed an independent audit of the Incorporation’s management practices against the Forestry Stewardship Council’s Principles and Criteria. Certification is awarded for 5 years. Each year an annual audit takes place to ensure that the Incorporation continues to comply with the FSC®’s Principles and Criteria.
A copy of the certificate can be accessed here.
Why has the Incorporation obtained FSC certification?
In New Zealand and right across the world, customers are requiring suppliers to be FSC accredited. Those who don’t have this accreditation will face limited market opportunities. In addition, the Incorporation has used this opportunity to improve the way we do things.
To obtain accreditation, the Incorporation has had to demonstrate that it has policies and procedures in place that ensure that we:
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Protect the environment;
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Protect historical cultural assets;
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Operate in a sustainable way; and
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Operate in a socially responsible manner.
The FSC Principles and Criteria essentially look at everything we do from planting through to logs arriving at their destination. To achieve accreditation the Incorporation had to develop policies and procedures that detailed what happens at every step of the process. In addition, we had to provide evidence that showed we are doing what we say we will do. All of this documentation was assessed by the independent auditor to ensure that it complied with the FSC Principles and Criteria . Fortunately for the Incorporation, most of the things required for FSC accreditation were already happening.
The FSC Standard also requires us to make some of the documents we’ve developed publicly available. If you would like to view these documents please ‘click’ on the links below.
You can get more information on FSC at https://anz.fsc.org/ or you can email the Incorporation’s office at info@parengarenga.co.nz
Country Life: Turning forestry slash into something good for the planet
30 November 2024 - Article Courtesy of RNZ
Article quote:
"Pārengarenga Incorporation (PINC), based in Te Kao, is hoping for funding for more trials to prove the case for an $8 million biochar production facility to deal with up to 17,000 tonnes of forest waste from upcoming harvests.
The mess left by piles and piles of forest debris on East Coast beaches is etched in the mind of many after Cyclone Gabrielle last year and there have been calls to find better ways to harvest and remove waste sustainably..."
See more...
