Forestry

The forestry sector is an important part of the Horizons Region’s economy. It is an important land use in the region, making good economic use of marginal land as well as delivering environmental benefits. However, poor forestry practices can harm the environment.

The Horizons Region has around 130,000 hectares of plantation forestry. This industry supports contractors, seed and tree providers, milling and manufacturing industries, transport companies and ports. Most of the plantation forestry in the region is pine.

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Forestry can be viewed as having a positive environmental impact. Trees capture carbon, can reduce erosion on hill country, can have moderating effects on water flows, and provide some amenity and biodiversity values.

However, forests must be properly managed to ensure possible negative effects on the environment are managed. That management can include assessing wilding conifer risk, safely managing harvests, and establishing setbacks from roads, dwellings and waterways. Harvesting presents unique challenges during the forestry process, including sediment runoff during clear felling and the creation of roading networks.

The One Plan – our “one stop shop” resource management planning document for the region – and the National Environmental Standard for Commercial Forestry (NES-CF) are documents that regulate forestry activities in the Horizons Region. Those rules and regulations are in place to help to protect our freshwater resources and ecology.

National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry regulations

The National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry came into effect in May 2018.

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One Plan

The One Plan contains rules and regulations related to plantation forestry.

One Plan
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Forestry and water quality

Although harvesting only has a small impact over the life of a forest, its short-term impact can damage the environment and breach One Plan and NES-CF rules.

  • Sediment and debris can enter waterways during harvesting, which can damage aquatic habitat. 

  • Excessive woody debris can damage streams and reduce the amount of oxygen available.

  • Heavy machinery can damage soils, vegetation, habitat, and stream banks and beds.

  • Leaving unstable or older trees in riparian zones can be destructive if the tree roots lift and destroy the stream bank.

  • Poor harvesting techniques, such as dragging logs through a waterway, can damage the bed and bank and release sediment into the water.

  • Harvesting can cause soil erosion and sediment entering waterways.

The following activities might breach rules and regulations: 

  • Work that exposes soil, such as forest harvesting, site development earthworks, cultivation, or using sacrificial or fallow paddocks. These activities are prohibited unless sediment discharge is controlled. 

  • Working in waterways. 

  • Skid and slash pile failures (bird nests). 

  • Slash mobilised to waterways. 

  • Depositing and leaving slash in waterways. 

How can I protect water quality?

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has developed resources to guide forestry activities. Most of the guidance from the older NES–PF is still relevant. Each activity guide explains the relevant NES-PF regulations, including: 

  • the activity definition – what is and isn’t covered by the NES-PF 

  • the conditions you must meet for that activity to be permitted 

  • how to determine whether you need resource consent

You can find more guidance on the MPI Guidance for forestry activities page here for: 

  • Afforestation 

  • Pruning and thinning-to-waste 

  • Earthworks 

  • River crossings 

  • Forestry quarrying 

  • Harvesting 

  • Mechanical land preparation 

  • Replanting 

  • Support activities: 

  • Slash trap activities 

  • Indigenous vegetation clearance 

  • Non-indigenous vegetation clearance 

Your own forestry industry can be of help too.

National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry

The National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry (NES-PF) came into effect on 1 May 2018. This was amended to the National Environmental Standard for Commercial Forestry (NES-CF) on 3 November 2023 to add exotic continuous-cover forests (carbon forests) to its scope.
 
The standards are a single set of nationally consistent regulations under the Resource Management Act that give foresters more certainty and improve efficiency. 
 
If you have a forestry block larger than one hectare that was planted specifically for commercial activities, the NES-CF will apply to you.

The NES-CF sets out rules for eight plantation forestry activities:

  • afforestation

  • pruning and thinning to waste

  • earthworks

  • river crossings

  • forest quarrying

  • harvesting

  • mechanical land preparation

  • replanting

Most forestry activities are permitted by the NES-CF so long as foresters meet specific conditions designed to protect the environment. If foresters can’t meet these conditions, they need to apply for a resource consent. Click/tap here to learn more about applying for a consent.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) have developed some resources to explain the NES-CF. Those resources include risk assessment tools to aid in the assessment of environmental effects of certain activities on the likes of fish spawning and erosion. Find out more on the MPI website by clicking/tapping here, or call 0800 88 83 33.

Notification of Permitted Activities

The NES-CF requires foresters to give Horizons notice before undertaking certain permitted commercial forestry activities. The amount of notice required depends on the activity. Some permitted activities require notification for afforestation, earthworks, river crossings, quarrying and harvesting activities to be provided to Horizons between 20-60 days before the activity occurs. Earthworks management plans, quarry erosion and sediment management plans and harvest plans need to be in place 20 working days before the works begin and may be requested at the time of notification or after the fact.

Once you submit your form, you’ll get a copy back for their records which includes a timestamped time of receipt. This ensures everyone is aware of the time of notification.

If your activity is not permitted under the NES-CF or relevant One Plan rules, you’ll need to apply for a resource consent.

If you are a forester, it is your responsibility to ensure you:

  • Familiarise yourself with the rules under the NES-CF to ensure you comply;

  • Notify Horizons Regional Council of forestry activities captured by the rules in the NES-CF by:

  • Check with us to see if your existing activities are covered by existing use rights;

  • Check with us to see if any existing resource consents you hold give full effect to the NES-CF.

Notice of permitted activity under NES-CF

PDF | 90.2KB
Download the notification form

Further information & help

For more information, please contact us by emailing forestry@horizons.govt.nz or ask for our Compliance Team on freephone 0508 800 800.