Shane Jones: Some landowners have 'allergic reaction' to carbon farming
Forestry Minister Shane Jones says he has encountered an allergic reaction from some landowners who are opposed to planting more trees under the One Billion Trees Programme. The Government has developed the programme to increase tree planting across New Zealand. The goal is to double the current planting rate to reach a billion trees planted by 2028. A fund offers $240 million in grants to landowners, organisations, and communities who want to plant trees or revert land to native forest. Jones said there was some criticism of the scheme from people who were opposed to converting farmland to carbon farms. READ MORE: * One Billion...wilding pines? * Taranaki forestry course to fill demand for skilled labour shortage in industry * Heritage trees and luxury coffins: A new use for New Zealand timber * Trees aren't taking over rural communities, says Forestry Minister Shane Jones Although I have encountered an allergic reaction from some landowners in terms of planting more trees, by and large the Billion Trees strategy has been an enormous success. Where its got a bit sticky is people fearful of permanent carbon pine plantation forests and thats been driven by the value of carbon in the Emissions Trading Scheme. However, uptake has been slow in Southland compared to other provinces. I would say that the area in North Canterbury has gone tremendously well thats the folk in and around the Kaikoura area. Theyve attracted a tremendous amount of grant funding to replant a lot of that land thats slumped in the earthquake. But the take-up rate in the deep south theres room for improvement, Jones said. Statistics provided to Stuff by Te Uru Rakau - Forestry New Zealand show that to May 2020 there have been 42 direct landowner grants and five partnership funding applications from Southland since the scheme began in November 2018. The ministry had also received 24 inquiries from the province. It has approved 25 direct landowner grants totalling $1,730,340 in funding, and one partnership project for $461,420, which was a total of $2,191,760 in funding for Southland. Approved grants are for a total area of 808.86 hectares in the province. Nationally, the fund has approved 395 grants for a total of $43m in funding. Jones said the fund was not exhausted. Its just that I cant pony-up proposals from anywhere. People have to step up to the plate themselves. New Zealand First was not resiling from its pro-forestry approach, although it accepted there had to be a slight recalibration between the interests of landowners who wanted to stay in pastoral farming and the need for forestry, he said. The real challenge for forestry was boosting the size of the domestic market. I think its been excessively dangerous for the forestry sector to rely disproportionately on China, he said. The procurement policy of the Government certainly need to be adjusted, so we maximise the obligation to use more wood based product that will help capitalise sawmills and processors. We have dedicated some money from the Crown to help that journey.