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Jenny Shipley
Parliament Buildings,
Wellington

• There should be no further logging of native forests in NZ -
• Timberlands makes huge profits from logging our native rimu forests, yet they pay no dividend to the government. They pay $5 per cubic meter to cut down our ancient native trees, and sell it to mills for $300-$600 per cubic meter.
• Timberlands is exempt from environmental controls which apply to owners of other native forests, which is why it is able to log large areas of publicly owned forest in the Buller.
• The native timber industry should not be supported, least of all by a government owned company.
• These lowland forests have international recognised importance
  • Lowland forests are particularly precious because the provide a home for threatened native species like the kiwi, kaka, robin, weta, and native bat.
  • The virgin forests are less severely damaged by introduced pests such as possum, deer and rabbit than other native forests in NZ, which makes them even more valuable as a long term habitat for NZ wildlife.
• There is not much lowland forest left
  • Only %14 of the original coverage of lowland native rainforest in NZ remains and at least half of this is already modified by logging.
  • The planned harvesting area of Timberlands includes some of the few untouched tracts of lowland forest in this country.
  • The bech scheme that Timberlands are embarking upon threatens large areas of intact and old-growth forest in the Eastern Paparoas, Grey and Maruia valleys and in the Buller.
• Why should we trust a company that is logging our native forests?
  • Timberlands continue their destruction despite handing out public relations material promoting themselves as caring about the environment.
• This scheme is not acceptable or necessary under the West Coast Accord
  • Timberlands have used the West Coast Accord to claim that a beech scheme is justified, but there was no commitment in the Accord to provide a beech scheme (see Kakariki News "Beyond the West Coast Accord")
  • Under the West Coast Accord any beech scheme would have to be small scale, and "environmentally acceptable". The national significance and ecological value of those forests ,makes any logging of them unacceptable. Timberlands have indicated that they are planning to take about 100 000 cubic meters of timber each year, which would be an enormous scheme, dwarfing all other native logging operations in NZ put together!
• Boycott the native timber industry
  • Native logging is no longer acceptable, there are many plantation timbers to choose from.
  • There is little market for beech timber. Timberlands will have to create a market to justify the scheme.
  • Our native beech forests are ending up as toothpicks, floorboards, iceblock sticks, toilet seats, brush handles.
• Logging through "sustainable" management is unproven and still has a negative impact on the forest composition and structure.

  • A recent study y David Norton of Canterbury University found that logging through sustainable management of native forests would result in a loss of species dependent on large and living trees (e.g. birds such as the kaka, kakariki, tui, riflemen, and brown creeper; plants such as the rare mistletoe)
    Norton, D., (1997). Ecological realism and the sustainable management of indigenous forests for timber reproduction. Contact beech forest action for a copy.

  • Dr Norton's study concluded that the changes resulting from sustainable management were not compatible with protecting the full range of biodiversity within that forest. Surely that is the definition of sustainable?

• Timberlands management of our native forests should be reviewed with a view to these forests becoming protected conservation areas.

Sir,

I don't think many new Zealanders realise the implication of buying native beech, kahikatea, kauri, and rimu products, be it bed, coffee table or the timber itself.

Most rimu and beech comes from the South Island.

These are trees that grow for up to 800 years. The forests they make up form the habitat (or seasonal habitat0 for South Island Kakas, keas, kakarikis and our glorious red and yellow flowered mistletoes.

A state owned company, Timberlands West Coast Ltd. is planning to "sustainable" log 70 000 hectares of beech forest. The methods it proposes to use will severely reduce the habitat needed for these and other creatures.

It is estimated that 500 South Island kakas remain. Destroying their homes cannot do anything but speed up their extinction.

I would like to encourage people to boycott native timbers to ensure a chance for these creatures' existence, and instead make use of plantation trees.

Dean Mercer

Berhampore