Forestry - Ashburton District Council

Ashburton District Council has been involved in exotic forest management for over 100 years. Initially plantations were established to provide shelter and to promote soil conservation. This focus has changed over the years with the plantations now managed for timber production and to provide income for the Council.

Objectives:

The Forestry Department aims to manage the Council’s plantation resource to provide the best possible financial return.
Promote the environmental well-being of the District through effective forest management.
Provide a professional forest management advisory service.

View of council forest along the Rakaia Gorge bank.
Riverbank View - Rakaia Gorge

History
The Ashburton District Council has been involved in forestry for over a century. Initially plantings were undertaken to provide shelter although with time the timber value of the plantations has become apparent. Over the years forestry has contributed to the Council’s income, along with providing a log supply to local saw millers and employment for locals.

Current Resource
Mid Canterbury’s climate; strong winds, dry summers and cold winters (snow), limit the species suitable for planting. Plains sites are generally most suited to Radiata pine with Douglas fir an option for those plantations closer to the foothills (higher rainfall). Other species administered by the council include Macrocarpa, Larch and Eucalypts. See graph below for the species distribution.

The Council has over 120 plantations scattered through out the district. These plantations vary in size from over 200 hectares down to less than 1 hectare. Except for the Riverbank View Joint Venture, the Council has full ownership of all its plantations. Most of the Council’s plantations are located south of the Ashburton River and west of SH 1.

The Council’s plantation resource has had its age class structure affected by severe wind throw events, most recently in 1969 (Wahine Storm) and the big storm in 1975. Large re-planting programmes followed these wind events which now means relatively large areas are becoming available for harvest over the next 10 years.

Harvesting:
Radiata pine log sales are expected to average 17,500 tonnes/year for the next 20 years. Through this period occasional log sales of other species (mainly Douglas fir) will occur. Methods of log sale used in past have included delivered log sales to various sawmills and other log buyers long with stumpage sales of standing timber and combinations of both methods.

Forest Investment:
During the 1990’s one of the objectives for forestry in the Strategic Plan was to increase the size of the resource by 25 hectares/year. To this end the Council purchased a property near Mt Somers in 1996 which is now established in Radiata pine, Douglas fir and Macrocarpa. With the decline in log prices over the last few years and the increases in land costs the Council is no longer actively seeking land purchase opportunities.

The age class structure means that over the next 20 years the Council’s tending programme will be relatively small.

Advisory Work:
Ashburton Council provides forest management services on a contract basis to the Mackenzie District Council. Mackenzie District has a less substantial resource than Ashburton, approximately 1000 hectares. The Council provides similar management services on a smaller scale to Selwyn, Timaru and Banks Peninsula District Council’s.

The Council also provides forestry services to local farmers. This work mainly involves arranging log sales. Other work includes valuations, advice on tending and attendance of forestry workshops and field days.