FMC’s submission on partnering to plant trees on Crown-owned land

FMC has contributed to discussion about afforestation of, and native regeneration on, Crown-owned land, initiated by the Ministry for Primary Industries. Key points of our submission are:

• More work needs to go into understanding the values of the affected land, including land described as ‘low value’ conservation land. If the afforestation/regeneration concept is to go ahead, there will be need for detailed public consultation.
• Native forest regeneration could be encouraged on Crown land.
• Exotic and non-naturally-occurring native afforestation could be considered for Crown land not in a Crown pastoral lease, if these issues are taken into consideration: recreational access and enjoyment, water sequestration, water regulation (flow and quality), soil quality, native biodiversity, potential for wildlings, carbon sequestration, timber and related products, forestry by-products, landscape values, fire susceptibility, potential for associated wild animals.
• Afforestation with naturally-occurring species could go ahead on Crown land. For Crown pastoral lease land and conservation land, there is a high legal bar, and at the least, the land’s original biodiversity would need to be taken into account.

Photo: Rob Vanderpoel