A farm forestry roadshow rolling out across the central North Island in late May will be an opportunity for hill country farmers to find out how they can integrate trees into their farming systems.
The New Zealand Farm Forestry Association (NZFFA), supported by Te Uru Rākau – NZ Forest Service, is holding a series of workshops in Taranaki, Rangitīkei and Wairarapa.
The workshops will include species choice, how and where to grow trees and the benefits of trees to a farming business.
Each workshop will be followed by a half-day visit to a working example of farm forestry.
NZFFA president Graham West said the workshops will help farmers to make informed decisions on whether woodlots are a good fit for their farming business.
“Trees are not an alternative to farming, but a complementary land-use that can help strengthen a farm’s long-term growth and prosperity,” West said.
“Planting trees protects against erosion and increases biodiversity by providing shelter and habitat. The Emissions Trading Scheme offers additional revenue to farmers wanting to plant woodlots within parts of their farm.”
Beef and Lamb have acknowledged the importance of integrating tree planting and it’s important to continue the good work, Te Uru Rākau forest development, grants and partnerships director Alex Wilson said.
“Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service are working with local communities and stakeholders to integrate trees into existing land-use and look at the potential for planting trees on unproductive, or erosion prone land,” Wilson said.
“Planting trees is also an important part of the Government’s climate response – trees sequester carbon and are an effective means of helping meet our emissions reduction targets.”
The workshops consist of a morning (8.30am-12pm) and afternoon (1pm-4.30pm) session, with a half day field trip the following morning.
The workshops are free and lunch is provided. Participants can choose to come to one or more of these sessions: Hawera, TSB Hub,Tuesday, May 24; Bulls, Community Centre,Thursday, May 26; and Copthorne Solway Park Hotel, Masterton, Monday, May 30.
RSVP to trees@nzffa.org.nz
