Council’s forestry approach Debate

Operational Considerations - Stakeholder Engagement

Option 2

The comments emphasize the importance of accelerating the transition to a mixed-species canopy and actively involving community groups to secure their long-term volunteer support, which is seen as a valuable resource for the project's success. There is strong support for the council to lead by example in transitioning to environmentally sustainable practices, potentially influencing other forestry enterprises to adopt similar practices. Additionally, there is a call for a comprehensive evaluation of the economic and environmental benefits of the proposed changes, suggesting that the long-term gains could outweigh the initial costs and losses from exiting commercial forestry.

Table of comments:

Point No	Comment
412.3	I would support fast-tracking this process as much as is possible and bringing community groups into the process as much as possible (helping secure their buy-in to ongoing volunteer support in the future - a significant resource not to be undervalued)
534.2	Support the council's proposed approach. The current extent of, and approach to, commercial forestry is an environmental travesty. It would be fantastic to see the council lead a transition to predominantly native forests. Native forests wield improved biodiversity, landscape, and possible carbon value (pending changes to ETS). They also wield economic value through supporting recreational opportunities, building resilience and reducing risk on property and environment associated with fire and extreme weather events, improving nearby property values, and supporting product markets like rongoā. I support the recommendations in the Right Tree Right Place Taskforce Report. The transition should happen at pace, starting with currently bare harvested land. I question the assumption of expense and long-term loss of income. Accounting should consider the current (not easily monetised) cost of commercial forestry on society and the environment. It should also capture the full range of benefits (economic and otherwise) of a predominantly native forest canopy. Council should lead the way. It would be fantastic to see the LTP acknowledge the role of council in supporting private/iwi/other commercial forestry enterprises in transitioning to improved land use.
1059.2	Refer to 10 page submission for further information - key points re forestry below: