Maruia, Okarito, Saltwater forest, beech forest, logging,
the beech scheme, rimu, Timberlands, Kit Richards, sustainable management of forests,
conservation, preservation, ancient rainforest,
all buzz-words of a vital and passionately debated topic in New Zealand in 1999 and 2000.

Some more are; sustainability, Resource Management Act, the West Coast Accord,
Labour, Minister of Forests, Hodgson, Clark, election mandate, city greenies, nfa, Native Forest Action,
F&B, Royal Forest and Bird, twigs and twitters, destruction, clearfelling, helicopter logging, Efford, modelling; and they apply to

Sustainable forest management in indigenous beech forest
for fine timber production and enhanced conservation
in the State Forests of the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand.

Timberlands West Coast Ltd. carefully planned for 10 years, at a cost of $3 million NZ, with the guarantee of the West Coast Accord as a firm and contractually binding basis, to begin innovative and world-leading sustainable forest management processes and techniques for perpetual production of fine beech timber for furniture, and for enhanced conservation of threatened plants and wildlife in the process. The newly-elected Labour government in December 1999, halted the environmental planning process, claiming that the support they obtained (before the November 1999 election) from northern city electorates for a new policy to 'put a stop to all logging in state indigenous forests', was a valid mandate to break the 1986 contract (the West Coast Accord) with the West Coast region. Further, they decided to curtail the very successful, audited, sustainable management of rimu forests in South Westland that has been in operation for about 8 years, and have decided that it will end in 2002. Thus began a vigorous debate in New Zealand on indigenous forest management.

I have involved in this debate for several months - so here is more contribution from me on this vital topic.

Link to site search engine search Search the whole site using any keywords.


NEW: I have recently completed writing a book on the closely related topic of the sustainable management of two small rimu forests in South Westland, Okarito and Saltwater, near the little settlement of Okarito. After ten years of very succesful and world-renowned operation, his work was stopped by the NZ Labour government.
        You may find out about that book here


This is the Table of Contents of my pages on the beech forest topic.

Double-click with the left button of your mouse, on the bold+italic text hot-links if you want to access these pages.
  1. Links to other related sites. Dr Euan Mason has much additional material in the categories I have below, and there are other interesting sites.
  2. Papers Scientific papers presented or released. These should have been presented to the Environmental Court hearing held under the provisions of the Resource Management Act 1991, but stopped by the Labour government only a few hours into the hearing.
    These papers contain the facts that have not appeared in the media.
    Read these, and compare what you have been told by the Green Party, Labour, NFA, and Forest and Bird.
    N.B.   The Forest and Bird submission, paper and lecture are in this directory.
  3. Press Releases made on this topic. These have often made it to Scoop ( http://www.scoop.co.nz ), and some to print media in one form or another.
  4. The West Coast Accord - this contract as signed by Labour in 1986 with other organisations. Note the important provisions that paved the way for sustainable management of the West Coast indigenous forests. These are a vital part of this contract.
  5. Letters to and from Ministers of government on the topic. More to come here.
  6. Other related papers. The main one so far is an important discussion and criticism by Dr Henrik Moller of an analysis by a DOC scientist of the Timberlands beech plans. In this discussion, you can gain considerable insight into some of the tricky environmental factors involved in the sustainable management proposals, and the trouble Timberlands is prepared to go to in order to carry out good sustainable forestry management practice.
  7. Papers on sustainable management of biological and other resources. Draws on experiences from the Timberlands sustainable beech plans. Contains excellent thought-provoking material.
  8. Papers on the West Coast Accord and sustainable management of biological and other resources. Contains the Bill to abolish the Accord, and papers to do with the dispersal of the indigenous forests and land hitherto managed by Timberlands West Coast for all New Zealanders.
  9. Discussion of Dr Murray Efford's beech growth model.
And several links to TWC pages, expanded, without frames.
As at the end of May 2000, Parliament is debating a Bill (= future Act of Law) that will retrospectively cancel the West Coast Accord. Here is a guide to preparing submissions to the Select Committee that is to tour the nation hearing what the public have to contribute on the matter.

        Guide to preparing submissions.

        The draft Forests (West Coast Accord) Bill.

Contact me here, at bj@caverock.net.nz                  Front page. go to the front page.



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