N.I. forests to be studied

Press, 3 August 1981, Page 16

N.I. forests to be studied

PA Wellington An 18-month work programme has been drawn up to study how to best use forestry resources now maturing in the central North Island, according to the Minister of National Development (Mr Birch).

Details of the programme were agreed at a meeting of the steering group set up earlier this year to co-ordi-nate the Central North Island

Planning Study, he said

“The primary function of this study is to establish the regional' impact of using what will be a vast forest resource. The yield from present exotic forests will increase greatly in the next three decades and will coincide with projected shortages of timber in the Pacific basin markets.”

Dual objectives w’ere adopted by the study group. One was to compare the

national and regional implications of a range of development options for the forestry and related transport and servicing activities in the central North Island over the next 25 years.

The second was to alert the Government, united councils and forest-related interests to the main decisions which would need to be taken over the next decade to ensure that developments were in the best interests of all involved.