Woodchip plan angers forest action group

Press, 19 December 1985, Page 4

Woodchip plan angers forest action group

PA Wellington The Native Forests Action Council appears to be on a collision course with the Government over plans to convert native beech forest round Reefton into wood chips. The Council’s director, Mr Guy Salmon, has denounced the Government for failing its first forestry decision after a meeting with the Parliamentary Under-Secre-tary for Forests, Mr Butcher.

Mr Salmon predicted a big campaign to resist the Government’s plans. He said it appeared that 8000 hectares of beech forest would be converted into woodchips over 10 years. No Government support seemed to exist for leaving adequate reserves in the area or using the beech for job-producing industries like furniture making, he said.

The conversion of beech to woodchips was a short-

term, get-rich-quick scheme for the Government, Mr Salmon said.

Experience with woodchipping in Nelson indicated that every shipment of woodchips to Japan consumed the homes of 2000 native birds, he said.

The Reefton decision was a threat to populations of the native parrot, the kaka and the native parakeet, the kakariki.

“It looks as if logging gangs will be going in between March and June next year ... it is exporting our heritage and jobs for paper bags in Japan,” he said. Mr Salmon said the Government had sought tenders for the exploitation of the land two months ago, and though the details were secret no assurances could be gained from Mr Butcher. The Council would meet the Minister for the Environment, Mr Marshall, on the issue, Mr Salmon said.