52 | Bay Forest Harvesting FORESTRY T T Kim Bowden Husband and wife leading a great team Looking after its people is something Bay Forest Harvesting takes seriously. Bay Forest Harvesting proves a small, family-run logging business can modernise while holding onto what makes the job satisfying – even as the industry faces increasing scrutiny. Owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Dan and Lisa Mouatt, the Hawke’s Bay company has grown steadily and now runs two full-time crews: one focused on ground-based harvesting and the other on cable logging for steeper terrain. With decades of experience in the bush, Dan is the operational backbone of the business, while Lisa - a former legal executivehandles the books, payroll and admin. The company contracts to Forestry Management NZ and Pan Pac, long-standing relationships that reflect its reliability and high operating standards. Approximately eight years ago, Bay Forest Harvesting began shifting towards fully mechanised operations - a move driven by a commitment to safety. “It was a step-by-step process away from manual falling and breaking out, and we’ve been running pretty much fully mechanised for the last four years,” Dan says. “It’s really helped things from a safety aspect – keeping things, and keeping the guys, safe.” Looking after its people is something Bay Forest Harvesting takes seriously, twice named ‘Crew of the Year’ at the Hawke’s Bay Forestry Awards. Long days, early starts, and plenty of travel come with the territory. Recently, one crew has been working a two-hour drive from home base in Napier, with others opting to stay on remote sites during the week. A standout in the company’s fleet is a Tigercat 180 Swing Yarder - the first of its kind to be working in New Zealand. “We’ve ended up doing quite a bit of environmental stuff because of what it’s capable of,” says Dan. “We’ve found that it’s really good for cleaning up creeks when there’s timber in them, because of its configuration with its ropes we can get the carriage and the grapple into these spots with precision.” Coincidentally, the machine was purchased just weeks before Cyclone Gabrielle hit, drawing national attention to forestry slash and erosion. The Tigercat has since proved itself a valuable tool as policy and public focus have shifted toward cleanup and responsible harvesting. For Dan, the work still brings real satisfaction. “When you get a good crew gelling and it’s all happening - you know, the gear’s going good, and everyone’s into it, and the wood’s pumping out - it’s a really good feeling, like an accomplishment. But, like anything, you have good and bad days.” Dan got his own start thanks to a former employer who gave him the chance to buy into a crew. That foot in the door set him on the path to business ownership, and now, years later, he’s doing the same for one of his own workers. “My ground-based crew have a crew foreman, and this year I’ve offered him a share base with us, so, hopefully, that’s the start of him getting going,” Dan says. “He’s capable, and he’s been running that crew pretty much on his own anyway. It’s kind of nice to actually come across someone that wants to do it and then be able to make it happen for them.” Dan also works with his older brother, who runs one of Bay Forest’s hauler crews. PROUDLY SUPPORTING AND BEEN SUPPORTED BY BAY FOREST HARVESTING STEVE GITTINGS | 027 245 9748 | udc.co.nz NZ’S ASSET FINANCE SPECIALISTS PROUD TO SUPPORT BAY FOREST HARVESTING Business Central - 10x4 Bay Forest Harvesting Steve 06.05.25.indd 1 6/05/2025 2:39:34 pm For Hawke’s Bays largest range of Tyres Keeping Hawke’s Bay Rolling 100% LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED 47 Austin Street, Napier 06 843 9119 onekawa@baytyres.co.nz “He’s got 50-odd years’ experience logging, and he is a big part of our business,” Dan says. It was his brother who gave Dan his first taste of felling. “I actually worked for him initially,” he says. “He used to be a contractor, so I went to help him out for a few weeks about 30-plus years ago and ended up being there for six years with him.”
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