Business North July / August 2021

68 | FORESTRY Northland Forest Managers The art of getting good trees to harvest Richard Loader A contracting crew prunes young trees. NFM manages 18,000 hectares of forestry estate in Northland. M anaging 18,000 hectares of forestry estate the team at Northland Forest Managers Ltd (NFM) has a long histo- ry living and working in the Northland region, and understand what is required to bring good trees to harvest. There is a passion in what they do. That passion is infectious and connects with the contracting crews they work with on a daily basis. Together they are a team, focused on a common outcome to get the job done to the highest standard possible. Initially formed in Kerikeri in 1995 as a pri- vate forestry management company looking after ex-State Forest estates, in 2011 NFL was engaged by Hong Kong based Greenheart Group to manage a 10,000-hectare estate that runs through the Mangakahia Valley. Four years later Greenheart Group pur- chased NFM as its forest management compa- ny. There is now an additional 3000 hectares of leasehold forestry land under Greenheart Group’s umbrella. Those estates include 500 hectares just south of Dargaville on the Pouto Peninsula and 2500 hectares in Waipoua. Beyond Greenheart Group, NFM has re- sponsibility for another 5000 hectares, includ- ing some of the Ministry of Primary Industry’s billion trees programme. In addition to its Kerikeri Head Office, NFM has an office based in Dargaville with a total of eleven staff across the two locations. “As a forestry management company, our team is involved in organising and planning what needs to be done, ensuring the health & safety and environmental requirements have been met and checking the work is done to the right standard,” says Neil Geerkens, General Manager. “We do everything from land preparation, planting, growing the forest, through to harvesting and marketing the logs for both carbon and traditional forests.” Carbon forestry is planting it, looking after it to ensure it grows and the administration side of getting the account and carbon credits (Emissions Trading Scheme or ETS). This is a growing part of NFM’s business. “In the last twelve months the carbon price has increased substantially. Clients range from large scale investors with 300 hectares of land down to smaller mum and dad inves- tors who might have fifteen, twenty or fifty hectares and want to see if it is viable to get carbon credits.” Through its contractor crews, NFM currently logs around 300,000 tonnes each year, supply- ing local mills as well as the export market. “We supply sawlogs to Waipapa Pine in Kerikeri, small logs to Mt Pokaka for posts and other industrial wood. Rosvall Sawmill in Whangarei take quality pruned logs and we Proud to support Northland Forest Managers Ltd Phone: 021 346 902 Craig Turner | Turners Transport Services Ltd 21 Te Hape Road, Maunu RD 9, WHANGAREI 0179 Forestry • Fibre • Logs Turners Transport Services Ltd Proud to be in partnership with Northland Forest Management