| 31 T T Hugh de Lacy Amalgamation a move to streamline operations Forest Management Ltd, Tasman Forest Management and Forest Management North Island are amalgamating under the umbrella of the Forest Management Group. Tasman Forest Management FORESTRY Log prices may be in a slump – largely thanks to the fragile state of the Chinese economy, the New Zealand industry’s biggest export destination – but three forest management companies are getting together and re-positioning themselves in anticipation of the inevitable recovery. Forest Management Ltd, Tasman Forest Management and Forest Management North Island are amalgamating under the umbrella of the Forest Management Group. “This consolidation represents a move aimed at streamlining our operations, maximising efficiency and providing a unified experience for our valued partners and clients,” the new company says in making the announcement of the merger. Forest Management Group, headquartered in Christchurch where 19 of its staff are based, offers a one-stop-shop service for a cross-section of investors in the forestry industry, from forest establishment and tending, to advice on management of Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) , to harvesting and marketing. The Forest Management group manages a total of 40,000ha of production forest nationwide, as well as large areas of regenerating native forest in the ETS for land-owners. “By bringing together the expertise and resources of these three entities, Forest Management Group will be better equipped to meet the evolving needs of the forestry industry while ensuring that safety, great local service and environmental responsibility remain at the forefront of our operations,” the company says. “We’re excited by the opportunities that lie ahead as Forest Management Group and look forward to continuing our successful partnership with clients and customers.” The company has 36 staff in total who are overseen by the eight owner-directors: Glenn Moir, Evan Maclure, Craig McMiken, Adrian Loo, Warwick Winn, Dave Chandler, David Dunn and John Rasmussen. Craig McMiken admits the forestry export industry is facing challenges at the moment through low log prices and demand, but stresses it’s an industry that necessarily takes a long-term outlook, given the near-30-year gap between planting a forest and harvesting it. “The key markets for our services are land-owners, including farmers and iwi. “We have long-standing supply agreements with domestic sawmills, and it’s an industry in which personal relationships are the key all along the supply line, from the planting at the start to the marketing at the end,” Craig says. “Pooling the talents of the three companies that make up the Forest Management Group allows us to offer a broader range of expertise and solutions to address the clients’ specific needs.” He added that, in an industry once notorious for its accident and death rates, the company is determined to continue to be an industry leader in the key area of health and safety for the benefit of its large family of contractors, clients and stakeholders. Craig points out that forestry can provide a diversity of income for farmers on their less productive land, with new plantings providing cashflow from carbon sequestration under the ETS through much of the rotation, followed by the returns from the harvest. “Landowners can also get revenue from carbon by retiring less productive land into native regeneration,” Craig says. 131 Westdale Road; RD1 Richmond; 7081 Phone 021 973 910 Woodlot harvesting solutions Skidsite Construction Roading Forestry Maintenance Forestry Waste Solutions Shredding Crushing ph: 021 563 792 | w: www.echohire.co.nz | e: hire@echodale.co.nz “The key markets for our services are land-owners, including farmers and iwi.”
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=