2 April 2008
NEW chief executive of the National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI) Allan Hansard brings an extensive background in forest policy and economics to the position.
Formerly NAFI deputy CEO and chief executive of Tree Plantations Australia for two years, Hansard succeeds Mrs Catherine Murphy at NAFI.
NAFI president Bob Pearce said Mr Hansard’s inspired guidance within NAFI would ensure the continuing strong growth of Australia’s forest industry into the future.
Hansard cited the following as highly important priorities for NAFI: the role of Australia’s sustainable forest industry in the fight against climate change; greater industry unity and cohesion; building common ground cooperation with other industry sectors; and more effective communication of the benefits of Australia’s sustainable forest industry to the wider community.
“Australia has a world-class, climate-friendly, sustainable forest industry,” Hansard said. “Greater unity within the industry will facilitate more effective communication of the environmental, economic and social benefits that the sustainably managed native and plantation forest industry sectors can offer.”
Hansard said under NAFI’s new structure, all aspects of industry – native and plantation forest managers, wood processors, forest contractors and local timber communities – would have a role in developing industry policy.

Independent Review Forestry Offset Scheme Proposal

NEW Zealand’s Flexible Land Use Alliance (FLUA) has appointed Professor Lewis Evans to review a draft report by the University of Waikato and Covec on proposed changes to the forestry components of the Climate Change (Emissions Trading and Renewable Preference) Bill, including the introduction of a Forestry Offset Scheme.
Evans is chair of economics at Victoria University of Wellington, a former executive director of the Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation, and a lay member of the High Court of New Zealand for matters of commerce.
His independent review was agreed between the FLUA and Forestry Minister Jim Anderton on 5 March after the publication of the Case for a Forestry Offset Scheme (FOC) on 28 February.
Under a FOC, forest owners harvesting their land would be able to meet their liabilities under the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), either by replanting the exact same land or by planting an equivalent area of land elsewhere in New Zealand that is not currently in forestry. This would be part of a wider compensation package for land owners and would help mitigate the land-value losses associated with the introduction of the ETS, which are estimated to be in the vicinity of NZ$3-4 billion, including NZ$2 billion of Maori land-value losses.
The first stage of Prof. Evans’ work will be completed by 7 April and will be able to be fed into both the Government’s ongoing refinement of the Bill and the Select Committee’s deliberations.
The Flexible Land Use Alliance consists of Blakely Pacific Ltd, Carter Holt Harvey Ltd, Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd, Forest Enterprises Ltd, Landcorp Farming Ltd, the New Zealand Forest Owners Association Inc., PF Olsen Ltd and Wairakei Pastoral Ltd.

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