Forestry minister seeks new wood work ideas
Trees can play a lead role in the transition to a low emissions economy, says the forestry minister.
Shane Jones outlined the proposition during the blessing of the new Government forestry hub in Rotorua yesterday .
Te Uru Ra¯kau (Forestry New Zealand), the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Forestry Ministerial Advisory Group issued a ‘‘request for proposal’’ – worth $250,000 to $300,000 – seeking a commercially oriented report on viable opportunities for investment in biobased products and biorefinery processing technology.
These investments must use wood and wood fibre and be internationally competitive.
‘‘We know about the ability of trees to absorb carbon and we’ve invested heavily in rapidly strengthening our forestry estate through initiatives such as the One Billion Trees programme and recent changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme. These forests will act as a carbon sink in the short-to-medium term,’’ Jones said.
‘‘However, they are also vital to increasing wood and fibre supply over the next 20 to 30 years as we position our forestry system, or parts of this system, to manufacture a wide range of products that will help us adapt to climate change and meet our emissions target.
‘‘We know that consumers want alternatives to concrete, steel and plastic.
‘‘In theory, everything that can be made from oil or non-renewable resources can be made from trees. The big question is one of commercial viability and how the big ideas can be made into reality.
‘‘Through this call for research, I’d like to see a report that will identify investible opportunities for the production and manufacturing of high value, wood fibre-based bioproducts that will bring innovation and employment to our regions, and increase onshore processing of logs.