Carter Holt mill unscathed
Firefighters have saved the Carter Holt Harvey sawmill near Nelson from destruction.
But it’s too early for managers to assess the damage to the surrounding forests that are mainly owned or managed by Tasman Pine Forests, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Forestry.
The latest map of the fire area shows the fire came within metres of the Carter Holt sawmill.
Civil Defence said there were still a number of fires burning and access to the sawmill and forest areas was cut off for most people. A spokeswoman for the ministry said the fire had mostly interrupted farmers going about their business.
Tasman Pine’s forests were at various stages of maturity or harvest. Forest Owners Association spokesman Don Carson said he understood the forests were insured and there might be a chance of harvesting some of the charred trees.
Carson said forest fires were becoming more common and more of them were being classed as ‘‘extreme’’, such as the 2017 Port Hills fire near Christchurch.
‘‘The two big identified risks on the increase are global warming and lifestyle block owners,’’ he said.
Global warming meant trees were growing taller and more spindly, leaving more debris on the forest floor, while lifestyle block owners were less likely to keep on top of forestry management.
Forestry groups were focusing on education for lifestyle block owners and the general public who might use adjacent areas or walking tracks through forests.
Forest managers sometimes stopped operations depending on heat, dryness and winds, he said.
But forestry companies were loath to quit replanting areas where they had already invested in infrastructure, Carson said.
The Insurance Council has yet to receive any claims but a spokeswoman said yesterday she understood there had been one dwelling destroyed.
Crown research company Scion created a map of the smoke plume’s likely path. Smoke was predicted to go towards Upper Moutere, Redwood Valley, Mapua, Tasman, Motueka, Wakefield, Brightwater, Richmond and possibly Nelson City. If the fire keeps burning, highways could be affected.
‘‘The two big identified risks on the increase are global warming and lifestyle block owners.’’ Forest Owners Association spokesman Don Carson