Plantation Forests In New Zealand

Plantation forests now make up about 6% of the land in the country of New Zealand. Learn about these forests, including where they are & what trees make them up.

For millions of years the islands of New Zealand evolved without the presence of any mammals except bats. Nearly 80% of the country was covered in forest. Since the arrival of people 750 years ago the amount of native forest has dropped to 23%. People cut down the native forest, but they also planted plantation forests.

What Is A Plantation Forest?

A plantation forest is an area of land that has been planted in trees. These types of forests are managed like a crop as they are eventually harvested when they reach the right size.

There are 1.7 million hectares of plantation forest in New Zealand. That is about 6% of the total land area of the country.

Where Are The Plantation Forests?

The forests may be spread across the country, but there are certain areas with more than others. The central part of the north island has about 33% of the total.

The rest of the north island has scattered forests and the top of the south island has some. The southern part of the south island has very little as that is where a lot of the native beech forests are located.

What Are The Main Trees In A Plantation Forest?

By far the most planted tree in these managed forests is radiata pine. Nearly 90% of the trees in these forests are radiata pine. Some of the others include Douglas fir and eucalyptus.

What Services Do Plantation Forests Provide?

These non-native forests provide a lot of services. They are crucial for the amount of wood and fiber that they provide the country.

Additionally, they are becoming increasingly popular as recreation areas.

They are important and large contributors to the economy of New Zealand via logging, providing $1,400 million to the GDP. Forest products are actually the second largest export product (behind dairy)!