To promote, encourage and coordinate the sustainable economic development of the forest products industry in Otago and Southland.

To promote cooperation within and between established national and regional forest industry bodies, local authorities and other relevant groups.

To provide an independent body to bring together and improve communication between persons and groups involved with the business of forest products in the region to work collectively on issues of common interest.

To promote and support regional forestry initiatives and assist in implementing national initiatives.

To actively promote the benefits of forestry and related industries to the community.

For all the latest forest and wood products news and developments, SWC recommends the industry's leading news source, Friday Offcuts.

The Southern Wood Council (SWC) represents a wide cross section of the forest and wood products industry, associated key service suppliers and representatives from local and central Government. All major forest owners and most wood processing and manufacturing companies in Otago and Southland are represented. Members along with contact details are listed below.

NZ Forest Industry Important Nationally, Regionally and Environmentally - NZIER Report

A report on the plantation forest industry has highlighted its value to national and regional economies, as well as forestry's beneficial effect on New Zealand's ecology. The NZIER Report was commissioned by the New Zealand Forest Owners Association and Farm Forestry Association.

The Report has found the forestry and logging sector is worth $1.4 billion to the national GDP, making a substantially larger contribution to GDP than either the sheep meat or beef sectors. Forestry is hugely important for many provincial economies.

The Report details that our production has gone from 10 million cubic metres of timber in 1989, to 28.7 million cubic metres last year. MPI forecasts New Zealand forest product export returns to reach $6.15 billion by 2020, from the current $5.14 billion in 2016, with increasing returns from sawn timber, wood panels, pulp and paper all contributing.

A full copy of the report can be downloaded here.

Otago/Southland Forestry Profile

A profile of the forestry sector in Otago – Southland has been prepared to support the recently released wood availability forecasts. The profile provides readers with:

• an overview of the regional estate (in terms of species, distribution and ownership);
• the trends in timber processing;
• a summary of the harvest projections;
• key contacts; and
• a description of the infrastructure and services that have supported the growth of the industry.

Click here for a copy of the report

Wood Availability Forecasts – Otago/Southland

New wood availability forecasts for the Otago – Southland wood supply region were released in 2014. The forecasts cover the period 2014 to 2050, and replace the earlier forecasts from 2008. The forecasts were prepared by Indufor Asia Pacific Limited, and incorporate the harvest intentions of the region’s major plantation companies (with over 1 000 hectares of planted forest).

The forecasts were reviewed by local forest managers and consultants, to ensure they are a realistic representation of future supply. The forecasts have been a joint initiative between the Ministry for Primary Industries and the Southern Wood Council.

Indufor has prepared separate forecasts for Otago and Southland, as well as for the combined wood supply region. The forecasts are intended as a planning tool for the forest industry, councils and infrastructure providers.

Click here for forecasts

Southland Residue Supply Assessment

A Wood Energy Supply Study prepared by Ahika Consulting in July 2015 confirms available supply of wood fuel for southern industrial boilers until 2050. Businesses considering switching from fossil to wood fuels can be confident that there is sufficient supply through to 2050. The Wood Energy South project identified this concern from the offset and commissioned a study to quantify the volume of waste wood in the South Otago and Southland Region.

More than 1 million tonnes of logs are harvested annually and this is projected to continue to increase at a rate of 2% per annum over the next 30 years. A large majority of this is exported but a quarter (25%) of this harvest remains in Southland. The study estimates the annual waste wood volume is currently 200,000 tonnes and will increase to 600,000 tonnes per annum over the next 30 years.

Wood Energy South is a $1.5M joint venture project between Venture Southland and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA). Currently there are eight wood fuel users across commercial, education and local government operations around Southland. The Wood Energy South project has technical expertise and funding available. For more information on this or to find out more about the wood supply please visit www.woodenergysouth.co.nz.

Click here for a copy of the report

South Otago Wood Residue Supply Assessment

This report was prepared for Wood Energy South, Venture Southland and the Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority by Ahika Consulting in July 2015. The report was commissioned to provide certainty to candidate industrial wood energy users within South Otago about the ongoing availability of wood residue as an energy source.

The assessment is focussed on South Otago. It evaluates the available woody biomass resources that are available within the region, highlights the challenges and constraints to enabling a supply network, identifies solutions to overcome likely constraints, identifies the most profitable and effective supply chains and provides a clear strategy to enable the sustainable delivery of wood fuel to potential industry users.

Click here for a copy of the report

Plantation Resource

The Southern Wood Council members manage plantations and processing operations in the Otago - Southland wood supply region. The region has a combined plantation estate of 208,744 hectares (1 April 2017). This resource represents 12.23% of New Zealand’s national estate and is concentrated in the Clutha, Southland, Waitaki and Dunedin districts. The estate is New Zealand’s most diversified, in terms of species (with large areas of Douglas-fir and eucalypts) and has doubled in size since the mid-1980s.

Otago/Southland Breakdown of Planted Production Forest Area (ha) by Region
as at 1 April 2017

Value of Industry

The forestry and timber processing sectors are major export industries for the Otago – Southland economy. This export focus will increase over the next decade with the maturing of the region’s forests. The combined export returns for logs, sawn timber and woodchips stood at $229.7million for the March 2015 year (provisional figures). The region accounted for 7.2% of New Zealand’s log exports (by value) and 7.8% of sawn timber exports.

Otago/Southland Value of Log & Sawn Timber Exports (Year ending March 2015)

Timber Processing

The Otago – Southland region has a history of sawmilling and timber processing that dates back more than 150 years. In the March 2014 year the region’s sawmills produced 346 000 m3 of rough sawn timber. This was equivalent to 8.8% of New Zealand’s sawn timber production.

Otago/Southland Production of Sawn Timber (m³) by Species from 2000 to 2014

Employment

The forestry sector is an important employer across Otago and Southland, particularly in regional centres such as Milton and Winton.

In 2014 the industry employed an estimated 1 741 workers in forestry and logging, support services and first stage timber processing (sawmilling, timber dressing and other wood product manufacturing). Of this total, 366 were employed in forestry and logging and 770 in sawmilling and timber dressing. The employment is concentrated in the Southland, Clutha and Dunedin districts.

Otago/Southland Employment in Forestry by Region from 2005 to 2014

Contact Details

  Ph: (+64) 212 345 297

Rebecca Shepherd
Southern Wood Council Inc
PO Box 904,
Dunedin 9054, New Zealand