“We are supportive of many of the recommendations, including collaborating with a woody debris taskforce, new options for the removal of debris, and we want to reiterate our support for a fair and equitable clean-up of woody debris from impacted communities as well.
“The report is fulsome, and it’s detailed, and we are grateful for the panel’s work.
“It is clear that in some places, we need to change what we do with our land, particularly the highest risk hillsides, with skeletal soils that are most at risk of failure.
“Cyclone Gabrielle caused damage to plantations and associated landscapes at levels not previously seen inside forestry gates, and the extent of debris movement from the collapse of younger-aged trees during recent storms is unprecedented.
“While the extremely vulnerable soils are widely acknowledged as a challenge unique to our region, the increasingly severe storms we are experiencing are not, and yet they are becoming more common. Clearly it is time to reassess how we use some of our land,” Mr Hope said.
EWC will continue to consider the report and the range of recommendations made by the panel in the coming days.
Aratu Forests, one of the largest forestry companies in Tairāwhiti, also welcomed the report.
“This report is comprehensive, fair and fulsome, and I want to thank the panel members for their level of engagement with our community in recent weeks,” Aratu Forests chief executive Neil Woods said.
“The issue of land use and woody debris in our region has been hugely complex, and the devastating weather of 2023 has caused unprecedented damage to our home.
“The report provides a series of tangible next steps for all of us who live and work in the Tairāwhiti region, and in (the) coming days, we will be taking the time to read through the report in more detail (to) better understand how this will impact our business in the future.
“Aratu have long advocated for the greater use of slash nets which, along with good forestry management practices, can be one tool that is used to help prevent debris mobilisation. We intend to continue to advocate for the implementation of these tools, alongside other changes that need to be made to better manage the highly erodible soils we deal with daily in Tairāwhiti as they are used to good effect elsewhere in New Zealand and offshore.
“This region is our home too, and we are committed to adopting the necessary changes to the way that we manage our existing forestry lands and rethink how we look at the places that are planted in the first place.”
The Green Party said it was clear that the forestry industry must foot more of the bill.
“The repeated damage that forestry slash has caused has huge impacts on the environment and people’s wellbeing. It’s hard to stay optimistic when the land, crops, farms, rivers, beaches, and the coast are being devastated by poor industry practices. It’s essential that the industry foots the bill and compensates the communities who are affected so massively,” Greens forestry and environment spokesperson Eugenie Sage said.
“The recommendations based on meeting 50 community organisations and engaging with more than 500 people are a clear basis for action.
“As the report notes, current land use and slash and sediment is an ‘environmental disaster’ unfolding in plain sight.
“We agree that the regulatory environment is ‘broken’.”
