Logging operations causing ‘serious deterioration’ on some Whanganui roads

The current targeted rate for exotic forestry was set by the council six years ago. Photo / Bevan Conley

Fixing road damage from logging is eating into the Whanganui District Council’s budget and forestry rates could be revisited as a result.

Downer operations manager Brendon Walker said logging activity was something the Roading Alliance “firefight with”.

The alliance is a partnership between the council and Downer.

Longacre Rd was an example of the impact of trucks, Walker said.

“Logging started along there in May and by September, the road had seen quite serious deterioration.

“What we try and do is repair some of the worst stuff.

“We need to keep in mind the fact that we’re not just dealing with logging activities, we’re dealing with the public, who have to get home at night and out during the day.”

Speaking at a council Long-Term Plan workshop, Walker said pavement crews could be on Longacre Rd for months on end and spend “quite a bit of budget”.

Other areas that would have logging activity in the next few years included Kauarapaoa Rd, Rangitatau East Rd, Parihauhau Rd and Number 3 Line, he said.

“This isn’t concentrated to just one area, it‘s network-wide.

“With market changes going up and down, some of the cycles of when trees are being harvested change as well.

“This is something that isn’t going to go away in the near future.”

Earlier this year, Whanganui Federated Farmers representative Tim Matthews called on the council to increase rates on production forestry properties because the impacts of forestry harvesting were “substantially different” to those from running pastoral properties.

“Are we fairly rating the two different enterprises - agricultural and forestry - given [forestry’s] use of the roads?” he said.

The cost of repairing roads because of forestry-related damage came in at $416,681 for the 2022/23 financial year.

The council’s transport manager Damien Wood said previous conversations about forestry rating needed to be revisited.

“We need to make sure the rate we are taking for this type of activity is appropriate,” Wood said.

During a council workshop in August, the council’s chief financial officer Mike Fermor said the current targeted rate for exotic forestry was set six years ago and it was a good time to review it.

Walker said over time, logging equipment was breaking the outsides of roads off and narrowing the pavement width.

“What we have seen with some of the larger [logging] units using the network is that they are considerably longer than what they used to be.

“On the inside [of the road], they can be dragged through the water tables.

“The number one enemy to our roading network is water.”

Slash from logging operations was blocking culverts, which could lead to major damage and repair costs, he said.

Kauarapaoa Rd was one example.

“A three-metre by 3.5-metre box culvert needed to be replaced because it was washed out due to being blocked by forestry slash.”

A new culvert is currently in the design and consenting phase, with the replacement set to cost around $2 million.

Councillor Charlie Anderson said slash was one of his favourite subjects and asked if could be burned like it was in the past.

“I’ve spoken to an expert in climate change and apparently the carbon footprint of burning is about the same as natural [de]composition, and obviously it’s a bit quicker,” Anderson said.

Walker said he had no knowledge of whether those conversations had been held within the logging industry.

Slash refers to waste material left behind after a timber harvest, such as leaves, branches, bark and roots - but also sometimes whole trunks.

Wood said the council generally knew where its vulnerable infrastructure assets were when it came to the impact of forestry, be it culverts or bridges.

“For Kauarapaoa, one of the major design components in that repair project is a slash barrier, so it doesn’t get to the culvert,” he said.

“Ultimately, the management of slash needs to be undertaken at a regional level, and I think we’ll probably see some changes with the effects we’ve seen in the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne areas.”

Walker said he understood the forestry industry had to get on with its job but there needed to be ways to make it work with the district.

Mike Tweed is an assistant news director and multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.