300,000 trees by spring: Hawke's Bay one of the first on to Shane Jones' programme

Forestry in Hawke's Bay has been given a $240,000 boost thanks to a government fund. Photo / File

Hawke's Bay is one of the first regions to receive funding as part of the goal to plant one billion trees, it was announced on Wednesday.

The Bay has received funding from the One Billion Trees Fund, for a regional study titled Right Tree Right Place, which aims to find out what trees are needed where.

The project has received $240,000 and is already under way, Hawke's Bay regional Council chairman Rex Graham said.

HBRC is planning to plant just under 300,000 trees this winter.

"It's really important that we don't just go ahead on into this, that we get the right tree into the right place.

"We've had our forestry team, we've had other consultants, working on this."

He said trees had different attributes when planted in different places.

The other projects which received funding is a native planting programme in Otago and Southland and a national strategy for native tree nurseries to address sector capability and support the success of seedling production as the One Billion Trees programme ramps up.

More than $1 million has been committed to the first three projects, with over $120 million set aside for partnership programmes in the fund.

Forestry Minister Shane Jones said the first partnerships will progress initiatives across science, nursery sector capability and environmental restoration.

"Our aim with this Fund is to create even closer working relationships with partners across New Zealand," Jones said.

"Supporting projects like these are a critical part of achieving our goal and we have some very enthusiastic individuals and organisations ready to help reduce the barriers to tree planting.

"This is about working together, putting our thinking caps on and creating innovative ways of achieving our goal.

"We are a country full of Number 8 wire thinkers and I'm extremely encouraged by these first partnerships.

"We're looking to work with regional councils, sector organisations, environmental NGOs, researchers, training organisations, Maori entities, community groups and other agencies."

The government plans to plant one billion trees by 2028.