Conclusions

New Zealand has built a very successful, intensively managed exotic forest industry. The key to its future success will be to ensure all aspects of forestry have low impacts on both the environment and the community. The LIRO New Zealand Forest Code of Practice is an environmental planning and operational guideline document designed to aid that process, and has been accepted by the forest industry and territorial authorities. It is intended to be a dynamic set of guidelines, encompassing new information in periodic review that, as a final goal, will lead to the ‘sustainable management’ of New Zealand’s planted forestry resource.

For forestry to meet all of its requirements for sustainable management as set out in our law, the Resource Management Act, it must “avoid, remedy or mitigate” any adverse environmental impacts. People managing, planning or carrying out forestry operations must have access to information on how to achieve this goal. Presenting this information in the form of non-prescriptive guidelines places the emphasis on correct implementation of protection measures to protect the values at that site.