Too Much Timber
© NewsRoom 2000
October 6, 2000
Staff Reporter Matt Rilkoff
New Zealand will not be able to cope with the huge volumes of wood that will mature over the next few years, according to the Economic Development Minister, Jim Anderton.
He said today that the amount of wood ready for harvest was set to almost double within the next six years, from 18 million to 30 million cubic metres.
Mr Anderton said the forestry industry faced a number of challenges in dealing with all the extra timber, including inadequate roads and ports, skill shortages and processing capacity.
He said the problems were typical of those faced by regional New Zealand.
Mr Anderton said Industry New Zealand, a new agency established to promote regional development which will come into being next week, would help meet these challenges.