Discovering New Zealand Forestry

Kia ora! I am halfway through my Young Professional Foresters Exchange in New Zealand, and I am still amazed every week I am here. While New Zealand and Canada share a profession, I have realized that they approach forestry in some remarkably different ways. Watching Radiata pine logs being loaded onto a ship bound for China, I realized this exchange wasn’t just taking me to another country, it was expanding my world of what forestry can look like. So what has surprised me so far?

One of the biggest surprises has been how often I’ve caught myself saying, ‘We definitely don’t do this in Ontario’. Since arriving I have had so many unique opportunities, including seeing mechanized cable harvesting, a tree nursery visit, tree planting crew visits, fertilizer planning, planting a genetics trial, looking at an e-thinning project, attending stakeholder meetings, and so much more.

It has been very interesting being fully immersed in plantation forestry at a large scale. Seeing the intensive management of a forest and how many different moving pieces and players it takes to grow and harvest timber in such a different scale to what I have seen. Also the steep terrain that just seems to challenge every aspect of forestry work here! The technology they have here and the innovation has also been a real surprise! From the Bluetooth-controlled forest gates to scaling logs with a camera, I have been fascinated by the technology used here. It has made me think about where forestry in Ontario is today and where it could continue to evolve. Species composition has also been fascinating. Coming from Ontario, where we manage a wide variety of tree species, it has been an adjustment to see such a strong reliance on one introduced species, the Radiata pine. More than 80% of New Zealand’s native (Indigenous) forests are publicly owned and protected from commercial harvesting, meaning exotic plantation forests supply most of the country’s timber. Not to mention Radiata’s incredible rotation age of 26-30 years! The export market is large here as well, and not just for Radiata. NZ is a global supplier of wine, kiwifruit, apples, and hops.

Something that has impressed me is how seriously safety is taken here in forestry. Companies really care about their contractors and a lot of the forestry work has become mechanized and is safer for crews. Forestry practices like E-thinning (environmental or electronic thinning) is used here that replaces traditional chainsaw felling with targeted chemical applications.

 

 

OneFortyOne has been incredibly welcoming. It has been awesome working alongside different foresters and specialists. I attended a Future Foresters pub night, and it may have inspired me to look into starting a group like this back home! I’ve taken every chance I can to learn from my coworkers (about forestry, but also about hikes to do on the weekends and their suggestions on places to go have been perfect!). This exchange is as much about building relationships and communication skills as it is about technical learning.

I have become a total weekend warrior, making the most of every weekend I am here. Exploring the nearby mountains, tracks & hikes, cafes, trail running, attending outdoor film festivals, visiting Tāhunanui beach, and a long weekend South Island road trip to Aoraki Mount Cook National Park. A highlight has been being in a surf town on the ocean, and seeing seals with the snowcapped mountains in the background! Kiwi’s are very serious about their coffee so we are getting along great! I have sampled my fair share of NZ meat pies (currently 6 and counting!). Seeing some of the incredibly unique native birds such as the Tūī, Kea, Pīwakawaka (Fantail), the Kererū (New Zealand wood pigeon), and a rare New Zealand falcon has also been a highlight.

Beyond the forestry itself, living and working in another country has challenged me in the best possible way. Every day brings something unfamiliar. Whether it’s driving on the opposite side of the road (and the vehicle!), learning Kiwi expressions, or adapting to a new workplace. Those experiences have pushed me outside my comfort zone and helped me grow in confidence, both as a forester, and as a person.

Halfway through my exchange, my definition of what it means to be a forester has grown far beyond what I imagined before leaving Canada. I’m excited to see what the second half of my Kiwi winter has in store, both professionally and personally, and I’m looking forward to sharing those experiences in my final reflection.

If you want to see more of my journey, I am sharing more over on my Instagram:@edietheforester

– Edie Russell, RPF

To learn more about the Young Professional Foresters’ Exchange Program, click here.