The single biggest constraint will be land availability, Forest Owners Association president Peter Clark says.
The cost and ownership of potential forest estate had to be resolved for the Government to have a hope of re-igniting planting levels not seen since the mind 1990s.
The coalition Government said it intended to aim for 50,000ha more trees, taking total plantings to about a billion trees over the next 10 years.
The 50,000ha was on top of 50,000ha a year already being replanted on existing estate.
“It is a real challenge but we have done this before.
“However, the last time we planted numbers like this was back in the mid 1990s. Then, land was half to a third the value per hectare it is today.”
At prices close to $7000 a hectare on potential forestry land now under pasture there was a tough business case to be made.
The Government would have to look to farms to source the land because planting vacant Crown estate simply would not be enough to hit the target.
There was plenty of evidence to show farmers could maintain farm profitability while retiring less appealing pastoral areas into trees but unlocking that willingness would be a challenge that needed to be overcome.
Nudging pastoral farming into a revised Emissions Trading Scheme might be the prompt needed to get those plantings under way.
“If it starts costing farmers for greenhouse gas emissions they will find a way to minimise that cost and that could be through forest plantings.”
The Government had suggested if farming was included in the ETS it would be initially for only the first 5% of emissions.
Another option could be to examine a version of the afforestation scheme that provided funding to plant trees on 15,000ha and was fully subscribed.
“It could be we look at an afforestation scheme on steroids to help get the area up.”
Clark also urged farmers to look harder at what the real returns could be from forest plantings.
“I urge farmers to get it out of their heads about forestry being a long-term, 25-year investment.”
Under the Ministry for Primary Industries ETS review under way it was likely carbon returns could be annualised for forests.
Typically, after year five a plantation would start soaking up significant carbon volumes and the value could be claimed yearly, up to about year 15.
“That can work out at $10,000 a hectare.
“It is significant and economically worthwhile to do given you still have the value of the forest at the end of it as well.”
Clark welcomed the integration of forestry into regional development plans but said they needed more people on the ground to get the trees planted.
“The real skilled jobs in forestry that interest young people tend to be at the harvesting end with equipment and gear that holds appeal.”
To get young people match fit for planting in tough forest country was a more immediate need and one the industry struggled to fulfil.
“But if you do join and do get match fit, the money is there to be earned.”
He was heartened by Shane Jones having the regional development role and it reflected closely the role he had through the Pacific Islands in his last job.
“I wonder whether it is time forestry had the chance to benefit from a Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) programme. Dairy has had it and so has horticulture.”
He was confident the stock of seedlings required could be ramped up with nurseries needing about 18 months to fully stock.
And he took an alternative view to the find-and-destroy approach to wilding pines.
“Perhaps we could look at removing them from the areas of valuable conservation land but manage them out in other areas and book the carbon returns on the way through.”
Farmers also needed more information on how to make money in forestry and Clark urged a return of forestry extension officers to do that.
