The "Sustainable Forestry Bulletin" recently sent me this message that I want to reproduce for you all to read as it is a subject some of you will have an interest in.
New consultation on the pre-1990 forest land allocation
The Pre-1990 Forest Land Allocation Plan (Consultation Draft) has been released today for the allocation of New Zealand Units (NZUs) to owners of pre-1990 forest land.
The Consultation Draft supersedes the Draft Forestry Allocation Plan released in October 2008. All submissions received in response to the 2008 Draft Plan were carefully considered. Where supported by the Government, options put forward in previous submissions have been included in the current proposed changes.
A new allocation plan is required because of the changes to the forestry provisions of the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) that are proposed in the Climate Change Response (Moderated Emissions Trading) Amendment Bill (see Issue 8 of this bulletin for further details).
Note that submissions to the Select Committee considering the Amendment Bill closed on 13 October 2009. Current legislation and regulations still apply until changes are passed into law by Parliament.
The pre-1990 forest land allocation policy
Under the ETS, emissions arising from the deforestation of more than 2 hectares of exotic pre 1990 forest land after 1 January 2008 are automatically included in the ETS unless the land has been exempted. To offset some of the impact of the rules of the ETS, New Zealand Units (NZUs) are to be allocated to eligible owners of pre-1990 exotic forest land.
Eligible landowners will need to decide in the first half of 2010 whether to either:
- apply for an allocation of NZUs; or
- if eligible, apply to have their land exempted from the NZ ETS (under the less-than-50 ha exemption, or the tree weed exemption).
The allocation of NZUs is 18, 39 or 60 units per hectare depending on when and how the landowner acquired the land. All eligible recipients will be transferred part of their entitlement (38%) in Commitment Period 1 (1 January 2008 to 31 December 2012); the balance will be transferred after 2012.
The forestry allocation has significant value. Landowners will not be obliged to apply for either an allocation of NZUs or one of the exemptions but it may be in their financial interests to do so. The Government expects most, if not all, eligible landowners will apply for either an allocation or an exemption.
This consultation
The Consultation Draft of the Pre-1990 Forest Land Allocation Plan that we are seeking feedback on follows the proposed policy and process requirements in the Amendment Bill. Specifically, we seek your feedback on:
- Which landowner should receive an allocation of units if forest land was recently sold?
- When does a shareholding change become an ownership change, and how to determine when ownership was transferred?
- What information should be provided with applications?
- What records must be kept and for how long?
These elements of the Allocation Plan will not be prescribed by the ETS legislation once it is amended.
The public can make submissions on the Consultation Draft until November 22, 2009. For a copy of the consultation draft or to make an online submission, visit www.maf.govt.nz/sustainable-forestry, call 0800 CLIMATE (254 628) or email: climatechange@maf.govt.nz.
MAF grants $4 million for new forests
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) has granted $4 million to 42 recipients to plant new forests.
MAF Programmes Director Clive Lilley says the third round of the Afforestation Grant Scheme's (AGS) public tender round, which closed on 30 April, saw a total of $4,020,993 granted to projects around New Zealand for the 2009/10 and 2010/11 financial years
"The 42 projects will create 2688 hectares of new forest in 2009 and 2010 at an average price of $1789 per hectare in the high sequestration pool and $650 per hectare in the low sequestration pool.
"It will be allocated to projects in the Waikato, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Manawatu/Wanganui, Wellington, Nelson/Marlborough, Canterbury, Otago and Southland regions.
"MAF received 68 tenders in this last round, double the number received in the previous round, indicating very strong interest in the Scheme."
Mr Lilley said since the AGS got underway in June last year over $6.9 million has been allocated to projects totaling over 4,495 hectares.
All available funding has now been allocated for the 2010/11 financial year, which means there will be no tender round for this October.
The next tender round is planned to close on 30 March 2010. Mr Lilley said 16 eligible tenders that have not been able to be approved due to demand exceeding available funding have been held over and may be approved as further funding becomes available.
Next year’s round will be for projects starting in the 2011/12 financial year.
For further information on the AGS or to download an AGS Public Tender Form, see: http://www.maf.govt.nz/climatechange/forestry/initiatives/ags/
The Sustainability Forestry Bulletin
The "Sustainable Forestry Bulletin" is about keeping you and others with an interest in forestry informed. Please feel free to forward it on to others who might be interested.
To subscribe to the Bulletin, please email sustainableforestrybulletin@maf.govt.nz with ‘Subscribe: Sustainable Forestry Bulletin’ in the subject line and your contact details in the body of the email.
If you have any questions relating to anything in this Bulletin or other forestry matters, please email your enquiries to: climatechange@maf.govt.nz or ring 0800 CLIMATE (254 628).
