National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry

The regulations will apply to both plantation forestry and exotic continuous-cover forests (carbon forests) that are deliberately established for commercial purposes.

They provide nationally consistent regulations to manage the environmental effects of the eight core forestry activities.

These are:

• afforestation
• pruning and thinning to waste
• earthworks
• river crossings
• forestry quarrying
• harvesting
• mechanical land preparation
• replanting.

The national environmental standards for commercial forestry (NES-CF) come into force on 3 November 2023 and new activities will need to comply with the NES-CF from this date.

However, existing activities (such as harvest or earthworks) with management plans that have been submitted to councils prior to 3 November will be able to continue under the existing management plan until that activity is completed or in the case of continuous harvest until the notice expires. 

If a notice expires prior to 3 April 2024 (for instance for ongoing operations that submit an annual notice) foresters will be able to renew their existing management plan once under the current rules.

The NES-CF will apply to both plantation forests and exotic continuous-cover forests (carbon forests) that are deliberately established for commercial purposes.

This will mean that environmental effects of large-scale forestry on the environment, communities and rural economies will be able to be better managed.   

They will also:

• enable councils to consider more factors when making rules about forestry in their plans, including its location. 
• require carbon foresters to plan out how they will meet environmental requirements for different forestry activities on their sites. These requirements for plantation foresters already exist. Existing requirements for plantation foresters have been updated and expanded. 
• state clear rules for carbon forest harvest should this be undertaken.
• introduce a range of operational changes including a new permitted activity standard for managing forestry slash at harvest and new requirements around management of wilding trees.

How the changes will be implemented

The Ministry for the Environment and councils will work together to implement the changes, while Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service is developing risk assessment and management tools for landowners and councils. 

Consultation held in 2022 on proposed changes

The Government consulted on options and proposals to amend the national environmental standards for plantation forestry to better manage the environmental effects of plantation forestry. The consultation was held from 6 October to 18 November 2022. 

The need for change was also highlighted following recommendations from the Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use in the Tairāwhiti and Wairoa districts released in May this year.  

The national environmental standards for plantation forestry only managed forests planted for harvest. Since they were introduced in 2018, there has been an increase in continuous cover exotic forestry (carbon forests) which weren’t managed in the same way. This follows a rise in the carbon price and subsequent farm conversions to forestry.    

Negative effects of the changes in land use include forests growing in places where more environmental damage can happen, erosion, sediment flowing into waterways and the movement of forestry slash.   

Improvements have been made to reduce the risks to life, assets, and the environment.