Wood value boosted with processing

For motorists living in regions with plenty of pine trees in their hinterland like Gisborne, Northland and Bay of Plenty, there is a common lament – that is about the number of logging trucks rumbling around tight, windy local roads and the duel for space that often goes on between them and cars. But the trucks are transporters for one of the country’s largest sectors that plays a big part in helping those same regions enjoy the fruits of their harvest – wages, jobs and tax income.

With 60 percent of New Zealand’s annual timber harvest felled for raw export logs, there are calls for more added-value processing into products like panelling and engineered timber. It’s a tough call for little ol’ New Zealand to compete on the world stage in this arena – can we do it?

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