The history of forestry stems back to European settlement with large amounts of native trees being cleared in order to build new settlements. Many native trees are now protected and trees are now planted in forestry specific plantations to ensure the preservation of New Zealand’s iconic bush. The native kauri tree was also favoured for use in building ships and was so cleared in large amounts. Forestry is New Zealand’s second top producing industry with 70% of our wood products being exported in some form and makes up 1.3% of our GDP. Forestry exports are valued at over NZD$4 billion dollars which makes it a huge earner for our economy.
