Forest360, a leader in New Zealand’s forest management industry, has grown from its origins as a log harvesting and marketing specialist to a comprehensive provider of forest management services in NZ. Established in 2004 amidst the fall of Fletcher Challenge Forests, what started as a local operation has now blossomed into a nationally recognised name, offering a full suite of services that address every stage of the forest lifecycle.

Expanding Beyond Traditional Management

In 2018, Forest360 rebranded from its original name, to signify its transformation into a 360-degree service provider. Unlike traditional forestry companies that focus solely on harvesting, Forest360 has adopted a unique “circle management model,” ensuring that each client’s forest asset is optimised from initial land assessment through to harvest, re-establishment, and beyond.

This full-spectrum approach to forest management offers clients the assurance of a single trusted partner who can handle every detail with precision and care. Forest360’s services include financial analysis, land-use assessments, pre-harvest projections, and forest environment monitoring. Whether you’re looking to purchase, sell, or maintain a forest asset, Forest360 provides the insights, connections, and expertise to make it a profitable venture.

A Nationwide Network of Expertise

Forest360’s success stems not only from its innovative services but also from the people and partnerships that power its operations. Over three decades, the company has cultivated a network of contractors, mills, ports, and marketing specialists across New Zealand. This extensive network ensures that every stage, from forest planning to post-harvest sales, maximises value for clients.

By managing relationships with both domestic and export markets, Forest360 brings unmatched marketing capabilities to the table. Their end-to-end supply chain management simplifies a highly complex process, ensuring clients get the best possible returns while navigating industry regulations and environmental considerations.

Sustainable Growth and Generational Partnerships

One of Forest360’s hallmarks is its commitment to generational forestry solutions. Recognising that forest management in NZ spans decades, Forest360 takes a forward-thinking approach that benefits clients for generations to come. They work closely with landowners, assessing not only the economic but also the environmental implications of each project.

With services like forest environment monitoring, resource consent applications, risk management, and GIS mapping, Forest360 supports sustainable forestry practices that align with New Zealand’s ecological standards. For forest owners looking to leave a legacy, Forest360 provides the comprehensive, environmentally responsible solutions needed to secure long-term value and sustainability.

Building Value, One Forest at a Time

Forest360’s mission is clear: to optimise every forest asset they manage by addressing both immediate needs and long-term goals. With a dedicated team of industry experts, innovative forest management systems, and a commitment to adding value at every step, Forest360 has become one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing forest management companies.

For forest owners, this growth represents a dependable partner who understands the unique challenges of forestry and offers a complete suite of services to meet them. Whether you are a new forest owner or have an established estate, Forest360’s holistic approach to Forest Management NZ wide ensures that your investment is in capable hands.

A jump in demand for forestry workers able to safely operate mechanised harvesting equipment has led to the creation of New Zealand’s first entry-level New Zealand Certificate in Forest Harvesting (Basic Machine Operations) programme.

The first cohort of students is using state-of-the art forest simulators and actual forestry machines to practice their skills, as part of the 12-week qualification at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology’s Rotorua campus.

The drive to boost productivity and safety standards in forestry has led to a big increase in logs being harvested by machines, said Forest Industry Safety Council National Safety Director Fiona Ewing.

“Mechanised harvesting now accounts for more than half of all operations compared to less than a quarter in 2009. That’s a big jump in a relatively short time and it’s creating demand for trained operators.”

Mechanised harvesting has contributed to a 50 per cent drop in serious harm accidents in forestry between 2013 and 2015.

The Basic Machine Operations programme covers essential basics such as health and safety in forestry, and then focusses on training to safely operate, maintain and use forestry machinery.

The programme was developed to respond to the changing needs of industry. The use of forest machinery is set to increase further over the next ten years and dominate the way forest harvesting operations are conducted.

With a strong focus on practical skills and most ‘class time’ spent learning to operate forestry machines, students of the inaugural intake at Toi Ohomai say the simulators are highly beneficial, allowing them to train in life-like situations without the pressures of an actual worksite.

One student, Damian Cornwall, 34, said mastering their machine operating skills on the simulators means when they reach the work site they’re already sharp and ready to work.

“We went up to a forestry site and jumped on the real thing and we already knew where everything was and what they did. That helped big time”.
“If we had gone out there without being on the simulators first we would have been stunned mullets, just sitting there going, ‘What’s this button, what’s that button?’ When we are on the simulators we don’t even look at the buttons because we already know where they are. We don’t look like idiots in front of the logging crew when using their million-dollar machines.”

Damian also said he liked the fact that the course focuses strongly on practical skills, with the vast majority of the time spent learning to operate the forestry machines.

Enrolments for the next course, which starts in January 2017, are open now.

Press Release Partners: Forestry Industry Safety Council and Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is working with forest owners and workers to introduce the recently released Approved Code of Practice for Safety and Health in Forest Operations.

This year the Ministry has contributed to industry Safe Start breakfasts, which highlight the importance of health and safety to forest crews. Local inspectors will be present at the breakfasts to invite crews to local road shows, where changes in the new Code will be fully explained.

“The Safe Start breakfasts are a great industry initiative and provides the Ministry with a rare opportunity to reach the men on the hill,” says General Manager Health and Safety Operations, Ona de Rooy.

“This is just one of a range of activities to launch the new Code and improve awareness about health and safety in the forestry industry.”

Each year forest owners run Safe Start breakfasts for their crews to ensure they are involved in health and safety planning and understand the importance of safety in what are often hazardous conditions.

“The physically demanding working conditions in the industry are major contributors to the injury and fatality rates,” Ms de Rooy says.

“The Health and Safety in Employment Act (HSE Act) places duties on employers to ensure they provide a safe workplace and on workers to do their work safely and not put others at risk. The Code provides practical safety advice to both employers and employees to ensure they are complying with the HSE Act.”

“Worker participation is a fundamental element of the HSE Act. The Code outlines the health and safety provisions that employers must take under that Act, including involving workers in safety planning.”

“The Ministry is looking forward to working with stakeholders across the sector in an effort to lift worker participation. We will be actively engaging unions and worker representatives to ensure crew members are involved in the development of health and safety systems.”

Following the industry-run breakfasts, the Ministry is hosting local road shows to roll-out the new Code. These will provide crews the opportunity to engage with local forest inspectors and members of the Code’s review committee, to ensure they understand changes to the new Code and how those changes will be introduced.

The new Code is just one part of a wider range of work to create greater health and safety in forestry. Government- and industry-led programmes continue the work towards reduced injury and fatality rates in the sector.

More information on forestry sector health and safety initiatives is available at www.dol.govt.nz/whss/sector-plans/forestry/index.asp

Wellington Regional Council is to call for tenders for cutting rights at its 5,600 hectares of forestry land in the upper reaches of the Hutt Valley and Wairarapa.

Councillors approved the decision at a meeting last week.

The sale would affect the trees only and would have no impact on the regional council’s ownership of the land or public access.

Chair Fran Wilde said public consultation on the matter during preparation of the last long-term plan had found that nearly 60 per cent of submitters favoured the upfront sale of the trees, rather than selling as it does now after harvest.

“Forestry is not our core business – the trees were planted to control soil erosion – so the prudent thing to do is remove the risk of long-term exposure to the ups and downs of world timber prices. A sale of cutting rights up front will also have the added benefit of allowing us to pay off debt.”

Ms Wilde said a successful tenderer would have to submit a detailed harvesting and environmental plan to ensure that the clearing of slopes did not create potential slips.

Cutting rights would be for 60 years, which would allow for at least two “rotations”, or cutting cycles. A condition of the sale would be that cleared land was always replanted within a specified period – even if the trees would not be mature enough to fell before the end of the 60 years.

The winning tenderer would have to maintain roads inside the blocks and carry out prescribed amounts of tree pruning, as well as replant at levels defined by climate change legislation.

Ms Wilde said the regional council, as landowner, holds carbon credits through the emission trading scheme. It could choose to pass on future credits to the successful tenderer.

After the appointment of legal and marketing advisers, the regional council could expect to prepare sale documents by June next year and receive tenders by September. A sale could be completed by June 2014.

The forests are predominantly pine trees, with small amounts of macrocarpa, douglas fir and eucalypts. There are 1,805 hectares in Wairarapa, at blocks in Stoney Creek, Hiwinui and Tauanui. There are 3,822 hectares in the Wellington metropolitan are, including at blocks in Puketiro, Valley View, Pakuratahi East and West, Maungakotukutuku and Whakatikei.

Some of the revenue from logging operations at Owen Delany Park will be used to upgrade the park’s training lights. The decision was made at the 30 October Taupō District Council meeting in Turangi.

Earlier this year, Council resolved to commence the harvest of timber at the park to minimise safety hazards and clear the area for replanting or regrassing following the April storm that badly damaged a large number of trees. The cost of this would be funded by the revenue gathered from the logging.

However it was decided that some of the money would instead fund the installation of training lights after a request was received from the Taupō Rugby Sub-Union for an upgrade of the lights. The Sub-Union planted some of the trees in the mid-1980s and the revenue from those trees is likely to cover the entire cost of the upgrade.

Council resolved to use the money from the trees planted by the Sub-Union to upgrade the lights. It will mean a greater area will be lit up, therefore increasing opportunities for training while reducing wear and tear on the grounds at little or no cost to the Council. It will also mean Council will not be asked to help provide funds for upgrading the lights for many more years.

Northland plantation forestry owners and contractors keen to better manage their earthworks and harvesting are being urged to attend one of five free local authority workshops being offered around the region next week.

The workshops in Kaitaia, Kaikohe, Whangarei, Dargaville and Maungaturoto are being run by the Northland Regional Council and are based on the recently released ‘Forestry Earthworks & Harvesting Guidelines for Northland’.

Franco Meyer, an Environmental Monitoring Officer with the regional council, says plantation forestry earthworks and harvesting are permitted under the council’s Regional Water and Soil Plan for Northland, subject to conditions. 

“The new guidelines are a tool to help forestry owners and contractors meet those regional plan rules and were developed over the past two-and-a-half-years by the council and the RMA Forestry Development Group, which is made of representatives of the local forestry industry.”

Mr Meyer says the comprehensive guidelines – which run to almost 100 pages - were launched in late August at a Whangarei workshop attended by about 180, mainly larger scale owners and operators in the forestry industry.  However, the guidelines are also applicable to smaller scale forest owners and loggers, who still need to comply with the regional rules for forestry earthworks and harvesting.

“The workshops will provide participants the opportunity to find out about practices that will help them meet those rules.”

Mr Meyer says failure to follow appropriate practices when developing and harvesting forests can result in unacceptable environmental effects, including soil erosion and pollution of waterways.

Where this happens, the forestry owner and/or contractor may be liable to formal enforcement action, however, the council prefers education to enforcement wherever possible.

“We want all forestry owners and contractors to follow the guidelines so that the earthworks and harvesting they undertake are more likely to have acceptable environmental effects, which will be of benefit to Northland’s environment.”

He says the workshops will run at the following times and venues:

• Kaitaia; Tuesday 9 October, 9am, Returned Services Association, 12 Matthews Ave
• Kaikohe; Tuesday 9 October , 3pm, Returned Services Association, 158 Broadway
• Whangarei; Wednesday 10 October, 9am, Glenbervie Hall, Glenbervie
• Dargaville; Wednesday 10 October, 3pm, Town Hall, 37 Hokianga Rd
• Maungaturoto; Thursday 11 October, 9am, Maungaturoto Sports Club, Bickerstaffe Rd.

Mr Meyer says a compact disc of the guidelines will be provided to workshop participants.

To register – or for further information – contact Franco Meyer on (0800) 002 004 or email francom@nrc.govt.nz

Auckland Council has confirmed that more than 50 elm trees in Whitford have been found to have Dutch elm disease, a destructive and fast spreading disease that was prominent in the early 1990s.

The trees were on private land. It is the greatest number of diseased elms seen at one site in New Zealand since the disease was first found in Auckland’s Myers Park in 1989.

Auckland Council acted quickly, having the trees removed by helicopter and then processed on the site, including using insecticide to kill the beetle that spreads the disease.

Auckland Council Arboriculture and Landscape Advisor, Simon Cook, says the discovery is a timely reminder that although the disease has faded from the headlines, it remains a risk to all estimated 17,000 elm trees in Auckland and those throughout New Zealand.

Dutch elm disease is a virulent disease of Elm and Zelkova caused by the fungus Ophiostoma novo-ulmi. It is spread by the bark beetle (Scolytus multistriatus) carrying fungal spores from tree to tree, but can also spread directly through root grafting between neighbouring trees. The beetle flies during the summer months, once temperatures reach 21 degrees.

The programme is considered a national programme although the disease is still only found in Auckland. The Government transitioned the programme, which had been run by the former Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, to the then Auckland City Council in 2007.

“Since then, we have continued a vigorous campaign, which has included monitoring, running a beetle trapping system and conducting ongoing elm surveys around Auckland,” says Mr Cook.

Mr Cook said great success has been made in controlling the disease since the outbreak in the early 1990s, but no country in the world has managed to eradicate the disease completely. The disease has been blamed for the death of the majority of elms in the United States and Europe.

Elms are a very common urban and agrarian tree throughout New Zealand. In many parts of Auckland, one in 10 properties has elms. Elm trees are easily distinguished by their large leaves, which feature serrated edges, symmetrical veins, and an asymmetrical base.

“Identifying infected trees is critical so owners of elm trees should watch for signs of wilting, curling, or yellowing leaves or dying or dead branches and trees,” says Mr Cook.

After a positive identification was made of the disease on a couple of the trees at Whitford, an extensive search was made in the surrounding area and the whole valley of infected trees was discovered.

Mr Cook said that if the disease spread, it would kill all elms in Auckland, which is why the council was acting quickly to deal with the problem.

“The disease is nearly always fatal. It often kills trees it infects in just a few months and can sometimes kill in as little as two weeks. Infected trees always have to be removed to prevent the disease spreading further and to prevent dying trees becoming a hazard.”

Anyone who thinks they have found an infected tree, is advised to contact Auckland Council on 09 301 0101.

Movement controls prohibit the movement of elm material in and out of the Auckland area between the Bombays and Albany. Storage of elm wood is also prohibited under the Biosecurity Act 1993.

Australia and New Zealand have today strengthened their long standing cooperation on forestry issues by signing the Arrangement on Combating Illegal Logging and Promoting Sustainable Forest Management. The signed Arrangement illustrates a shared commitment to working together to address illegal logging and promote sustainable forest management.

Australia’s Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig, and New Zealand Associate Minister for Primary Industries, Nathan Guy, signed the Arrangement during forestry talks which included discussions relating to the progress of Australia’s Illegal Logging Prohibition Bill 2011.

Minister Ludwig said the Arrangement recognises that illegal logging and associated trade is a significant global problem and that Australia and New Zealand will together play an important role in combating these practices.

“The Arrangement provides a framework for ongoing bilateral cooperation against the illegal logging trade and its impact on jobs, economies and the environment,” Minister Ludwig said.

“This Arrangement will build the capacity of Government and industry to manage forests sustainably and promote systems to verify the legality of timber and wood products in Australia, New Zealand and the wider Asia Pacific region.”

Minister Guy said the respective illegal logging policies of both Governments were supported by the Arrangement.

"This joint arrangement sends a strong signal that Australia and New Zealand are aligned in our commitment to combat illegal logging,” Minister Guy said.

“Australia and New Zealand share significant trade in timber products. In 2010-11, New Zealand was the largest export supplier of forest products to Australia with trade valued at $715 million.

"New Zealand is a low risk market because we import very little timber, however it makes sense for our two countries to work together.”

The Illegal Logging Prohibition Bill 2011 passed the Australian House of Representatives yesterday and will soon be introduced to the Senate. New Zealand has a representative on the stakeholder working group for the development of the legislation.

Industrial design graduate Nick Ross from Wellington has won the coveted James Dyson Award for a tree-harvesting device with the potential to revolutionise the forestry sector.

It is the sixth consecutive year in which a student or graduate from the College of Creative Arts has won the award and judges praised efforts by Mr Ross, who is currently in Sweden, to engage with the international forestry community in devising his design.

The award, announced at a function in Auckland, recognises emerging product designers whose ideas best demonstrate innovative and inspiring solutions to everyday problems.

The Axolotyl, named after the endangered Mexican walking fish, is designed to cut and separate tree trunks, branches and needles on site, and return its nutrients to the ground for natural regeneration. In doing so it bypasses current tree harvesting methods that require return visits to the forest by heavy trucks causing soil compaction and damage to surrounding trees.

“Over the past years I have noticed the forests decreasing and I started my project questioning why this was happening,” Mr Ross says.

“I absorbed myself with forestry specialists and Scandinavian forestry equipment manufacturers and their users to uncover their expertise in this field.” Once he had identified the biggest problem within the sector he says he set out to solve it.

At present Mr Ross has a prototype of his design and is in discussions with the Scandinavian forestry industry to commercialise it.

Head judge David Lovegrove from the Designers’ Institute of New Zealand praised the research that went into the design, which he called “the best research project we’ve seen from New Zealand entries,” and its environmental awareness too.

“He didn’t set out to design a tree harvester,” Mr Lovegrove says. “He approached the design with the simple question, how do you grow trees better? So we were encouraged to see sustainability was a core motivation in the product’s development, and during the design process.”

Fellow Massey industrial design graduate Nick Marks, who designed a waterproof ear device for the hearing impaired, and Victoria University graduate James McNab who designed a self inflating life jacket for safer free diving, were the other finalists.

The Axolotyl will compete against designs from 18 other participating countries for the international James Dyson Award to be announced in November.

Mr Ross’ prize package includes a trip to the UK courtesy of the British Council New Zealand. He will also get to visit the London office of product manufacturer Dyson and meet with member of the UK design community.

The contract for logging and cartage in Marlborough Regional Forestry’s Waikakaho Forest have been let to local firms Pelorus Contracting Ltd and CRB Transport Ltd after they submitted bids which Marlborough Regional Forestry (MRF) Chairman Francis Maher described as being very well prepared.

The one-year contracts for harvesting and cartage of 50,000 tonnes of logs, worth almost $2M is supervised by Merrill and Ring NZ Ltd which manages MRF’s forestry estate.
Councillor Maher says it’s very pleasing to see local companies step up.

“These companies made the effort to seek out a briefing and then acquire their own professional advice with their bid preparation so they were able to submit thorough and competitive tender documents. The effort that was taken was obvious to the panel considering these tenders. It’s a terrific example for other local companies as to how to go about the business of winning a tender,” said Councillor Maher.

In today’s competitive environment, the quality of a tender document could make the difference between being awarded a contract or not, he said.

Councillor Maher said he feared that some local businesses still did not appreciate the importance of providing a thorough coverage of the key attributes attached to a tender.

“In forestry project work for example, while price is an important dimension, the health and safety management aspects of a bid, depth of understanding of MRF forestry estates, the experience of the crews and the commitment to maintaining environmental standards are other important dimensions. It’s increasingly important that bidders have a good appreciation of the relative value that will be placed on all the various attributes because tender price alone does not determine the outcome,” he said.

He urged local companies which miss out on major work to take up the opportunity for pre- and post-tender briefings, where they are offered, and, if necessary, to seek professional advice to raise the quality of their tender documents.

The forest harvesting work that was the subject of this tender is in a new part of the MRF estate, therefore there was no benchmark for pricing, said Councillor Maher.

“Putting the work out for open tender was the fairest way to set the price and as a result some very competitive prices have been secured for Marlborough Regional Forestry as the forest owner.”

Marlborough Regional Forestry is jointly owned by the ratepayers of Marlborough and Kaikoura through the respective district councils.

Palmerston North City Council would like to advise the public that logging is to begin in Arapuke Forest Park starting the week of Monday 16 January 2012. Logging has commenced in Gordon Kear Forest this week.

Arapuke Forest Park, formally Woodpecker Forest, and known as K Loop by mountain bikers, will be closed to the public from the hours of 6.00am on Mondays until 6.00pm Friday.

Access to Gordon Kear Forest and the Te Araroa Trail will also be limited to weekends only. The Back Track, popular with mountain bikers and trampers is open as a ‘there and back’ track only on week days. The Sledge Track and access into Hardings Park is not affected by the logging.

“The Council would like to remind the people of the dangers where logging machinery is operating and that they should keep well away from the contractor’s worksites and machinery within Arapuke Forest Park on weekends,” PNCC Leisure Assets Officer Brian Way said.

Scotts Road will be sign-posted to minimise the risks to all road users, but motorists are urged to use the road with extreme caution due to the large number of logging trucks expected during summer.

Members of the public who wish to access the Te Araroa Trail from Scotts Road through Gordon Kear Forest should postpone their visit until the weekends. This also applies to all permitted hunters who wish to travel through Gordon Kear Forest.

Last year 16 hectares were logged from Arapuke Forest Park. This year it is planned to log a similar area. The season should continue through to approximately May.

If you would like more information on what areas are accessible to the public, please contact the Palmerston North City Council on 06 356 8199.

A new fabric forest map called ‘The Manky,’ a combination of the words ‘map’ and ‘hanky’, has become a popular navigational tool for Whakarewarewa Forest and Redwoods enthusiasts.

Rotorua District Council (RDC) recently updated old forest leaflets and maps and combined them all into one single booklet called ‘The Redwoods, Whakarewarewa Forest Recreation Guide’.

‘The Manky’ soon followed. Made of micro-fibre the forest map is durable, legible when wet, can be washed and dried, is absorbent, anti-bacterial, eco-friendly, re-usable, and doesn’t require an origami degree for folding.

RDC’s The Redwoods manager Julianne Wilkinson says she has received heaps of positive feedback since introducing ‘The Manky’ to The Redwoods Gift Shop & Visitor Centre recently.

“’The Manky’ is just right for those who want something easy to carry and who need a convenient navigation tool. It’s got mountain biking information on one side and walking info on the other.

“A lot of people are buying both the updated recreation guide and ‘The Manky’ as both serve useful purposes. They take the more comprehensive guide home to sort their route out and when they return to the forest they bring ‘The Manky’ with them.

“They think it’s awesome, and have come up with other handy uses for it while going about their forest activities, such as wiping their hands and glasses, and wrapping things in. Then they stuff it in their pockets, bags, or around their bike handlebars.”

‘The Manky’ is available for $10, and ‘The Redwoods, Whakarewarewa Forest Recreation Guide’ for $6.50 at The Redwoods Gift Shop & Visitor Centre, Rotorua i-SITE and various bike shops around Rotorua.