Nelson based specialists in forest management, Forest Management Resources Ltd (FMR) manager Tom Broderick has worked in the forestry industry for over 26 years. During this time he has seen the significant contribution forestry has made to the region, as plantation forests mature and the volume for harvesting and processing has increased.
The combined Nelson Marlborough region has an established plantation forest of approx 175,000 hectares with harvesting production now exceeding 2 million m3 per annum with many private woodlots planted in the 1970's now reaching maturity.
Private forests in the Nelson Marlborough region provide some 33% of the regions plantation area and Tom explained "that while volumes available for harvesting from private plantations are contributing significantly to the regions volumes, during the next 5 years the volume of wood that is coming on stream is forecast to increase by a further 50%".
Four years ago, during a time when significant reorganisation was occurring in the forest industry, Tom saw the opportunity to set up his business providing plantation management and operational services to both major forestry companies and private woodlot owners.
FMR provides specialised forest management including establishment and tending of forests, harvest planning, preparation of roads and landings, and the harvesting of plantations.
Having worked in the region for many years, Tom said he has built up a good knowledge and rapport with local forest owners and industry personnel as well as developing strong relationships with contractors and other industry service providers. FMR has established an alignment with key forestry contractors who are available on demand to carry out various forest operations.
Tom strongly promotes the culture within the forest industry and the infrastructure required to service the industry. "People involved in the forest industry develop a passion for their work and the contributions they make, and strong relationships are developed between the forest owners, contractors and all personnel involved on a day to day basis."
The availability of a skilled work force is a critical factor in meeting the needs of the industry, given the other labour based industries such as horticulture, viticulture and fishing.
FMR believe sound management and a commitment from forest owners and contractors is essential to attract and secure people into the industry through the promotion of career opportunities, clearly identified skills development programs and long term stability.
"The contribution from skilled personnel needs to be recognised and rewarded as the work carried out is physically demanding while requiring a high level of skill and awareness of personal safety requirements. Individual skill development programs are essential to ensure workers operate in a work safe environment - our objective is to ensure all personnel return home safety at the end of each day."
Tom explained that there are 9-10 industry related fatalities each year which include personnel involved in forest operations, harvesting and transport. Forest owners along with OSH are working extremely hard to reduce such incidents with a target of zero being the objective.
FMR also assists with the preparation and management of health and safety programs and provides skilled personnel for reviewing safety issued and accident investigation particularly in the case of serious accidents where companies or contractors require an independent assessment. "Finding the true root causes of the incident and contributing factors are an essential component of this work to ensure we do not get a repeat of such accidents."
FMR have office facilities based in Richmond and are currently carrying out forest operations throughout Nelson Marlborough region.
"Our strategy has been to work with forest owners to best understand what their requirements and expectations are and then to jointly develop a forest regime that best meets those needs and expectations. Considerations include crop species, length of rotation, treatment regimes and harvesting options." And as Tom explained, "the requirements and expectations of woodlots owners are quite diverse, so it is essential to explore all opportunities and then work jointly with them to advise on the appropriate regime to follow."
When woodlots are nearing maturity and available for harvesting, FMR initially provides a planning function to ensure harvesting is carried out in the most effective and environmental sound manner. Harvesting in Nelson and Marlborough is predominantly carried out using haulers which ensures that environmental issues associated with harvesting are more readily managed. FMR have hauler contractors with modern equipment that can operate cable systems to ensure environmental compliance is achieved.
Harvesting operations need to ensure that the maximum potential value is realised from plantations at the time of harvesting. A key component to maximising the value yielded is the preparation and selection of logs into appropriate grades, and as Tom explained "ensuring that we have skilled log makers working in these crews is essential to ensure that the log making process maximises the value to the forest owner."
