- Precision Silviculture Programme
The Planting workstream aims to promote positive environmental outcomes, while enhancing productivity and digitising downstream processes, paving the way for substantive advances in forestry management.
In doing so, the workstream will enable a transition in staffing requirements with fewer but higher value roles, removing the sector’s reliance on manual overseas labour and preventing the associated wage “ceiling” issues.
- Evaluate existing mechanised systems and, if needed, develop new production-ready prototypes to support mechanised planting.
- Develop new and improved planting practices that extend the seasonal window for planting, improve plant survival and reduce herbicide use. With agreement of the TST and PGG, new PSP milestones were developed during year 1 to deliver this last point (herbicide reductions) as they had been omitted from the business plan despite being documented as a success measure.
- Evaluate the potential for improved nutrition applied in the nursery or at planting to increase early establishment success. This activity is running behind schedule for a number of reasons that include a lack of capacity and capability to undertake the work but also some questions as to the key problem that is to be addressed by the activity. Clarifying focus of this activity will be a priority for year 2 of the programme.
- Develop a new digital (GPS-enabled) planting spade. This project is running well ahead of schedule because of progress made by the manufacturer (HA Fear) before the initiation of the programme. As a result, this Annual Plan recommends significant transfer of funding to other activities in out years (as detailed later in this plan).
- An important spinoff benefit expected from this workstream is the transferability of technology for native afforestation, particularly as a result of the workstream focus on optimising technology that uses containerised systems for steep land planting.
If you are interested in learning more about the projects underway or how you can become more involved in the programme. Please contact Claire Stewart, Programme Manager.
Explore other Precision Silviculture Programme workstreams:
Precision Silviculture Programme News
ForestSAT 2024
ForestSAT 2024, proudly hosted here in Rotorua and brought to us through an amazing effort by Scion. Forest Growers Research (FGR) and the Precision Silviculture
Innovation in mechanised planting
Our Precision Silviculture Programme, Planting and Establishment team, has been out and about supporting innovation in mechanised planting in New Zealand. In September we visited
Testing hydrogel to extend the planting season
Hydrogels which retain moisture around tree roots can aid seedling establishment and growth, and potentially extend the planting season beyond its traditional winter window. A
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