| Communications and Development |  |
Published by Communications and Development
A six-month study into the impact carbon trading could have on forest management in New Zealand is part of a School of Forestry project that recently received a $300,000 grant from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF).
Head of the School of Forestry Associate Professor Bruce Manley said the funding would go towards a three-part project looking at carbon trading and forest management; climate change and how it could affect tree growth; and the possible alterations that could be made to the Kyoto Protocol’s carbon accounting system at the end of the first commitment period in 2012, and how those changes could affect New Zealand.
Professor Manley, who welcomed the MAF funding, said all three projects would provide important information for foresters.
“It’s all to do with providing foresters with the information they need to help them decide whether to opt into the carbon trading scheme or not,” he said.
“MAF is also looking for further research in these areas so we see this as a possible start to bigger and more projects.”
Professor Manley said the carbon trading scheme could “change the whole way forestry works in New Zealand”.
“Normally in forestry there are costs in the early stages and the revenue comes in when the forest is harvested. With the carbon trading system the cash-flow stream is reversed — the revenues come in the early years as carbon stocks increase while costs will come at harvesting because the amount of carbon dioxide stored decreases so carbon credits will have to be bought back,” he said.
“Foresters will also be dealing in two different kinds of product with different markets. The industry will have to make some big adjustments and we need to find ways to mitigate the impact those changes could have.”
Fourth-year forestry students are involved in the carbon trading project, developing management case studies under the guidance of external researcher Piers Maclaren, while the climate change project is being led by Associate Professor Euan Mason (Forestry). The carbon accounting system project is being undertaken by external researchers Justin Ford-Robertson and Kimberly Robertson.
For further information please contact:
Stacey Doornenbal
Communications Officer
University of Canterbury
Ph (03) 364 2987 ext 3809
stacey.doornenbal@canterbury.ac.nz