The Forest Owners Association Says The Just Announced Reform Options For Revising The Emissions Trading Scheme Will Cause A Shortfall Of Plantation Forests For Sequestering Carbon In New Zealand

The Forest Owners Association says the just announced reform options for revising the Emissions Trading Scheme will cause a shortfall of plantation forests for sequestering carbon in New Zealand and make meeting our 2050 emissions target impossible. FOA president, Grant Dodson, says it’s important to realise that both the 2030 and 2050 targets are net emission targets and that’s what matters. He says Gross emissions have flatlined for the past decade, but net is what counts in the end and that is where forestry is the contributor. Grant Dodson says if gross emission costs are to be completely removed from forest incentives, New Zealand will fail to meet its climate targets. He says foresters need greater certainty to invest in forest planting and any further actions from the Climate Change Commission, or the government, to reduce tree planting and in turn, reduce the supply of forestry credits, will knock all confidence in forest investment, setting New Zealand on a clear path of failure to meet its climate targets.