The use of drones in forest harvesting and the control of some "spectacular" erosion will be subjects in the 2017 New Zealand Farm Forestry Association conference in Feilding next month.
The annual conference is hosted by the Middle Districts Farm Forestry Association and runs from April 6-10 with talks and field days. It's based at the Feilding Civic Centre.
Forestry is doing well at present, with a single hectare of 25-30-year old pines worth up to $50,000. The theme of the conference is "the challenge of diverse land forms" and it ranges from the terraces around Feilding, out to the coastal sand country and inland to eroding Pohangina hills.
The talks on Thursday afternoon are free, but attenders need to contact John Dermer on john.diny@xtra.co.nz. The first will be KPMG agri-business commentator Ian Proudfoot's take on the future of New Zealand farming with forestry.
He's followed by two United States fungi experts, to talk about how root fungi can provide nutrients to forests on poor soil - and possibly to pasture species too. Later in the afternoon Grant Cooper will talk about Horizons Regional Council's Sustainable Land Use Initiative (SLUI).
On Friday morning there's a session on growing and using species other than pines, followed by a look at terrace forests near Feilding. Saturday is sand country field trips - to see how the Santoft forest holds down windblown sand, how the Dalrymples raise crops and forest and how forestry earns more than livestock for Denis Hocking.
Sunday has a trip to see "spectacular" Pohangina erosion and how trees are stabilising it, and a chance to see the latest technology at Murray's Nursery. On Monday there's a trip to Greenoch Forest, near Whanganui, to see how drones and cameras can improve the safety of forest harvesting - or a visit to Bushy Park.
There are still some places left at the conference. To register go to www.nzffa.org.nz/conference.