Planting season lost, but foresters cling to hopes

The forestry industry is cautiously optimistic about the future of the emissions trading scheme despite the fact that political delays mean that this year's seed-planting season has been missed.
Kyoto Forestry Association spokesman Roger Dickie says the release this week of a select committee review of the ETS shows things seem to be moving in the right direction.
I am optimistic, he said. But having said that, it's down to politics now and anything can happen.

Dickie says that a deal between National and Labour providing long-term certainty over the shape of the ETS would be the best outcome for the forestry sector.

Forestry is a long-term investment, and nobody's going to make it unless they know it's going to be worth it.

Levels of forest planting have fallen of drastically over the past eight years, and won't pick-up until there is political certainty about the scheme.

Even now, it's too late to be planting seed for the seedlings that should be planted out next year, he said. The seed should be going into the ground now.

Dickie says the industry will have its work cut out gearing up to a return to large-scale planting.

The seed supply has all but dried up, and lots of the nurseries have gone.