Since the establishment of the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in 2008, planting trees for the purpose of sequestering carbon has become a growing sector in New Zealand. At present, most existing exotic forests and recent afforestation projects continue to be managed under the traditional model as rotational timberland forests. The yield of carbon credits from these forests as they grow is of value, but typically a supplementary benefit.
The ability for ongoing sequestration of carbon in the longer term, and associated cashflow, has led to the development of permanent forests using exotic plantation species. In addition to the ability to store more carbon for a given area compared to rotational forestry, these permanent forests are able to act as a nurse crop for the regeneration of native plants and trees. The nurse crop provides the right environment to actively manage the regeneration of native forest cover at scale.
SOURCE: NZ Journal of Forestry