This page covers the main decisions and activities involved in growing a commercial forest, from site preparation to harvest. It is a practical planning guide. It does not explain regulatory requirements in detail, such as the National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry (NES-CF), local council rules, or NES-CF management plans.
A commercial forest is a long-term investment usually taking 25 to 30 years from planting to harvest. A lot can change in that time. A forest management plan helps you:
A forest management plan is not a one-off piece of paperwork. It is a working document you will come back to throughout the life of your forest.
For a small commercial forest, it’s strongly recommended that you engage a professional forest management provider or registered forester to help you develop your plan.
As well as their expertise, a major benefit of engaging a professional is access to their management systems, resources, and contractor networks. They have agreements with contractors for roading, planting, spraying, logging, and other services, as well as clear contracts that set out health and safety responsibilities and environmental requirements for everyone on site.
Without these contracts, you take on far more risk as the forest owner. Getting contracts in place yourself can be difficult and costly.
You can find a registered forester through the New Zealand Institute of Forestry (NZIF).
Start your forest management plan before you plant. This planning phase is when you’ll work out your goals, choose your species, assess your site, and map out your finances.
Review and update your plan every 3 to 5 years, or sooner if there is a significant change to your forest, your goals, or the regulations that apply to you. Forest management is dynamic. Your plan needs to reflect that.
Your forest management plan should cover the following aspects:
Decide who will manage your forest. Will you engage a full-service forest management provider to handle everything for you, or will you manage contractors directly? Be clear about all roles and responsibilities from the start, including those of your contractors. Make sure arrangements are backed by solid contracts.
What do you want from this forest? Timber production, income at harvest, long-term land value, carbon credits, or a mix? Be clear about your objectives. They shape every other decision in the plan. Remember that forests provide more than just timber value.
A description of your land, including:
To figure out your land’s erosion susceptibility, use the Erosion Susceptibility Classification tool on the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) website.
Commercial forestry is a regulated activity. You must comply with the NES-CF.
You may also need to follow rules from your regional or district council. Other laws can apply too, depending on your land. These can include legislation you may not expect, such as the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Act 2014.
Identify which rules apply to your land. A good place to start is your regional council or territorial authority. Then include these rules in your forest management plan. This helps everyone understand what you can do and the conditions you must meet.
Decide which species you will plant and why, considering your site conditions, your goals, and the timber market.
Assess the condition and lifespan of fences on and around your property. Good fencing keeps neighbouring stock out of your forest and protects young trees from being browsed or trampled while they are still establishing. It’s important to plan and document whether fence upgrades will be on a 50/50 cost share with the neighbouring landowner. If fence upgrades are not planned and budgeted for early, they can become a costly surprise later.
Pest control is a critical part of establishing and growing a healthy forest, particularly animal pest control in the early years. Your plan must cover how you will manage pests on your site, and you need to follow your regional pest management plan.
Preparing the land before planting is highly site-specific and carries real environmental risk. If done poorly, it can compromise the planting operation and cause erosion or sediment run-off. It is important to get expert advice on the right approach for your site.
Land preparation involves clearing competing vegetation – such as shade‑tolerant pest plants – before planting. As your forest grows, you’ll need to carry out regular weed control.
Your plan should cover how and when your trees will be planted, including the spacing between trees and the stocking rate (number of trees per hectare). This directly affects the quality and volume of timber you will produce at harvest.
If you’re planting more than 1 hectare of commercial forest on your property, the NES-CF afforestation rules apply.
Wilding conifer spread is a growing problem in New Zealand. If you’re planting a conifer species, you must consider the risk of seeds and seedlings spreading beyond the planted area. Use the Wilding Tree Risk Calculator to assess the risk for your site.
How you will care for your trees at different stages, as they grow. This includes:
How you plan and carry out your silviculture regime will determine the quality, volume, and value of your crop.
You will need to prepare forecasts of how your forest will grow and the volume of timber you can expect at harvest. These estimates are important for financial planning and will help you make informed decisions at each stage.
At the planning stage, your harvest plan does not need to be detailed. A full plan is prepared a couple of years before harvest.
But before then you do need to know:
Getting these details right early matters. If areas are planted without considering how they’ll be harvested, you may find 25 to 30 years later that parts of your forest are difficult, more expensive or impossible to harvest.
Your forest management plan should outline how you’ll manage and protect any environmental features or constraints on your site.
Some examples may be:
You need to manage forestry activities to avoid disturbing riverbeds, lakebeds, or wetlands when fish are spawning. Use the Fish Spawning Indicator to check the risk.
Forestry is a high-risk industry. If you own the forest, you may have health and safety duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 when harvesting takes place. Forest managers, harvest managers, and other contractors involved in the operation may also have duties. The exact responsibilities will depend on the role each party plays and the level of control and influence they have over the work.
When planning a forestry operation, make sure you understand who is responsible for managing health and safety risks and how those responsibilities will be coordinated. These arrangements should be clearly documented in contracts and operational plans.
Your plan should detail:
If you work with a professional forester or harvest manager, they can help establish and coordinate health and safety systems and contractor arrangements. Detailed health and safety responsibilities should be clearly set out in contractor agreements and contracts.
Detail your estimated costs at each stage: land preparation, planting, fencing, pruning and thinning, ongoing maintenance (fencing and pest control), and harvest. Track actual costs against your budget as the forest develops and keep your plan updated.
Calculate expected income from timber sales. Log prices change over time, so it is worth modelling a range of scenarios rather than relying on one estimate.
Work out what the main risks to your forest are, and how you’ll manage them.
Common risks include:
Bionet NZ publishes a list of regional pest management plans.
Document when and how often you’ll review the forest management plan. Record review dates and any changes made, so there is a clear history. Aim to review your plan at least every 3 to 5 years.
If you plan to register your forest in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), your forest management plan should reflect this, including any implications for species choice, harvest timing, and income assumptions. If you enter the ETS, you must follow its rules and requirements.