Brian Cox: Bio Energy Association Executive Officer on the decline in forest planting and the impact on biofuel

A sharp decline in new forest plantings is a lost opportunity. 

Data from the Ministry for Primary Industries shows that this year 24% less is getting planted than last year. 

Some within the industry are warning that this could result in a shortage of biofuel in coming years. 

Bio Energy Association Executive Officer Brian Cox told Andrew Dickens that they don’t plant specifically for biofuel, but instead trees grow so well, and they grow so much that they’re able to use residues for fuel. 

He said that if we’re not planting now, in 20-30 years we won’t have the biomass that we need to make fully sustainable biofuel.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, here we go. Data from the Ministry of Primary
Industries has showed a sharp decline in New Zealand forest
plantings in New Zealand, which is against a trend I
would have thought. This year we are planning to plant
twenty four percent less than we did last year. So
within the industry, some should I say, within the industry
are warning that this could result in a shortage of

(00:20):
buyofuel in years to come. So the executive officer of
Bioenergy Association, Brian Cox, joins me right now, Hello, Brian,
good morning. This is surprising because you know we've had
so many pro forestry programs through the decades.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Oh yes, but markets move up and down according to
how people see it, and so what we've got to
do is to recognize that, you know, planting the trees
is an opportunity, and that we're not planting now, then
in twenty thirty years time, we won't have the biomass

(00:57):
that we need to make biofuels, and you know that's
what we need.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
Well, we know about the plantings for carbon credits, but
how much planting happens in New Zealand, specifically for biofuel.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
We don't actually plant specifically for biofuels. Is that we're
fortunate in that we grow trees so well, and we
grow so much that we're able to use the residues.
And it's the residues from harvesting or from wood processing
that we use, and that means that it's fully sustainable
and it's backed on to primary products, whether it's rogs

(01:32):
or lumber, and so we're using those residues to be
able to basically get one hundred percent of a tree
able to be used either in the primary product or
through the residues for energy.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
Well, I know from my school biology is that Plantus radiata,
which is a common planting tree, grows like billio in
New Zealand. So do we have the ability if we
do the planting, to actually make an awful lot of biofuel.

Speaker 2 (02:00):
Yes, we do, and the different species will be useful
in different categories. Currently we're using the residues from our
finest radiot of plantations in shopping out coal for process
heat and potentially in the South Island, and that's just

(02:20):
been going gangbusters. Is that you know, people recognize that,
you know, we can't use coal. Previous government also brought
in plans and restrictions on using coal, and so the
market has responded by using the residues which often would
be left in the forest law or not utilized, treasured

(02:43):
as waste rather than treated as a valuable product. And
what's going to give us the future wealth?

Speaker 1 (02:49):
Exactly? Okay? Well, speaking of future wealth, I mean, can
we export this stuff and make money out offshore?

Speaker 2 (02:56):
Yes? We can? Is that you know we I already
do export some palettes, not much, but there's a lot
of the future products like what we call a black palette,
and that is a very hard palate and that's used
for power stations like it Huntley, and so we can
replace the coal that goes into Huntley by a black

(03:20):
palette and that's in great demand, especially up through Asia
that we can use there. But also you know, we
as a country with our space and ability to grow trees,
when we've got other countries like Singapore and Asia, they
don't have the space, they don't have the speed of
growing these in the way we can. So we can

(03:43):
do that. And so either for export or for domestic use.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
Good South. Ryan Cox, who is from the bio Energy Association,
he is the executive officer. Thank you so much. For
your expertise, So get out there and start planting some forests.
It's got a double bang.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
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