Forests Amendment Act 2004

This Act amended the 1949 Forests Act to prohibit the felling of indigenous timber and the export of indigenous forest produce. It requires that sustainable forest management plans be developed for indigenous forest land, and that sustainable forest management permits may be granted to authorise the harvest and milling of indigenous timber that comprises less than 10% of the quantity of timber in the permitted area, and in total volume comprises no more than 250-500 cubic metres (depending on species). Principles for Commercial Plantation Forest Management in New Zealand were published in 2004 and an Environmental Code of Practice was published in 2007, both of which aim to support the sustainable management of forestry in NewZealand, including an element of controlling deforestation.

A further amendment was inserted by the Climate Change Response Amendment Act 2006 and provided the framework for the Permanent Forest Sink Initiative which was a precursor to the inclusion of the forestry sector in the NZ ETS.