A campaign to get government to buyout homeowners in West Auckland after the floods in 2021 highlights the need for urgent detail that’s so far been missing from our climate adaptation plans
The problem with forestry slash on the east coast, is not the "slash" it is the "forestry". Much of the land is not suited to forestry as it is too steep and unstable. The problem goes back to the aftermath of cyclone Bola. As a lot of the steep farming land eroded and caused problems downstream the government introduced a subsidy to plant it in trees. However much of the subsidy went on replacing scrubland which was not the problem. Now trees on steep hillsides are being cut down and the mess left behind ends up in the rivers. There is no cost effective way of running forestry there without leaving behind erosion and debris.
The problem with forestry slash on the east coast, is not the "slash" it is the "forestry". Much of the land is not suited to forestry as it is too steep and unstable. The problem goes back to the aftermath of cyclone Bola. As a lot of the steep farming land eroded and caused problems downstream the government introduced a subsidy to plant it in trees. However much of the subsidy went on replacing scrubland which was not the problem. Now trees on steep hillsides are being cut down and the mess left behind ends up in the rivers. There is no cost effective way of running forestry there without leaving behind erosion and debris.