About
Southern Forests Ltd is a privately owned management company based in Otago/Southland, New Zealand, with offices located in Wanaka and Gore. We have been operating throughout the South Island since 2002.
We are a small but enthusiastic group of outdoors-loving forestry experts, willing to assist forest growers of all sizes plan their forest projects wisely, manage their forests well, and grow their investment to their full potential.
We provide a full range of forestry services and advice in:
Forest Management
Forest Harvesting & Planning
General Consulting Services
Forest Valuations
GIS & Mapping
Carbon Forestry
Carbon Trading
Drone Imagery and Surveying
Southern Forests have the resources to assist you with planning and undertaking any forestry-related project or program. We undertake a full range of forest management activities for the whole rotation, from planting and tending through to harvest.
We recognise that management risk and decisions made by forest owners have the biggest impact on a forestry investment. It is critical to get that right as forestry is unique in that it is a long-term crop, and if mistakes are made, then they have long term consequences. Our staff are professionals with a lot of experience at all levels. We recently achieved Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) certification for outstanding forest management.
Most of our clients are absentee owners with full confidence in our capability, and we undertake responsibility for all of their forestry operations.We operate under robust Health and Safety protocols, utilising cutting-edge technology to bring you the best results for your forestry investment.
Services
Southern Forest's services are customised to meet the unique needs of your forest. Our experienced team of forest experts can guide you through any aspect of your forest's management - contact us today for no-obligation advice!
Forest Management
Our Forest Managers use a dynamic approach to each forest, whether it's planning to plant a few hectares of trees, managing small operations, or maintaining a large forest, our team are available for your forest's specific needs.
Land preparation, planting, release spraying, pruning, waste thinning, and general forest maintenance, including weed and wilding control, are all operations we can manage for you.
We prioritise the best interests of our client's forests, with a focus on preventing any negative environmental and social impacts, and operating to the highest standard of health and safety and best industry practice.
Our forest contractors are extremely experienced in tending to a large range of forestry blocks, providing high-quality service and consistency throughout the duration of the job.
Southern Forests prides itself on offering a personal service that is tailored to you and your forest's needs. Speak to one of our experienced Forest Managers today for advice on forest establishment, pruning, thinning and forest maintenance.
Harvesting & Log Marketing
Are you thinking about logging your trees? We have a team of experts who can take care of every stage of the harvesting process to ensure you maximise profitability from your investment, as well as meet all industry best practices, health and safety requirements, and environmental standards.
Our Logging Managers have extensive experience managing and supervising a wide variety of forest harvesting operations in the South Island, including ground-based systems, cable-logging, and winch-assist.
We provide a no-obligation evaluation of your forest and provide full disclosure of our estimate of liquidation value. This is supported by a detailed logging proposal and Logging and Marketing contract. We use industry-leading software designed for the NZ market for all of our harvesting document management.
There is a significant lead time in preparation and scheduling work for our crews, so it is never too early to start thinking about and planning for harvest. Having qualified and experienced Logging Managers handling the process will minimise your risk and maximise your return.
Our company has a comprehensive Health and Safety (H&S) policy that is updated frequently to exceed industry standard and the NZ Forestry Code of Practice. We use Forest Safe and Safe365 systems for all our health and safety paperwork, and we encourage our forestry contractors to use the same systems.
We have a thorough understanding of the new National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry (NES-CF) and regularly liaise with local authorities to ensure best industry practices are applied that exceed environmental standards.
Carbon Forestry & Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)
Interested in how the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) works, or want to take advantage of a potential annual revenue stream from your forest? Our Carbon Manager is here to help.
We have been assisting our clients with ETS registration, emissions returns, carrying out carbon inventories, and dealing with compliance issues since 2008.
Are you receiving full benefits from your forest while your trees are growing? Your trees play a significant role in sequestering greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and storing it as carbon in the timber.
You could be entitled to claim this carbon annually. A forest now produces two commercial commodities timber and carbon. Combined they provide an improvement in investment and potential annual cash flow.
The ETS is a complex model to navigate, but we can help provide you with advice, resources and support to be a part of the scheme.
The ETS is an important part of NZ climate change policy and is a government initiative to offset greenhouse gas emissions.
If you have forest land planted after 31st December 1989 (Post-89 forest), it is worth discussing the benefits of being involved in the scheme. In our opinion, there is an opportunity cost of being a Post-89 forest owner and not being a participant.
That work is done through our associate company Carbon Solutions NZ Ltd which has the same shareholding as Southern Forests Ltd.
Contact our ETS Manager today to see how the ETS can work for you.
Mapping & Geographic Information System (GIS)
GIS and mapping are an integral part of the forestry planning and management processes.
Our GIS team has over 25 years of experience in mapping and uses the latest software.Our maps and spatial data are easily converted to almost any format that may be required.We don't limit our skills to just forest mapping; farm mapping and project mapping can be easily and efficiently produced with your best interests in mind.
Good mapping is critical to the success and planning of forestry and farming operations. Without detailed mapping of your forest, operational planning requirements can't be achieved under the guidelines of the National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry (NES-CF).
Maps can be as detailed as you like, there are virtually no limitations to the standards and details you can have on your property map. Using high-resolution imagery makes mapping your farm or property a breeze, and most of it can be set up remotely from the office and then fine-tuned as required.
Drones are used extensively for more detailed planning and site surveys. They are a useful tool for monitoring, quality control and mapping purposes.
Our drone pilots are experienced and can provide a unique angle to your next project. We are also happy to use our drone experience for other purposes, so please contact us for more information.
Drone Imagery & Surveying
Drones are an efficient way to gather up-to-date information. Southern Forests staff are experienced and qualified in using drones for a variety of forestry- related purposes. Drones are a useful tool to efficiently collect imagery and video for a range of purposes.
We use drones for a multitude of uses:
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Creation of high-resolution Ortho Photography using software that stitches together multiple images (sometimes hundreds) to form new true to scale aerial imagery that can be used by the mapping team to accurately measure areas and collect data.
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Generate 3D imagery and generate spatial information using a sophisticated computer process called photogrammetry.This process takes imagery and video from a range of angles and perspectives and then generates 3D spatial information that can be used to extract contour lines, spot heights and other spatial data.
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Monitor changes over time and create time-lapse imagery.
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Collect video to help planning and monitoring both before and post operations.
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Easily and efficiently monitor for wilding trees.
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Collect evidence for planting for ETS applications.
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Efficient environmental monitoring, such as earthworks management or wilding tree management.
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Pre-program flight paths and refly them as needed.
Our operators are aware of and comply with Civil Aviation rules Parts 101 and 102. Our staff have 5+ years’ drone flying experience, and our drones are maintained and kept up to date with the latest software.