Forestry is a major industry in New Zealand, but the practices involved contribute to the damage left in the wake of cyclones and major weather events. 

After 2023’s Cyclone Gabrielle, the Government revised slash management rules, ruling that forestry owners will have to remove slash if it’s over a certain size. 

They’re now consulting on a proposal to further amend the standards due to cost, uncertainty, and compliance issues. 

Mark Bloomberg and Steve Urlich authored a piece for the Conversation titled “We are one bad rainstorm away from disaster – why proposed changes to forestry rules won’t solve the ‘slash’ problem”, and in it they say the proposed changes fail to adress the core reasons for slash and sediment discharges. 

Dr Mark Bloomberg, an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the University of Canterbury’s School of Forestry, joined Kerre Woodham to break down their thoughts. 

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