Hawke's Bay Regional Council Media Release

18 July 2011

Registering Forestry in the Emissions Trading Scheme

Forest owners intending to enter the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) need to register and identify their forest extents.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council is reminding forest owners to check dates and processes if they want to be part of the ETS.

Key dates for registrations are listed on the MAF website - look under Forestry/Forestry in the ETS and then look under Key Dates. [ http://www.maf.govt.nz/forestry/forestry-in-the-ets/key-dates ].

This applies to forests established before 1990 and those established since 1989. These requirements largely mirror the rules under the Kyoto Protocol.

Owners of post-1989 forest land can enter the scheme and earn New Zealand Units (NZUs) as their forests grow.

Owners of pre-1990 forest land face obligations under the scheme if they deforest, and receive a one-off allocation of NZUs to help offset the decrease in land value due to decreased land-use flexibility.

Old-growth indigenous forest that remains in forest is not subject to the rules of the ETS.

There is more information about the ETS on the government's climate change website [ http://www.climatechange.govt.nz/emissions-trading-scheme/participating/ forestry/] .

A map is a requirement of an ETS application and forest owners can register online on the MAF site and use the FREE online mapping tool provided. [ http://www.maf.govt.nz/forestry/forestry-in-the-ets/online-transactions- for-forestry-ets].

Hawke's Bay Regional Council may be able to assist with maps, but only has limited aerial photo coverage for the years around 1989 and has limited resources for scanning and emailing or posting these.

Other helpful links on www.maf.govt.nz -

* A guide to mapping - look under News & Resources/ Publications and enter title: MappingForest for the Emissions Trading Scheme [ http://www.maf.govt.nz/news-resources/publications.aspx?title=Mapping%20 Forest%20Land%20for%20the%20Emissions%20Trading%20Scheme]

* A mapping tutorial video - look under Forestry/Forestry in the ETS, then go to the mapping tutorial basic guide [ http://www.maf.govt.nz/forestry/forestry-in-the-ets/mapping-tutorial ]

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