Forest Enterprises gears up for growth

Media Release

For Immediate Release

Forest Enterprises gears up for growth by expanding its operations in the Wairarapa

Leading Masterton-based forestry company, Forest Enterprises Ltd, is to expand its operations in the Wairarapa as it gears up for major growth in its harvesting programme.

The company has implemented a new management structure with recent appointments of key new staff and is investigating the feasibility of an innovative Harvest Co-operative to co-ordinate part of its operations.

“We are pleased to be bringing on new expertise into our management team”, says Forest Enterprises Managing Director Steve Wilton. “It is essential to appoint fresh talent and innovate if we are to continue operating successfully and achieving the returns our investors expect”, Mr Wilton says.

“As part of providing value for our investors we are bringing our harvesting operations in-house”, says Mr Wilton. Until last year Forest Enterprises’ day-to-day harvest management was sub-contracted to third parties and the company’s role was to manage the overall process. “This meant that we were one step removed from the harvesting operation. This will no longer be the case”, Mr Wilton says.

Bert Hughes, General Manager of Forestry, was appointed late last year to lead the establishment of the harvesting programme. Under his leadership, the company’s harvesting operations have quickly grown from a zero base to six full time logging crews operating in seven investor forests. The company’s log volume throughput is likely to exceed 150,000 tonnes this year, and is expected to grow at a rapid rate in future years.

By potentially forming a Harvest Co-operative we can achieve greater critical mass and our investors will gain significant financial benefits as a result. We’re always looking for ways to add value for investors” Mr Wilton says.

Jamie Falloon has been appointed as General Manager of Business Development to lead the investigation into the Harvest Co-operative. Mr Falloon says a key flow-on benefit of the Co-operative will be the creation of a stable operating environment for all participants in the supply chain, helping to achieve steady long-term returns for all.

“If our analysis indicates that these gains can indeed be achieved, then we will aim to launch the product as soon as possible”, says Mr Falloon.

“Forest Enterprises manages around 21,500 hectares of forests in New Zealand with a substantial total forestry estate of 73 investment forests. About 10,500 hectares of its estate is located in the Gisborne region, 9,700 hectares in the Wairarapa and 1,300 hectares in Hawke’s Bay. The company was originally formed in 1972 and focused on managing forestry investments. The new structure will provide a full service to investors.
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