Hon Dr Nick Smith MP
National Party Climate Change Spokesman

5 June 2007

National calls for Arbour Day rethink

New Zealand must reverse the record rates of deforestation to control climate change emissions and to prevent erosion, says National’s Environment and Climate Change Spokesman, Nick Smith.

At an Arbour Day planting in Nelson today, Dr Smith said,” Arbour Day this year is a day of shame for New Zealand because we are felling millions more trees than we are planting.

“Figures released by MAF two weeks ago showed a record 13,000-hectare loss of forest area in 2006. This follows losses of 11,000 hectares in 2005 and 5,000 in 2004, equating to a loss of 7.2 million trees over three years. Every one of the preceding 53 years of the database showed net increases averaging 40,000 hectares per year.

“It is just not credible for Helen Clark to be talking of leading the world in sustainability and being carbon neutral when, during her watch, over 7 million trees have been felled and not replanted. These record levels of deforestation are not sustainable and are a disaster for climate change.

“The cumulative deforestation for 2004, 2005 and 2006 has added 22 million tonnes of carbon to the atmosphere. Deforestation is predicted to add 38 million tonnes of carbon during the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (2008-2012), amounting to 75% of New Zealand’s projected deficit of 51 million tonnes.

“This Government’s policy is contributing to this unfolding environmental disaster. Labour’s refusal to state whether foresters will or will not get carbon credits for trees planted this year - planting that normally occurs in June, July and August - has brought planting to a virtual standstill.

“National calls on the Government this Arbour Day to commit to allocating carbon credits for forest planted from today. Without this commitment, no one will bother planting trees and everyone will be the loser.”

ENDS

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