Forestry Minister Shane Jones, announced recently that the programme to reclaim forests will receive a $240 million boost. There is suggestions that two-thirds of the trees planted via this boost will be New Zealand natives.
The scheme encourages an environmentally focused planting of native trees for erosion control.
The new grants scheme will provide simple and accessible direct funding to landowners for the cost of planting and establishing trees and regenerating indigenous forest.
As a part of the establishment package, growers should utilise Mycorrhizal fungi (Mycormax) not only as an insurance policy to overcome planting stress, ensuring high plant take percentages, but also to assist with overcoming water stress issues as the season progresses.
A further environmental aspect of Mycorrhizal fungi is the much needed carbon sequestion via the production of Glomalin that these organisms produce.
Private landowners, government agencies, NGOs and iwi will all be able to apply for funding with a view to an additional 60 million trees planted over the next three years. This demand for native trees will have a positive flow on effect to nurseries suppliers also.
