Forests

We are the largest forestry grower in Hawke’s Bay

Across the Bay we have a total forest area of about 35,000 hectares. The majority of the forests are next to the ranges so often border with Department of Conservation land. These are ex-state forests, and from north to south are: Mohaka, Esk, Kaweka and Gwavas. Tangoio, the other substantial forest, is coastal and located around the Pan Pac mill and Waipatiki.

A programme is underway to hand back Iwi land. Over 80% of the land on which our trees are planted is owned by local iwi. The remainder is freehold land.

We have almost logged one rotation of trees, about 30 years of harvesting. This means the majority of the main access roads and tracks have already been constructed. The forestry cycle typically consists of about 1,000ha being logged and the corresponding area that was harvested the previous year being planted.

Our forests are almost exclusively radiata pine. They are grown because they can provide the quantity and quality of raw material our sawmill and pulpmill require. 

Pruning

We prune a large portion of our trees to provide our sawmill with the logs to produce our premium product – Clearwood. Eliminating branches in the lower 6.5 metres provides a clearwood sheath of knot-free wood.

You can find more information about our forests in the Pan Pac Forests Public Summary. This document also includes our Monitoring Summary.

To request a copy, please email genforests@panpac.co.nz