New forestry leader
FOREST OWNERS ASSOCIATION
Media release
16 April 2016
New forestry leader
Peter Clark, the
chief executive officer of PF Olsen Ltd, has been elected
president of the Forest Owners Association (FOA).
He
replaces retiring president Paul Nicholls. George Asher,
chief executive officer of the Lake Taupo Forest Trust, has
been elected vice-president.
The association’s members
own the majority of New Zealand’s plantation forests. It
works closely with the Farm Forestry Association and is
administrator for the Forest Levy Trust Board, which
represents the interests of all forest owners.
Clark has 40 years’ experience in forest operations and consulting in New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia, China and the Pacific. He is a long-standing member of the FOA board and is on the board of the Wood Council of NZ.
He says he is keen to see the multiple economic and environmental benefits of forestry recognised by all New Zealanders.
Clark holds or has recently held a number of positions on forest industry and government advisory boards involving climate change, bioenergy, and forestry sector research. He is also a board member of the NZ International Business Forum and the NZ China Council.
He served on the steering group of
the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum from its
formation in 2010 until October 2015 and is now a board
member of the Forest Industry Safety Council. He holds an
honours degree in forestry science from the University of
Canterbury and is a registered forestry consultant and a
fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Forestry.