Venture Taranaki’s Branching Out Initiative Explores Trees And Their Value Chain

This July, Venture Taranaki will host their third Branching Out event to explore trees and their value chain. Wood and fibre products are of increasing value and interest worldwide, and are a worthy consideration for further investigation in Taranaki.

At the event, on Wednesday, 28 July, at the War Memorial Centre in Stratford, attendees will hear from experts how trees are currently utilised in Taranaki, the economic opportunities, an overview of carbon farming and the Emission Trading Schemes, and projected future tree and fibre products. Topics will also cover trees’ biodiversity contributions, and the options for trees to be a complementary addition to existing land-uses and enterprises.

"Trees and their wider value chain provide tens of thousands of jobs for New Zealanders, and are in Taranaki's top three GDP industries, demonstrating its economic importance to the region. As we transition to a low-emissions future, forestry and wood and fibre products will play a significant role as not only carbon sinks but as a source of a wide range of sustainable products for Aotearoa," explains Venture Taranaki Chief Executive Justine Gilliland. "These potential products range from building materials to fuels to adhesives and more."

"By exploring the ‘Right tree, right place, right purpose’ programme we can carefully consider how to integrate more trees into the Taranaki landscape to both complement and diversify our existing land uses and products," continues Justine.

Presenters at the event will include Taranakipine, the New Plymouth processor of plantation-grown Radiata Pine; a Forestry Advisor from Transglobal Connections; and SCION, the Crown Research Institute that specialises in research, science and technology development for the forestry, wood product, and other biomaterial sectors.

"We're extending the invite to all Taranaki landowners, potential growers, financial decision-makers, and marketers along with agricultural advisers and support services, and processing and manufacturing organisations to register and come along."

At the event, experts will present advice and give land-owners and growers, processors and manufacturers essential information and the industry connections to support them as they consider the viability of tree and fibre products for themselves here in Taranaki. This event builds on sessions held earlier in the year that focused on Avocados, and another in October 2020 investigating Kiwifruit’s potential in Taranaki.

BACKGROUND

The Venture Taranaki initiative Branching Out is a collaborative exercise to investigate, explore, package, and potentially pilot new commercial opportunities that could add sustainable value to Taranaki's economy and help the region's food and fibre sector become more diverse, resilient, innovative and in-demand.

Through the initiative, 10-12 high-potential ventures will be identified and analysed for their feasibility.

Branching Out aligns with Taranaki's regional economic development strategy Tapuae Roa and the Taranaki 2050 long-term vision for a low-emissions economy. The programme is managed by Venture Taranaki and a steering group of food and fibre sector stakeholders.

The initiative is funded by Taranaki's three district councils and the Ministry of Primary Industries' Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund, with significant in-kind support from Venture Taranaki, Massey University, Crown Research Institutes, and primary sector/food and fibre industry enterprises.

For more information about the Trees and their Value Chain: The Taranaki Opportunity event and to register visit - www.venture.org.nz/enterprise-and-entrepreneurship/business-events/.

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