Meridian’s Forever Forests programme nears the end of the beginning

After almost six years of relentless planning and effort, Meridian’s Forever Forests programme is now nearing the end of establishment planting.

So far more than 800 hectares – roughly seven times the size of Christchurch’s Hagley Park - have been planted and seeded across 14 projects throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. 

“We are literally pulling carbon out of the atmosphere with everything we're doing,” says Mark Harris, one of Meridian’s Renewable Development Programme Managers.

“Planting forests is one of the ways we can deal with climate change. The fact that we're maintaining a direct relationship with the atmosphere is really key and it fits squarely with our ethos as a company.”

Working in tandem with emission reduction efforts, the programme’s goal is to supply 15,000 carbon credits tonnes of carbon from 2030 onwards to help offset any residual emissions. Already 480 hectares have been registered in the Emissions Trading Scheme and are producing the desired carbon credits.

A major area of focus for spring 2025 will be near Ngapara in North Otago, where a mixed forest of exotics and natives is being established over roughly 100 hectares – about 200 rugby fields.

“We’ve gone for mixed model forestry, transitioning to natives, because in most parts of the country, exotics grow quicker and can therefore sequester carbon quicker,” says Mark. “You get your carbon engine started quickly with the exotics. After 10-15 years, you start to take out exotics and put in more natives, with the harvest revenue from the exotics funding the extra natives.” 

A great example of this approach is the Ruatapu site, near Hokitika, which has seen alders planted along with the direct drilling and aerial seeding of natives over 280 hectares. Besides absorbing large amounts of carbon, these trees offer other benefits in terms of slope stability, water quality and ecology. 

Among the exotic species being used are cork oak, redwood, eucalypts, and a non-wilding pine species called Attenuata. No plantation forestry is included in the programme.

“We have two goals. In the short to medium term, it’s the carbon sequestration. But then in the longer term we have native biodiversity goals,” says Mark.

“The land that we've planted on is generally sort of scraggy rough grazing land, so we haven't taken productive land out of production. It's better use of the land in most cases, and there's a whole range of environmental and ecological benefits. We're taking stock off the land so the water quality should improve, and we've got our pest control program as well.”

Hunters are helping keep a lid on the bigger tree munchers, with the fees for access to Meridian forestry blocks being directed straight to the Department of Conservation and the Kākāpō Recovery Fund. 

“We've also got a fleet of 120 autotraps – fantastic machines. They’re taking out large numbers of possum, stoats, and other pests. As much as we can, we're trying to create habitat for things that crawl, jump, and fly to turn up and live there. So, this programme’s also been about doing something for that native biodiversity component from day one.

Regardless of whether it’s capturing carbon or capturing critters, Mark says it’s about living up to Meridian’s values - doing what’s right and making a small but significant dent in what is a huge problem for the country.

“It's been a hell of a journey over about five or six years. I'm super proud of it and I think the company should be too.”