Featured this week on Hyundai Country Calendar, Farm Forester Gabrielle Walton believes landowners should look beyond pine and plant a wider range of timber trees on their farms. She and her parents, Cloie and David Blackley, grow a mix of specialty timbers on Summerhill, their property in the Bay of Plenty. Gabrielle believes New Zealand should use more specialty woods like cypress for building. The family has planted 200 hectares of their steep, erosion-prone land in commercial forestry. The remaining 200 hectares is in pasture for sheep and cattle. Summerhill has a great website to encourage the community to share the space, fresh air, peaceful environment and spectacular views.
Interpine featured on the show, with Bruce Hill and Jeff Hapeta conducting a pre-harvest inventory or MARVL (Method of Assessing Recoverable Volume by Logtype). This ensures Gabrielle is able to goto the market and harvest constractors knowing exactly what the potential value of their forest is, ensuring they can monitor and gain the best value recovery at harvest.
Gabrielle and her parents David and Cloie.
Gabrielle, Bruce Hill and Jeff Hapeta conducting a pre-harvest inventory at Summerhill (@21min in Episode)
Country Calendar is New Zealand’s longest-running TV series and it’s believed to be the second-longest in the world, exceeded only by the UK’s Coronation Street.
See the Episode on TVNZ OnDemand: Branching Out, screening 29 June at 7pm on TV ONE
Interpine staff feature at 21 minutes through the show.
Summerhill Website: http://www.summerhilltrails.co.nz