Evolution of the Pine Industry
Wood processing has been important to the New Zealand economy almost ever since European settlement began.
At first the industry grew to meet the needs of settlers – timber sawn for domestic and commercial construction. However, as the population grew, finishing timber, furniture, plywood and veneer industries also developed. Several of the indigenous tree species were ideal for these end uses and more were used for mouldings, panelling and high quality furniture.
Manufacture of products such as pulp and paper was not initially considered because of the small domestic market and the rapidly declining natural forest resource.
Recognising the risk of future shortfalls, extensive plantations of introduced Northern Hemisphere softwood species were established in the 1920s and 1930s. Initial plantings were of a range of species but when the rapid growth and versatile wood properties of radiata pine were appreciated, it became the preferred species.
Further selection for particular attributes such as straight stem and smaller branches, has increased the performance of radiata pine and today it accounts for almost 90% of the plantation forest area.
The earliest use of radiata pine in New Zealand seems to have been in Canterbury in the late 1870s when it was used in housing and farm buildings.
It was soon realised that radiata pine was not durable when exposed to the weather or when used as posts and poles. But when used inside, or carefully painted, it offered a perfectly satisfactory service life. It could also be readily treated with preservative chemicals which allowed it to be used in all applications and to match, or even exceed, the lifespan of naturally durable timbers.
For structural/building purposes, sawn radiata pine was as strong as most other species yet also relatively light to handle, easy to nail and simple to smooth or plane if a smooth finish was required. Radiata pine was soon the most popular building timber in New Zealand but due to its comparative light colour and softness, its use for furniture, etc., was slower to develop.
As the first plantations matured, interest in other wood processing opportunities grew and by the early 1940s pulp and paper manufacture was being considered. Tests had shown that radiata pine would be well suited to this end-use, with lower resin and other chemicals in the wood making it easier to reduce to pulp for subsequent paper manufacture.
Pulping processes using both chemical and mechanical breakdown were established by the early 1950s by Tasman Pulp and Paper, Kawerau and New Zealand Forest Products at Kinleith (now owned by Carter Holt Harvey) and these operations have been central to the industry ever since.
Residues from sawmilling – slabwood and sawdust – were available in growing quantities and the manufacture of fibreboard and particleboard was started to make use of the raw material. These panels, manufactured from small particles of wood waste mixed with adhesive and then pressed into large sheets, made excellent flooring and also bench or table tops where covered with a plastic (e.g. Formica) or a wood veneer.
A refined version of this product is medium density fibreboard (MDF) where much smaller particles are used and the panel is produced with a finished surface.
Other, more traditional products – such as plywood and veneer – were manufactured from radiata pine as it began to largely replace the use of native species.
In most instances, products manufactured from radiata pine are as good as equivalents made from other species in other parts of the world. And, in the case of newsprint, MDF and clear lumber mouldings, they are judged to be far superior.
However, there are some applications for which radiata pine is not suited – high quality furniture manufacture, for instance – and New Zealand still imports timber to meet these needs. Other examples are very durable timbers for railway sleepers and for pulp and paper products where the surface finish is important (photography and printing). Some of these products are from species that are climatically unsuitable for growing in New Zealand or it might be that the domestic market is too small to justify planting.
Scion has recently begun a research initiative investigating the potential for developing a hardwood industry with stringy bark eucalypts – for producing high quality, solid wood products.
The aim is to develop a hardwood timber resource that has strength and stiffness, low growth stress and checking plus natural durability. Such a resource is needed for quality furniture manufacturers.