National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry

The Ministry for Primary Industries  National Environmental Standards for Plantation Forestry (NES-PF) came into effect on 1 May 2018. National Environmental Standards (NES) are regulations made under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). 

The NES-PF provide a single set of regulations that apply to foresters throughout New Zealand.  The Nelson Resource Management Plan (NRMP), which is currently under review through the Nelson Plan process, has been amended to align with the new requirements of the NES-PF.

If you own a forest that fits the criteria for Plantation Forestry, the NES-PF applies to you.

The Plantation Forestry criteria is: at least 1 hectare of forest cover of forest species that has been planted and has been, or will be, harvested.

The standards allow Council to charge for the monitoring of permitted activities. 

Under these regulations, Plantation Forestry operations require harvest plans, erosion and sediment management plans and forestry earthwork management plans to be prepared.

If you have any queries about how this legislation affects you, please contact the Planning Team at nelson.plan@ncc.govt.nz or 03 546 0200.