Forestry and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced that the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) will fund just under $1mil to plant 1,350,000 trees in the Manawatū-Whanganui region.
“We have the landowners, the land, and the seedlings and the Horizons Regional Council has the right relationships with landowners in their region so a partnership of this kind makes perfect sense,” says Jones.
He says the regional council will work with 40 landowners to get the trees planted in the upcoming months.
The tree planting will bring more efficiency, land use and income to the region as the jobs will be situated in some of the most isolated areas where unemployment is high.
“The establishment of more trees in the region will further lift productivity, incomes and help diversify land use. From this additional planting alone we expect at least ten permanent jobs to be created over the trees’ lifecycle.”
“Environmentally, the tree planting will reduce erosion and sedimentation in the area and enhance climate change mitigation and improved water quality."
Jones claims the move is more than an investment in trees, it’s an investment in people in regional communities and the environment.