Forestry and farm succession: A family farm legacyFriday 24 Oct 2025
My father carried that legacy forward, intensifying the farming operation. But his most strategic move came in the 1990s, when he planted pine trees across the steep, gorse-covered hills—the most marginal and labour-intensive parts of the farm. These areas were the hardest to farm and yielded the least return. Forestry turned them into an asset. Over the past 10–15 years, those trees have provided critical revenue during tough farming seasons—helping us buy new tractors and maintain cash flow when traditional farming income was down. More importantly, it’s allowed us to focus our efforts on the best parts of the farm—the areas that generate the strongest returns. Farming is now more efficient, more profitable, and more sustainable. We’ve continued to expand our forestry footprint with a 200-hectare plantation and several smaller blocks on low-performing land. This forestry is now central to our succession planning—supporting my parents’ retirement through ETS returns and future harvest revenue, and ensuring the farm can be passed on to my brothers and me. And it doesn’t stop there. Every 30 years, each generation will benefit from future harvests as the forest rotations continue. Forestry has become a cornerstone of our family’s long-term sustainability—not just for retirement, but for succession, resilience, and legacy. Without forestry, I genuinely believe our farm wouldn’t survive another generation. It’s time we shift the narrative. Pine trees are a national treasure for New Zealand farmers. They shouldn’t be villainised—they should be celebrated. Groups like Federated Farmers, Beef + Lamb NZ, and others need to champion the economic and environmental benefits of integrating forestry into farming systems. Forestry isn’t just about trees—it’s about legacy, sustainability, and survival More >> Source & image credit: Henry Morris, PF Olsen Limited (via LinkedIn) 
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