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NZ Forest Service - land clearing, burn offs, exotic planting.1919 - 1987.
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DescriptionNew Zealand Forest Service 1919 - 1987 West Coast... land clearing, burn offs, exotic planting & logging... Central Westland.Date of Photo1919 - 1987Map[1] ContributorAnthea Keenan
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Organisation (eg business)NZ Forest ServiceEventland clearingLogging
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Category TagForestry
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LinkFacebookDate Created16th September 2017CommentsTerry Harding
What!? No complaints about the pollution? Oh sorry! This is woodsmoke; how silly of me!
Warner Nut Curry
Worked For the Forestry in Karamea 80-85 so pretty involved with the fires and planting , timber cruising, log scaling at the two mills,
Started when i left school as docker , slabs and firewood at the North beach mill for Horse Hendrickson, then later that year whistle boy up the bush for Flag and Sean and Zane on the winch,
Cant beat, 66 with all my fingers put that down to the best Bushmen on the coast,
Wayne Cannan
Anyone remember the big bushfire back in the late seventies down towards Ross?
Elizabeth Mehrtens
Remember them , forestry them and new there hubbies partners would not be home that night until things were under control and extra gangs bought in to take over, long days and hard for them but the overall result was well worth it kept things under control and allowed regrowth to come thru .
Rob Little
I remember these in the Grey Valley. I think they were often done in August as it was usually a dry month in the past.
Bill Liddell
Rob Little Lot of farm land cleared that way up until late 70s I was the first to send all the left over trees not suitable for milling to Nelson as chip wood for a trial . Great success and only had to burn slash and easy to clear
Rob Little
Bill Liddell . I remember seeing a letter that Dad received from Lands and Survey offering subsidies to clear forests providing the millable timber was removed following forest service assessment. Unheard of today. I remember Sid Barrett pushing stumps… See More
Debbie Hills
Many times spent in these areas during my Forest Research days. Best years of my life.
Glenn Johnston
I was involved with the land prep including burning during forestry days. Some was in Westland but most in the area around Taupo and Southern Hawkes Bay. We would hand light smaller burn offs with drip or pressurised diesel burners and use vehicle mounted motorised flame throwers or helicopters to light big burn offs. I ended up getting trained up on aerial fire lighting using Ashley Aphid burners and also burner maintenance and allumagel (napalm) mixing. Hundreds of hours were spent in the helicopters operating burners aerial fire lighting. A few ex Westland venison recovery pilots used to fly the helicopters during aerial fire lighting and Toby Clark when working for Lakeland Helicopters out of Taupo was one of the better ones.
Bruce Truman
Now a little fire and get DOC and other govt agencies on your arse. So much fuel left to make very big fires now and they wonder why.
Bruce Truman
Now a little fire and get DOC and other govt agencies on your arse. So much fuel left to make very big fires now and they wonder why.
Glenn Johnston
Bruce Truman Yes IMO the general public are somewhat misinformed about fire and have been brainwashed into being scared of fire. It is a tool that mankind learnt to use and respect and was a very cheap and effective form of land preparation for agriculture and forestry. Fuel reduction burning that had been a long stang standing way of reducing the impact of wild fires was stopped in various places by misguided "greenies" with catastrophic consequences when the huge build up of fine fuel loadings on the forest floor which used to be managed eventually caught alight.
Lee Christie
Bruce Truman the good old days lol
Lyn Armstrong
Rowena Beaumont Michael Leach
Rowena Beaumont
I remember not being allowed in the shop at moana because our Dad had done a big burn off and it caused an electrical storm and it poured with rain. lol
Rowena Beaumont hahaha yep he was pretty unpopular at times and because people collected rainwater off the roof their water was smokey for ages
PaulAnthony Teens
In 60s these forests were planted to supply the West Coast mills with logs. Now watch it transported out bound for Chinaman benefitRosemarie Searle
So much native was burned off
Bruce Truman
Rosemarie Searle Native is no good to anyone. Can't claim carbon credits on it or wetlands, may as well burn it off and plant pine which will help to country get things right with the rest of the world
Rosemarie Searle
Bruce Truman native has built fine houses and furniture. Each wood has its own merit. That it was so wastefully burned was wrong. We can’t change what was done but we can be better stewards of the land in the future.
Bruce Truman
Rosemarie Searle just saying, give it some value and people might keep it. Very uneven playing fields in this country made by people with very little to no real world experience and paid far to much.
Glenn Johnston
The native areas converted by the NZFS to exotic pine had been logged (admittedly in some cases "creamed") for merchantable species first so we are talking conversion of previously logged not virgin forest here!
Bruce Truman
Heli logging worked well and meant we did not import native from other countries still clear felled, but so long as ours is locked all is good. Coal is next. What does our country all locked up do for the world as awhole?
Wayne Cannan
Anyone remember the big bushfire back in the late seventies down towards Ross?
Michelle Clarkson
Wayne Cannan yes not long after we got there maybe Xmas 79 or 80
Rowena Beaumont
I remember not being allowed in the shop at moana because our Dad had done a big burn off and it caused an electrical storm and it poured with rain. lol
Lyn Armstrong
Rowena Beaumont hahaha yep he was pretty unpopular at times and because people collected rainwater off the roof their water was smokey for ages
PaulAnthony Teens
In 60s these forests were planted to supply the West Coast mills with logs. Now watch it transported out bound for Chinaman benefit
Les Holmes Germanicus
Those days of irresponsibility
are gone thankfully. This practise is nothing to be proud of.
Donna Brydon
Yeah I remember when they fire bombed the nemona state forest in the 80 s what a total waste of our beautiful natives what a stupid short sighted thing to do
Rosemarie Searle
So much native was burned off
Glenn Johnston
The native areas converted by the NZFS to exotic pine had been logged (admittedly in some cases "creamed") for merchantable species first so we are talking conversion of previously logged not virgin forest here!
Bruce Truman
Heli logging worked well and meant we did not import native from other countries still clear felled, but so long as ours is locked all is good. Coal is next. What does our country all locked up do for the world as awhole?
Anne McAllister
Rosemarie Searle Do you realise that 92% of the West Coast is under Govt control. Most of what was burnt off was scrub. It is not that easy to burn west coast native forest as it is so dense . Yes there was some native milled and some areas cleared for farms, but you need to go up in the air and just have a look at how much native is still untouched. The West Coast is a long strip of land.
What!? No complaints about the pollution? Oh sorry! This is woodsmoke; how silly of me!
Warner Nut Curry
Worked For the Forestry in Karamea 80-85 so pretty involved with the fires and planting , timber cruising, log scaling at the two mills,
Started when i left school as docker , slabs and firewood at the North beach mill for Horse Hendrickson, then later that year whistle boy up the bush for Flag and Sean and Zane on the winch,
Cant beat, 66 with all my fingers put that down to the best Bushmen on the coast,
Wayne Cannan
Anyone remember the big bushfire back in the late seventies down towards Ross?
Elizabeth Mehrtens
Remember them , forestry them and new there hubbies partners would not be home that night until things were under control and extra gangs bought in to take over, long days and hard for them but the overall result was well worth it kept things under control and allowed regrowth to come thru .
Rob Little
I remember these in the Grey Valley. I think they were often done in August as it was usually a dry month in the past.
Bill Liddell
Rob Little Lot of farm land cleared that way up until late 70s I was the first to send all the left over trees not suitable for milling to Nelson as chip wood for a trial . Great success and only had to burn slash and easy to clear
Rob Little
Bill Liddell . I remember seeing a letter that Dad received from Lands and Survey offering subsidies to clear forests providing the millable timber was removed following forest service assessment. Unheard of today. I remember Sid Barrett pushing stumps… See More
Debbie Hills
Many times spent in these areas during my Forest Research days. Best years of my life.
Glenn Johnston
I was involved with the land prep including burning during forestry days. Some was in Westland but most in the area around Taupo and Southern Hawkes Bay. We would hand light smaller burn offs with drip or pressurised diesel burners and use vehicle mounted motorised flame throwers or helicopters to light big burn offs. I ended up getting trained up on aerial fire lighting using Ashley Aphid burners and also burner maintenance and allumagel (napalm) mixing. Hundreds of hours were spent in the helicopters operating burners aerial fire lighting. A few ex Westland venison recovery pilots used to fly the helicopters during aerial fire lighting and Toby Clark when working for Lakeland Helicopters out of Taupo was one of the better ones.
Bruce Truman
Now a little fire and get DOC and other govt agencies on your arse. So much fuel left to make very big fires now and they wonder why.
Bruce Truman
Now a little fire and get DOC and other govt agencies on your arse. So much fuel left to make very big fires now and they wonder why.
Glenn Johnston
Bruce Truman Yes IMO the general public are somewhat misinformed about fire and have been brainwashed into being scared of fire. It is a tool that mankind learnt to use and respect and was a very cheap and effective form of land preparation for agriculture and forestry. Fuel reduction burning that had been a long stang standing way of reducing the impact of wild fires was stopped in various places by misguided "greenies" with catastrophic consequences when the huge build up of fine fuel loadings on the forest floor which used to be managed eventually caught alight.
Lee Christie
Bruce Truman the good old days lol
Lyn Armstrong
Rowena Beaumont Michael Leach
Rowena Beaumont
I remember not being allowed in the shop at moana because our Dad had done a big burn off and it caused an electrical storm and it poured with rain. lol
Rowena Beaumont hahaha yep he was pretty unpopular at times and because people collected rainwater off the roof their water was smokey for ages
PaulAnthony Teens
In 60s these forests were planted to supply the West Coast mills with logs. Now watch it transported out bound for Chinaman benefitRosemarie Searle
So much native was burned off
Bruce Truman
Rosemarie Searle Native is no good to anyone. Can't claim carbon credits on it or wetlands, may as well burn it off and plant pine which will help to country get things right with the rest of the world
Rosemarie Searle
Bruce Truman native has built fine houses and furniture. Each wood has its own merit. That it was so wastefully burned was wrong. We can’t change what was done but we can be better stewards of the land in the future.
Bruce Truman
Rosemarie Searle just saying, give it some value and people might keep it. Very uneven playing fields in this country made by people with very little to no real world experience and paid far to much.
Glenn Johnston
The native areas converted by the NZFS to exotic pine had been logged (admittedly in some cases "creamed") for merchantable species first so we are talking conversion of previously logged not virgin forest here!
Bruce Truman
Heli logging worked well and meant we did not import native from other countries still clear felled, but so long as ours is locked all is good. Coal is next. What does our country all locked up do for the world as awhole?
Wayne Cannan
Anyone remember the big bushfire back in the late seventies down towards Ross?
Michelle Clarkson
Wayne Cannan yes not long after we got there maybe Xmas 79 or 80
Rowena Beaumont
I remember not being allowed in the shop at moana because our Dad had done a big burn off and it caused an electrical storm and it poured with rain. lol
Lyn Armstrong
Rowena Beaumont hahaha yep he was pretty unpopular at times and because people collected rainwater off the roof their water was smokey for ages
PaulAnthony Teens
In 60s these forests were planted to supply the West Coast mills with logs. Now watch it transported out bound for Chinaman benefit
Les Holmes Germanicus
Those days of irresponsibility
are gone thankfully. This practise is nothing to be proud of.
Donna Brydon
Yeah I remember when they fire bombed the nemona state forest in the 80 s what a total waste of our beautiful natives what a stupid short sighted thing to do
Rosemarie Searle
So much native was burned off
Glenn Johnston
The native areas converted by the NZFS to exotic pine had been logged (admittedly in some cases "creamed") for merchantable species first so we are talking conversion of previously logged not virgin forest here!
Bruce Truman
Heli logging worked well and meant we did not import native from other countries still clear felled, but so long as ours is locked all is good. Coal is next. What does our country all locked up do for the world as awhole?
Anne McAllister
Rosemarie Searle Do you realise that 92% of the West Coast is under Govt control. Most of what was burnt off was scrub. It is not that easy to burn west coast native forest as it is so dense . Yes there was some native milled and some areas cleared for farms, but you need to go up in the air and just have a look at how much native is still untouched. The West Coast is a long strip of land.
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West Coast New Zealand History (14th Mar 2021). NZ Forest Service - land clearing, burn offs, exotic planting.1919 - 1987.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 26th May 2026 05:10, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/21755