Certain people (not mentioning any names) get all twitchy at the mention of “forestry slash” in the context of the rubbish accumulating on Gisborne’s beaches. They might deny that it is in fact slash, or they might say they can only see the odd sawn end now and again, inferring that it is principally the consequence of natural processes. Whether or not the woody debris is anthropogenic in origin, this calls into question the responsibility borne by forest owners to prevent the material being discharged from their properties.

I understand the quantity of logs currently shipped from Eastland Port is about 3 million tonnes/year (and has been forecast to rise to over 4 million). Assuming that as much as 90 percent of a tree (say) is saleable, the corresponding unusable material, discarded to be processed by nature, would be 300,000 tonnes/year. And that has to go somewhere!

I have previously mentioned hydrothermal processes for converting waste carboniferous materials into valuable hydrocarbon products; there is a company called Licella that has developed such a process and is building pilot plants in Australia and the UK. I have written to them to enquire whether a throughput of 300,000 tonnes/yr of feedstock would be sufficient to justify the establishment of a pilot plant here in Gisborne.

Perhaps Trust Tairāwhiti — with its regional responsibilities for economic development — might be interested in looking into this option too?

Peter Wooding