Assistant mill manager Mike Banks says JNL is proud of the fact that, in striving for constant improvement in every aspect of its operations, it has more employees undergoing further training than any other forestry company in New Zealand. JNL's main focus is on the production of radiata pine to be processed primarily for the Japanese building industry and, as the only species actively marketed, radiata is being replanted in the clear-felled areas. Two hundred and forty thousand trees are planted each year as part of its sustained yield programme. Three hundred hectares of new land were planted in 1996. A much slower-growing species, corsican pine doesn't yield the volumes needed or command as high a price as radiata, producing on average only 360 cubic metres a hectare compared with an average of 660 cubic metres a hectare for radiata.
Corsican pine is sold on the local market for poles and fence post materials.
Small, short or misshapen logs are also sold locally for chipping. The number of people employed by JNL on forest operations has remained much the same, though improved efficiency and equipment has allowed production from the forest to be lifted considerably from 80,000 cubic metres in 1990 to 160,000 cubic metres at present. This coming year, forest production is projected to reach 200,000 cubic metres, with 250,000 cubic metres achievable within the next four years. That is considered to be the sustainable yield of the forest if all clear-felled areas are replanted and tree maturity kept at 33 years for pruned material and 30 years for unpruned stands to produce a higher quality log. Most other companies cut their timber when it reaches 25-28 years of age.