Thursday, May 31 2001 - Rotorua Daily Post - Forestry Today

Leading Rotorua company, Interpine Forestry Limited is taking its expertise into the 21st century and putting a new spin on forestry business.

Originally a family silviculture contracting business set up by Mike King in the 1970's, the company is now using state-of-the-art technology combined with many years of in field experience and targeted training to increase returns by up to 20 per cent for clients locally and internationally -- which is adding millions of dollars to forestry returns.

The technology was originally developed by company director Don Scott. It revolves around a handheld computer based auditing processor which is used to measure dimensions of cut trees. The processor then analyses the most profitable use of each tree centimeter by centimeter, using upto the minute log prices and specifications data. This output is then reported back to a central database and is posted on to an encoded website for easy daily reference by the client.

"At the time when New Zealand is experiencing a large increase in supply of wood - known locally as the 'Wall of Wood" - forest owners are looking for smarter ways to get the best returns on their forestry investments, "said Donald king, General Manager of Interpine Forestry Ltd.

"We have proven that interpine can increase revenues off a forest by up to 20 per cent. Which in today's market conditions can make the difference between an acceptable return and choosing not to harvest."

Interpine Forestry Limited is working increasingly off shore in America, Australia and Brazil. However, the company also provides the technology and expertise to local clients. Interpine has just announced the opening of a new office in Invercargill, to work with clients in the south Otago and Southland districts.