'Slash' not the root cause of cyclone debris – forestry sector

'Slash' not the root cause of cyclone debris – forestry sector
The forestry sector employs about 17% of the primary sector in the Gisborne region. (Image: Getty)
Brent Melville
The storms and two cyclones that blasted through the North Island in January and February displaced about 100 million tonnes of soil in the Tairāwhiti Gisborne region alone, with about half of that getting into waterways.In its submission to the ministerial inquiry into woody debris and sediment in the Gisborne and Wairoa districts, the Forest Owners Association (FOA) suggested that woody material alone – generically labelled as 'slash' – is not the only source of damage, stemming from the four-week rain deluge. Th...

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