Nurserymen visit Waimarino tree resource

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 534, 3 May 1994, Page 5

Nurserymen visit Waimarino tree resource

Fifty-six nurserymen and women from New Zealand and Australia recently took a two-hour tour of Ian Forster' s Ngapakihi Road nursery, 'Waimarino Tree Resource.' The group were escorted around the 8.5 hectare property by Mr Forster who said the occasion was a good opportunity to view and share ideas and experiences. Mr Forster said this year's tour is more important due to the current boom in forestry although due to a clash of events, only a few Australians were able to attend. The Ngapakihi Road nursery was established by Winstone Afforestation Limited (part of what was the NZ-wide Winstone Group) in 1983, with the supply for establishment of Waimarino Forest. Mr Forster originally became involved as supervisor in 1986. As the Waimarino Forest became fully established and then up for sale, the nurs-

ery was due to be closed down. It was then that Mr Forster bought the equipment and continued supply to Karioi under the new name, Waimarino Tree Resource. The first crop of Pinus Radiata grown by the nursery numbered 450,000 trees. Mr Forster estimates the top output at around $2,500,000. The majority of participants were members of the New Zealand Forest Nursery Growers Association, started two years ago as a result of discussions on one of the previous tours. The association currently has 32 members. The group began their tour in Rotorua on Monday 11 April and finished up in Ngongotaha on Friday, taking in a total of 12 centres in just five days.