Exotic Forestry Description improvements move ahead

Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is taking a major step toward improving New Zealand’s exotic forestry data system, announcing a new partnership with Bioeconomy Science Institute Maiangi Taiao to support the upgrade of the National Exotic Forest Description (NEFD).

“The planned improvements will ensure the NEFD remains fit for purpose in a rapidly evolving data environment and continues to provide accurate and consistent information about the country’s exotic forest estate, whilst reducing survey burden on forest owners,” says Debbie Ward, Director Forestry Insights, MPI.

The NEFD is a key annual dataset that outlines plantation forest area by species, age, and location. Its insights support wood supply forecasting, climate reporting, policy development, and investment planning across the forestry sector.

“Transitioning the collection of the exotic forest description data for the NEFD to a spatially enabled system will reduce reporting pressure on forest owners and survey participants while improving the precision and depth of national forestry insights,” Ms Ward says. “By moving from traditional survey-based reporting to spatial data analysis, the improved process will deliver more timely and higher quality information to government, industry, and researchers, strengthening evidence-based decision making.”

MPI has contracted Bioeconomy Science Institute Maiangi Taiao to deliver core components of the NEFD. “Bioeconomy Science Institute Maiangi Taiao brings specialist expertise in remote sensing, forestry science, and spatial analytics, supported by its Forest Insights model, which uses advanced spatial imagery interpretation to describe forest characteristics with greater accuracy.”

Michael Watt, Portfolio Leader-Digital Forests, Bioeconomy Science Institute Maiangi Taiao, says the upgrade represents a significant milestone for the sector. “New Zealand has long been a leader in forestry innovation. By embedding advanced remote sensing and spatial analytics into the NEFD, we are building a next-generation forest information system that reflects the scale and sophistication of today’s data environment,” Dr Watt says.

Alongside this project, MPI is also reviewing intentions and forest management details of the NEFD to ensure the modernised system continues to meet the needs of participants and the wider forestry sector. Further updates will be provided as the programme progresses.

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Source: Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service