The Honourable Shane Jones seems hell bent on planting pines on large areas of good pasture land. Carbon credits and incentives need sensible outcomes; partnership planting of unproductive Maori land is fine.

Farmers fencing and planting gullies or unproductive hills, with access, ticks boxes.

Once young trees are established these areas can double as stock shelter.

Meat markets are strong and ‘clean green' suggests strong wools should again find a market.

Planting large tracts of land creates extreme fire risks, despite fire breaks. Are we the public underwriting future losses? A realistic annual fire service levy should be charged; and remember the unresolved Tolaga Bay downstream pine logs and slash.

Regional Councils allow rampant plants of widespread distribution to spread and forestry Companies usually only plant between invaders. Dreamers believe native species will win out. Not true; apart from a few isolated areas. Gorse is okay, but many understory plants, trees and climbers, will outgrow, or smother young pines. Native species fare much worse. Invasive plants match invasive animals.

Assumptions: Future timber prices, carbon sink, disastrous event. Investors escape debris clean up.

Jim Trounson, Pyes Pa