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Mark Greenwood's biosecurity contribution acknowledged

6/6/2016

Mark Greenwood

Mark Greenwood of Te Puke was awarded the New Zealand honour of Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours. Mark was a founder of STIMBR.

Mark Greenwood has developed a highly respected reputation in the international biosecurity community as an expert in fumigation and helping to position New Zealand as a global leader in this field.

Mark Greenwood is the owner and Managing Director of Genera Limited, 100% New Zealand family-owned business which provides biosecurity treatments. Genera was the first company to offer fumigant recapture in New Zealand and also pioneered the world’s first use of in-transit fumigation of log ships using phosphine gas, which has saved thousands of tonnes of methyl bromide from being released into the atmosphere. He has overseen the introduction of several other alternative forms of biosecurity treatment such as cylinderised phosphine and chemical-free heat treatment. He instigated the formation of STIMBR (Stakeholders in Methyl Bromide Reduction), an action group set up to research alternatives to methyl bromide. He is also the New Zealand representative of the International Maritime Fumigation Organisation. Through Genera Mark Greenwood sponsors pest control for 10 hectares of Stewart Island.

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Log export statistics to June 2015

15/1/2016

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New Zealand exported 16 million cubic metres of logs in the year to June 2015. The majority of these logs (11.4 million cubic metres) were exported to China. The following are breakdown of types of phytosanitary action of the 13 million cubic metres (mainly China and India) that required treatment:

64.5% (8.38 million m3) were fumigated with phosphine
28.1 % (3.65 million m3) were fumigated with methyl bromide
7.4 % (962,000 m3) were debarked.

Methyl bromide use has declined by 7% from 571 tonnes in 2013 to 525 tonnes in the year to December 2014.

The volumes for forestry exports to all countries are available at the following links. Click the link to download the file:

Year ended 30 June 1996 to most recent [XLS, 313 KB]
Year ended 31 December 1996 to most recent [XLS, 326 KB]

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Methyl bromide alternatives literature review

20/12/2015

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In 2014 STIMBR commissioned a comprehensive literature review to determine whether any fumigants, or disinfestation strategies, methods or techniques presented viable alternatives to methyl bromide fumigation for New Zealand log exports.

The viability of alternatives focused on considerations of currency in the literature, economic and regulatory feasibility, environmental and human health concerns, efficacy against target pests, utility for log exports, and commercial application aspects based on current and historical literature.

The primary goal of the literature review was to find two fumigants that could be recommended as viable alternatives for further research under the Ministry for Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) research programme, “Protecting Market Access for Wood Exports”.

A full version of this literature review can be downloaded here:

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New chairperson for STIMBR

14/7/2014

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Don Hammond

Rotorua forest industry consultant Don Hammond is the new chairperson of STIMBR – Stakeholders In Methyl Bromide Reduction Incorporated.

STIMBR, funded by a voluntary levy based on usage of fumigant gases methyl bromide and phosphine, is leading a multi-pronged research strategy to find alternative phytosanitary treatments for exported logs and timber products. The New Zealand EPA will not permit the discharge of methyl bromide to the atmosphere when fumigations are complete beyond 2020 as methyl bromide is an ozone destroying product.

Announcing Don Hammond’s appointment, Board member and Levy Payers Subcommittee Chairman Peter Hill said Don was an ideal choice for this role.

“Forest and horticultural industry biosecurity is critical for New Zealand, as we strive to keep unwanted organisms out and to meet the importing country phytosanitary requirements of our forest and horticultural exports. It is important that we are able to meet the EPA requirement for methyl bromide use, and the 2020 deadline is looming.

“Industry leadership over the next few years is critical to New Zealand being able to continue to meet market requirements for our logs, timber products and horticultural produce.

“Don Hammond has a successful career in forest science and biosecurity as a practitioner, project leader, researcher and tutor. He is an ideal choice for this new role as STIMBR’s chairperson,” he says.

Don Hammond is STIMBR’s first chairperson under its new constitution, which was adopted on 1 January 2014.

“Don will be able to provide great support for STIMBR’s executive officer and research director Ian Gear, allowing Ian to focus on managing relationships with research providers, forest industry organisations and government agencies,” Peter Hill says.

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Mark Greenwood's biosecurity contribution acknowledged

Log export statistics to June 2015

Methyl bromide alternatives literature review

New chairperson for STIMBR

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