Proposed updates to forest types and default carbon tables for exotic forests in the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme and other regulatory amendments

Have your say

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is consulting on changes to improve the default carbon tables for exotic forests in the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS). Default carbon tables are used by small-scale forestry participants to calculate the carbon stored in their forests. We are also consulting on other technical regulatory amendments for forestry in the NZ ETS.

We want your feedback about the proposals – summaries are on this page and full details are in the discussion document.

You can send us your submission from 15 April until 5pm on 16 May 2025.

Discussion document

Proposed changes to forestry in the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS)  [PDF, 2.1 MB]

Related documents

Evaluating the potential for a default carbon table for redwoods and an updated default table for the exotic softwoods forest type for use in the ETS summary report [PDF, 3.3 MB]

Section D: Technical report: Evaluating alternative carbon modelling and analysis models for redwoods [PDF, 2 MB]

Section E: Impacts of silviculture and coppicing on carbon stocks in redwoods [PDF, 3.3 MB]

Updated default tables for the exotic hardwoods forest type for use in the ETS [PDF, 2.7 MB]

Updating radiata pine carbon yield tables for use in the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme [PDF, 3.6 MB]

Proposed updated and new default carbon tables in Excel format [XLSX, 86 KB]

Technical Annex: Summary of research supporting the proposed updates to the default carbon tables [PDF, 1.2 MB]

Consultation on updates to the Climate Change (Forestry) Regulations 2022 – Cabinet paper [PDF, 674 KB]

Updates to the Climate Change (Forestry) Regulations 2022: Release of Consultation Document – Minute (EXP-25-MIN-0042) [PDF, 709 KB]

Introduction and summaries of the proposals

The Maximising Forest Carbon Programme aims to improve how we measure, recognise, and reward carbon storage in our native and exotic forests. One of the ways it will do this is by improving the accuracy of the default carbon tables.

Find out about Maximising Forest Carbon Programme

Summary of proposed changes to the default carbon tables for exotic forests

Participants with less than 100 hectares of forest land registered in the NZ ETS use the default carbon tables to calculate their forest’s carbon storage. The tables were developed in 2007–2008 using the best data available at the time but have not been meaningfully updated since.

Tree species in the NZ ETS are grouped into 5 forest types for carbon calculations. These are:

• Pinus radiata (radiata pine)
• Douglas-fir
• exotic hardwoods
• exotic softwoods
• indigenous (native).

We are proposing updates to default carbon tables for the following types of exotic forest:

• exotic softwoods
• exotic hardwoods
• Pinus radiata (radiata pine)

We're also proposing to introduce a new forest type and default tables for redwoods. Redwoods are currently in the exotic softwoods forest type but under our proposals redwoods would be separated from exotic softwoods.

These improvements will help to ensure:

• the forest types in the NZ ETS reflect the main types of forest grown in New Zealand
• the default carbon tables provide robust carbon sequestration estimates
• small-scale forestry participants are fairly rewarded for their carbon sequestration.

Summary of proposed regulatory amendments in the NZ ETS

Separate to the default tables proposals, we are also proposing some smaller amendments to the Climate Change (Forestry) Regulations 2022. These changes address technical issues. They are: 

• clarifying whether young forests that fail to thrive should be considered first or subsequent rotation under averaging accounting
• updating the deadline for the input calculator to align more closely to the deadline for emissions returns
• streamlining the processing for transmissions of interest
• simplifying the treatment of small areas
• future-proofing the method of spatial measurement used for determining land area.

Making your submission

Send us your feedback on the proposals by 5pm on 16 May 2025.

You can submit feedback on the whole document, or just the areas relevant to you.

There are 3 ways you can make a submission – using an online form, or by emailing or posting your submission. 

Online

Complete our online submission form – Alchemer

Email or post

If you are sending us a submission by email or post, we encourage you to use the submission template. The submission template has the same questions as the online form.

Optional submission form template [DOCX, 120 KB]

When you have completed your submission, email it to etsforestrychanges@mpi.govt.nz

Or post it to:

Maximising Forest Carbon Programme
Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140.

Include the title of the consultation document with your submission: Proposed changes to forestry in the NZ ETS.

Additionally, you may choose to include the following optional details:

• your name and title
• your organisation's name (if you are submitting on behalf of an organisation, and whether your submission represents the whole organisation or a section of it)
• your contact details (such as phone number, address, and email).

Providing this information is optional. If you do include it, it will help us gain more insights from your submission.

If you’d like more information, email etsforestrychanges@mpi.govt.nz