The New Zealand Journal of Forestry Science publishes forestry research relevant to New Zealand and the south-west Pacific as well as work from other parts of the world. Many papers focus on the environmental benefits of forests. For example, water quality is an important environmental factor in all ecosystems including forests. Baillie and Neary (2015) reviewed water quality in New Zealand’s planted forests and found that planted forests can provide a sustainable source of well-maintained and high quality water resources.
The Montreal Process is an international agreement on sustainable forest management, and member countries are required to obtain the views of relevant stakeholders as part of their commitment. Children are an important, but often overlooked, stakeholder group so Bayne et al. (2015) examined New Zealand school children’s perceptions of local forests. This research meant that children’s views contributed to fulfilling New Zealand’s Montreal Process obligations.
Scion funds the New Zealand Journal of Forestry Science to promote the transfer of high-quality forestry research to forest industries and forestry scientists all over the world. Open access is the ideal medium for achieving this goal since it removes any barriers to obtaining content. Springer is Scion’s preferred choice of publisher because it is forward-looking and has already embraced the concept of open-access publishing.
About the Author
Dr. Ruth Falshaw has a background in wood chemistry and has been Editor-in-chief of the New Zealand Journal of Forestry Science since 2008.
