Forestry change that for CARBON FARMING! I am saddened by what I am seeing is happening to our country as I ride my bike through rural New Zealand. Where once there were productive hill country sheep and beef farms there are now conversions happening from Northland through to 6 km out of Pahiatua. Conversions not to Dairying but to Carbon Credit farming. Carbon credit farming is where the land owner gets paid to plant trees to soak up our greenhouse gasses. The trees that are being planted (just about all pinus radiata) are NEVER going to be harvested. Yes that's correct they are not going to be cut down and milled in 25 years, they are NEVER going to be cut down. Pinus Radiata! Think about that. They are going to become the next generations problem. Like for one, they burn, they burn like hot cakes - so how are those future forest fires going to be controlled and by whom and who pays? Two - it is a very mono culture system so if a disease hits Pinus Radiata guess what happens? They die! Three - what survives under a pinus radiata canopy? Like nothing or pine needles. So what is then going to protect these fragile hillsides from erosion and slips? Like nothing. Massive eroosion problems further down the track. Four - the rural community in which this is going on is being decimated as the on farm infrastructure is simply left to rot and at best someone may be living in what was the farm homestead - like, now, in the middle of a tinder dry Pinus Radiata permanent forest!
It makes plenty of sense to the corporates and others that are falling over themselves to buy up these farms and then get paid big money for carbon credits.
It makes no sense to me when one stops and looks at the big picture.
Again New Zealand just cannot seem to learn and get some things right.
Rant for the day out of the way.
A long ride 126 km today through some wonderful country (bar the saddening tree prompt from above). Again of course on back roads except for about a 500 meter stretch along S H Way 2 as we crossed it. Some fine old homesteads from the early 1900's, an absolutely stunning church from the same period as well as many of my favourite "derelict" homes and buildings - each in their final years and each that could tell many stories of life in a bygone era.
Ekatahuna has an excellent Cafe and I am annoyed at myself for grabbing a slab of the Chocolate/walnut brownie to take with me - it was a meal in itself.
It was Masterton and the bowling alley cafe where we stopped for a pizza for lunch before we made good time on the 47 km run across to Martinborough and our flash B&B. We walked the couple of blocks in to town for dinner at the old pub which was just humming.
I have travelled over 3,500 km on this journey so far and while I' don't feel any different physically and the bike is not getting or even feeling any lighter I am noticing some subtle differences - like my trousers that always used to fit just fine now seem to be slipping down. Then there is my "climbometer" - at the beginning of the journey when I biked up a 5% gradient hill my speed was 10 kph and when I went up a 10% gradient hill my speed would be 5 kph. Now I notice my speed on a 5% gradient is up to 12 kph.
What does this mean? Well for one yes, I feel I have lost some weight (so I guess that might be related to my trouser problem) and after 46 days biking and 3,500 km later I'm picking my cycle fitness has improved but I'm not sure I can claim it to be 20% better.
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