Harvesting ETS forest land

If you harvest or deforest forest land that is registered in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) you may need to pay New Zealand Units.

Harvesting and deforesting forest land

If you are registered in the ETS with post-1989 forest land you may need to pay New Zealand Units (NZUs or units) to the government if you harvest your forest. This depends on which carbon accounting method you are using.

Harvesting may leave your land ‘temporarily unstocked’ before you replant. If you do not replant, or you switch to another land use, the land has been deforested. Deforestation has a specific definition under the ETS.

• If you deforest registered post-1989 forest land you must remove the land from the ETS and pay all units earned for these areas back to the government.
• If you deforest pre-1990 forest land you need to tell MPI and pay units for the emissions you create, even if you have never earned any units.

Read more about carbon accounting and deforesting forest land: