Berwick Forest is a large Pinus radiata (Pine

Pine

Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...

) plantation

Plantation

A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...

 at Berwick

Berwick, New Zealand

Berwick is a small farming community on the banks of the Waipori River in New Zealand. To the south of Berwick is the Berwick Forest, a large pine plantation.Berwick is also the location of one of the Otago Youth Adventure Trust's campsites....

 in New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

, around 40 km west of Dunedin

Dunedin

Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...

. The forest lies close to the banks of the Waipori River

Waipori River

The Waipori River is located in Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. Rising in the Lammerlaw Range, it flows southeast for 50 kilometres before joining the Taieri River near Henley, 30 km southwest of Dunedin of which it is officially the southernmost border.The upper reaches of the Waipori...

 immediately below and around the western end of Lake Mahinerangi

Lake Mahinerangi

Lake Mahinerangi is a small hydroelectric lake formed by a dam on the Waipori River 35 kilometres to the west of Dunedin in New Zealand's South Island....

, and consists of three blocks - the main block, Maungatua, and Waitahuna, with a total area of 13,141 hectares. The land is owned by Ngāi Tahu Forest Estates

Ngāi Tahu

Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori iwi of the southern region of New Zealand, with the tribal authority, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, being based in Christchurch and Invercargill. The iwi combines three groups, Kāi Tahu itself, and Waitaha and Kāti Mamoe who lived in the South Island prior...

, the trees by Wenita Forest Products, which has shareholders Sinotrans

Sinotrans

Sinotrans Limited is one of the largest logistics companies in China. It is based in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Sinotrans Limited was incorporated in 2002 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2003 with Sinotrans Group as its controlling shareholder. The Group injected into...

 (62%), the Chinese shipping company, and GMO LLC (38%), a Boston-based investment company.

The forest is popular with hunters from Otago

Otago

Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...

, with both deer and wild pigs common prey.

The forest was subject to a large forest fire in the late 1990s that destroyed several square kilometres of trees, and caused NZ$12 million (US$7 million) worth of damage. The cause of the fire was thought to have been sunlight shining though discarded glass.

External links

• Berwick Forest webpage at Wenita