The potential of pine

New Zealand is developing the technology to produce all but the specialist oils from a local renewable source: pine. No one would deny that pine forests are an important part of our economy. At present they service the timber industry, which has a large export market at the moment but, due to increasing competition, cannot expect to hold it. Pine grows well here and on land that has no other farming use.

The process of converting pine to liquid fuel is relatively simple. There would be two major products: methanol and synthetic gasoline. The former would harness 3bout 50% of the wood's energy, the latter 38%. New techniques have shown that this can be increased to match the methanol efficiency. Synthetic gasoline would require no new distribution system and vehicles would need little modification. What is more, with 250,000 hectares of forest cultivated for liquid fuel, over half the country's needs could be met. 250,000 hectares, by the way, is only one quarter of the land we presently have in pine.

Why don't we do it? Right now the cost would not be as cheap as the oil we get from overseas. But the rising price of that oil will soon alter this. More importantly, the oil companies have a significant influence on the New Zealand Government, precisely because they supply our fuel needs. It is not in their interest for us to develop our own resources for ourselves. Yet nothing is more obvious than that this situation will not go away of its own accord. It is possible for New Zealand to develop long term self sufficiency in transport fuel. To do this, we need action soon.