Locals across the Tasman say the flood damage has been worsened by forestry slash. Photo: RNZ/Samuel Rillstone
A forestry industry leader says many of the trees that came down in Tasman areas were growing trees that had fallen, not slash.
The head of the Forest Owners Association is flying to flood damaged Tasman as it grapples with fallen trees, forestry slash and silt.
It appears the forestry industry itself has taken a big hit with thousands of hectares of pine plantation wiped out.
The association's chief executive Elizabeth Heeg told Morning Report the forestry industry was open to changing their management operations.
"I appreciate in a really hard event, like what we have just been through, that it seems like there should be a way for us to prevent the wood coming down into the communities, and that's something that we are really interested in working with the communities on."
But she said there were several areas that weren't active harvesting operations - which produces slash - but rather growing trees that came down.
"We are really going to have to look at, with these multiple storm impacts with climate change, how we are going to manage these forests."
Trees down in Nelson Tasman, during extensive flooding and heavy rain. Photo: Supplied/ Nick Smith
"At this stage what we know about the damage to forestry is that a lot of it has been driven either by landslides that were in standing forestry, we've possibility got some landslides in areas that have been recently replanted, we've also seen a considerable amount of windthrow - that's where the trees snap off at the base - due to the high winds at the end of last week."
She said windthrow looked to have impacted "about 4000 hectares".
"It looks like it is going to be a pretty big recovery and clean up operation," she said.
"Some of these specific soil types like the Separation Point Granite get saturate and can just give way, including with all the trees that are on top of them.
"We've got a lot of work to do from a climate change adaptation perspective."
When asked whether forestry should be using that type of soil, Heeg said "some kind of tree cover was going to need to be planted there".
She said forestry was open to having a conversation around how they would ensure tree cover was managed in a stable way.
Residents across the Tasman region have said forestry slash has exacerbated flood damage.
Bethany Park Campground in Kaiteriteri had extensive flood damage. Photo: SAMUEL RILLSTONE / RNZ
'Don't know what they are going to do'
Nelson Tasman Civil Defence will again be sending a helicopter out on Tuesday to assess and make contact with isolated households.
In the region 18 homes remain without power and six people remain in emergency accommodation.
Meanwhile, an information drop-in centre has been set up in Motueka to provide support to flood-affected locals.
Deputy chair of the Motueka Community Board and co-ordinator for the local business association Love Motueka, Claire Hutt, told Morning Report there were still a lot of people unable to return home.
Hutt said about 60 people could not return home - most were staying with friends and family, but some where in the local hotel.
Men cutting up and clearing fallen trees in Motueka Valley. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
"Hotel Motueka still got four rooms full of people who had to be evacuated, and yes, some of the streets in the Motueka township have had raw sewage down the street, yeah, it is not very pleasant."
She said sewage had become a real problem for the township.
"I don't know what they are going to do... [the sewage] has actually been an issue in the past, it's not their first rodeo in that department. We need to start looking at making sure it doesn't happen again as part of the recovery process.
"But top priority is getting as much information out to the community so it's all in one place... and also doing welfare checks on people.
"A lot of stress tired, people out there and just turning up with a shovel and a smile can make the world of difference."
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
