The forestry industry says its work with environmental groups on climate change helped it end a seven-year standoff over an international certification label.
The Forest Stewardship Council-certified logo guarantees that the timber comes from a well-managed and sustainable source and appears on almost half the wood produced in New Zealand.
Talks aimed at a New Zealand-specific FSC standard broke down in 2003 over how much native bush had to be retained with each plantation.
The co-ordinator of the national standard working group, Colin Maunder, says it has taken time to rebuild trust and an agreement appears to be within reach by the end of this year.
