The Forest Growers Levy Trust is urging forest owners to vote yes in a referendum on a levy.
Trust board member Paul Nicholls says if the levy was adopted it would be used for activities like biosecurity surveillance.
He says that, for example, forest health surveillance carried out at present by the Forest Owners Association for its members could be expanded to cover all forests.
"The thing about diseases is that they don't respect ownership boundaries, they just go from tree to tree."
Mr Nicholls says the levy in the first year would be 27 cents per cubic metre of harvested logs.
Owners of forests comprising more than four hectares of 10-year-old trees are eligible to vote in the Forest Voice referendum which will run through March.
Forest owners can register to vote at forestvoice.org.nz
