What does innovation look and feel like from the contractor’s side? What’s working, where are the challenges, and what we can do to make progress easier and more effective? FICA Chair Nick Tombleson recently spoke at the Forest Growers Research (FGR) Conference in October 2025. His session “Innovation in Forestry: A Contractor’s View” was an opportunity for FICA to provide a contractor perspective within the FGR community. Here’s what he spoke about.
This industry is something we should all be proud of. For generations, forestry has adapted — quietly, practically, and with determination. We’re not just an industry that produces timber. We build communities, create employment, and support the future of rural New Zealand. We’ve led the way in health and safety, and we play a critical role in environmental performance.
But when it comes to innovation — especially around machinery — New Zealand operates in a very different environment. Our timber is larger, our terrain can be challenging, and our soils are more sensitive than most other markets.
So this session is about sharing what innovation looks and feels like for contractor’s — what’s working, where the challenges are, and what we can do to make progress easier and more effective.
The Reality for Contractors
Contractors live at the sharp end of innovation. When something new comes along — a new attachment or even just a redesign, a data system — we’re the ones who take it into the forest and make it work. We find out how it behaves under real-world conditions, with real production pressures. That’s also where uncertainty lies.
When an innovation succeeds, everyone benefits — the forest owner, the manufacturer, the crews, the wider industry. But when it doesn’t, contractors often carry the operational and financial impact through lost time or performance.
We’re practical people. We want to improve, to innovate, and to lift safety and efficiency — but innovation has to be introduced in a way that’s structured, supported, and shared fairly.
The Step Process of Innovation
For contractors, innovation doesn’t happen by accident — it’s a process. It needs structure, clarity, and support at every step.
Identify the problem – What’s really holding us back?
Size the problem
Develop the solution
Fund the problem – Who helps carry the load? Trials take time and resources, so there needs to be a fair way to share the cost while we learn what works.
Assess the risk – What happens if it doesn’t deliver? How do we capture what we’ve learned without losing momentum or confidence? Selling the innovation!
It’s often those last two steps — funding and risk — where innovation stalls. Contractors are ready to trial, test, and adapt. What we need is a process that supports that willingness — with fair conditions, open communication, and a clear path from idea to outcome.
The Machinery Challenge
Machinery innovation is one of the biggest and most complex areas of change. Much of the equipment is developed and tested overseas. This can cause it to not perfectly align with New Zealand’s working conditions. Current trade-offs: heavier machines, higher running costs, and greater soil impact.
The challenge isn’t about “bigger versus smaller.” It’s about how we mechanise smarter. Can we adapt smaller, more flexible gear with the right attachments to achieve the same results more efficiently?
Innovation should focus on smarter application of technology, not just more of it.
The Role of Manufacturers
This is where manufacturers play a vital role — and where stronger alignment is needed.
At the moment, the design-to-manufacture timeline can stretch from two to four years. From the moment a concept leaves the drawing board to when a contractor finally operates it in the bush, a lot can change — technology, conditions, and even work practices.
To make innovation truly work, we need to bring manufacturers into the conversation earlier and give them as much information as we can as an industry. That means sharing not just today’s challenges, but also what’s coming — the future impacts of environmental, health, and safety policies, and how our terrain and work patterns will evolve over time.
Historically, we’ve tended to engage manufacturers — after the machines have already been designed or delivered. We get asked what we don’t like about them: the cab , visibility, or access. That feedback is valuable, but it’s too late in the process. By the time a design reaches us, it’s already locked in.
If we shift that approach — if we bring manufacturers in at the concept stage and show them what the future looks like for New Zealand forestry — they can design machines that not only perform better but also anticipate the regulatory, environmental, and operational realities that lie ahead.
That means:
Contractor Understanding Future constraints — getting everyone seeing the same problems and similar solutions
Modelling before manufacturing — using New Zealand terrain data and simulation tools to test ideas virtually before the starting.
Flexible trial programs — allowing contractors to test pre-production or prototype machines at manageable cost and feed real-world data back into design.
Manufacturers who engage early and stay close to the workflow reality will deliver machines that fit better, last longer, and are adopted faster. That level of collaboration isn’t just good engineering — it’s smart business, and it’s how we build machinery that’s truly made for New Zealand.
Making Innovation Easier
So how do we make innovation easier across the whole sector?
Shared-risk trial models
When we trialled mechanised thinning, the forest owner supported a day-rate model during the start-up phase. It gave both parties room to learn and refine. Shared-risk models like that are practical and far — they acknowledge that innovation takes time to settle.
More Future information up front
We need stronger planning data — terrain, soil, access, and piece-size forecasts — before operations start. That ensures the right machine and technology are matched right, this should be as far out as possible
Industry innovation filters
The industry can only absorb so much change before it becomes counter-productive. Having the right structure through research and development networks can help focus time and funding on the innovations that make the biggest real-world difference.
4. Recognising the shared Vision
Contractors often contribute practical insight during the innovation process. Acknowledging that input and maintaining open communication ensures that learning isn’t lost between areas, stalling future innovation or creating innovation fatigue.
The Path Forward
At its heart, innovation in forestry isn’t about machines — it’s about people and relationships. It’s about trust between forest owners, contractors, and manufacturers. It’s about open communication, realistic timelines, and a willingness to take measured risks together.
Contractors aren’t resistant to change — we’re already driving it. But innovation must fit our conditions, our crews, and our workflows. If we involve contractors early in design, use local data to model solutions, and support fair trial structures, we’ll see faster progress, safer operations, and better outcomes for everyone.
Because the real question for the industry remains the same: What’s the true benefit — and who shares in it? If we can answer that honestly, innovation won’t just survive here — it will thrive, and it will be built for New Zealand.
