This report evaluates the European Forest Reference Level (FRL) approach proposed for EU member States, as the potential basis for developing New Zealand’s Forest Reference Level. Alternatives to this approach for NZ are also discussed that align with NZ’s national carbon inventory, available data, national circumstances, and forest management practices.

Evaluation of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in dis-incentivising deforestation. Deforestation levels with and without the ES and at various carbon prices.

The aims of this project were to (a) collate and analyse available pasture quality data to determine whether the data are statistically robust enough to provide nationally representative values for the key livestock classes on a monthly basis, (b) statistically derive the number of samples required to represent the seasonal and spatial variations of metabolisable energy (ME) and crude protein (CP) in each region; and (c) make clear recommendations for the establishment of a national pasture sampling programme.

A literature review was undertaken to understand the impact of grazing management, in particular, grazing interval, on pasture quality and the interactions with pasture species, season, land slope and other drivers of pasture quality in a New Zealand context.

This report documents the methodology and assumptions currently used to estimate animal live weight (and live weight gain) for beef and dairy cattle, deer, and sheep in the Agricultural Inventory Model (AIM), the model used to estimate New Zealand's agricultural GHG emissions.

A database of nitrogen (N) measurements created from studies of cattle (beef and dairy), sheep and deer where intakes and partition of N have been collated. The data assesses the current equation used in the New Zealand greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory model to estimate the partitioning of excreta N into urine and faeces (dung).

The primary purpose of this project is the development of the framework suitable for future use by the Ministry and its partners. The project builds on previous work that quantified the use of supplementary feed usage in the New Zealand (NZ) sheep industry. The models used in the initial report have been further extended to include beef, dairy grazing and finishing of cattle exiting the dairy system.

This project aims to update earlier methodology to account for multiple off-paddock structures that collect animal excreta and the multiple manure management systems, by i) reviewing data on the use of these structures and systems, and ii) developing an accounting tool to estimate the fate of dairy cow excreta.

The objective of this project is to determine the post-harvest intentions of owners of post-1989 forests that are nearing harvest maturity.

The report presents updated algorithms for suitable use in the national inventory that suggest improved predictions and a better fit of the data obtained on enteric methane emissions from sheep.

Estimating and examining he enteric CH4 emissions from sheep - using an IPCC Tier 2/3 approach which comprises detailed population, performance, feed characterisation, and the estimation of dry matter intake (DMI) for each category of animal.

The report presents recommendations for country-specific EF1 values for farm dairy effluent (FDE) and urea fertiliser. These recommendations are based on research conducted across New Zealand to quantify EF1 (% of applied N lost as N2O-N) under contrasting soil and climatic conditions.

This project has quantified historical supplemental feed demand, and evaluated the impact of potential future productivity gains on supplemental feed usage within the New Zealand dry-stock farming industry.

The objective of this review was to determine whether additional summer field trials are required in order to improve the accuracy of emission estimates in New Zealand’s national nitrous oxide (N2O) inventory

This report assesses the likely impact that the inclusion of irrigation would have on New Zealand's greenhouse gas inventory, and analyse the feasibility of incorporating irrigation into the inventory, considering both activity data and changes to methodology, and emission factors for nitrous oxide.

This project aimed to identify key current, emerging or next generation Greenhouse Gas (GHG) management options for agriculture; assess their feasibility on farm and likelihood of adoption; and to assess the feasibility of incorporation into MPI's Agricultural GHG Inventory model

This report provides a summary of the trends in non-pasture feed use on New Zealand dairy farms from 1990-91 to 2014-15 as well as future projections of feed demand out to 2030-31, including the breakdown between pasture, crops grown, harvested supplementary feed and imported supplementary feed

The report entails a review of material flows and end-uses of harvested wood products produced from New Zealand log exports, focusing on New Zealand's three major markets: China, South Korea, and India.

The establishment of Permanent Sample Plots [PSP] on marginal land at two study sites. The contrasting landforms assists in understanding the effects of planting density, survival rates and landform.

The aim of this study was to develop a framework for estimating N2O emissions from N fertiliser use on pasture on different slope classes that would eventually be incorporated into the Agriculture Inventory Model and help to ensure that New Zealand’s emissions estimates are as accurate as possible.

Research set out to determine the contribution of national spatial datasets could make on two issues affecting the ability to forecast future wood availability from planted forests and the size of the planted forests estate: 1) The likelihood that individual forest blocks would be harvested; and 2) The probability that forest blocks would be deforested.

This report provides a review of available information for relevant factors and activity data for estimating New Zealand N2O emissions from pasture renewal following IPCC 2006 guidelines.

This report set out to validate the ewe and beef cow data currently being used in the NZ methane inventory model by comparing this data with all other available information, including: reviewing NZ literature on cow and ewe liveweights, obtaining current data from NZ flocks and herds; comparing dressing out percentages from ewes and beef cows with the inventory model and determining whether timing of the liveweights reflect a true average given the seasonal variation.

The report assesses the potential and required changes in activity data and/or inventory structure to capture benefits of four mitigation technologies most effectively in ruminant methane (CH4) and agricultural soils nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions inventories. The four potential mitigation technologies, comprising nitrification inhibitors, feed pads, and two alternative feeds - maize silage and high sugar grasses.

Reviewing the usage of Dressing Out (DO) percentage for different livestock classes as an important asset to farmers in enabling them to accurately estimate carcass weight from on farm liveweight and to target carcass weight ranges that will maximize returns for their own farming operation.

The aim of this study was to refine the method of predicting the partitioning of N between urine and dung to assess the impact on the national N2O inventory.

The equations used by the National Enteric Methane Inventory (NEMI) to predict the energy requirements of farmed ruminants were reviewed and assessed for the applicability to New Zealand conditions - Evaluating individual factorial components of MEtotal for dairy and beef cattle, sheep and deer.

A report on completed and on-going work that examines nitrous oxide emissions from the Waikato River and assesses the results in comparison to previous New Zealand emissions factors for indirect losses from rivers.

This report seeks to determine the impact of Urease inhibitors on changes in both the emissions factors FracGASF and for FracGASM for urea fertiliser-N and urine-N deposition in grazed pasture soils.

The report reviews the contribution of urease inhibitors for N fertiliser to emissions reductions in New Zealand's national greenhouse gas inventory and develops methods to describe how ammonia (NH3) emissions from pastoral agriculture soils can be reduced using urease inhibitors.

This report provides crop activity data and factors for use in estimating nitrous oxide emissions from cropping, and stubble and tussock burning in New Zealand. Recommendations are made for harvest index values for all key crops; root:shoot ratio values for use in estimation of below-ground residue; and residue nitrogen concentrations for key crops.

In this report, industry data on gross intake and digestibility of a set feeding situation and its nitrogen excretion rates for this feeding situation was collected and used to estimate greenhouse gas emissions.

This report classifies organic soils against the IPCC definition of organic soils with the object of clarifying the distinction between cultivated and managed organic soils, and evaluating the area of organic soils in New Zealand as at 1990. Organic soil definitions were proposed for LULUCF and Agriculture sectors of the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory.

A small size goat sector compared with other livestock sectors in NZ means a paucity of data on NZ goat husbandry has limited the ability to derive reliable estimates for enteric methane (Ch4) emission factors and nitrogen (N) excretion rates for the national goat herd.

This project aimed to improve the accuracy of data currently used in the NZ Greenhouse gas Inventory Report (GHGIR) by undertaking an assessment of the NZ pork industry's management practices.

The study was carried out to examine the effect of level of feed intake on methane yield in sheep fed a fresh forage diet covering the range of feed intake that will occur in practice on farms.

The aim of the results presented in this report is to compare the CH4 emissions per kg dry matter intake (DMI) from a group of ewes at 122-132 days of gestation when fed 2 x energy maintenance pasture intakes with CH4 emission values from a cohort of non-pregnant ewes fed at 1 x energy maintenance.