Rayonier Matariki Forests is stumping up tuition fees for its Southland contractors to train their apprentices in a bid to encourage school leavers to join the industry.

Paying people to join the forestry industry has provided a novel solution to a national problem.

Tom Fox, a forest nutrition expert and Rayonier’s Vice President Forest Productivity and Sustainability in the US, was recently in New Zealand to visit a number of Rayonier Matariki Forests and share some of his latest findings on forest nutrition and soils.