The decline in forestry planting has been confirmed in a new Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry report.

The report, compiled from a survey of forest owners and consultants who own or manage planted production forests, records a drop in the country's planted forest area for the first time.

MAF produces the National Exotic Forest Description as it's called, in partnership with the forest industry. It provides detailed information that the likes of local bodies and roading and port authorities can use for planning the infrastructure needed for forestry.

A MAF principal policy adviser, Paul Lane, says the decline ios amll, in terms of the scale of forestry in New Zealand. He says most of the deforestation has occurred in the Central North Island and in Canterbury, where forestry land has been converted to pasture for dairy farming.

The Forest owners association president, Peter Berg, says the figures throw up no surprises for the industry which has been forecasting these trends for some time.

The MAF report also shows the amount of timber harvested fell to a bit over 18 million cubic metres last year, from a high of 23 million cubic metres two years previously. However, the forestry sector expects that to pick up again in the next two years, especially if the dollar stays down.