Saathof Forestry was founded in 2017 by Ed Saathof, after 20 years work with Pan Pac Forest Products. Ed has worked his whole career in the forest industry starting with the late Forestry Service and then working his way back to Hawkes Bay where he has spent the majority of his working career. Ed has been instrumental in setting up many forests and woodlots in Hawkes Bay when he was Forestry Manager with Pan Pac. Since starting Saathof Forestry, David (Son) has joined the business. Both Ed and Dave saw an opening to provide a personalised forestry service to forest and woodlot owners in Hawkes Bay.
Business has rapidly expanded as a direct result of strong client and industry relationships, where a large portion of work has come from referrals.
Because we are a family operated business,
the buck stops with us.
Saathof Forestry is built on sound land management principles and backed with a strong focus on technical knowledge and leading edge technology.
Every landscape is different. So land management and ultimately land stewardship should be treated dynamically to suit. At Saathof Forestry we believe in taking this landscape approach to forestry on your land. This ensures your land is optimised for different uses. We have taken this approach with the Saathof family farm. Good pasture is cropped and grazed while the poor steeper faces are planted in trees.
Saathof Forestry is owned and managed by Ed , Dave & Jake saathof.
Ed Saathof
NZCF
Ed brings a wealth of knowledge of the forest industry with over 40 years experience. He started in a planting crew before working towards a NZ Certificate in Forestry. Following that, Ed has gone on to work for Tasman Forestry Ltd, Carter Holt Harvey Forestry Ltd, Pan Pac Forest Products and then to start working independently under Saathof Forestry Services Ltd.
Over his working career, Ed has worked in all aspects of the forestry cycle – establishment, silviculture, forest protection (security, pest and fire control), harvest planning and logging. Ed worked with Pan Pac in Hawkes Bay for 20 years as the forest manager with a team of 6 salary staff and over 100 contracted staff.
In 2017 Ed decided to have a change and started working independently. Ed saw there was an opportunity to provide a personalized service to forest and woodlot owners in Hawkes Bay. In 2018, his son Dave joined him and now together they offer forestry services to the local Hawkes Bay community.
phone: 027 590 0177
email: ed@saathofforestry.co.nz
Dave Saathof
BForSc (First Class Hons)
Dave has been in the forest industry for six years since completing his tertiary studies. He has completed a Bachelor of Forestry Science where he achieved first class honors at the University of Canterbury. After graduating, Dave worked for Rayonier Matariki Forests harvest planning and managing engineering operations in their Southland branch. Dave gained diverse skills in this dynamic roll planning and engineering for a cut well in excess of 500k tonnes per annum.
Dave has been the recipient of the Prince of Wales award for Sustainable Forestry during his time with Rayonier Matariki. This achievement commends a successful start to his career where he has gone above and beyond his normal role. Through this award, Dave has been to the UK to visit the Duchy’s estate and look at their forest industry in operation there and has had a round table meeting with HRH Prince Charles discussing forestry in NZ and abroad.
After spending time with Rayonier Matariki, Dave made the strategic decision in 2018 to move to Hawkes Bay and join his father in the business. Since then, he has added a new dynamic to the business complementing his fathers foundational knowledge of growing and managing trees.
phone: 027 837 4133
email: dave@saathofforestry.co.nz
JAKE
BE (Forest)(First Class Hons),
Chartered Engineer (Civil, Environmental)
Jake has designed and managed the construction of forest and public infrastructure for the past 15 years. This has ranged from resilient forest infrastructure to high-end residential subdivisions.
This has led Jake to be involved in landowner negotiation, tangata whenua consultation, extensive local and regional council interaction, and extensive contract and client management.
Jake has recently joined Saathof Forestry after a successful tenure managing the branch office of a multi-disciplinary land development company. This experience added diversity and depth to his grounding in the forest industry.
Jake is an engaging, well-rounded, and adaptable forest engineer and project manager.
phone: 021 606 635
email: jake@saathofforestry.co.nz
lukas
Lukas Van Der Werff recently joined Saathof Forestry in April 2022 as the Silviculture and Establishment Supervisor. He holds a degree in Agricultural Science from Massey University and has experience working as an Agricultural Consultant and Sales Representative. With a year of experience in the forestry industry, Lukas is responsible for ensuring that all silviculture and establishment operations are carried out safely, efficiently, and in line with company policies and environmental regulations.
Lukas is a dedicated and hardworking team player with an excellent attention to detail. His passion for sustainable forestry practices and his commitment to delivering high-quality results make him a valuable addition to the Saathof Forestry team.
gin
Gin La Trobe works as the Forestry Administrator. With a Bachelor of Accounting from Massey University, experience as a Business Analyst with Westpac Bank, and more recently the proud mum to three girls, Gin has developed a diverse set of skills and experiences. Gin is responsible for company administration involving harvest administration, data entry, invoicing and reconciliation.
phone: 027 31 41 900
email: gin@saathofforestry.co.nz