Abodo Off-Cuts Find New Purpose as Biodiversity-Boosting Pest Traps

Throughout the fast-growing Radiata and regenerating native bush of Hawke’s Bay, restoration is taking shape through the simple act of repurposing timber off-cuts.

New Zealand’s native wildlife, flora and fauna are unlike anywhere else in the world, but they are also vulnerable.

Our country holds one of the highest proportions of at-risk native species globally, with around 4,000 threated or near extinction*. Each year, introduced predators such as stoats, rats, and weasels kill an estimated 25 million native birds, while silently destroying native lizards and insects**.

At Abodo® as part of our sustainability ethos, we aim to minimise wastage, using as much of the log as possible. That’s why we’ve donated 100 handcrafted pest traps, made from off-cuts of our responsibly grown New Growth™ Vulcan timber. From plantation to protection, the timber’s journey has come full circle, originally growing in Pan Pac Forest Products forests and returning as traps that now safeguard the ecosystems they once grew beside.

Watch the Video

Dan from Pan Pac and Abodo’s Sustainability Lead, Jade, share insight into the project on site at Pan Pac’s newly purchased Rock Station.

Community Connection

To bring the traps to life, we turned to a group who understand the value of craftsmanship. The pest traps were created by the hands of dedicated volunteers at The Menz Shed, a community organisation built on camaraderie and skilled handiwork. Using Abodo’s thermally modified Vulcan® off-cuts, they’ve transformed what could have been discarded, into something that now protects and gives back to the land it came from.

Targeted Restoration

These traps are strategically placed throughout Pan Pac’s pine forests and the native bush reserves woven through them. Set with bait and monitored by the passionate team at Bay Pest Eradication.

Having removed more than 100 deer from Rock Stations native forest, they are now focusing on reducing the numbers of other pests such as possums, stoats and rats, which threaten native bird species like Tui, Keruru, Kiwi and Whio.

Purposeful Forestry

Abodo New Growth™ timbers are naturally durable and grown in Forest Stewardship Council® certified, rapidly renewable forests, managed with native biodiversity in mind. This partnership with Pan Pac isn’t just about pest control, it’s about global gold standard forestry, where timber is grown with care, and even the off-cuts serve a purpose.

*Predator Free 2050

** Predator Response 2024/2025