Forestry is a challenging business. There are always potential incidents, accidents and events outside your control that can impact or affect people, tree stock and machinery. Your insurance needs to respond to your industry

Forestry Insurance Covers

Contractors

In the forest's life cycle many contractors are employed. You may be a Harvester, Silvi, Mensurator, or a Transporter. All of you need financial protection against accidents that lead to damaged equipment or breaches in your legal responsibilities

Harvesting and Milling

Protecting trees as they are harvested and milled ensures you reap the rewards from your investment

  • Tree stock damage
  • Interruption of harvesting and/or milling through machinery downtime
Your Trees

It takes 30 years to grow a forest. You need insurance that evolves to cover:

  • Young trees vulnerable to weather such as hail
  • Standing timber, which includes plantation pine and/or woodlot – against fire, lightning, weather, landslip, malicious damage
Interruption to Your Business

Provides for loss of income through machinery breakdown or damage, weather events, accident, fire – to help maintain operation and employment

Your Legal Responsibilities

Regulations like the Health and Safety Act increase the onus on owners/directors for the safety of those who work for your forest. The RMA looks at any impact you make on the environment. You need protection to cover your legal responsibilities to your staff, contractors, the community, the environment and your shareholders

Why you need it

As the forest grows and changes, so do the challenges. Your insurance should cover all possibilities at all times. Sweeney Townsend tailors insurance to fit your needs, working alongside you to continually refine your cover and keep it relevant

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What you need to look out for

Environmental damage

Recently the release of sediment into a stream led to a ‘wrongful act’ prosecution of the individual directors and the company deemed responsible. Directors and management require additional protection to avoid being personally exposed

When a specific vehicle, plant or machinery is key to production

Not only do you need to insure for damage but also the losses you sustain as a result of that damage. These can include lost productivity and income, costs incurred to accelerate the repair process and any associated hire costs

Your working environment conspires against you every day

Over 6 years there have been 4-5 deaths each year. Breaches of Health & Safety can leave you and your company legally and financially exposed. It is important to have accurate levels of insurance protection

Think you are covered for legal representation only to find you are not?

If the amount you are being sued for is close to or exceeds your liability policy limit, the court may bar you from using your policy to pay your defence costs. Why? Because your defence costs are inclusive. To ensure you are covered make sure your policy identifies defence costs separately

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Phone: 0800 555 453

If you would like to speak to us, give us a call. We would love to hear from you

Helpful links

Advice & support

Safetree

Health & Safety

Drone rules