Strong returns for sheep and beef farmers could be helping slow the rush to convert farmland into forestry. 

A new Beef + Lamb NZ report shows 30 thousand hectares of farmland was sold for forestry last year – less than half the 2021/22 peak. 

Chair Kate Acland says it's pleasing to see only 1,300 hectares converted in the first three months of this year. 

But she told Mike Hosking that number will probably rise as foreign investment offers flow in. 

She says we have to think about what we want the country to look like in 50 years. 

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