Last year the Queenstown Lakes District Council appointed PF Olsen Ltd to manage the controversial early harvest of the 172.5ha forest near Arrowtown.
Council senior parks and reserves officer Briana Pringle said PF Olsen was unable to secure a harvest crew, and the council put a new contract out for tender in March that encompasses roading, cartage and log sales, as well as harvesting.
Asked how many tenders were received by last week's deadline, she would only say "multiple".
Jointly owned by the Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago district councils, the Douglas fir forest on the slopes above Millbrook Resort was established as a commercial venture between 1984 and 1996.
It was due to be logged over 12 years from 2029, but is now considered a significant seed source contributing to the wilding pine problem on neighbouring indigenous tussock grassland.
The suggestion it should be felled early attracted support and criticism from nearby landowners, but in 2017 the council decided to bring the logging forward.
