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The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) will host the largest ever American Hardwood Pavilion at INDIAWOOD, which is due to run from February 22 – 26, 2024 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), in Bengaluru, India. Source: Timberbiz A record year of exports to India in 2023 coupled with India’s growing appetite for temperate hardwoods has bolstered US hardwood exporters to become increasingly active in India. The event will see the participation of 14 exporters under the banner of the American Hardwood Pavilion. The American Hardwood Pavilion, which will occupy 224 square meters of space at the show, will serve to highlight the variety of American hardwood species while also throwing the spotlight on the benefits of the value-added processes undertaken to supply such a high quality and high yielding kiln-dried raw material. Participating companies include Baillie Lumber, Banks Hardwoods, Bingaman & Son Lumber, Cascade Hardwood, Classic American Hardwoods, Crown Hardwood Co., Hartzell Hardwoods, Midwest Hardwood Corporation, Midwest Timber Exports, Missouri Walnut, Ron Jones Hardwood, Turman Group, Wheeland Lumber, and WM Cramer Lumber. “Demand for North American hardwood lumber has been increasing in recent years, with 2023 looking set to be another record year for US hardwood lumber exports to India. Data provided by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the first 11 months of 2023 revealed that US hardwood exports to India were valued at US$6.54 million, equating to a volume of 10,905 cubic meters,” said Roderick Wiles, AHEC Regional Director. “We look forward to our participation at INDIAWOOD, which is a must-attend event for the region’s timber trade and woodworking sector. Now in its thirteenth year, the show allows us the opportunity to share the comparative benefits of US hardwoods, in a market that offers significant and long-term growth potential.” According to AHEC, while the export-focused furniture and handicraft manufacturers (concentrated in Rajasthan) represent the greatest current market opportunity for US hardwood lumber in India, the long-term target market will be domestic consumers. Currently, this market is primarily serviced by smaller furniture, joinery and flooring manufacturers, who offer bespoke solutions and who are not export-focused. The size of the domestic furniture market cannot be understated. According to Mordor Intelligence, it is estimated at US$15.79 billion in 2023, and is expected to reach US$26.85 billion by 2028, growing at an annual rate of over 11% during the forecast period. In recent years, the market has expanded beyond chairs and tables to include designed interiors, wardrobes and upholstered furniture sets. Escalating demand for customization is another major growth-inducing factor, as consumers are seeking personalized, functional, and design-centric furniture. The heightened focus on sustainability and eco-friendly furniture made from renewable or recycled materials has also catalyzed market growth, while several favourable government initiatives, such as the ‘Make in India’ campaign, that encourage domestic manufacturing and enhance the availability of quality furniture at affordable prices are contributing to market growth.

For decades, Nokian Tyres Noktop 21’s traction, self-cleaning properties and versatility on challenging surfaces has made it a trusted go-to tread for commercial use. From the beginning of 2024, the classic tread gets new features while keeping its first-class properties. Source: Timberbiz From February 2024, Noktop 21 gets a new look and new features. While the time-proven rubber compound, tread pattern and two-layer cap/base structure remain, it now has broader width range of 240–280 mm, added stud holes for every width, clear product markings for identification as well as 3PMSF marking as proof of safe winter use. “By creating new moulds and adding some improvements we gave the classic tread a fresh start,” Teppo Siltanen, Product Manager at Nokian Heavy Tyres said. “With the new 280 mm width, the Noktop 21 range covers the most popular tyre sizes very well.” Over the years, the Noktop 21 drive tread has become something of a legend in the transport industry. Its good self-cleaning properties and remarkable traction have earned the trust of people working on wintry roads. Its tread pattern has also been copied by many other manufacturers. “Earlier versions of the Noktop 21 tread had a distinctive white stripe, which we later had to leave out for manufacturing reasons,” Teppo Siltanen said. “Now, the renewed Noktop 21 has clear markings with model number, country of origin and winter symbols to prove it is the real deal. “Retreading makes sense both economically and for the environment,” Mr Siltanen said. “For all-season general use, you cannot beat the two-layer cap/base structure of the original Noktop 21. “The tread profile changes over the winter to become suitable for summer use.”

The Building Simplexity Laboratory (BSL), at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), has showcased the innovative use of evolutionary algorithms in simplifying non-standard, lightweight catenary wood structures through their design-build project, the KATENARA Pavilion. Source: Timberbiz The Pavilion, built in collaboration with NYCU Graduate Institute of Architecture, at Dongshi Forestry Cultural Park, Taichung City, Taiwan, in 2023, features a striking double-curved wooden roof surface, composed of two glulam ring beams and 10 near-catenary-shaped glulam beams, anchored by tension cables. The Project highlights the development of advanced computational methods to reduce construction complexity while emphasising the use of timber as a sustainable, low-carbon construction material. An exhibition featuring drawings, prototypes, and onsite documentation of the Project – ‘KATENARA: Advanced Computational Methods for Low-Tech Timber Construction’ held in Hong Kong showcases the technique. The ‘KATENARA’ exhibition also presents a series of pilot studies and historical precedents to reveal the construction complexities and opportunities inherent in catenary glulam roof systems. Architects and engineers have long optimised geometry and cost to create structurally sound and visually appealing spaces. Examples include the JS Dorton Arena (Matthew Nowicki, USA, 1952), the David S Ingalls Skating Rink (Eero Saarinen, New Haven, USA, 1958) and the Yoyogi National Stadium (Kenzo Tange, Tokyo, Japan, 1964), all using lightweight suspended steel cables or members as their structural roof system, utilising materials such as concrete, steel, and timber. Recently, glue-laminated (glulam) timber has gained traction as an eco-friendly option for large-scale roof structures. However, complex glulam geometries are often limited by expensive bespoke moulds. To overcome this challenge, researchers at BSL developed evolutionary algorithms to reduce moulds, lowering costs and improving accessibility. In the Project, parametric engineering software optimised the catenary beams’ number and spacing, while the design was further optimised for low-tech timber construction settings. Japanese Cedar wood, chosen for sustainability and strength, was the primary material used. Minimising construction costs while maintaining architectural integrity was a primary challenge. The algorithms allowed the pre-fabrication of all curved glulam elements using a single jig, accounting for 19% of the total timber works cost, highlighting the impact of reducing the number of jigs on a project’s budget. Strategically controlled parametric detailing simplified the connection between the roof floor and suspended beams, using steel connection details to facilitate easy fabrication and minimise the complexity of on-site installation. The on-site assembly of KATENARA’s main structure was completed within just three hours. “The KATENARA Pavilion confirms the validity of the concept and identifies opportunities for future improvements in the design and construction of similar structures. As the first built example of optimised suspended glulam roof structures for low-tech timber construction contexts, KATENARA lays the foundation for more inventive building designs, particularly in developing construction contexts where cost-effective and sustainable solutions are vital,” said Professor Kristof Crolla, Founding Director of BSL. “The Project showcases how advanced computational methods and evolutionary algorithms can transform architectural design and construction, enabling architects and engineers to create visually striking, structurally efficient, and environmentally sustainable buildings that push global construction boundaries.”

For nearly 50 years, Hawke’s Bay residents in New Zealand have been able to locate Pan Pac’s mill site by the billowing steam issuing from its boilers, pulpmill and kilns at Whirinaki. Source: Timberbiz The boiler steam comes from bark and sawdust byproducts of the pulp and lumber operations and woody offcuts that have been salvaged from forest operations and converted into biofuel. This energy provides all of the energy required for the pulp and lumber drying and around 12% of the mill’s electricity needs. However, almost a year ago, Cyclone Gabrielle flooded the site and put the whole site out of action. Pan Pac suffered NZ$300 million in damage to its business and forests from the cyclone, and the company and its staff have been working tirelessly to repair and rebuild ever since. Seeing the steam rising again from the Boiler 1 stack is a welcome sign that full operation is on the horizon, says Tony Clifford, Managing Director, Pan Pac Forest Products. “Our Lumber operations began partial operations last week and our pulp mill will be operational in March,” Mr Clifford said. “We can’t wait to get back to business; it’s been a long road back to recovery, but we are grateful to all our staff, contractors, customers, suppliers and our shareholder for sticking with us throughout this process.”

A Kilsyth-based timber processor in Victoria has been fined $20,000 without conviction after an inspection by EPA Victoria found thousands of cubic metres of illegally stored industrial waste on the site. Source: Star Mail Lilydale Planet Safe Timber Pty Ltd, trading as CCA Pine, entered a plea of guilty in Ringwood Magistrates Court, in response to EPA charges of accepting industrial waste without a licence. EPA officers inspected the company’s Liverpool Road premises in December 2021 and found thousands of cubic metres of construction and demolition waste. They took samples of material from one of the stockpiles, and lab tests revealed it contained three different types of asbestos. The largest of the stockpiles was U-shaped and measured approximately 80 metres along its base, and the other stockpiles were approximately 10 and 20 metres long. EPA issued the company with an Environmental Action Notice (EAN), requiring it to remove the industrial waste to a properly licensed facility for safe disposal. Follow up inspections showed the waste was being removed and had all been cleared by April 2022. The Ringwood Magistrates Court heard that more than 8,000m3 of waste was removed, and that the cost of the clean-up was more than $1.6 million.

There were just 51,570 loans issued in 2023 for the construction or purchase of a new home, less than half the number of loans issued just two years earlier in 2021. Source: Timberbiz The ABS released the Lending to Households and Businesses data for December 2023 on Friday, which provides statistics on housing finance commitments. “The ABS has been collecting data on lending for new homes since 2002, and today’s data shows the lowest number of these loans being issued on record,” HIA Senior Economist Tom Devitt said “The steepest RBA rate hiking cycle in a generation has compounded the elevated costs of home building, seeing potential home buyers squeezed out of the market and fewer new homes commencing construction.” This lack of new work meant the pipeline of new housing supply approaching completion was now shrinking rapidly. “At this rate, Australia will not commence enough housing to meet National Cabinet’s target, falling well short of the 1.2 million new homes they want to see built in the next five years,” Mr Devitt said. The latest ABS data reinforced the need for immediate action by Governments to improve planning regimes, reform taxes on housing, release more shovel ready land, reduce red tape, and address skilled worker shortages. “These are some of the key measures needed to increase the construction of new homes and support the industry to build more of these much-needed homes,” Mr Devitt said. “At a time of record population growth and acute shortages of rental accommodation, a dwindling supply of new homes threatens to worsen Australia’s housing crisis. In original terms, the total number of loans issued for the construction or purchase of new homes in 2023 declined in all jurisdictions compared to the previous year, led by the Australian Capital Territory (-51.4%) and followed by the Northern Territory (-33.5%), Tasmania (-31.0%), New South Wales (-30.9%), South Australia (-27.1%), Victoria (-26.2%), Queensland (-21.8%) and Western Australia (-15.6%).

Scion’s leading biomaterials, 3D printing, packaging, and machine-learning knowledge is being called on as part of a NZ$13.25m research project funded in partnership with the European Union. Source: Timberbiz The EU’s key research and innovation funding program, Horizon Europe, awarded the funds to a four-year project led by INRAE, France’s National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment. The project, starting in May, bring together 15 partners from seven countries. Scion will play a central role in the project and contribute approximately NZ$3m of research to the project. The research program, UPWEARS, aims to develop a sustainable e-textile (electrically conductive textile) using cork, hemp, flax and paper by products, and develop ways to recycle and reuse textile waste. The overall aim is to contribute to a sustainable economy by unlocking the potential of bio-based and hybrid fabrics. To demonstrate the e-textile, the team will create high-performance clothing for biking that is abrasion and tear-resistant, waterproof or repellant, stretchable, and breathable. The product will also be biodegradable, and this will be tested in Scion’s biodegradation facility in Rotorua. Scion’s expertise in sustainable electronics will be used to create flexible sensors from biomaterials for integration into the clothing, sending temperature and humidity data to a user’s device. Scion will lead in turning recovered textile waste into filament or pellets for 3D printing meaning the clothing will be recyclable and a zero-waste product. Scion will also contribute to using AI/machine learning to optimise the production process reducing waste and increasing zero-defect products. Overall, the project will help with the transition to a modern textile fabrication process using natural fibres and reducing waste during and post-production. According to the EU, the textiles industry is responsible for water pollution through things like dyeing and laundering, and responsible for 10 per cent of global carbon emissions. End-of-life waste is a huge problem and tackling textile waste goes towards achieving a circular economy. New Zealand signed an association with Horizon Europe in February last year allowing it to access Horizon Europe funding. Scientists Dr Yi Chen and Dr Marie Joo Le Guen will be leading Scion’s science team. Chen says involvement in the bid came after the establishment of the International Associated Lab for biobased products, LIA BIOMATA, in 2023 forming a collaborative partnership between Scion and INRAE and providing an ideal framework for the development of larger partnerships. “Scion has been developing sustainable biosensors and using AI for forestry and packaging applications, and this technology translates to a variety of applications such as wearable devices. It is fantastic that our capability is recognised globally by world-leading partners. This success is a tangible outcome of the collaborative efforts over the past year with INRAE and the strong connections established through being an International Associated Lab.” While Horizon Europe funding is mostly for projects that will further the EU on the world stage, Chen says it also benefits New Zealand by attracting leading researchers and state of the art technology and raising our profile with future international collaborators. Some of the project’s goals include substituting at least 50% of synthetic materials and using natural fibres from 100% local EU suppliers. The production process aims to reduce water and chemical use and carbon footprint. Scientists will develop bio-bleaching techniques, use cork coating for stability and antibacterial properties, flax for flexibility and hemp for mechanical resistance. Dr Alec Foster, Scion’s Bioproducts and Packaging Portfolio lead says work like this helps progress a circular bioeconomy and being involved in such a globally significant project is a privilege for Scion. “To be one of the first in New Zealand to be a Horizon partner, and to also play such a central role in a substantial consortium, is a fantastic achievement and exemplifies the tremendous opportunity Horizon Europe presents for our country. “The cross-fertilization of ideas and knowledge with some of the world’s foremost experts in the field is the best way to achieve a circular bioeconomy and make a global impact.” He says being part of such transformative project with European partners “underscores Scion’s commitment to making a significant and positive difference in the world with new technologies”. MBIE and Horizon Europe will support Scion’s involvement in the project. The other organisations involved include research organisations, universities and textiles companies from France, Sweden, Portugal, Italy, Belgium and the United Kingdom covering the technical e-textile value chain, from fibre to prototype manufacturing and testing, as well as stakeholder engagement and market analysis.

An Apprentice and Trainee Safety Committee has been set up by the South Australian Government with apprenticeship safety a key area of focus for 2024. Source: Timberbiz The Department for Education, in partnership with the Skills Commissioner spoke to more than 1700 employers to educate them on their responsibilities in relation to their apprentices and trainees, an increase of 3% on the previous year. They also investigated 36 employers for non-compliance with their obligations, an increase of 29 from the previous year and imposed 18 sanctions upon non-compliant employers, an increase of 11 from the previous year. The main types of non-compliances investigated in 2023 include: Failures to provide adequate and/or appropriate supervision, including issues associated with bullying and harassment. Failures to release apprentices for training or to adequately progress them in their training, including not letting them attend off-job training and/or not providing on-job requirements. Failure to provide full scope of work to enable the apprentice to achieve competency across all aspects of the trade or vocation, including issues with licensing. The most common regulatory response is applying conditions to an employer’s registration. Common conditions include requirements for the employer to provide evidence of appropriate supervision and/or training, to limit employers from taking on new apprentices or hosting apprentices without a risk assessment by the department first, and ensuring the apprentice understands their rights and obligations and where to seek assistance if required. Additional sanctions have included prohibiting an employer from employing apprentices and cancelling their registration, suspending an employer’s registration, sometimes until further notice or specific compliance issues are addressed, and issuing compliance notices requiring employers to take specific actions to correct non-compliances. South Australia skills commissioner Cameron Baker will chair the new committee, which will be made up of organisations that have responsibilities for oversight of apprentice and trainee training, safety and wellbeing, including SafeWork SA. The committee will work to ensure additional quality on-job training and safe work-place initiatives for the state’s over 28,000 apprentices and trainees, and they will begin work in March. It will also include representatives of those who will be impacted by the work providing an avenue for direct guidance from apprentices and trainees. The Apprentice of the Year, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year and Trainee of the Year will be amongst those joining the committee. Education, Training and Skills Minister Blair Boyer said workplace issues were contributing to apprentices and trainees dropping out of their courses. “By making workplaces safer for all workers, we will see more South Australians take on a trade and more apprentices finish their course and fill skills shortages in areas such as construction,” he said. “Our government has zero tolerance for the very small number of employers who do the wrong thing, and we take all action necessary to ensure all workplaces are safe for apprentices and trainees. “Not only are we doing more to educate employers and taking action when employers do the wrong thing, but the new apprenticeship safety committee will provide valuable advice to the government on what more we can do to ensure every worker gets home safely.” South Australian skills commissioner Cameron Baker said the South Australian Skills Commission is committed to supporting safe workplace initiatives, especially as many apprentices and trainees are aged between 16 and 21 and inexperienced in the world of work. “Helping them navigate workplaces for the first time and ensuring they are provided with the on-job training they signed up for, and their safety, both physical and psycho-logical, are key priorities for me and the team at the Skills Commission,” he said. “The formation of the Apprentice and Trainee Training and Safety Committee is an important step in protecting some of the state’s most vulnerable workers. “We are pleased to take the lead in this important work to develop lasting changes and ensure we are best placed as a state to meet the skills needs of the future.”

ASH at Heyfield is still open for business. With the closure of the native forest industry, the manufacturer has lost its cherished Victorian Ash timber, but the company is not panicking – it is in expansion mode. Source: Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz Each month, 30 40-foot containers carrying American hardwood from the country’s north-east arrive in Heyfield. “We aim to be growing that,” ASH’s managing director, Vince Hurley, told the Gippsland Times/Express. “It’s the prince of hardwoods – regarded as that everywhere, not just in the States. It’s the timber that everything is compared to, it’s why England conquered the world with their oak boats. Oak is the king that everything is compared to. “It is a really good outcome; we import a raw material, a very basic raw material, and we manufacture in Australia – a bit un-Australian really, isn’t it? Importing a raw material and manufacturing it in Australia?” Mr Hurley said ASH had branded the timber ‘Glacial Oak’. “The reason is, the wood is extremely consistent and blond in colour, it doesn’t contain any pink. Often pink oak has variations and pink doesn’t sell,” he said. “Glacial Oak has been one of our star performers and we originally started with Glacial Oak nearly four years ago, off the back of trying to grow a market, we actually started before we knew what was happening with the Victorian supply,” he said. In 2017, ASH lost half its Vic Ash volume, which gradually diminished further to only three% of its supply in 2023. The dwindling supply prompted a strategic rethink in 2017, with a few aims: look after the company’s people, diversify the fibre input, have a greater emphasis on advanced manufacturing and tighten the supply chain to the end user. “We had no relationships in the US – they couldn’t be developed overnight,” Mr Hurley said, so ties with US suppliers began in 2019. The company also targeted greater use of plantation hardwood from the Strzelecki Ranges that was available through HVP (previously Hancock Victorian Plantations). “As it happens, we developed markets and products and a good supply of the US hardwood,” he said. With the government’s announcement in May to close the industry, ASH turbo-charged its US ties. “’Let’s go!’, we said. Everything was in place – Glacial Oak, the produce out of the plantations; we just had to bump them up a bit to cover what we were missing. Out of necessity, we put ourselves in a good position. With the closure announcement and the actual closure of Victorian hardwood supply, we have been able to ramp it up.” Trucks from the Port of Melbourne laden with the US timber arrive in Heyfield. “We unload; we have an 85-tonne container forklift we got it when we were exporting a lot, now we are importing a lot,” Mr Hurley said. “We are using it (Glacial Oak) to supply the market we have developed and as a replacement for some of our Vic Ash as well. It has been really good in that space – staircases, windows, doors and furniture. We also have a new engineered flooring line; we’re also going to have an engineered floor made of it as well.” It was important that the engineered floor match the ASH staircase. “Home builds, interior designers involved – they want to match the stair with the floor, and now we have an exact match,” he said. Mr Hurley emphasised this point. “We are not importing something and re-selling it; we are importing raw product, manufacturing it in Australia as a finished product – not a sawn board, but as finished products,” he said. These included stair treads, stringers, stair rises, window styles, window sashes, door moulds, furniture components, kitchen bench tops and furniture tabletops. “It’s a balancing act. Part of our solution is to ensure we have a good long-term growing company with access to a long-term certified supply of sustainable timber,” he said. “These are private forests, but they are grown as forests. That’s their business; they want it to be there forever. There are weekly auctions for wood – it’s a massive industry.” Mr Hurley said the US hardwood all came from mixed hardwood forests selectively harvested. “There is no clear-fall at all. It’s a great way of doing it. We went to a couple of its operations that were harvested six months before – you would not know they had been there! Basically, they go through once every 25 years, they take effectively a bit less than a quarter and gradually go through. They leave old trees; they stay there, they do not burn,” he said. Such selective harvesting meant ASH paid more for the timber than if the wood was from a clear-felled coupe. “You’re effectively paying for social licence, to make sure you are looking after everything in the forest,” he said. ASH is part of a group of more than 40 Gippsland and Victorian businesses connected to the forestry sector, led by Bowens and including Dahlsens, who have written a letter to the Premier, Jacinta Allan, urging a rethink of forest management. “There are management solutions that deliver important benefits and wider community needs including – forest health and resilience, reduced wildfire risk, greater biodiversity and wildlife protection outcomes, and also sustainable, renewable, local and independently certified Victorian hardwood products,” Mr Hurley said. “The current situation enables the opportunity to consider forest management from scratch-a fresh start. The fresh start would not consider the industrial type clear fall harvesting or coupe burning. Active Forest Management as widely practised in the hardwood forests of Europe and USA for centuries has maintained the same forest and biodiversity in perpetuity. “Active Forest Management incorporates all forest values and is now being successfully practiced in Tasmanian private forests, with the same species as in Victoria under a strictly approved Forest Practices Plan. This model enables funding for biodiversity, research, forest improvement and fire prevention work. It is also self-funding. “Monitoring of is an important component both […]

Australia has seen a steady build-up of timber in timber yards across the country because the country is not making progress towards those housing targets, according to Australian Forest Products ­Association NSW chief executive James Jooste. Source: Timberbiz Slow release of land, slow approval rates for loans and houses and economic factors including high interest rates have all had a major impact on timber supplies for some months. “What’s emerged is we’ve got these ambitious targets, that we need housing, yet we’ve got timber sitting in mills, which is an indicator that that things are moving,” Mr Jooste said. “It came on very quickly. It was probably predictable once we started to see those rate rises kick in. “But was it sharp? Absolutely. “We need a roadmap and a steady plan for how we’re going to get to these housing targets, we need to make sure that we get out of these boom and bust cycles for the industry, because we’re seeing significant capital investment being made by mills. “The timber industries continues to be a strong employer of local workers in our regional areas, in our manufacturing areas, in the downstream employment that created our construction sector, but in order to retain those workers, to enable a steady platform for business investment, and for that capital investment, we need to make sure we have a steady increase in the housing construction market, and not go back to these boom and bust cycles,” he said. AKD Softwoods chief executive Shane Vicary said the company’s Tumut mill at Tumut was processing 500,000 cubic metres of logs but that had fallen to 250,000 cubic metres. AKD is the largest sawmill company in the country, producing about a quarter of the nation’s timber consumption. “This mill is doing half the volume that it used to do, and it’ll do half for the next 20-plus years, based on the fact that those logs got burnt,” Mr Vicary tole The Australian recently. Despite this dramatic reduction in production, timber continued to sit on the shelf without being sold, he said. “We can’t get enough people to buy the timber,” he said. “At the moment, most of our employees are earning less because there’s less activity: we’ve got overtime bans, we’ve got employment freezes.” The federal government has previously laid out ambitions to build 1.2 million new homes in the next five years but NSW Premier Chris Minns has already admitted the state would not meet its target this year. Mr Jooste said that New South Wales carried the lion’s share of the of the housing construction industry. “So, we feel the boom and bust cycle because as a state, we’re most exposed to it. “But these handbrakes that have been put on the economy are nationwide, and those timber mills, across the country will all be seeing a similar picture, as we are in New South Wales. “So what’s the circuit breaker going to be? “We’ll have to wait and see what the Reserve Bank and others do. But we need to make sure we continue to keep a focus on fixing, working hand-in-hand between local government and state government around how we’re getting the planning process right. “And we’ve got to give credit to the state government in New South Wales for doing that and identifying those issues, and then making sure we have a stable business and operating platform for our meals to continue to produce the timber that we rely on.”