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As a result of long-term cooperation, Hekotek AS has signed a contract for the supply of log feeding equipment, wood chips and sawdust and sawn timber conveyors to the Japanese company Chugoku Mokuzai (Chugoku Lumber Co Ltd.).

Chugoku Mokuzai is one of Japan’s leading wood processing companies with several production units across the country. The new sawmill will be built to replace the production unit destroyed in 2023 by fire in Ibaraki Prefecture on the eastern coast of Japan.

In this new production unit it is planned to saw round logs of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) from North America. The finished sawn timber will be sold by Chugoku Mokuzai mainly on the domestic Japanese market.

The transport capacity of the equipment supplied by Hekotek is expected to be approximately 100 sea containers, the first of which will begin their long sea voyage in the coming months. Production at the new unit is scheduled to begin in early 2027, preceded by an approximately 8-month-long period of installation and testing of the equipment.

The equipment supplied by Hekotek will ensure the feeding of logs at various speeds to the modernmost HewSaw sawline. The entire equipment set supplied by Hekotek is designed and manufactured based on particularly high technological requirements, where the proportion of human labor in the entire production process is minimized.

We would like to thank both the Chugoku Mokuzai project team and our local representative, Oki Kikai Ltd., for their trust and will do everything we can to ensure that the project succeeds as expected.

https://hekotek.ee/equipment-supply-to-leading-japanese-wood-processing-company-chugoku-mokuzai/

To read previous Hekotek related posts click here.

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The post Equipment for the leading Japanese wood processing company Chugoku Mokuzai appeared first on International Forest Industries.

Wales has launched its first Timber Industrial Strategy, to capitalise on growing global demand for timber, which is expected to quadruple by 2050. Source: Timberbiz Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies launched ‘Making Wood Work for Wales’ at the Royal Welsh Show. The new strategy represents years of collaboration with Wales’s timber sector and follows extensive public consultation. It aims to increase both the scale and value of timber grown and timber products produced across Wales. Greater use of timber in construction will secure the forest industry’s future, supporting new investment, jobs and improved carbon outcomes. Recruiting skilled workers is becoming increasingly important as the industry expands. The strategy will improve communication with young people about forestry careers in Wales, working with Careers Wales and organisations such as the Royal Forestry Society. “I am so proud to be launching Wales’s first ever Timber Industrial Strategy today. I want our forests to be in active, sustainable and diverse use, providing economic, environmental, social and cultural benefits to the people of Wales for many centuries to come and this strategy will play a key role in that,” Huw Irranca-Davies, Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs said. “As the world works towards net zero, timber and wood fibre can make an immediate and important contribution to the materials transition needed for decarbonisation.” Woodknowledge Wales is currently delivering the Welsh-government-funded Home-Grown Homes 2 project using timber in social housing, helping to decarbonise construction, support local supply chains and create more sustainable places to live. “Timber is central to building a low-carbon, circular economy – supporting decarbonisation, rural livelihoods, and sustainable development. Housing is one of the clearest use-cases for scaling up the use of Welsh-grown timber,” Gary Newman, Chief Executive, said.  

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The FSC Board of Directors has approved the transition of the Asia-Pacific Regional Forest Stewardship Standard for smallholders (AP RFSS) from a pilot test to a Forest Stewardship Standard (FSS), marking the end of the five-year pilot test phase initiated after the Board approval in June 2021. Source: Timberbiz This decision marks a significant milestone for smallholder certification in the Asia-Pacific region, ensuring a robust framework for sustainable forest management for very small-size forest producers. The AP RFSS currently targets management units of plantations below 20 hectares in India, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, encompassing timber, Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) and ecosystem services. In South-East Asia, relatively large quantities of forest products are produced by very small forest owners, with the average size of a management unit being around 3-5 hectares. The Asia-Pacific Regional Forest Stewardship Standard for smallholders was developed to address the challenges and to provide easier access to FSC certification through: A simplified standard for very small forest producers. Greater flexibility in demonstrating conformity. Ways to reduce certification costs. The AP RFSS was developed as a regional standard through extensive stakeholder consultations and field testing at the country level between 2018 and 2020. By 30 June, 68 AP RFSS audits had been conducted or are currently underway across the four pilot test countries, involving six certification bodies. In 2024, FSC conducted a mid-term progress evaluation. The progress report highlighted several positive results: Alignment with FSC Principles and Criteria, with effective criteria and indicators and low forest management risks. Strong smallholder uptake, with the number of AP RFSS audits more than doubling each year. By mid-2024, nearly 57,000 hectares of plantations were certified in Vietnam and Indonesia. Potential application to natural forests below 20 hectares, including NTFPs and ecosystem services. Based on even more extraordinary results observed in the first months of 2025, the proposal to anticipate the transition of the pilot test to a normal FSS was made to the Board in its 102nd meeting, granting certificate holders access to the long-term benefits of FSC certification beyond the pilot test timeframe. With this approval, the standard will be applied like any other Forest Stewardship Standard from 1 July 2025 onwards. FSC has committed to finalizing all current pilot test activities with certification bodies involved in the pilot test. Additionally, FSC will collaborate with Assurance Services International (ASI) to ensure that the AP RFSS for smallholders continues to adhere to the FSC Principles and Criteria. In further positive news, the scope of the AP RFSS will soon be expanded to include NTFPs and ecosystem services in natural forests, broadening the impact and benefits of the standard for smallholders in South-East Asia. FSC will closely monitor the first audits in Indonesia to ensure effective implementation of the extended standard. Watch these inspiring videos to learn more about the AP RFSS implementation on the ground: Tapping Change: Empowering Smallholders through FSC-Certified Natural Rubber in Kerala FSC standard for small scale producers in Viet Nam.

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