Feed aggregator

Join us as our special guest and witness this exciting moment for yourself at our booth #711. We’ll be unveiling our newest product solution at the Timber Processing & Energy Expo in Portland, OR. It’s shaping up to be an event to remember and we want you to be there!

You can also see our other displays, including new advances in optimization and panel technology and offerings from our parts and upgrades teams.

See you there!

To read previous Timber Processing & Energy Expo posts click here.

To read previous USNR posts click here.

 

Follow IFI on Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

The post USNR Booth #711- It’s almost time to pull back the curtain! appeared first on International Forest Industries.

Front-line law enforcement officers from across Vietnam have received specialised timber legality training, critical to Vietnam’s efforts to promote sustainable forest management and combat illegal timber trade. Source: Timberbiz Vietnam is a major importer and exporter of timber products. Much of the timber is sourced via cargo shipment from Africa, particularly from the Congo Basin, where uncontrolled deforestation is a major problem. This situation jeopardises Vietnam’s timber industry and challenges frontline officers who, due to limited capacity and knowledge, struggle to verify timber species, origins, and documentation in order to ensure legality. To address these challenges, TRAFFIC, the Department of Forestry, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) organised a series of training courses in Quang Tri, Ba Ria Vung Tau, Dong Nai, and Gia Lai, reaching 123 officials from Vietnam Customs, Forest Protection Department, and Environmental Police, across 21 provinces. The curriculum focused on enhancing skills in assessing and verifying legal compliance related to imported timber, covering the following topics: International and Vietnamese regulations on timber legality Due diligence in managing imported timber Controlling high-risk species and timber identification methods Traceability tools to verify timber species along the supply chain Use of a new wood identification tool in development by TRAFFIC. This training series came at a critical time, as Vietnam works to implement its commitments under the Vietnam-EU Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (VPA/FLEGT) signed in 2019, which requires robust systems to ensure the legality of all timber in Viet Nam’s supply chain, making the enhanced capabilities of front-line officers even more crucial. Linh Nguyen, Project Manager at TRAFFIC, expressed optimism about the program’s impacts. “The high pass rate and positive feedback from participants indicate that we have made substantial progress in equipping our officials with the necessary tools to combat illegal timber trade. It represents a crucial step in Vietnam’s ongoing efforts to promote sustainable forest management,” he said. This comprehensive training initiative marks a significant milestone in Vietnam’s commitment to combating illegal timber trade and ensuring the sustainability of its timber industry. By enhancing the skills and knowledge of its front-line officers, Vietnam is taking proactive steps to protect its forests, support legal trade, and contribute to global efforts in forest conservation.

Thanks to Tristram Branscombe-Kent’s invaluable inspiration, thousands of consumers worldwide have come across the friendly checkmark-and-tree logo along with the ‘Forests For All Forever’ tag line. This year, as FSC celebrates its 30th anniversary, it honours his memory and conveys our gratitude, on behalf of all the people who work hard contributing to the health of the world’s forests and a healthier planet. Source: Timberbiz The FSC logo is a statement that tells you that the product that you have purchased has been produced using wood from a responsibly managed forest, ensuring that its biodiversity is respected while providing social benefits to the communities that depend on it. Behind the FSC checkmark and tree, there’s a story of commitment by a group of people that came together 30 years ago. That group of people had a vision, and the creativity of a uniquely talented graphic designer. It all started in 1994 when the first FSC members saw the need to have a logo that consumers and producers alike could easily identify with the mission for global forestry that was just dawning: to promote environmentally sound, socially beneficial, and economically prosperous management of the world’s forests. These members were presented with an initial design that represented a cluster of trees casting a shadow in the form of a world map. Although the idea was adequate, “a number of stakeholders saw it difficult to recognize. Also, due to its size, the map left out some parts of the world, which was criticized by some members for obvious reasons,” said Tim Synnott, an FSC founding member and its first Executive Director. Therefore, a much simpler and efficient version was needed. “The Board and I quickly realized that the first logo was quite unsuitable for labels due to its complexity, so we commissioned Tristram Branscombe-Kent to design a new one in 1995, a process that took several months of refining and agreeing,” he said. Branscombe-Kent began his early career as a graphic designer in a variety of agencies and locations including London, Athens and New York before creating Tristram Kent Associates (TKA) first in Canterbury and then in Broadstairs. Branscombe-Kent arrived at FSC’s first headquarters in Oaxaca, Mexico, in June 1994 to meet with the Board members at their third meeting and to gather their impressions. The commission was clear: the concept had to immediately tell consumers that the product they were about to purchase represented the FSC mission and came from well-managed forests. The challenge was not easy, as this commitment was at an infant stage at the time and some of the green claims on labels that began to appear on products in the early 1990s were downright misleading. “Consumers were simply not as knowledgeable about ethical choices back then and they had no way of knowing whom to trust or believe. It was a novelty, and we had to convey a very simple and effective message to reassure them,” said Mr Synnott. After gathering the Board’s input, Branscombe-Kent hopped back on a plane and flew back to England, where he began to work on what came to symbolize the world’s first choice of responsibly sourced forest products. Early sketches show a variety of options as he toyed with the idea that responsible forestry had to include imagery that would be immediately recognizable with the obvious – trees. These included a dual-shaped tree that was meant to symbolize a broadleaf and a conifer with the abbreviation FSC beneath it. Other options were bolder and documented an interest in conveying more abstract symbolism, such as a photograph of a tree that had been digitally reduced to a minimal amount of bitmap information and meant to identify with the dawning digital age. The final drafts were presented to the FSC Board of Directors, and the option of the checkmark-and-tree logo was accepted at the beginning of 1996. For the Board members, this was the perfect choice as it conveyed a tree with a universally recognized sign of approval – a checkmark. Twenty-five years on, it proved to be the right choice. The logo was officially launched at an event in London on 21 February 1996, and the first product bearing it – the now legendary Sainsbury’s cooking spatula – was available soon after, beginning a journey that keeps telling us today just how important it is to buy products that help preserve the world’s forests for future generations.  

Caterpillar has eight new next generation Cat Skid Steer Loader (SSL) and Compact Track Loader (CTL) models. Four new Cat SSLs – the Cat 250, 260, 270, and 270 XE – mark the introduction of the next generation design to the SSL line. Source: Timberbiz Meanwhile, the new Cat 275, 275 XE, 285 and 285 XE mark the expansion of the next generation design for the CTL line, joining the 255 and 265 announced in late 2023. The largest CTLs ever produced by Caterpillar, the new Cat 285 and 285 XE compete in a new class size with greater lift height and lift and tilt breakout forces. Maintaining the DNA of what made the Cat D3 series a leader, the next generation SSL and CTL models are a ground-up redesign that improves on the features that made the previous series popular. High performance is the standard for these next generation machines, elevating Caterpillar’s loader reputation through upgrades in engine power and torque, lift and tilt breakout forces, stability, operator comfort, and technology. The new SSL and CTL models carry on Caterpillar’s new machine nomenclature with the elimination of the series letter designation. All next generation Cat SSLs are now identified by an ending model number of 0, while all CTLs have a model number ending in 5. Simplifying nomenclature, the middle number represents machine size with a larger number All next generation Cat SSL and CTL models feature a redesigned engine compartment that places the engine and cooling package lower into the frame for improved stability, giving the operator confidence in handling heavy loads throughout all aspects of the work cycles. Meeting US EPA Tier 4 Final/EU Stage V emissions standards, the four new CTL models are powered by the Cat C3.6TA engine, while the 250 and 260 SSLs are powered by the Cat C2.8T and the 270 and 270 XE by the Cat 3.6TA. These new engines maintain horsepower across a wider RPM range compared to the previous engines powering the D3 series and boast significant torque increases 13% for the 250 and 260, 35% for the 270, and 50% for the 275 and 285 for improved working performance. With a vertical lift design, these new next generation machines feature significant increases in lift height, breakout forces and ROC to elevate loader flexibility and performance. The Cat 250 features a lift height of 124 in (3150 mm), 3 in (76.2 mm) more than the 242D3, a 36% increase in tilt and 26% increase in lift breakout forces, and 21% increase in ROC. Offering a maximum lift height of 132 in (3353 mm), the 260 has 7 in (193 mm) more lift height than the 262D3 and 27% increase in tilt and 24% increase in lift breakout forces, and a 17% increase in ROC. With 6.4 in (162 mm) more lift height than the 272D3, the 270 and 270 XE deliver a maximum lift height of 133.5 in (3391 mm) plus 11% and 5% increases in tilt and lift breakout forces, respectively. The 275 and 275 XE CTLs have a lift height of 134.4 in (3415 mm), 8 in (203.2 mm) higher than the 299D3, plus a 37% increase in tilt breakout force and 19% increase in ROC. Expanding the Cat SSL and CTL line into the biggest size class, the 285 and the 285 XE deliver a lift height of 146 in (3708 mm) and tilt breakout force of 13,920 lbs (6314 kg). The 285 has an ROC of 4,719 lbs (2141 kg) with counterweight while the 285 XE has an ROC of 4,816 lbs (2185 kg) with counterweight. Their new closed-centre auxiliary hydraulic system allows these machines to operate all Cat Smart Attachments with the standard hydraulics provided. Standard hydraulic system pressure increases 5% to 3,500 psi (24130 kPa) in the next generation models. Cat 250, 260, 270 and 275 machines equipped with standard hydraulic flow are shipped from the factory outfitted as “High Flow ready.” High Flow functionality is activated simply via a new software enabled attachment (SEA), permitting on-machine or remote activation of increased hydraulic flow to 30 gal/min (113 l/min) for the 250, 260, and 270 models and 34 gal/min (129 l/min) for the 275 at standard hydraulic system pressure. Also available, the High Flow XPS factory option increases auxiliary hydraulic system pressure to 4,061 psi (28000 kPa) for the 250, 260, 270, 275 and 285 next generation models. Along with this, hydraulic flow is increased to 30 gal/min (113 l/min) on the 250, while flow increases to 34 gal/min (129 l/min) for the 260, 270, 275 and 285 models. Equipping the 250 with the High Flow XPS option gives customers auxiliary hydraulic performance not available before in a mid-size chassis SSL. Equipped for maximum hydraulic capability, the High Flow option for 270 XE, 275 XE and 285 XE loaders increases auxiliary hydraulic system pressure to 4,496 psi (31000 kPa) and hydraulic flow to 40 gal/min (150 l/min). The four next generation CTL models feature a new E-bar (equalizer bar) undercarriage that provides increased stability for grading and handling heavier loads. The E-bar undercarriage harnesses Caterpillar’s heritage and leadership with track type tractors to provide a hybrid undercarriage solution. It delivers the benefits of a rigid-style undercarriage design when lifting heavy loads or using heavy attachments like mulchers and dozer and grader blades, while simultaneously providing the benefits of an oscillating undercarriage when encountering uneven terrain or obstacles. All next generation Cat SSLs and CTLs feature a larger cab design with 22% more overall volume and 26% additional foot space. With a 2.75-in (70-mm) increase in interior width, the new cab expands footwell-to-ceiling height by 1.8 in (46 mm) and allows for an additional 1.5 in (40 mm) of hip room and 1.1 in (28 mm) more width between the joysticks to improve operator comfort. Next generation loaders are equipped with either a 5-in (127-mm) standard LCD monitor or an 8-in (203-mm) advanced touchscreen monitor, depending on the selected technology package. Like the advanced display […]