Australian timber industry news

In 2023, the Norwegian Forestry Agency paid out almost SEK 309 million (around $44M) in compensation to landowners who were denied felling in areas close to mountains due to high natural values. This is an increase of 25% compared with the previous year. At the same time, the area for which formal protection was established was the lowest since 1998. Source: Timberbiz Since 2020, the Norwegian Forestry Agency has paid trespass compensation to landowners who have been denied permission to fell in areas close to mountains, this after a trial in court gave the landowners the right to do so. In 2020, only individual trespass compensations were paid out as a result of denied permission to fell, but in the following years the amount of payments increased sharply due to the increase in felling applications that were then sent to the Forestry Agency. In 2021, 72 million kroner (around $10M) was paid out in trespass compensation, in 2022 it was 248 million kroner (around $54M), and most recently in 2023, 309 million kroner was paid to the landowners who were denied felling. The number of compensation cases has increased from 110 in 2022 to 188 cases in 2023. In total, trespass compensation has been paid out as a result of denied permission to harvest 16,700 hectares of forest land in the region near the mountains in the years 2020 to 2023. The biggest increase was between 2021 and 2022 when the area that was trespassed increased by almost 300%. The largest part of the area that received trespass compensation in the mountains until 2023 is in Västerbotten (62%) and Jämtland counties (36%). The remaining 2% is distributed between the counties of Dalarna and Norrbotten. In 2023, 810 hectares of biotope protection and 210 hectares of nature conservation agreements were added. Overall, this was the lowest level of new formation of the Norwegian Forestry Agency’s formal protection since 1998. It is also the fifth year in a row where less than 1,500 hectares have been formally protected. The years with the greatest new formation were during 2002 to 2005 when approximately 6,000 hectares per year became formally protected. “Those who have been refused permission to harvest have the right to compensation and we work there as quickly as we can to handle the cases. If more funds are needed to compensate forest owners for denied felling near the mountains, we will request more money for that in good time,” says Johan Åberg, specialist in area protection at the Norwegian Forestry Agency.

Shiling Pei is from the Republic of China, where he likely suffered from wood deprivation. Concrete is the material of choice. Except for ancient buildings, there are few, if any, wood frames, he says. Source: ENR Pei is not only a wannabe woodworker. He has been researching timber building systems for years. “I consider myself an experimentalist,” says Pei, also a licensed civil engineer in California. His latest wood research in resilient performance-based seismic design is historic. As principal investigator for the National Science Foundation’s Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure TallWood Project, Pei is leading a team that tested a resilient 10-story “rocking-wall” frame, composed of vertically post-tensioned cross-laminated-timber, on an outdoor shake table at the University of California San Diego. The 112-ft-tall specimen was the tallest full-scale structure ever tested on a shake table, says NHERI. The shaking simulated the 1994 Northridge quake, a magnitude-6.7 temblor in Los Angeles. Then it ran Taiwan’s 1999 Chichi quake, a magnitude-7.7 temblor. The specimen sustained no damage, except to steel clips that can be replaced, says Pei, and it performed exactly as expected, returning to its plumb position after rocking. “We found a cost-effective and practical way to build a tall wood building that is almost earthquake proof,” he says. The unbuilt 12-story Framework, designed by LEVER Architecture and KPFF, is the model for the specimen. “Ling had the most difficult position of all,” says Reid Zimmerman, a structural engineer on the NHERI team and technical director at the Portland, Oregon, office of KPFF. “He led a large, diverse team,” including six universities, “to design, supply, fabricate and construct the tallest shake-table test in the world,” he adds. And Pei leveraged multiple funding sources and numerous supplier donations while building consensus. Thomas Robinson, LEVER’s founding principal and a NHERI participant, says the rocking wall is “probably the most innovative structure put on a shake table in our lifetime.” Pei’s research focuses on multi-hazard mitigation through performance-based engineering, numerical modelling of structural dynamic behaviour and large-scale dynamic testing. “There’s something very addicting to testing large structures,” says Pei, who has a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Colorado State University. Pei first studied bridge engineering as an undergraduate at Southwest Jiaotong University, in China. He arrived in the US in 2003 to study structural engineering. It was a time when academia was interested in the seismic performance of wood structures, in the aftermath of the Northridge quake. There were few fatalities but the number of wood structures with severe damage was high, Pei says. “We thought wood could do better,” he adds. The “sweet spot” for the resilient rocking system is three to six stories, says Zimmerman. LEVER, with structural engineer Holmes, is currently designing a three-story office building with a timber rocking wall. If built, it would be the first wood rocking wall, other than the specimen. Timber rocking walls are not in the code, making it more difficult for engineers to use the system. Pei and Zimmerman hope to change that. They are co-leading an effort to write a proposal for the 2028 update of ASCE/SEI 7, Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures. Toward that, Pei has to have the NHERI report finalized by the summer of 2025.

Wood leftover from Okanagan forestry operations that would once have been burned is now being put to productive use, according to the Forest Enhancement Society of British Columbia, Canada. Source: Penticton Herald Sixty-six innovative projects undertaken around the province in the past year at a cost of almost Can$50 million have generated an environmental benefit equal to one million fewer tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, the society said. And debris wood that would have filled more than 68,000 logging trucks has been used instead for the making of wood pellets and other products. “With the help of 66 projects funded in 2023, BC is taking necessary steps in battling climate change and becoming more resilient in the face of worsening wildfire seasons,” Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston said. Along with finding new ways to use waste woods, the projects involved thinning forests and other fuel reduction efforts near towns and cities to avoid a repeat of last year’s devastating wildfire season, the worst on record in BC. “Healthy forests are essential to thriving and diverse ecosystems that support healthy people and secure communities, along with a sustainable BC economy,” Minister of Climate Change George Hayman said. The government provided the funding to the Forest Enhancement Society early last year. Forestry companies, Indigenous groups, and municipalities were invited to submit applications for grants that focused on wildfire risk reduction and better use of waste wood. A total of 17 projects were supported with Can$9.3 million of funding in the Thompson-Okanagan region. Fuel mitigation work was done on 84 hectares of land, with carbon dioxide emission reductions estimated at 193,000 tonnes. Recovery efforts have included gathering debris wood for conversion to high-efficiency wood pellets for heating, said to be a renewable energy source, and directing more material to pulp mills than would otherwise have been the case. In the South Okanagan, the Osoyoos Indian Band received funding for the enhanced use of “low value fibre”, material that’s left over from forestry operations. Debris that would have otherwise filled more than 3,200 logging trucks before being burned off was instead put to productive use. “There doesn’t need to be a trade-off between the environment and the economy – it can be, and should be, a win for both,” said Steve Kozuki, the FESBC’s executive director.

The Heyfield Timber Festival is not just an event, it’s a celebration of community, tradition, and the rich history of timber. This year the event will be held from 17-19 February with a street parade on 18 February. Source: Timberbiz The event promotes timber and forestry with its wood chop events but also celebrates local activities such as a dog high jump competition, car and truck displays, and live entertainment. Highlights will include the truck show with a display of log trucks from various eras, as well as the wood chop event which is a cornerstone of any timber festival, and the iconic parade through the main streets of Heyfield. There will also be a timber workers memorial vigil to pay respects the workers of the industry at the timber workers memorial.

Perth’s Hyde Park could lose up to 20% of its trees due to an infestation of an exotic South East Asian beetle known as ployphgous shot-hole borer which tunnels into a tree and plants a fungus that blocks nutrients and water. Source: Timberbiz A single female borer can fly up to 400 metres and start new colonies quickly. It is believed that the borer came into Perth via untreated wood from Asia. “It’s not clear how this destructive borer made its way into WA, but it is clear that we need everyone to follow the strict biosecurity rules at our airports and borders, to keep unwanted pests out,” Western Australia’s Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis said. “An unprecedented biosecurity response has been underway for more than two years to stem the spread of this pest. “DPIRD is working around the clock to eradicate it and is consulting with scientists from California and South Africa to learn from their experience in managing the borer. “However, it is imperative that we work together as a community to deal with this invasive pest.” Around 180 trees in Hyde Park are targeted for removal including old Moreton Bay Figs and London Plane Trees. The Cook Government is urging the Western Australian community to help stop the spread of the tiny beetle, which was first detected in Fremantle in mid-2021. With no known treatments currently available, tree removal is the only way to prevent this invasive pest from rapidly reproducing. This means a number of infested trees across Perth will require pruning or removal by arborists including at Hyde Park, Lake Claremont, Kings Park, and Perth Zoo. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is doing everything it can to stop the spread of the borer, as part of a national biosecurity response, and has launched the biggest surveillance program in the Department’s history. DPIRD response staff have already inspected more than 1.5 million trees on more than 50,000 properties, as well deployed 3,000 traps to help track the borer. There is also a quarantine area in place, covering most of the Perth metropolitan area. It is vital that residents are aware of the restrictions on the movement of wood and plant material from their properties, as it could spread the borer. To date there’s been excellent support from the public and local governments, however ongoing community vigilance is vital to assist the State’s efforts to stop this invasive pest. The public can help by keeping an eye out for signs of the borer, and reporting it to the My Pest Guide Reporter app or website mypestguide.agric.wa.gov.au Symptoms can include tiny holes in a tree trunk, discolouration, staining or sawdust.

A forestry innovation organisation focusing on breeding, researching and developing durable eucalypts is seeking investors to help further research. Source: Farmers Weekly New Zealand Dryland Forests IP Ltd was set up in July 2022 by New Zealand Dryland Forests Innovation (NZDFI) to separate commercial activities from the broader focus of NZDFI’s research and development program. The board of NZDFIP Ltd is now seeking expressions of interest from the forest industry for a limited offer sale of shares in the company and support for its ongoing research and development program. “After 15 years of research and breeding progress, we are ready to invite industry partners to come on board,” said Shaf van Ballekom, chair of NZDFI and general manager of Proseed NZ, Australasia’s largest tree seed producer. “Advances in tree breeding take many decades, as does the research and education that goes with delivering what is a new opportunity for the forest industry. We are on the cusp of commercialising the results of our intensive efforts to date.” Up to 49% of the NZDFIP Ltd shareholding is on offer to forest growers that have the land, capability, and a strategy to diversify by investing in large-scale planting of the elite durable eucalypts now available. A confidential expression of interest document has been circulated to a number of forestry companies that have shown interest in diversifying with durable eucalypts. “Our plan is to deliver tree-breeding, research and extension services to new shareholders in a similar way to that which the Radiata Pine Breeding Company undertakes for industry. We have exciting plans for more research, and want to focus our communication and education into building the capability needed for a New Zealand durable hardwood industry,” Van Ballekom said. Expressions of interest close 28 March.

Forestry Australia is doing a nation-wide call out for passionate scientists and forestry professionals to take part in its highly sought after Mentoring Program. Source: Timberbiz Forestry Australia CEO Jacquie Martin said the program was a great opportunity to super-charge forestry careers. “The relationship between a mentor and mentee is a powerful thing,” Ms Martin said. “It has the ability to change, shape and motivate both individuals and entire sectors, and that’s exactly what Forestry Australia’s Mentor Program is all about. “The program is carefully designed to pair experienced forestry professionals with those who are seeking to evolve their career in our exciting sector. Over nine months, mentees will expand their forestry and professional skill sets, grow their networks and enhance their careers. “The program has been developed around a framework and tool kit of resources which support participants to set career and development goals; teach time management for life, values and business ethics, forestry skills gap analysis and career planning. “It’s also an excellent opportunity for experienced professionals to give back to the sector by investing their time and sharing their experience with the next generation of forest scientists and forest managers. “I encourage anyone who is passionate about Australia’s forestry sector and sustainable forest management to join the program.” Applications for the Mentor Program are open now, and close on February 4. It is free for Forestry Australia members, and if you’re not a member it’s easy to join here

Forest & Wood Products Australia (FWPA) has announced the first tranche of successful forestry research proposals from the July 2023 open call for proposals. Source: Timberbiz The open call for forestry research proposals attracted 29 responses which were reviewed by a scientific advisory panel of experts and a committee of grower members and were subjected to a benefit cost analysis by an independent economist. Twelve proposals totalling $10m have been approved by FWPA for an investment of $5.5 million through FWPA. The projects will be funded through industry levies, voluntary cash contributions and matching funding from the Australian government, with significant in-kind contributions by industry and research partners. The successful proposals were submitted by nine research providers and involve growers from all major commercial forest growing regions of Australia. The research will address a range of challenges across forest health and biosecurity, plantation silviculture, detection of threatened fauna, impacts of fire, phytosanitary options for log exports, and alternate species from current tree crops – many by harnessing various remote sensing and molecular technologies. There are several proposals still under evaluation, and it is expected that further announcements will be made in coming weeks, following completion of the approval process. “FWPA is proud to continue our support of world class research that will have real and positive impact on the businesses of Australia’s commercial forest managers – research that our members value,” FWPA Forest Research Manager Jodie Mason said. “We thank the many research leaders and industry partners for their considerable efforts in developing high quality proposals and look forward to working with them to implement the projects, commencing in the coming months. Sharon Occhipinti, General Manager Forest Services, HVP Plantations, and an executive member of FWPA’s Grower Research Advisory Committee said that FWPA’s investment in these projects demonstrated how researchers could work with industry to solve problems identified by forest growers. The FWPA Forest Research Program supports collaborative activities that advance research, development, and extension of benefit to Australia’s commercial forest growing sector. The Forest Research Program is aligned with the Forestry RD&E Investment Plans, which were developed in consultation with Australia’s commercial forest growers to inform collaborative investment and identify priority topics.

Tasmania’s $10 million On Island Processing Program is helping boost value-adding of Tasmanian timber across the State, including at Bakes Sawmill which this week opened its upgraded mill at Gowrie Park south of Devonport. Source: Timberbiz Resources Minister Felix Ellis said that, supported by a $147,688 grant from the State Government, the sawmill had successfully completed installation and commissioning of new wood treatment equipment. “This new equipment will re-direct 420 cubic metres of timber per annum to produce treated timber for a range of products, adding value to what was previously chipped residue wood,” he said. Instead, the wood treatment equipment allows Bakes Sawmill to value-add and treat the timber to produce: Building cladding products Building framing timbers for internal and external use Landscaping and garden products in a range of profiles, and Treated natural logs for cabins. Bakes Sawmill is one of seven Tasmanian timber processing facilities to share in a $6 million investment through the first round of the On-Island Processing Program to help the forestry sector turn existing wood supplies, as well as wood residues, into higher-value products. Mr Ellis said that successful local projects are adding value to the current timber harvest, optimising the use of wood residues and waste, reducing the need for imported wood products and supporting the local construction industry. “The program is also helping to improve timber recovery processes that will see more local wood replacing imported timber, increased output of treated pine products and an expansion of the amount of sawn timber and by-products generated from lower grade logs. “Everyone knows the Rockliff Liberal Government is the strongest supporter of the forestry sector which supports more than 5600 jobs in regional Tasmania,” he said. “Tasmanians also know that they cannot trust Labor when it comes to forestry. Given half a chance they will do a deal with the Greens and shut down this industry which is vital to our building sector and also providing fibre for a plastic-free future.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has committed to stripping the Environmental Defenders Office of all Commonwealth funding should he win the next election. The EDO, which again began receiving money from Labor last year after a 10-year funding drought initiated by the Abbott government, recently lost a case brought by the North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) against the Commonwealth of Australia and the State of NSW with its lawyers arguing that the RFA should not have been renewed without assessment and approval under federal environment laws. Source: Timberbiz And it lost a landmark case against Santos’s $5.3bn Barossa LNG project, with claims the company’s proposed 262km pipeline off the Northern Territory would cause irreparable damage to First Nations people and their sites being rejected. In that case Federal Court Judge Natalie Charlesworth offered a stinging critique of the claims put forward by the EDO, saying that she had “drawn conclusions about the lack of integrity in some aspects of the cultural mapping exercise, which undermined my confidence in the whole of it”. Mr Dutton, speaking at a Chamber of Minerals and Energy event in Perth, said the EDO’s conduct in the case discredited the non-government organisation and it should be defunded as a result. He said a Coalition government would not allow activists to hold sway over Australia’s industries and economy. And on Monday, Northern Territory chief minister Eva Lawler confirmed she had tasked her environment minister with taking a closer look at its $100,00-a-year contract with the EDO. Shadow Minister for the Environment, Fisheries and Forestry Jonno Duniam welcomed the Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton’s announcement. “The Albanese Government should never have given the EDO $8.3 million. The only thing that the EDO has done is frustrated our courts and brought important projects to a standstill,” he said. “It is beyond belief that the Albanese Government has undermined Government environmental approvals processes by funding an organisation that appeals these decisions. “The environmental lawfare the EDO has engaged in needs to be called out. Industry partners need to have confidence that they won’t drown in green and red tape when they invest in Australia. But the Albanese Government has instead sent a clear message to partners that they should look elsewhere,” he said. “Labor has not held the EDO accountable for its inexcusable conduct in the Barossa court case and needs to do so.” Shadow Minister for Resources, Senator Susan McDonald said the EDO’s lack of integrity was exposed when Justice Charlesworth slammed it for its conduct in the Barossa court case, highlighting confected evidence and cases of witness coaching. “The Labor Government should not be funding ideological activist organisations to bring forward vexatious claims and launch actions against the government’s own regulator, just to secure votes in inner-city seats under threat from the Greens political party,” she said. “It is time the EDO comes clean and tells the Australian people whether the funding used to attack our vital energy projects was taxpayer money or whether it comes from unnamed foreign donors.”

The timber industry is reeling from ‘whiplash’ as high interest rates and sluggish new home construction have dried up demand following a boom period during the past several years. Source: The Australian In the long run, however, the forestry industry peak body said it needed support to expand soft­wood plantations, which took a significant hit during the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires. It said Australia faced a “supply cliff’ if it was to meet its housing targets as the nation struggled to keep pace with housing needs. At the centre of this double whammy is Tumut, a town of just under 7000, two hours west of Canberra in regional. NSW. It is situated in the Murray Valley, which itself was the nation’s sec­ond most productive softwood region – 18% of national production before the Black Summer fires, according to the federal agriculture department. “This facility was processing 500,000 cubic metres of logs, today we process 250,000,” AKD Softwoods chief executive Shane Vicary said at the company’s Tumut mill. AKD is the largest sawmill company in the country, produc­ing about a quarter of the nation’s timber consumption, according to Mr Vicary. “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,” he said. 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.” Long-time Tumut timber worker and CFMEU NSW manu­facturing president Sharon Mus­son said the industry was vital for Tumut. “It’s a trickle-down effect,” she said. “The whole structure of fam­ilies, they rely on the timber com­ing through. “We’ve got one family, there’s eight people all related to each other working together – you know, uncles, brothers, sons. “For them to lose their jobs, it wouldn’t just be the impact of one person losing their pay.” Mr Vicary said reduced supply and demand made them weaker. “You become more fragile,” he said. “You become a smaller oper­ation. You become more suscep­tible to cold winds. “The irony of our situation at a time when we need to be building more houses … we need the state governments to be investing in more infrastructure to enable more suburbs.” Australian Forest Products Association NSW chief executive James Jooste said the conditions for the industry had to stabilise amid the headwinds, especially if the nation was to meet its housing targets. “There is no other solution to meeting our housing needs other than making sure we have a stable supply of timber, and the demand needs to be stabilised,” he said. “It’s so important that we make sure that when we have these am­bitious targets, we also have a plan and a road map to get there, but under pining that all is making sure over the next 20, 30, 40 years we have a consistent supply of domestic Australian timber to meet those needs because timber. goes into 90 per cent of the new detached houses built every year.” The federal government has previously laid out ambitions to build 1.2 million new homes in the next five years. NSW Premier Chris Minns recently admitted the state would not meet its target this year. The Australian earlier this month reported construction industry chiefs warned the country was not on track to meet the target. “Targets are just targets without action so we need to make sure that we’re not seeing this boom-­and-bust cycle continue in our housing construction industry,” Mr Jooste said. ”We need an even pathway and we need investment in our most important material in that housing construction cycle, which is timber.”

Since the last ice age, the Earth’s forest cover has fallen by 20 million km2 or 2 billion hectares. Half of the loss occurred since the year 1900 due to expanding agriculture and industrialization. Source: Visual Capitalist Now forests cover about 30% of the Earth’s land, about 40 million km2, distributed unevenly across the globe. Data for article comes from the World Bank, using data for 2021 that was last updated in October 2023. Predictably, the largest country in the world also has the biggest forest area. Nearly 50% of Russia is forest, measuring roughly 8 million km2. This is bigger than the total land area of every other country in the world with the exception of China, the US, Canada, Brazil, and Australia. It also means one-fifth of the world’s entire forested area is in Russia. Most of Russia’s forests are boreal, to survive the colder, drier climes in the country, and are made up of deciduous and coniferous tree species including larch, pine, spruce, and oak. At second place, Brazil has nearly 5 million km2 of forest cover (about 12% of the world’s forests), thanks to almost two-thirds of the Amazon rainforest inside its borders. For context, Brazil’s forested area is almost twice the size of Saudi Arabia, the 12th largest country in the world. The Amazon also contributes significantly to Peru’s forest cover (ranked 10th on this list) along with Colombia (13th) Bolivia (14th) and Venezuela (15th). Canada and the US, rank third and fourth with roughly the same forest cover, 3 million km2 with several forests on both coasts extending across their shared border. China rounds out the top five, its forests covering slightly more than 2 million km2. Together the top five countries account for more than half of the world’s forests. When taking in the top 10, which adds in forest cover from Australia, the DRC, Indonesia, India, and Peru, this grows to slightly more than two-third’s of the world’s forests. Expanding the ranks to the top 20 will then accounts for 80% of the Earth’s total forest cover. Not all forests are created equal. Primary forests, forests undisturbed by human activity are better carbon sinks and have greater biodiversity than human-planted ones. Here’s how each country’s forest cover is divided between primary and naturally-regenerating forests (forest where there are clearly visible indications of human activities but are now slowly reverting back to their natural state) and human–planted ones. In countries like Bahrain and Kuwait, areas of extreme aridity, where forests would not occur naturally, human-planted forests account for all forest cover. But even across large parts of Europe, planted forests vastly outnumber primary and naturally-regenerated ones, indicating how much deforestation occurred on the continent in the last three centuries, which is now being steadily reversed. In China, which increased its forest cover by the size of Norway in the last three decades, nearly 40% of the total forested area is planted. Experts say that reversing forest degradation and protecting primary forests, holders of an incredible amount of carbon that would be released into the atmosphere when logged should be prioritized instead of just planting new forests. The full article with tables is at https://www.visualcapitalist.com/which-countries-have-the-largest-forests/

Tigercat Industries has built and shipped its 30,000th machine, just over 30 years into its existence. From humble beginnings in 1992 when Tigercat had a single product, very little dealer representation, and produced just a handful of machines, the company has grown steadily, expanding both its production capacity and product breadth. Source: Timberbiz Tigercat debuted the 726 feller buncher in April 1992 at a forestry equipment show in Quitman Georgia. By 1995, Tigercat had two drive-to-tree feller bunchers, two track feller bunchers, and two bunching shear models with distribution in Canada and the United States. By 1997, Tigercat had a full product line to offer southern US dealers with the addition of a knuckleboom loader and the industry’s first successful, serial production hydrostatic skidder. In 2000, Tigercat was well on its way to becoming the dominant player in steep slope harvesting applications, offering a six-wheel drive skidder and the L830 feller buncher. Both were destined to become flagship products for the company. In addition, Tigercat entered the vegetation management sector with its first mulcher carrier. The range of carriers and attachments that have followed are crucial inputs to wildfire mitigation strategies in many regions globally. By 2005, Tigercat was present in Chile, Brazil, Uruguay, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, UK and Sweden among other countries. In 2012 Tigercat had grown in 20 years from two to 1000 employees and introduced the 880 logger, the first in a series of versatile, forest duty swing machines. Today, Tigercat has the most complete full-tree product line-up in the industry, along with a growing range of CTL harvesters, forwarders and harvesting heads. In 2022 Tigercat launched a new brand, TCi and put the TCi badge on its first dozer, the 920. In the last four years, the company has been developing a line of material processing products with two launches to date, the 6500 chipper and 6900 grinder. Tigercat recently opened a new facility dedicated to the material processing product line and is currently building an additional facility. When complete the company will have over 1.4 million square feet of manufacturing capacity. That’s 130 000 square metres or 32 acres under roof. Over 160 dealer locations in 25 countries represent the Tigercat and TCi brands, along with an extensive factory support network. The company employs more than 2000.  

  Climate change is a major priority for the Biden administration, which has set a goal to reach net zero emissions by no later than 2050. As the army works to meet these goals and accomplish the objectives set in its own Climate Strategy, it has begun to focus more attention on one of its biggest emissions drivers: construction activities related to its vast inventory of buildings. Source: Timberbiz Embodied emissions, which occur during construction because of material manufacturing, transportation and assembly account for up to 10% of global emissions, according to the New Building Institute. Possessing the most buildings in the federal government, the Army has an opportunity to greatly reduce emissions by integrating sustainable materials in future construction projects and developing standards that enable others to do the same. The US Army Engineer Research and Development Centre (ERDC) is helping lead this charge through cutting-edge research to develop new materials, analysis tools and design guidance specifications. ERDC is also leading tri-service coordination of all pilot project activities and guidance updates. “ERDC material research in sustainable materials will inform our designers, and the construction industry as whole, how innovative materials can replace current materials with alternatives that are resilient and have low impact on the environment,” says Ed Citzler, Senior Architect and Engineering and Construction Sustainability Lead at the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). ERDC is directly involved with four tri-service pilot projects focused on using sustainable materials in construction, including three that were Congressionally directed in the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). ERDC is supplying subject-matter expertise through rigorous demonstrations and close collaboration with other government, academic and industry experts, as well as supporting project delivery and high-level tri-service coordination. It is also performing lifecycle analyses and cost assessments of these innovative pilots to determine broader applicability. “ERDC worked with each of the services to do a rack and stack of upcoming MILCON (military construction) projects and look across those to see what would be feasible for us to make a big splash and impact in sustainable materials while not introducing a lot of risk into the project,” said Dr Robert Moser, ERDC Senior Scientific Technical Manager for Materials, Manufacturing and Structures. Moser noted special care had to be given to balance improved sustainability with the need to meet the military’s elevated force protection and performance standards. That’s where ERDC’s world-class expertise in materials and force protection played an important role. “That is the big balance point we have,” Dr Moser said. “We still have to deliver these projects and we don’t want to make sacrifices either based on cost that jeopardize the number of projects we can build or based on performance that jeopardize the resilience for the mission. “But there are ways we can effectively integrate these and get at those sustainability goals and use the buying power of the government to lead industry to some of these trends.” These efforts also align with President Biden’s Federal Buy Clean Initiative, which aims to leverage the buying power of the federal government to propel the market for clean construction materials in federal infrastructure projects. “ERDC’s research programs are contributing to our collective knowledge base on leading-edge, low-carbon construction materials,” said Andrew Mayock, co-chair of the Federal Buy Clean Initiative and Federal Chief Sustainability Officer with the White House Council on Environmental Quality. “By increasing research in and use of American-made low-carbon concrete, asphalt, steel and glass products across the federal government, we can further innovation, scale up commercialization and deployment, and catalyse markets for clean construction materials.” Two of the pilot projects involve the construction of different Unaccompanied Enlisted Personnel Housing (or barracks) at Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) in Washington state. One, directed by the NDAA, modified nine different construction specifications to use more sustainable materials. This included new types of more sustainable concrete, new insulation and roofing materials, and a redesign of the building’s exterior to use fewer bricks. “I’ve never seen a project where we accelerated that rapidly, directly working with the design team,” Moser said. “The modified design has the same engineering performance requirements and durability requirements. We are just reducing the embodied energy by using a different material.” The other JBLM project, directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, calls for maximum use of mass timber in structural and architectural features. Mass timber uses special processes and new technology to bind wood products together in layers, creating a strong and durable material that is also more sustainable than steel or concrete. Because mass timber is so new, the project required extensive ERDC research into its feasibility for military construction. As part of the effort, ERDC developed new USACE design guidance on mass timber usage that will enable greater incorporation in projects across the country. “We want to demonstrate mass timber as a practical and sustainable material for military construction projects,” Moser said. “I think a big win will be if we can extensively use mass timber in this project, and along with doing that, demonstrate in a normal military construction project and the way we do business (…) that we worked through the whole design flow with our people and our language so it can inform upcoming updates that will maybe take down some of the barriers that limit us using these materials in projects,” Moser said. “I think that’s the big goal.” The other two pilot projects, both directed by the NDAA, include a communications facility for the Air Force/Space Force and a child development centre for the Navy. One focuses on concrete sustainability and the other on mass timber.  

NSW Forestry Corporation staff have nominated some of the best experiences and state forests along the East Coast. From scenic trails and lookouts to free pet-friendly campsites, pristine waterholes and popular tourist attractions all bases have been covered. Source: Timberbiz The top spots on the South Coast Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens – Mogo State Forest Bermagui State Forest Timbillica State Forest. Paddys River Dam – Bago State Forest Hunter Valley and Central Coast Tree Top Adventure Park in Ourimbah State Forest Strickland State Forest waterfall, arboretum and walking tracks Chichester State Forest Olney State Forest Mountain Biking in Ourimbah and Olney State Forests Paintball in Awaba State Forest Fishing and canoeing in Barrington Tops State Forest Heaton, McLeans and Hunter lookouts in Heaton State Forest Abbotts Falls in Olney State Forest Mid North Coast Guulabaa – Place of Koala in Cowarra State Forest – home of the ‘Big Koala’ and Wildnets Swans Crossing in Kerewong State Forest Coopernook HQ and the restored Foresters Cottage Longworths Historic Tramway Walk in Kerewong State Forest Mountain Bike Riding at Jolly Nose in Queens Lake State Forest ‘Old Bottlebutt’ in Burrawan State Forest Mt Boss State Forest id North Coast Paintball in Cairncross State Forest North Coast Orara East State Forest Styx River State Forest Wild Cattle Creek State Forest Wedding Bells State Forest Bom Bom State Forest Pine Creek State Forest Nambucca State Forest Newry State Forest Double Duke State Forest There are more than two million hectares of State forests across NSW.  

A New Zealand business owner who put motorists at risk when felling trees has been criticised for his ‘dismissive attitude’ toward health and safety. Kevin Howard Stratford, who operates Stratford Logging, was convicted in New Zealand’s Nelson District Court. Source: Timberbiz Over the course of 2021 Mr Stratford carried out tree felling in Takaka Hill at a site directly adjacent to State Highway 60. WorkSafe was notified in August 2021 by an experienced tree feller that the work was being carried out with disregard for industry standards, in particular that trees were being felled very close to the road with no traffic management in place. WorkSafe opened an investigation. An independent forestry expert who assisted WorkSafe’s investigation found felling techniques were of ‘very poor quality’, well below industry standards and posed a serious risk to all in the area. Several trees had been cut in a way which increased the risk of ‘barberchairing’. Barberchairing is an exceptionally dangerous situation where a tree splits vertically from top to bottom before breaking away. Workers on site also didn’t have the relevant qualifications do the work. “The way work was done with no warning signage or traffic management put people at great risk, including innocent bystanders driving along the road,” says WorkSafe Regional Manager Juliet Bruce. “There were steps Mr Stratford should have taken, including not felling trees within two lengths of a public road, putting in place temporary traffic management controls with authorisation of the Road Controlling Authority and ensuring all workers were adequately trained. He was also required to notify WorkSafe before he began tree felling.” WorkSafe issued Mr Stratford with four Prohibition Notices and 28 Improvement Notices since 2013 in relation to unsafe tree felling, failing to notify of tree felling work, workers having inadequate qualifications and having an insufficient health and safety system. Mr Stratford was also convicted in 1998 for failing to ensure the safety of an employee. “There has been a huge amount of enforcement action against Mr Stratford to motivate him to keep people safe, but he persisted in his poor practices and the only option left for WorkSafe was to prosecute,” says Ms Bruce. In sentencing Mr Stratford, Judge Jo Rielly was critical of his ‘dismissive attitude’, commenting ‘you are a person who has put your concerns around financial costs involved in completing work ahead of important safety considerations’.

The Forestry Corporation of NSW has closed burnt areas in Bibblewindi, Jacks Creek and Pilliga EastState Forests to the public following the recent Duck Creek fire. Source: Narrabri Courier Forestry Corporation’s cypress production and fire manager district, Conan Rossler said the damage is a potential safety risk to visitors. “Forestry Corporation staff are currently assessing burnt areas to make sure roads and fire trails are safe for the public,” Mr Rossler said. “Burnt and damaged trees are a particular concern and may pose a significant risk due to falling. “This risk is amplified during periods of high wind or when the ground is saturated after heavy rain sections of the burnt trees might drop or indeed the whole tree may fall over. Parts of the burnt forest in the Pilliga have experienced significant rain recently, so this risk is quite real.” The Duck Creek bushfire burnt through most of December, before being contained over the new year period. A total area of 130,000 hectares was burnt during the fire, covering state forests, national parks and freehold land. Just over 79,000 ha of state forests were burnt. Once a comprehensive assessment of all forest roads, fire trails and adjacent tree-lined areas, and any remedial works has been carried out, Forestry Corporation will look to reopen the affected areas.

It could only be a matter of time before a New Zealand grown indigenous and specialty wood species are seen on the outside of iconic buildings in the country if early research results are anything to go by. Source: Timberbiz Scion scientists have been researching whether thermally modifying tōtara could enhance its durability enough for exterior building uses, opening the door for a wider range of products and applications. Thermal modification is a well-established method in which timber is heated to high temperatures without oxygen. The process enhances wood dimensional stability – meaning it shrinks and swells less with changes in moisture content. A high degree of modification can increase wood durability making it more likely to be suitable for exterior uses like cladding and decking. Radiata pine is not naturally durable but has been successfully thermally modified to increase durability and this product has been commercialised for cladding. Scion’s research into thermally modified tōtara began around 2017 using relatively young trees from Northland – about 80-years-old. Tōtara (Podocarpus totara) was chosen because it has natural durability and tests have been done with both the generally nondurable sapwood – living, outermost portion – and potentially durable heartwood – dead, inner wood. Testing is also being done on the exotic species Mexican cypress (Cupressus lusitanica). Scion senior technologist Rosie Sargent says while any thermally modified species will have some improved durability, tōtara and lusitanica have been the most successful to date. To get sufficient durability for New Zealand conditions, the wood must be modified at very high temperatures. “It’s a question of does it perform for specific applications and can you do it without destroying the wood.” After thermal modification, the wood is tested for durability using long-term accelerated field tests and fungus cellar stakelet trials. The tests are chosen with the aim of being able to assess if the product can meet building and durability standards. The fungus cellar creates ideal fungus growing conditions to speed up decay. Small wooden stakelets are left in the controlled high-decay situation and the level of decay is assessed over time and can be compared to the performance of known products. The stakelets remain in test until all are rotted away. The thermally modified tōtara has been in the fungus cellar for about six and a half years, and the lusitanica for more than three years. In comparison, untreated radiata pine stakelets can severely decay in as little as six months. In the field, durability testing is being done on accelerated decking and L-joints made from thermally modified tōtara and lusitanica as per international testing protocols. Both species have been in field testing for about two years. Tests can take anywhere from five to 10 years and non-durable wood such as radiata sapwood will fully decay much quicker. While testing in both the field and fungus cellar is ongoing, early results are positive, Sargent says. “We’re finding that it increases the durability of both the sapwood, which isn’t durable, as well as the heartwood which is.” Interim portfolio leader (Trees to High Value Wood Products) Elizabeth Dunningham says it is important to have data about indigenous products and trees to make good planting and product development decisions, as existing data is limited. She says there were also strategic reasons for choosing tōtara. Scion is directly involved with Taitokerau Māori Forestry Inc. as partners in the Tōtara Industry Pilot. This resulted in new markets for the farm-based tōtara, with the view of developing a regional industry. Chairman of Taitokerau Māori Forests Inc, Ernest Morton, says the group supports Scion’s work: “Tōtara haemata (Lofty leader). He Rākau Rangatira o te Ngahere (Chief of the Forest).”

Those with experience in the wood machining industry are encouraged to participate in a short survey to gather insights into how current qualifications and being used and how they might better meet learner and employer needs. Source: Timberbiz Nationally endorsed training in wood machining is currently available through the furnishing qualification MSF30322 Certificate III in Cabinet Making and Timber Technology with a specialisation in wood machining and the forest and wood products qualification FWP31121 Certificate III in Wood Machining. Some stakeholders have expressed concerns about the title of the furnishing qualification, as it might be confused for a qualification in cabinet making. Feedback has also been received about the reduction of available wood machining specific units in recent years and whether future graduates would be competent in wood machining specific skills. Skills Insight is undertaking a research project and will produce a report outlining the complexities of the issue. Your input into the survey will play an important role in this research and the report. For more information, the project page here Begin the survey here  

AKD has announced a partnership with TIACS (This is a Conversation Starter) during their annual Safe StartUp events held across the nation, as part of the AKD 2024 ‘Healthy Body + Healthy Mind = Healthy Me’ campaign. Source: Timberbiz AKD is honoured to be a member of the TIACS Alliance, a collective of businesses who share a common vision to support blue-collar communities by funding easily accessible mental health counselling. AKD acknowledge that there are factors both in and outside of work which can have an impact on yours or your loved one’s mental health. With a workforce of 1100 people, there is someone that will have something they are dealing with personally, whether that is financial stress, relationship issues, or health issues. “There can be challenges with being able to access mental health support at times due to the cost associated with it, the time, or inability to get into a counsellor when you need it most, navigating the system with referrals etc,” Toni Kirkup, AKD’s National Health & Safety Manager, said. “We are really pleased to be able to assist in providing our entire AKD team and their families with access to support by removing some of these barriers. Along with access for our customers, suppliers and the wider community. “It’s a real vicious cycle. If you’re having health issues, that can have a big impact on your mental health, and if you’re having mental health issues, that can have a big impact on your physical health. Both impact your livelihood.” It’s easy to embrace your own physical health these days, and it’s time that we start prioritising our mental health too. Ed Ross and Dan Allen, Co-founders of TradeMutt and TIACS, share the sentiment that maintaining mental health is integral to overall well-being. TradeMutt, renowned for its funky work shirts designed to start conversations about mental health, making the invisible impossible to ignore. What they soon came to learn is that starting the conversation sometimes means that you need to continue that conversation with a professional. TIACS was born out of this realisation, with the aim to help remove the physical and financial barriers associated with counselling, by offering a straightforward text and call service connecting individuals directly to professional counsellors to provide support to those that need to be able to better handle the challenges life throws at all of us. Since its inception in 2020, TIACS has supported over 18,000 clients through 18,500+ hours of conversation. “TIACS is funded by the industry for the industry. There’s no way that we can do the critical work for the industry without that support,” Ed and Dan said. “We are stoked to welcome AKD to the TIACS Alliance Partnership. The funding that AKD provides not only allows us to ensure we can support every teammate at AKD but also the wider blue-collar community right around Australia when they need that support the most.” As part of this launch, AKD handed out TradeMutt funky lunch bags to every employee. The lunch bags feature a QR Code for direct access to the TIACS contact options, creating a visible daily reminder of the resources available to those seeking support. Together, AKD and the TIACS Alliance aim to make a meaningful impact. Join AKD as they try to break down the barriers surrounding mental health and foster a community where well-being is prioritised, one conversation at a time. If you see tough times ahead or have been going through a life challenge and don’t know what to say or who to contact reach out and say hi a TIACS counsellor. Call or text TIACS on 0488 846 988 Monday-Friday 8am-10pm AEST to speak with a counsellor. In case of immediate danger or harm, please call 000.