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  The forestry industry of Mississippi is bracing itself for a game-changing shift, following President Biden’s recent signing of the FY2024 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (T-HUD) Appropriations Bill. Source: Forestat Global The T-HUD Appropriations Bill includes a provision that allows vehicles handling agricultural transport, such as timber-carrying trucks, to operate at weights up to the existing state limit of 88,000 pounds on an interstate highway within the borders of Mississippi. This provision was successfully integrated into the bill by US Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith. Before this change, sizeable agricultural vehicles were confined to operating only on state and county roads. The new legislation breaks down these limitations, providing a safer and more efficient environment for such transport. Ms Hyde-Smith pointed out that the provision is a significant step towards aligning state and federal laws. From a safety standpoint, it also yields the added benefit of moving traffic away from narrow, poorly lit, and often less-maintained roads. The senator emphasized that this change will not only boost public safety but also stimulate commercial activity in the state of Mississippi. Key industry bodies, including the Mississippi Forestry Association, Mississippi Loggers Association, and Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, have been tireless advocates for this shift in transport allowances. The organizations have praised Ms Hyde-Smith’s understanding of the needs and challenges faced by the forestry and agricultural industries, her commitment to the provision, and her overall support to these vital sectors. The measure was approved as part of a comprehensive six-bill package. As the industry adapts to this significant change, the MFA promises to keep its members abreast of further details and implications. This change in transportation allowances promises to bring about a marked improvement in the safety and productivity of Mississippi’s forestry industry. Truly, a win-win for both the commercial sector and the public safety of the state. Key industry bodies, including the Mississippi Forestry Association, Mississippi Loggers Association, and Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation, have been tireless advocates for this shift in transport allowances. The organizations have praised Ms Hyde-Smith’s understanding of the needs and challenges faced by the forestry and agricultural industries, her commitment to the provision, and her overall support to these vital sectors. The measure was approved as part of a comprehensive six-bill package. As the industry adapts to this significant change, the MFA promises to keep its members abreast of further details and implications. This change in transportation allowances promises to bring about a marked improvement in the safety and productivity of Mississippi’s forestry industry. Truly, a win-win for both the commercial sector and the public safety of the state. For industry professionals, staying on top of the latest developments like the new federal truck weight limits is not just important it’s essential for ensuring competitive advantage, operational efficiency, and long-term growth. These changes can have profound implications on logistics, cost structures, and industry standards. Staying informed empowers businesses to pivot quickly, seizing opportunities and averting potential risks.

SCA is involved in a development project aimed at a remote-controlled soil scarification machine. Skogforsk leads the project and is responsible for the work in the testing environment, while SCA acts as the landowner and contributes with a base machine. Source: Timberbiz Skogforsk, the Forestry Research Institute of Sweden, has been working on remote control and automation of forestry machines for many years. So far, the work has been focused on a forwarder, but now a soil scarification machine will also be tested. The goal is to bring the technology of remote-controlled forestry machines closer to practical application. “SCA is involved in several development projects concerning forestry machines, and remote control is something we find particularly interesting. We have good experiences from the collaboration project with a remote-controlled timber loader at our timber terminal in Torsboda and are eager to participate in the work with a remote-controlled soil scarification. We contribute with a machine and land for test runs, while Bracke Forest provides the soil scarification attachment,” says Magnus Bergman, Manager of Technology and Digitalization at SCA Skog. Another reason why remote-controlled soil scarification machines are of interest is that soil scarification operators are exposed to harmful whole-body vibrations to a greater extent than other forestry machine operators. “We could create a better working environment and avoid vibrations if the machines could be remotely controlled from a separate operator station,” emphasizes Magnus. The remote-controlled soil scarification machine is gradually being developed during the spring to be tested on a clearcut on SCA land after the summer. The machine will then be operated by drivers from an operator station near the clearcut area.

As part of Business Finland’s Veturi funding for forest machine manufacturer Ponsse, Sitowise is working with Ponsse to explore the potential of artificial intelligence for smarter planning and optimization of loggings. Source: Timberbiz The aim of the project is to explore the use of AI and remote sensing data, as well as other data sources such as harvester data, to produce intelligent map data and services and to increase our understanding of potential customer needs. The main target groups are organizations involved in logging and timber harvesting. “The project will explore possible ways to produce intelligent map layers to facilitate harvesting planning, such as data describing terrain conditions, harvestability and wood quality,” says Sanna Härkönen, Product Business Lead at Sitowise. Bitcomp Oy (now part of Sitowise Oy) currently has a strong position in the market for services to the Finnish forestry sector. “We have already developed an easily scalable, cloud-based computing platform that we can use for AI-based data production. This will also allow for the convenient distribution of global map data. On top of this technology, we can explore and develop new services and products,” says Härkönen. The aim of the project is to identify and formulate tools that could help facilitate the most important work steps for customers. “The aim is also to explore the potential benefits of such map layers and tools along the entire logging value chain. The tools could, for example, help machinery companies to better optimize the use of their equipment and improve the preservation of environmental and natural values during harvesting,” says Härkönen. The benefits are expected to reach down to the operator level, as intelligent data can reduce the cognitive load on operators and improve the quality of their work. “The project will also look at different optimization methods to help plan harvesting and identify ways to take into account different forest use objectives. It also aims to test smart data in practice with test users, so that solutions can be better tailored to the needs of customers and users,” Härkönen added. Ponsse has existing international networks and activities across a wide range of regions in Europe, North America and South America, which are also the focus of this project. Business Finland awarded Ponsse’s and Epec’s FORWARD’27 program with 10 million Euro in funding in a challenge competition for leading companies. In addition, Business Finland awarded 20 million Euro in funding to the ecosystem companies surrounding the programme. The total budget of the Sitowise project is around 1.2 million Euro and the project will run for two years.  

Scientists at Scion are teaming up with international colleagues from Mexico and the USA to help Pinus radiata under threat within its native range. And, they might just help New Zealand’s native species in the process. Source: Timberbiz As part of the MBIE-funded Tree Root Microbiome program, scientists Steve Wakelin and Sarah Addison are focused on unravelling the connections between microorganisms, trees and environmental change, shedding light on how these relationships impact the health and resilience of our forests. “Like humans, trees have an extensive community of microorganisms like bacteria, fungi and viruses that live in and around them,” explains Addison. “And just like us, this microbiome plays a critical role in tree health.” Understanding how these tree-microbiome associations influence tree growth and survival is urgently needed; the world is changing. In many places the climate is changing faster than trees can adapt. Forests are recognised as one of the ecosystems that are most sensitive to climate change impacts, stresses Wakelin. “Trees are immobile and typically live for a very long time. This has implications for exotic and native forests alike. “How can seedlings of native trees, such as kahikatea or kauri that can live for many hundreds of years, continue to grow and be resilient as the climate changes around them?” A catalyst for the research was the desperate need for a system that will help everyone understand the interactions between conifer species and their microbiome, adds Wakelin. “We can’t set up trials today and come back in a hundred years and see how it has gone; the clock has been run down. We need to be smarter and look at what resources we have today to inform us so we can make decisions tomorrow.” The team’s focus for developing a model is Pinus radiata, the most widely planted conifer species worldwide. It is also a fast-growing species with a well-documented genome and established propagation methods. Scientists are visiting pine tree sites around the world to gain insights into conifer microbiome associations to inform conservation strategies and support tree health in diverse environments. Pinus radiata, while thriving in various regions globally, faces extinction threats in its native range near the central coast of California and Mexico. These fragmented native populations, existing for about 15 million years, have endured ice ages, droughts, and environmental shifts. These prolonged changes have facilitated the co-evolution of microbiome associations. The microbiomes found in these endangered populations of Pinus radiata hold crucial insights into how microbiomes can potentially support conifers on a broader scale. It is here that conservation efforts for the native Pinus radiata populations overlap with the need to climate protect conifers globally. As part of the program, Addison and Wakelin teamed up with researchers at Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas (GECI), the Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP), the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, and colleagues at Wright State University (Ohio, USA). Last November the multi-national team took samples on the Islands of Cedros and Guadalupe off the Mexico coast. For some in the group, the focus was understanding the root-microbiome associations and how these can be used to support regeneration efforts to grow populations. For others, knowledge is being combined with information from native Californian populations and samples collected from pine tree sites globally. This allows researchers to build a comprehensive picture of how root-microbiome associations vary with soil, climate, tree genetics and other factors. “These endemic trees in Mexico offer unique environments and untouched genetics,” says Addison. “The Pinus radiata we see growing elsewhere have been domesticated from these island populations. It is likely a combination of movement and successive selection of genetic material has resulted in a loss of many microbiome associations, but these may still be present within the precious populations.” Collaboration between Scion scientists, GECI and CONANP, has been fundamental to gaining access to these restricted populations and creates an important link between New Zealand and Mexico researchers. “It was through old-fashioned ‘two degrees of separation’ that we were able to connect with these researchers. It was really difficult to get to the trees and required a lot of co-ordination, but it was an amazing experience to be a part of. “The landscape was so different to New Zealand’s, with more a desert feel on Cedros Island and much colder and foggier conditions on Guadalupe Island which had very red soil in places due to its volcanic nature.” Back in the laboratory, scientists are now analysing soils and roots surrounding Pinus radiata trees to unravel their microbiome associations. This information is then linked with the environmental conditions, such as temperature and rainfall, to understand patterns of key microorganisms fundamental to radiata’s survival. “Some of the trees we sampled were over 300 years old. Can their key microbes be used to protect our trees around the world? That’s what we ultimately want to find out,” says Wakelin.

The Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry sponsored six delegates from neighbouring countries to take part in two national plant biosecurity workshops recently. Source: Timberbiz The visit was part of the government’s $2.395 million commitment to Plant Health Australia as included in the Priority Pest and Disease Planning and Response program to enhance the nation’s surveillance and diagnostic capabilities. The delegates, from Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Solomon Islands, joined 150 attendees at the Annual Surveillance Workshop (ASW) and the Annual Diagnostic Workshop (ADW) in Tweed Heads, New South Wales. They also met with the department’s secretary Adam Fennessy PSM to discuss diagnostic laboratories and surveillance activities and undertook field trips in Queensland to look at programs such as the department’s vector monitoring activities. Australia’s Chief Plant Protection Officer, Dr Gabrielle Vivian-Smith said the department is working to foster collaboration and connectivity across borders and disciplines and thanked the delegates for sharing their experiences and knowledge during their visit. “The plant biosecurity workshops are hugely important in creating relationships, sharing knowledge, and ensuring that positive steps are taken to preserve and safeguard plant biosecurity in both Australia and neighbouring countries. “The workshops are a great opportunity for our near-neighbours to share their experience about plant health surveillance activities, especially around solutions for conducting remote surveillance and approaches to community engagement,” Dr Vivian-Smith said. Dr Vivian-Smith said the department works closely with Timor-Leste and PNG through the International Plant Health Surveillance Program and Timor-Leste Biosecurity Development Program. While the partnership with Solomon Islands is delivered through the Solomons Island Biosecurity Development Program. “Through these programs we can deliver annual plant health surveys and collaborate on a number of other biosecurity capacity development activities such as early warning systems, diagnostic training and border and pathway capacity. “This collaboration helps creates a more robust biosecurity system for the entire region, preserving food security and market access opportunities for our partner countries as well as supporting preparedness against exotic pest threats to Australia’s $81 billion agricultural industry.”