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CASE has expanded its EV toolbox with the commercial release of its 580EV, the industry’s first electric backhoe loader. Marking a new milestone in emissions-free productivity on the jobsite, CASE’s EV backhoe loader will soon be followed by the commercial availability of two additional EV machines — the CX25EV 2.5-metric ton mini excavator and the CL36EV 3.6-metric ton compact wheel loader. Source: Timberbiz The new equipment increases CASE’s EV lineup to five models, including the previously launched CX15EV electric mini excavator and the SL22EV small articulated loader. 

The next generation of EV equipment from CASE offers crews zero-emissions, low-noise solutions for a wide range of unique jobsite demands from overnight construction, to work in urban centres or other close-quarter environments where noise and emissions must be kept to a minimum. The expanded CASE EV offering matches the performance and power of its diesel counterparts while delivering unique advantages like lower fuel costs and less maintenance. “CASE EV offerings are all about unlocking more opportunities for our customers, and we work harder than anyone to give them every tool in the toolbox to succeed on the jobsite,” said Terry Dolan, vice president, North America, CASE Construction Equipment. “With the 580EV electric backhoe loader, we took an industry staple and designed it as a purpose-built EV to help crews meet increasingly unique jobsite demands and win more contracts on projects that prioritize sustainability criteria.” The new CASE 580EV electric backhoe loader carries over the same dimensional loading and digging specifications and delivers the same breakout forces as the popular four-wheel-drive, 97-horsepower CASE 580SN diesel model marking an upgrade in performance since CASE first debuted its Project Zeus electric backhoe concept at CONEXPO in 2020. With this new production unit, CASE took customer feedback and optimized everything from thermal management to operator controls in order to electrify a machine with comparable specs to the widely used 580SN. CASE also included new features, like an 8-inch colour display, air conditioning, a front-dash display and adjustable four-corner, multi-coloured LED strobe lights. Powered by a 400-volt, 71-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery platform that’s charged with the same type of Level 2 J1772 adapter found in automotive EVs, the new electric backhoe loader is designed to deliver up to eight hours of operational run time on a single charge, depending on the application. The battery platform also uses an advanced thermal management system with system-specific cooling circuits to better regulate temperatures and help maintain performance in hot or cold conditions. “Designing this machine from day one as a purpose-built EV instead of a retrofit has enabled a slew of practical innovations that will positively change the mindset for teams considering EV equipment,” said Brad Stemper, product management lead, North America, CASE. “We looked at every aspect of the machine and enhanced power consumption throughout to deliver exceptional EV performance that operators will see and feel when digging, loading or moving dirt.” The four-wheel-drive 580EV uses two independent electric motors for the PowerDrive transmission and hydraulic pumps feeding the loader, backhoe and steering systems to minimize energy consumption and improve performance in loading applications. The 14-foot backhoe also includes an Extendahoe to boost reach, while features like ProControl swing dampening, PowerLift/PowerBoost and electrohydraulic controls improve precision and ease of use on the jobsite. Electrification also provides performance advantages like instantaneous torque response and peak torque at any RPM, so operators don’t need to wait for an internal combustion engine to ramp up to meet load demands. In the cab, CASE takes the same operator-first approach as on other machines, with features like energy-efficient heating and air conditioning, an 8-inch touchscreen display, customizable work mode/sensitivity settings, push-button start and operator security codes. Multi-coloured, four-corner strobe lights also let operators work safely and meet regulatory requirements, with adjustable colours, strobe patterns and an “always-on” feature for low-light conditions when strobes are not needed. In addition to the 580EV electric backhoe, CASE will also make two more EV models commercially available in the coming months. The CASE CX25EV electric mini excavator and the CASE CL36EV electric compact wheel loader will round out the CASE EV lineup for a total of five machines. A bigger, more powerful version of CASE’s existing electric mini excavator, the 2.5-metric ton CX25EV delivers emissions-free performance and manoeuvrability well-suited for urban and infrastructure sites with high traffic. This highly versatile machine includes hydraulic flow settings and up to three auxiliary circuits that can be paired with a variety of quick couplers and attachments. It’s also equipped with electrohydraulic controls and a short-radius design, making it easy to manoeuvre in tight spaces. The 3.6-metric ton CASE CL36EV electric compact wheel loader delivers the same power and performance as comparably sized diesel-powered loaders, along with simplified maintenance and lower lifetime total cost of ownership. This versatile machine can be matched with a full range of attachments and features a hinge-pin height of over 10 feet, making it an ideal solution for supply yards, large-scale building renovations or projects where indoor operation is required. With the bolstered EV lineup, CASE brings a bigger range of solutions for unique operating environments that require low noise or no emissions. The new machines complement the CASE portfolio of diesel machines by giving crews more ways to get work done more productively and efficiently while also minimizing carbon footprints. “These new machines set a new benchmark in electrification and sustainable construction, and they’re a testament to our customer-cantered approach to practical innovation as we expand our product portfolio,” said Dolan. “Complementing our diesel lineup, electrification brings real-world solutions to unique jobsite demands, helping urban construction contractors, utility teams, municipal crews and other contractors further improve productivity, efficiency and their bottom line.”

A new dataset is providing a bird’s-eye view of Arkansas’ forests one metre at a time. An Arkansas researcher has developed the first high-resolution forest canopy cover dataset for an entire state, providing valuable insights for forest management and conservation to a major economic sector in Arkansas. Source: The Pine Bluff Commercial “I had this vision of creating something that we can rely on,” said Hamdi Zurqani, assistant professor for the College of Forestry, Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Arkansas at Monticello and researcher with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. “No data of this kind existed before for an entire state. Usually, people only create similar data for site-specific projects,” he said. The 1-metre measurements are unique. Until now, the most common forest measurements and datasets have come from satellite imagery at 30-metre spatial resolution, said Zurqani, who conducts research as part of the Arkansas Forest Resources Centre, a partnership between the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and UAM. The experiment station is the research arm of the Division of Agriculture. Forest canopy cover measures the coverage of tree crowns from an aerial view. It shows how much a forest’s uppermost layer of branches, leaves and vegetation forms a continuous cover over the ground. This detailed information is crucial for tracking forest health, as canopy cover is essential for carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat and water regulation. Mr Zurqani said accurate mapping of tree coverage helps scientists monitor and manage forest resources effectively, ensuring the sustainability of these ecosystems. This information can also assist with wildfire risk assessments, tracking forest health threats from pests and climate, and urban planning. Mr Zurqani’s research was published late last year in the academic journal Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment. The article was titled “High-resolution forest canopy cover estimation in eco-diverse landscape using machine learning and Google Earth Engine: Validity and reliability assessment.” According to the latest Arkansas Agricultural Profile, forests cover 57% of the state, and timber was one of the state’s top commodities in 2021 with about $409 million in cash farm receipts. To create the Arkansas forest canopy cover dataset, Zurqani used machine learning techniques and the Google Earth Engine. Machine learning is a branch of artificial intelligence that allows computers to “learn” from data and improve their performance over time without being programmed. Machine learning algorithms identify patterns in data, make predictions and adapt to new information. The Google Earth Engine is a cloud-based platform designed for processing and analyzing large-scale geospatial data. It provides access to a vast repository of satellite imagery and geospatial datasets. Mr Zurqani’s research utilized high-resolution National Agriculture Imagery Program aerial imagery to apply and test his methods. The National Agriculture Imagery Program, administered by the United States Department of Agriculture, captures high-resolution aerial imagery of agricultural areas during the growing season. The imagery is used for monitoring crop conditions, assessing land use changes and supporting various agricultural and environmental applications. A finer spatial resolution of Arkansas forests provides a more accurate assessment of canopy structure and composition. Mr Zurqani said this precision is essential for monitoring changes in forest dynamics, identifying vulnerable areas and implementing targeted conservation strategies. He hopes his 1-metre dataset could become the new standard for measuring forest canopy cover. “So, in the future, we can use this dataset to cover all forest areas and see which trees healthy and which ones are are diseased,” Mr Zurqani said. “Because it’s high-resolution imagery, we can detect the location of the trees within urban areas.” There are 502 cities and 75 counties in Arkansas, according to the US Census Bureau, and Mr Zurqani said he evaluated forests and tree-covered areas within those cities and counties. While initially focused on the state of Arkansas, he envisions expanding this innovative approach to cover all 50 states. “The studies demonstrate that machine learning and cloud computing technologies can produce reliable, high-resolution forest cover datasets,” Mr Zurqani said. “These methods can be applied to other regions globally, enhancing forest management and conservation efforts worldwide.” To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website https://aaes.uada.edu/  

A farmer has been fined more than $110,000 over the illegal forestry operation that took place on his property south of Cooma. The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) took 66-year-old Michael James Green, who owned a farming property called ‘Doolondondale’ in Kybeyan, to the NSW Land and Environment Court before he pleaded guilty to three offences. Source: about regional Justice Nicola Pain said native forestry operations were carried out by contractors in two areas on his property in 2021. At least 8800 tonnes of pulpwood-grade timber and 985 cubic metres of sawlogs were harvested, and the contractors sold the harvested products to timber suppliers. But in December 2021, Green contacted Local Land Services (LLS) and raised concerns about the condition of the harvesting areas after the operations. Dr Julian Wall, who has over 30 years’ experience in natural resource management, said as a result of unauthorised harvesting, basal area and tree retention thresholds were breached and the vegetation had changed to a sparse woodland structure. “A substantial number of larger and older trees appear to have been harvested,” he said. “The small quantity of habitat remaining in the post-harvested forest following the forestry operations would not have been sufficient to support many species of native animals that previously resided in the forest. “In contrast, many of these species would have been able to persist if the unauthorised component of the forestry operations had not been carried out as there would have been enough canopy cover, foraging substrate, food sources, etc, to ensure their ongoing persistence while the forest recovered.” Dr Wall said the operations resulted in a reduction of nesting, breeding and foraging habitat, ground moisture and “the capacity of the forest ecosystem to recover over the long term”. It also resulted in the removal of all mid-storey shrubs and young eucalypts, as well as a 70 to 95 per cent reduction in the canopy cover. Dr Wall said the property was next to Wadbilliga National Park, which was extensively impacted by the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires. This meant it would have been a refuge for animals displaced by the fires. Justice Pain said Green’s offences were “inadvertent” and he had taken responsibility for the impact of his offending conduct on his land. “I find that the actual, likely and potential for harm to the environment caused by the three offences collectively is substantial or likely to be substantial,” she said. “Practical measures could have been taken to avoid the harm caused. “Landowners are legally obliged to ensure that any forestry operations on their land comply with all applicable aspects of the PNF Code [the Private Native Forestry Code of Practice for Southern NSW] and therefore must have in place arrangements which enable oversight of contractors conducting forestry operations on their land to enable them to ensure compliance.” Justice Pain did make note of Mr Green going to LLS with his concerns in December 2021. “Had the defendant not approached LLS with this reliable information, it is unlikely that the offences would have come to the attention of the relevant authorities, including the EPA,” she said. Green pleaded guilty to one count of failing to retain the minimum number of habitat trees and two counts of reducing the stand basal area to a mean below the minimum limit. The two contractors have already pleaded guilty to equivalent charges. On 6 August 2024, Green was convicted, fined a total of $112,500 and ordered to pay the EPA’s legal costs. He was also ordered to stop harvesting and grazing in the two areas for three years, and to begin regenerating the areas.  

Tigercat has announced that an additional Australian factory representative team member, Jake Peters, based in Garfield, Victoria will join the team. Source: Timberbiz “Jake brings with him a deep understanding of forestry machines and the expectations of our industry’s customers. His vast knowledge of forestry products will greatly benefit our team,” Tigercat District Manager Glen Marley said. Mr Peters, along with Mr Marley will be based in Gundagai, NSW, Steve Green is based in Launceston, Tasmania, and Damien Ambrose is based in Tumut, NSW. They will form the Australian product support quartet. A team has been supporting Onetrak and its customer base in Australia for the past 24 years. “I’m looking forward to joining the team supporting Tigercat products, our dealers and customers in Australia,” Mr Peters said.

The New Zealand Interpine team is collecting data for the country’s national plantated forest inventory for NZ’s greenhouse gas emissions inventory. This being part of the Land Use and Carbon Analysis System (LUCAS) which is by the Ministry for the Environment (MfE). Source: Timberbiz Interpine maintains a suite of software systems for the LUCAS project including the data warehouse, data collection field software, and calculation and reporting systems for the project. Interpine’s involvement in the LUCAS project dates back as far as 2004, now 20 years on the company is proud to be a key supplier for the project. The LUCAS system is responsible for tracking the changes in New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions and removals from vegetation and soils under a variety of land uses such as from forests, crops and pasture. This is reported annually in New Zealand’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory. The inventory data are also used in other environmental reports, and in providing estimates for a variety of uses including future greenhouse gas emissions, trends in land-use change and biodiversity. The LUCAS planted forest inventory began in 2007, and the data are used to meet domestic and international reporting obligations under the Kyoto Protocol currently and under the Paris Agreement in the future. The data are also used by the Forest Growers Levy Trust and for other industry good forest research purposes. LUCAS uses a national grid-based network of permanent plots to provide unbiased estimates of carbon stored in planted forests. Sample points are located on a four kilometre grid across the country. A sample point is deemed to be part of the permanent plot network if any part of the plot falls within an area of planted forest, this can include both temporarily and permanently unstocked areas. There are 130-150 sites selected for measurement each year and the plots are re-measured over a five-yearly rotation.

The shortage of housing in Victoria will be addressed by the State Government which believes another 2.2 million homes will need to be built over the next 25 years. Source: Timberbiz This will include an increase in townhouse builds, the release of more land under a 10-year Greenfields Plan, an overhaul of the planning system which include the ability for developers to bypass local council and VCAT restrictions and reducing the financial burden. Jeroen Weimar, Deputy Secretary of Housing Implementation, Department of Premier and Cabinet, told this week’s Timber Construct 2024 conference in Melbourne the State Government recognized there was some financial levers “we’ve got to pull up as well”. “I’m sure the Treasurer and Premier will talk about that in the months to come,” Mr Weimar said. Mr Weimar, who was Victoria’s COVID-19 response commander, was appointed to oversee the Victorian government’s housing policies in February this year. “I think government has an opportunity to do much more, particularly around land, around planning and around funding,” he told the conference. “And what the government asked me to do six months ago; come in, kick some tires around, make sure we’re actually doing the right things, talk to industry and engage in industry, and make sure we’re lining things up in the right way. “So that’s why I’m here. I’m here to try and get things moving and to work with you in partnership to do so.” Mr Weimar was introduced at the conference by Frame and Truss Manufacturers Association CEO Kersten Gentle who told a session on the housing shortfall that if government wants faster, more affordable housing, firstly they need to streamline their policies and look at the taxes charged to the industry. “If Government’s wants to bring down costs they need to streamline the planning process and look at government taxes, as it’s estimated that up to 40% of the cost to build a house is government taxes,” she said. “Simple steps such as changing townhouses from Class 2 to Class 1 could save up to $20k and ensure faster delivery.” Mr Weimar conceded that given the challenges facing the building industry “it’s been a really hard time”. “But what I’d like to talk about this morning is that whilst we might be feel like we’re sometimes in the gutter, I think we are looking at the stars. “I think there are opportunities and reasons for us to be optimistic about the months, years and decades ahead,” he said. “We need to start working into our townhouse market. “We need some looking at our mid-rise apartment particularly that four to 10-story market in around a number of locations.” Mr Weimar said that the Government would, in the coming months, published its 10-year Greenfield Plan. “We know the planning system is slow and cumbersome, and we know it’s uncertain,” he said. “So, two things we’ve done; one is that any developer looking to develop a housing project of over $50 million gross value can come straight to the Minister. “We’ll go through an accelerated planning pathway that takes out local council, the VCAT and all the other dramas that developers have to go through. “But what we’re also looking at is what we know about activity centres.” Mr Weimar said that there were 10 locations across Melbourne at the moment, including Frankston and Camberwell, where the government believed it had capacity to significantly uplift zone controls to encourage four story development, six story development, and eight story development. “We’re going to go out to consultation in a couple of weeks. They’ll be done by the end of this year, which will ensure that people who own land in that space can now start to significantly increase the value of that land by going further up than they could before, knowing they won’t get stopped by VCAT,” he said. “They won’t get stopped by local council concerns.” “So, our job in a planning space is basically faster, clearer and simpler. We’ll put out a plan for Victoria that says, here’s a bunch of homes needed to get built, and here are the changes the planning system that will make that happen. “And we will need to deal with our public housing towers, 44 of them around Melbourne. “We’ve committed to replacing them all within the next 25 years. “So, we really think it’s time to get on and rebuild those towers,” Mr Weimar said “Again, a huge opportunity. Not only will that be probably a doubling of the total housing capacity in those precincts, but also very different types of built form coming forward. And finally, a lot of work around the rental space and around building reform space. “We recognize if we’re going to support the timber industry, if we’re going to support the construction industry, we also need to make sure that our building codes actually make sense, that our building regulator is up to scratch, and we had a few dramas there. “But I think it’s now in better hands, and we’ve got to make sure that we structure the domestic building contracts in a way that supports the right housing to get built.”  

The final steps towards the completion of the $2.346 million upgrade of the Green Triangle’s fire tower network are in progress, with construction underway on a new tower for Penola North. Source: Timberbiz The new tower, being constructed in collaboration with the Green Triangle Fire Alliance and OneFortyOne Plantations, is part of the State Government’s election commitment to provide a landscape level fire detection program. Local South East company Whitty Engineering has been engaged to construct the fire tower. The new Penola North tower follows upgrade works and repairs at Comaum, Mount Burr, Mount Edward, Furner, and Mount Benson. Installation of the tower is expected to be finalised later this year. As part of the upgrade program, a new AI powered bushfire detection and monitoring system has been installed in the Green Triangle with detection cameras at Comaum, Mount Benson, The Bluff, Furner, Mount Burr, Carpenter Rocks and Lucindale South. The system came into operation in the Green Triangle during the 2023-24 fire danger season. It is Australia’s first fully integrated bushfire detection platform utilising satellite technology and ultra-HD 360-degree panoramic cameras, aimed at improving the early detection of fires. The completion of the works program will enhance a landscape level fire detection system, ensuring ongoing protection of the Green Triangle’s forestry assets and communities. The new fire tower at Penola North will be located at Tower Road and is set to be installed for the upcoming bushfire season this year in the Lower South East.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, 20 August marks National Forestry Day, with this year’s theme Celebrating Nature’s Carbon Store. For Forest Industries Federation WA Chief Executive Officer Adele Farina, this year’s National Forestry Day theme could not be more apt. Source: Timberbiz “Choosing timber products helps to fight climate change and that is a rather special position we as an industry find ourselves in,” Ms Farina said. “The trees we plant absorb carbon dioxide and store it as carbon, which is locked up in that timber for its life span. We harvest those trees to supply timber products and then replant more seedlings, so the cycle begins again. “The word sustainable gets thrown around a lot these days, but we can proudly use that term to describe our industry.” As well as essential products and environmental benefits, Ms Farina said WA’s forest industries also provide significant employment, underpinning regional communities and creating renewable and sustainable products. WA’s plantation sector, which consists of hardwood and softwood varieties, contributes more than 1.18 billion dollars of economic activity. Plantation timber is used to make the timber frames for homes, engineered wood products used to build new multi-storey residential and commercial buildings, wood-based panels for kitchens, pallets, and wood fibre used to manufacture paper, packaging and bioproducts, replacing single use plastics. In addition, residues go into making potting mix, mulches, composts and landscaped products for gardens.

WA’s Forest Products Commission (FPC) manages approximately 70,000 hectares of softwood plantations in the South West of Western Australia on behalf of the State Government. The plantation estate supports a particle board plant, sawmill, and laminated veneer lumber (LVL) plant. Source: Timberbiz This year, the FPC has prepared sites to establish more than 3,000 hectares of new plantations as part of the State’s Softwood Plantation Investment Program, as well as to replant existing plantations following harvesting. “The planting season will end in coming weeks, and the FPC’s crews are on track to complete the targeted volume of 5 million seedlings going into the ground,” FPC Director of Operations John Tredinnick said. “Thanks to the efforts of nursery staff, as well as other FPC teams and supporting contractors, these seedlings will grow to be the homes of the future and capture carbon to assist in mitigating climate change”. The new FPC plantations are part of a $350 million investment to ensure a stable supply of timber for the WA’s construction industry and increase carbon sequestration opportunities as part of the State’s response to climate change. The new investment and increasing planting targets have required the FPC Nursery and Seed Centre to scale up the production of seedlings, so they could propagate and dispatch over five million seedlings to 25 FPC plantations across the South West this year. “The centre produces superior seeds and seedlings for the FPC’s plantation estate establishment and refill program, with year-round operations to ensure seedlings are available to meet the annual planting requirement,” FPC Nursery and Seed Centre Coordinator Kristine Mayer said. “The best possible seed stock is available from the FPC’s Pinus radiata breeding program, which builds on over 50 years of scientific research in WA, and through the FPC’s membership of Tree Breeding Australia. “It’s great to be involved with getting all these pine seedlings packed and out to new plantations, especially as I know they’re so important for growing timber for new homes. “They’re so small now, but it’s exciting to think what they will grow into one day in the future.” During peak work periods, casual workers bolster the permanent nursery workforce to undertake sowing or packing activities. The nursery has a fully containerised production system to support the workers in moving and packing the significant number of seedlings prepared for planting. With late rains and reliance on weather conditions for optimal planting, the window for planting this year is tight, requiring maximum efficiency and speed at every stage to ensure the seedlings are in the ground before the weather conditions impact seedling survival rates. Due to increasing land acquisition and planting targets, the nursery team plays a crucial role in ensuring that the required seedlings are ready during the narrow planting season. Over the past two months, the nursery team has loaded 27 semi-trailers with about 3.25 million seedlings bound for the FPC’s plantations.