focuseditorial. Top Left: Boral tradesman at work, Herons Ck; top right: Hardwood Wharf Timber (Wharves 8 and 9 Pyrmont) supplied by Haydens Timbers, Telegraph Point; Beneath right, Boral Timber’s kiln dried structural timber used at UWS Climate Change and Energy Research Facility.
Forrest NSW N o r t h
C o a s t
& Timber North Coast Forests Taskforce - the journey from primary producer through to the refined finished products starts and ends here on the North Coast with our rich supply of Australian woods. We meet some businesses of the region.
ayden’s Sawmill As the timber industry evolves into the 21st Century, it is faced with new challenges including smaller diameter trees, reduced volumes of timber and tightening environmental and planning regulations. With these issues in mind, Darrell Hayden, owner of Hayden’s Sawmill, set about building a high recovery mill that minimises wastage. In Darrell’s view, the conversion of timber to woodchip is not consistent with his vision of achieving the highest and best use of local hardwoods. Accordingly, Hayden’s operation places as much emphasis on the lower end of the market as on the high-end premium logs. “Over the years we have found that we can achieve some really positive results by converting off cuts into products such as mine timbers, pallet timber and fence palings,” said Darrell, who is obviously very proud that he operates what he calls a true recovery mill. A message from the Hatch Timber Group: “Australia has some of the best quality renewable resources available in hardwood timbers, and none more distinct than NSW North Coast Hardwoods. The NSW North Coast region has been a valuable supply resource in quality hardwoods to the Hatch Timber Group for many years. A stand out example is the hardwood wharf timbers supplied for the construction of Wharves 8 and 9 Pyrmont. Without the combination of quality NSW North Coast hardwood resources and the milling expertise of Hayden Timbers sawmill, we may not have been able to admire the natural beauty of hardwood timber featured at Pyrmont,” Mark Campbell, Sales Manager, Hatch Timber Group. Boral Timber – North Coast operations Boral has developed and produced wood products in Australia for over a century. 52 manning-great lakes focus.
Today, Boral Timber is one of the largest manufacturers of Australian hardwood products and a major supplier of certified hardwood and softwood in Australia. Boral offers a wide range of Australian native hardwood timber products, including solid strip flooring, overlay, parquetry, green and seasoned structural timber, decking and cladding, with Boral Timber an industry leader in hardwood flooring. Production and distribution operations are coordinated through Boral Timber’s headquarters in Sydney and timber products are produced at long established mills in Central and Northern NSW. The company employs more than 250 people in its hardwood operations, with mills located at Murwillumbah, Kyogle, Namoona, Koolkhan, near Grafton and Herons Creek, near Port Macquarie. Over 80 per cent of Boral’s hardwood timber products come from their North Coast mills in Australia. The Herons Creek Timber Mill, near Port Macquarie, is one of the largest hardwood saw mill sites in Australia, providing sustainably managed hardwood structural and decking products throughout Australia. The Herons Creek Mill employs over 80 people across the 20 Hectare dry mill and saw mill sites, dispatching over 50 trucks per week. In recent years Boral Timber has invested in upgrading the Mill at Herons Creek with safer and more efficient technology and recently finished construction of additional drying kilns. In addition to the Herons Creek site, Boral Timber continues to invest in energy efficiency through improving green power generation and upgrading mills to ensure that the utilisation of resources is maximised and material wastage is reduced. Boral Timber General Manager, Stephen Dadd said: “The timber industry is currently facing import pressures, high energy costs and resource uncertainty. As an industry leader and major employer in the NSW North Coast,
it is important for Boral to support the locality and the timber industry. We will continue to invest in the main North Coast timber mills, with the focus on equipment, safety and technology. We are also involved with the North Coast Institute of TAFE supporting apprentices in joinery, cabinet-making, wood machining, and shop fitting.” Boral Timber products are used for structural, commercial and residential renovation projects across Australia. For example, Boral Timber’s Kiln Dried Today, Boral the F27 structural timber Timber is one of rs re tu was used in the largest manufac wood using locally sourced rd ha n ia development of al tr us A of hardwood in the late or aj m a d the University of products an ‘80s, starting first with ed ifi rt ce of Western Sydney’s supplier ood w ft Rose Gum (Flooded so d an d oo hardw Climate Change Gum) and then Sydney .” ia al tr us A in and Energy Research Blue Gum soon after. Facility at Richmond in They also use prominent New South Wales (NSW). Australian hardwoods such as Boral Timbers hardwood Tasmanian Blackwood, WA Jarrah flooring products are also currently and Tasmanian Oak, using these timbers being used in the refurbishment of the to make furniture of a very high standard Laurieton services club, located near Port and attention to detail, design and build Macquarie. quality. No MDF or particleboards are used at Francis Furniture – only solid timbers and select Francis Furniture plywood using features such as their unique Francis Furniture has been designing and sliding tapered dovetails, which allows the custom building quality solid timber furniture timber its natural seasonal movement on all in Port Macquarie since 1982; this year their carcass work and mortise and tenon on represents our 32nd year in business. Operated tables and chairs giving extra security. Combine by brothers Kim and Chris Francis, Francis this with an uncompromising approach to Furniture has expanded production and sales ensuring they use only the most appropriate in recent years to meet demand for Australian fittings and hardware available for a long made quality furniture from customers from service life, and you begin to realise why many as far afield as Victoria in the south and of their customers keep coming back and are Queensland in the north. still happy even after decades of owning their At Francis Furniture they use some of the finest first piece. timbers available, many of them North Coast Kim and Chris Francis are passionate about the hardwoods such as Sydney Blue Gum, Rose furniture they produce. They have developed Gum and Blackbutt. Francis Furniture started
“