NZ Logger November 2021 by nzlogger

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Wood-based biomass beating climate change

Designing forest stream crossings

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contents NOVEMBER 2021

4 4

FOREST TALK Anti-forestry drive raises hackles; Winner takes all; Reduced volumes for ports?; The carbon conundrum; Extra planting needed; Cash injection for “pine to natives”; Full steam ahead; Immigration shake-up; Ferries open path to biofuels; New CEO for WPMA; Largest log ship to load from NZ on its way; Falcon flies on the slopes; Wood residues in the spotlight; Opinion: “The three Fs”. SHAW’S WIRE ROPES IRON TEST The arrival of the John Deere 768L-II bogie skidder signals the first real choice for contractors in this niche segment more than a dozen years after six-wheelers were first introduced. Tokoroa’s G White Logging is the first in New Zealand to put the machine to the test.

30 30

BIOMASS A variety of biomass wood processing plant chippers, shredders and wood grinders, both mobile and stationary, are busily producing wood fuel for heat energy throughout New Zealand. The mainstream media is at last becoming aware of forestry as a sustainable energy resource, says Jim Childerstone of Jim’s Forest Services. But it’s taken the likes of New Zealand’s mega business, Fonterra, to get there.

40 rivers to the many single culvert installations. They not only need to be able to pass a flood flow, but to protect the natural ecosystem by ensuring fish passage.

DEPARTMENTS 2 editorial 44 fica 46 top spot 48 new iron 51 classifieds

BREAKING OUT We build about 1500 to 2000km of new road in our plantation forests each year, and we need about one to two stream crossings per kilometre. This adds up to about 3000 crossings per year, ranging from multi-span engineered crossings across larger November 2021 | NZ LOGGER 1

from the editor

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AUCKLAND, HAMILTON, 96-98 ROTORUA, WIRI 36 EARTHMOVER STATION NEW 328 PLYMOUTH, TE ROAD, PALMERSTON NGAE CRESCENT,WIRI, CHRISTCHURCH, 15 ROAD, MANUKAU NORTH,MUSTANG TE NGAE BURBUSH DRIVE, 22 MALDEN 64 COLUMBIA BELL FIND STREET, BLOCK AVENUE, OUT ROSLYN MORE HORNBY

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PHOTO: JOHN ELLEGARD

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Wood-based biomass beating climate change

Designing forest stream crossings

The first six-wheel John Deere 768L-II skidder in New Zealand has gone to work for G White Logging of Tokoroa.

ADVERTISING, ADMINISTRATION, SUBSCRIPTIONS POSTAL ADDRESS: PO Box 112 062, Penrose, Auckland 1642 STREET ADDRESS: 172B Marua Road, Ellerslie, Auckland 1051 PHONE: 09 571 3544 WEBSITE: www.alliedpublications.co.nz SUBSCRIPTIONS: $80 (incl. GST) for one year (11 issues) within NZ. Overseas rates available on application. Sue Woolston: accounts@trucker.co.nz PUBLISHER: Trevor Woolston, 027 492 5600, trevor@trucker.co.nz ADMINISTRATION: Sue Woolston, accounts@trucker.co.nz EDITOR: Hayley Leibowitz, 027 211 5048, hayley@trucker.co.nz ADVERTISING SALES CONSULTANT: Trish Barnett, 021 925 600, sales@ nzlogger.co.nz DESIGN: Luca Bempensante, Helen Scott PRINTING: Bluestar DISTRIBUTION: Ovato Retail Distribution NZ Logger is published on the second Tuesday of every month except January. NZ Logger is published by Allied Publications Ltd. CONTRIBUTIONS: Editorial contributions are welcomed for consideration, but no responsibility is accepted for loss or damage of submitted materials (photographs, graphics, printed material etc…). If the return of material is required please include a stamped, selfaddressed envelope. Please contact the editor by mail or email prior to submitting material. NZ Logger reserves the right to edit submitted material. COPYRIGHT: Articles in NZ Logger are copyright and may not be reproduced in any form – in whole or part – without the permission of the publisher. Opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily the opinions of, or endorsed by, the publisher or editor.

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Safe crossing

TRADE WITH THE UNITED KINGDOM HAS RECENTLY BEEN STRENGTHENED thanks to a historic free trade deal that will see tariffs for New Zealand goods exported to the UK cut and even fully removed for many primary products in the near future. While this bodes well for our other primary industries, what of wood? Of course for that, we look to China. Fortunately during the latest round of COVID-19 lockdowns, ships have been allowed to load, relieving congestion, but shipping rates continue to climb with economic pressures. COVID also keeps generating new obstacles, with port shut downs still a very real possibility worldwide, China included, as outbreaks continue. Construction slumps in China also don’t help. At home, the FICA and Safetree conferences have been postponed to next year citing “too much to risk with the spread of isolated COVID cases across the country” and not wanting to put “our industry reputation in jeopardy”. Who can blame them? No doubt the latest New Zealand COVID outbreak and accompanying lockdowns will also set the log export supply chain out considerably. Yet, log prices remain strong, log train runs have been increased and ships seem to keep getting bigger. For now, what we can do is keep planting trees, looking forward to the economic upturn that must surely come once COVID quietens down – the old saying that forestry relies on patience has never been truer. The New Zealand government seems to have finally acknowledged that the Delta variant can’t be easily contained. While there is certainly plenty of controversy surrounding a ‘no jab, no job’ policy, it is already being implemented in many sectors. Perhaps in the not too distant future we can get back to some form of normal. So, we carry on as best we can. And that’s not a bad showing either. The New Zealand agriculture, land use and forestry sector was ranked number one of 32 nations for the way it is getting to grips with climate change issues in a recent Global Emissions Survey, with our overall performance at number nine. The report’s authors highlight our high levels of forest biomass. Turn to this month’s in-depth biomass feature to see why our innovative use of wood residues is starting to make headlines. Also on the environmental front, we take a look at bridge building this month. With some 2000 kilometres of new road in our plantation forests each year, stream crossings need to be robust and not disrupt our natural ecosystem. A bit like our overall constitutions in the face of so many new challenges right now… Until next time, stay safe.

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2 NZ LOGGER | November 2021

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forest talk

Forestry is a key component in combatting climate change

Anti-forestry drive raises hackles A CONTROVERSIAL CALL BY THE MAYORS OF TARARUA AND Wairoa asking fellow mayors throughout New Zealand to fund a report designed to show that forestry is negative and ought to be restricted, has brought strong response. The President of the Forest Owners Association (FOA), Phil Taylor, says this “proposed anti-forestry coalition” of local bodies is “a prejudiced step backwards in time and destructive for their communities both environmentally and economically”. “It is contradictory for the Wairoa District to declare climate change to be a key issue in its Long-Term Plan in January, and a few months later lead a national charge to put every obstacle in the way of achieving carbon sequestration through forestry,” he explains. “Unfortunately, some council leaders are also off-beam in their understanding of the economics of forestry as well. The recent MPI commissioned PwC Report quite clearly found forestry was much higher in earning power and employment than using the hill country land for continuing to farm livestock.” Farm Forestry Association President, Graham West, says the terms of reference the Wairoa and Tararua mayors have set out for their report, are fixated on forestry and don’t take into account the diverse and long-term interests of their constituency. “The mayors demand a long-term plan for forestry. But they haven’t done the same for farming. “East Coast councils should be carefully looking at the impact of climate change in an already dry region and what viable land use options there are, including a mix of forestry. “Banning tree planting is not going to increase wool prices, nor ward off the threat of synthetic meat. New local processing industries, for both food and fibre need to be developed, which will support farming communities in the longer term,” Mr West says. “Tree farming will supply the raw material for the rapidly emerging

4 NZ LOGGER | November 2021

bioeconomy, and that in turn may need new tree species instead of radiata pine. The mayors could be encouraging a report which is broader and objective. A report like this could help councils build a resilient economy for their communities,” he adds. The Climate Change Commission has budgeted an extra 380,000 hectares of new forest planting over the next 15 years. “Hopefully, most of this planting will be integrated into farming systems, including on Wairoa and Tararua farms. Farmers should not have to fight their councils for the opportunity to earn a more diverse and reliable cash flow than they do now,” says Mr West. Phil Taylor says some councils, such as Hawkes Bay Regional Council, are taking advantage of opportunities for forestry. “Some councils see forestry as a good income-earning investment for future generations, and doing their bit for the environment at the same time.” Mr Taylor says regional economies stand the most to benefit from New Zealand’s move away from fossil fuels to wood-based bioenergy. “This imminent transformation to satisfy overseas consumers of our primary products, has already been recognised by a significant part of the agriculture sector who have not been slow to embrace forestry.” In light of these factors, he is strongly urging councils who have received the two mayors’ letter to have a good think about “the skewed terms of reference”. “It would be a good time for local government to do an objective analysis of land use choice and opportunities. Our industry would be delighted to have input into this, as I am sure would Federated Farmers and other farm organisations. “What none of us need is a call to legislate against farmer choices based on what appears to be a set of prejudices to keep farms free of any trees.” NZL

forest talk

Winner takes all

Reduced volumes for ports?

A SINGLE BUYER BOUGHT 37% OF ALL THE NEW Zealand Units (NZU) on offer in the last carbon auction in September 2021, snapping up more than 4.3 million NZUs for $234 million. The bidder’s identity is not known and is protected under confidentiality clauses in emissions trading scheme (ETS) law. A Ministry for the Environment analysis of the Sept 1 auction outlines some of the broad numbers in the third event of its type. It was notable because it resulted in the $50 ceiling price being crossed and released 7m NZUs in the cost containment reserve (CCR), which meant in all 11.75m were sold. The clearing price of $53.85 meant the government made $632.7m. The interim auction monitor report said: “For the first time and as anticipated by the market, the cost containment reserve was triggered. Possibly less expected was that the entire CCR volume was purchased with a consequent increase in the clearance price above the $50 trigger price.” The report said the ‘interim clearing price’ – which is the price at which the full auction volume would have been sold in the absence of additional volume – was $57. NZL

NEW ZEALAND PORTS, RELIANT ON EVER-INCREASING LOG EXPORTS, will start facing reduced volumes in the coming years as New Zealand’s forestry assets are unable to support demand out of China, according to BusinessDesk. We know logs are significant earners for North Island ports, accounting for more than 80% of all log exports out of the country with most sent as raw logs on charter vessels. No surprise that Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) data shows that more than half of New Zealand logs head to China. Port of Tauranga, the preferred exit point for the large central North Island forests, exported 6.3 million cubic metres of logs last year, or one in every four New Zealand-grown logs destined for offshore markets. The ministry expects log exports to grow about 7% this calendar year, from 20.1m cubic metres last year to 21.5m cubic metres. That’s of the total New Zealand harvest of about 36m cubic metres, up almost 3m cubic metres on 2020. Tauranga is also the dominant port for sawn timber, last year exporting more than half of total volumes of 1.7m cubic metres. Northport, Napier and Gisborne share about 40% of the market by volume. By contrast, the two largest log exporters on the South Island – Port Otago and Port Nelson – combine for about 10% of overall wood volumes. MPI data shows Napier was at 20% with Dunedin third at 6%. Across all wood categories, China remains the biggest market by export receipts, accounting for about $3 billion, or 53% of $5.7b in exports last year. Australia, at $517m, remains in the top two. NZL

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forest talk

The carbon conundrum THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENCE SOCIETY (EDS) HAS CALLED FOR an urgent reset of New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme “because of the way it is driving a massive expansion of carbon farming across our landscapes”. The price of carbon has now soared to over $60 per tonne. “Vast swathes of the countryside are being bought up by foreign companies for conversion to large scale pine plantations, principally driven by the increasing price of carbon. This is a perverse and unwanted outcome driven by short-term expediency,” says EDS CEO, Gary Taylor. “It is important to sequester carbon but it’s also important to continue sustainable farming and food production on suitable land. “Pine forests provide poor habitat, are a biosecurity and fire risk, produce massive slugs of sediment that pollute rivers, streams and estuaries at harvest, and degrade landscape values at an industrial scale. “This is a case of climate policy trumping all other considerations. It is a crude and blinkered response to the need for short-term sequestration. We need a home-grown solution to this conundrum. Many of the large-scale conversions are foreign investments whereas most Māori landowners are looking to indigenous forests as the preference. Responding to this, Forest Owners Association (FOA) President, Phil Taylor, says he would not have expected what amounts to a denial of the significance of climate change from an environmental organisation. “This ill-informed rant against forestry ignores the threat of climate change. The EDS acknowledges the need to address climate change but then condemns the central role plantation forests must play over the next three decades if we hope to get New Zealand to carbon neutral. “At the moment, our forests offset a full third of all New Zealand industry and agriculture emissions. As we head to the critical next three decades of the global fight against climate change, our forests will be even more important. “The complaint about foreign investment in forestry is also misplaced. EDS claims of unspecified ‘vast swathes’ of overseas investment reads as cheap xenophobia. “Most overseas interests in forestry in New Zealand earn no carbon credits. Forests earn their own way economically. “Forests are also vital for the developing bio-economy in New Zealand to replace unsustainable use of petrochemical derived products. “And it can be done over a small area. It’s not ‘swathes’ as EDS would have us believe. The 380,000 extra hectares of new planting the Climate Change Commission envisages would take less than four percent of the current hill country farm estate out of farming – and the least productive farmland at that.” The EDS’ Gary Taylor points out that biodiversity must also be considered: “To those who say that a robust response to climate change is important, I agree. But we have a biodiversity crisis as well, internationally, and here at home. There are over 4000 native species of plants and animals at risk of extinction. That is another crisis that cannot be ignored. “There is a win-win here if we are clever enough. Where land is converted to forests, we need to incentivise permanent native forests. They will sequester more carbon over time than exotics, restore lost habitat, lower fire, and biosecurity risks, reduce sediment runoff, and significantly enhance landscape and biodiversity. Native forests are our unique solution.”

6 NZ LOGGER | November 2021

Above left: Environmental Defence Society CEO, Gary Taylor. Above right: Forest Owners Association President, Phil Taylor. In rebuttal, Phil Taylor agrees that the huge challenge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at source is vital “but without fast growing plantation trees filling the carbon gap the task would be politically and technically impossible”. “Without more exotic forest plantings, farmers would have to severely cut back on their stocking rates to compensate. Their production would fall. Does the EDS want that?” He says the EDS suggestion to plant more native trees for carbon sequestration may make sense – but only in the long term. “The climate scientists tell us we need real action now to avoid a runaway catastrophe. We don’t have long enough to wait for native trees to lock up carbon from the atmosphere. Pines and eucalypts do it in years. Even the fastest growing indigenous trees take decades. “Indigenous forest carbon sequestration hardly registers by 2050. It can only become significant in the 22nd century. To change the Emissions Trading Scheme to favour carbon in native trees, as the EDS wants, flies in the face of science and jeopardises any attempts to get New Zealand to Carbon Zero by 2050”. He adds that large and small exotic forests harbour substantial intrinsic biodiversity, contrary to the EDS’s claim: “the EDS says it supports farming, while it attacks forestry. The fact is that there is at least as much indigenous habitat in our forests as there is on farmland.” Gary Taylor suggests a compromise: “To prevent the tragedy of many thousands of hectares being lost to plantation forestry we urgently need joined-up policy solutions that embrace climate, biodiversity and food production imperatives. “The way to do that is to either adjust the emissions trading scheme (ETS) settings to create a premium price for natives or create a parallel incentive programme to create a hybrid biodiversity and carbon farming package. There is an urgent need to make progress here. “The final part of a policy shift should be to tighten up the rules governing plantation harvesting. Sediment is our biggest pollutant. Yet our present regulatory settings allow 19th century methods of harvesting: large-scale clear felling when other countries require coupe or compartmental harvesting to reduce environmental impacts. A fix there would require commercial forestry to meet its full environmental costs and responsibilities and further shift the dial towards permanent natives with their vastly superior outcomes,” he says. NZL

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forest talk

Extra planting needed EVEN SHORT-TERM GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION TARGETS ARE not likely to be met, the Ministry for the Environment’s (MfE) recently released consultation document shows. “It is just as well that MfE can then cite a survey of landowners and forest managers’ intentions to plant larger areas of trees, than the 380,000 hectares of plantation exotics by 2035, which was anticipated by the Climate Change Commission at the beginning of the year,” says Forest Owners Association (FOA) President, Phil Taylor. “MfE now estimates that the price of carbon, under the Emissions Trading Scheme, will result in between 806,000 and 1,370,000 hectares being planted, a mix of exotics and indigenous, on a longer time-scale to 2050. “MfE is stating in its document that ‘forestry could sequester between 18 and 32 million tonnes of CO2’ in the year 2050. “That is a huge volume. You can see this amount in the context of New Zealand’s current total yearly gross emissions running at 82 million tonnes CO2e,” Mr Taylor says. But he adds that the forest industry continues to doubt whether even the more modest level of planting will occur. “New forests will occupy less than four percent of the sheep and beef estate, but it still requires 25,000 hectares of planting to be

maintained year in and year out for the next 15 years. “Already, nursery stock is short, and some of the planting will also be needed in the calculations for offsetting methane and nitrous oxide emissions on farm.” He also says the MfE report is right to highlight the post-forest benefits of wood material in combatting climate change. “For instance, MfE says that just the wood residues from harvesting existing forests could replace 70% of aviation fuel usage. There’s also the dairy industry rapidly converting its coal-fuelled boilers over to using wood fuel.” Mr Taylor says the report is being realistic about the cost of planting indigenous trees. MfE states that establishing a hectare of native trees could cost up to $50,000 per hectare, whereas pine tree establishment costs up to $2,500 per hectare. Native trees are also much slower at storing appreciable amounts of carbon. “If I have one technical issue with the forestry side of the MfE report, it’s that there is some idea that planting forests over the next few years will result in increased carbon emissions. “That can’t be right. The soil is not cultivated. It’s not a machine process. A planter will cut a standard single slit into the ground, put that tree in, and that’s it. You wouldn’t be able to measure the amount of carbon emission which comes from that.” NZL

Cash injection for ‘pine to natives’ THE COUNTRY’S LARGEST ‘PINE TO natives’ forest conversion project has been given a $15,000 cash injection by a leading producer of radiata pine products. The initiative by Hawke’s Bay-based Forest Lifeforce Restoration Trust (FLRT) is converting the former Maungataniwha Pine Forest into 4,000 hectares of regenerating native forest and now has the financial backing of the Pan Pac Environmental Trust. The land lies adjacent to the Maungataniwha Native Forest, a 6,120-hectare swathe of New Zealand bush straddling the ridge system between the Te Hoe and Waiau Rivers in northern Hawke’s Bay, bordered to the north by Te Urewera National Park and to the west by the Whirinaki Conservation Forest. Eighty years ago, the land was covered in mature native forest full of mistletoe, kiwi, kokako and kaka. The mature podocarps were logged and in the 1980s some 4,000 hectares were clear-felled and burnt for the planting of pine trees. The FLRT was established in 2006 to provide direction and funding for the restoration of threatened species of native fauna and flora in forests within the Central North Island. In 2018, it took control of the fully harvested block from Matariki Forests, which had held the licence to log the pine. The aim is to re-vegetate the area with

8 NZ LOGGER | November 2021

indigenous forest. There is sufficient native species seed in the soil to enable natural regeneration but the major challenge, and cost, is the elimination of regenerating pine seedlings which crowd out the slower growing native forest species. It takes a decade to clear logged land of wilding pines completely and to get it to the point where it can be described as fully regenerated. During this time the land is nurtured, treated and monitored by the FLRT to ensure that the species they expect to appear do so. About a third of the area, 1,400 hectares, can now be described as clear of regenerating pines and successfully

regenerated with native species. The conversion is the FLRT’s biggest and most expensive single undertaking. It uses a mix of aerial spraying and manual clearance methods to keep the wilding pines at bay. Prior to this, the work had been funded equally by the FLRT and the Department of Conservation between 2015 and 2018, but since then the FLRT had been carrying the financial burden of about $70,000 a year on its own. “Conservation in New Zealand is no longer the preserve of government agencies,” says Mr Hall. “The job’s too big and complex. Everyone has a role to play, ideally working together as much as they can. NZL

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forest talk

Full steam ahead GROWING DEMAND TO GET HAWKES BAY logs to port saw KiwiRail increase its log trains to run every weekday from last month. The Government invested $6.2 million to re-open the weather-damaged Napier to Wairoa rail line, with log trains running on weekends since late 2019. The trains run from a log hub in Wairoa to the Port of Napier. “Our log trains have become a vital link in the region’s forestry supply chain, helping reduce the number of heavy log trucks on regional roads that were never designed for them,” says KiwiRail Chief Operating Officer, Todd Moyle. “Harvest volumes in the Hawke’s Bay region are predicted to exceed four million tonnes per annum over the next five years, so there is a clear demand for rail. “With harvests now beginning in more forests around Wairoa, our log trains are really coming into their own. “Each weekday service will consist of

around 23 wagons. Over the course of a year, that’s removing the need for more than 10,000 truck movements – reducing congestion, road maintenance costs and improving road safety between Wairoa and Napier. “Given trains have 70% fewer carbon emissions per tonne carried compared with road, we are also doing more to reduce transport emissions.” Mr Moyle says more services mean motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and farmers need to be more cautious around the rail line between Wairoa and Napier’s port. “Going from running trains two days a week to at least five, means that the line will be busier. People travelling in the area need to take special care around level crossings, and anyone crossing the tracks should approach them as if a train may be coming – at any time and from either direction. “People should always look both ways for

trains when approaching a level crossing. Trains always have right of way. “We also want to remind people that it is unsafe and against the law to walk along or across railway tracks. The only safe place for pedestrians to cross tracks is at a level crossing.” KiwiRail will be running an advertising campaign in the Napier-Wairoa area to raise train safety awareness. NZL

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forest talk

Immigration shake-up THE MOST SIGNIFICANT IMMIGRATION CHANGE IN DECADES will be welcomed by businesses struggling to retain and find staff and is a huge relief for migrant workers and their families struggling with the uncertainty about their futures, says the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA). “News that around 165,000 workers and their families may now qualify for a one-off resident visa provides both relief and a degree of certainty for New Zealand businesses,” says EMA Chief Executive Brett O’Riley. “Minister Kris Faafoi and Immigration New Zealand have copped a fair amount of flak in the past few months, but a response of this magnitude shows that they have listened and responded to the feedback we have been providing. “This response will go some way to easing the pressures businesses continue to face in sourcing skilled and willing people to fill what we have called the skills chasm in New Zealand workplaces,” he says. Minister Faafoi says the 2021 Resident Visa is a one-off, simplified pathway to residence for migrants currently in New Zealand. “We are providing a way forward for our migrant families who have been long disrupted by COVID-19, while ensuring businesses have the certainty they need to plan into the future and continue driving economic recovery,” he says. “The changes give migrants certainty about their future here, allowing them to continue putting down roots, and will help reunite many families who were separated by the border restrictions that prevent COVID-19 entering the community. “The 2021 Resident Visa will also help us attract and retain the skills that our businesses need to help relieve labour pressures caused by COVID-19. “This is something employers have asked for and we are delivering. Employers will now have the opportunity to retain their settled and skilled migrant workers, reflecting the critical part they play in our economy, essential workforce and communities. “Immigration New Zealand estimates the eligible visa holders will include over 5,000 health and aged care workers, around 9,000 primary industry workers, and more than 800 teachers. There are also around 15,000 construction and 12,000 manufacturing workers on relevant visa types, some of whom will be eligible for the one-off pathway. Mr O’Riley adds: “Importantly the visa will also be available for those who enter New Zealand as critical workers – and their families – for roles six months or longer until 31 July 2022, which means New Zealand again becomes an attractive destination in the face of international competition for skilled workers”. The majority of applications are expected to be granted within a year of the category opening under a streamlined application process that still requires health, police and security criteria to be met and includes an online process, rather than the previous paper-based process. “We know INZ has been under the pump trying to manage the old paper-based processing and we’ve been assured that, while there will be a focus on processing the applications under the new scheme, processing of other visa applications will continue

10 NZ LOGGER | November 2021

Employers and Manufacturers Association Chief Executive, Brett O’Riley. at a similar rate. Obviously, the new visa scheme will also take applications out of those other categories and hopefully free up some of the log jams and capacity issues elsewhere in the immigration system,” says Mr O’Riley. The 2021 Resident Visa is open to most work-related visa holders such as Essential Skills, Work to Residence, and Post Study Work visas and immediate family members. The eligibility criteria is to meet just one of the following tests: • lived in New Zealand for three or more years; or • earn above the median wage ($27 per hour or more); or • work in a role on the Long Term Skill Shortage List; or • hold occupational registration and work in the health or education sectors; or • work in personal care or other critical health worker roles; or • work in a specified role in the primary industries. Visa holders can also include their partners and dependents in their application, with the first wave of applications being processed in December this year. These will be focused on current applications in the Skilled Migrant Category queue and those with Expressions of Interest applications who have dependents over the age of 17. The second wave will be processed from March 2022. “The Minister has also made it clear that employers need to look for ways to build their workforces from within New Zealand and attract, train and retain local workers in the future. We don’t disagree with that goal though that will take time,’ says Mr O’Riley. “What was missing was what employers could do in the interim to fill those well-known skills gaps before we can train or retrain local talent. We see opportunities over the next 12-36 months to retrain local workers, young and old, who have been displaced by COVID-19 impacts. While this happens, we will have over 100,000 new migrant residents to help address that interim gap, and while the Minister and his team continue to work on the broader long-term immigration reset,” he adds. NZL

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forest talk

Ferries open path to biofuels THE BIOENERGY ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND HAS WELCOMED KiwiRail’s announcement that the new InterIslander ferry engines will be marine diesel oil/battery hybrids. “Ironically this option offers a lower cost and risk route to emissions reductions than the LNG or methanol alternatives previously considered by KiwiRail,” says the Association’s Brian Cox. “Marine diesel oil is a blend of gas oil and heavy fuel oils (HFO), and HFO is one of the easier fuels to produce from biomass. This is actively under development by Crown Research Institute Scion and other teams internationally.

“With the work underway by Te Uru Rākau on the supply of wood for production of biofuels, bio-HFO could be supplying a proportion of the required fuel when the ships come on stream latter this decade.” Mr Cox adds:“Better still, by KiwiRail immediately importing drop-in renewable diesel we could have the rail system on a low emissions fuel within months rather than years. That would really reduce our emissions and show the rest of the heavy transport sector what they could also achieve. If Government really wanted to reduce emissions it would assist KiwiRail to do that quickly. By the time the new ferries arrive KiwiRail would already be experienced in using biofuels.” NZL

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New CEO for WPMA THE WOOD PROCESSORS AND Manufacturers Association’s (WPMA) has announced the appointment of Stephen Macaulay as its new Chief Executive, replacing Dr Jon Tanner who has taken up a role as Chief Executive of a larger entity. Mr Macaulay joins WPMA having been the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Management (NZIPIM) – the peak industry body representing over

12 NZ LOGGER | November 2021

1,100 farm advisers and rural professionals that provides advice and services to the farming community. He has strong experience in building and developing high-performing organisations within the primary industry. During his time with NZIPIM, he was instrumental in establishing and implementing the strategy, drive and enthusiasm that transformed the organisation into becoming a highly

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forest talk

Largest log ship to load from NZ on its way A MILESTONE IS LOOMING FOR THE NEW Zealand log export industry when the MV Clemens Oldendorff calls at the Port of Tauranga early this month. The 229m-long, 92,759 megatonne (Mt) deadweight post-Panamax category bulk carrier will be the largest ship to be loaded with logs at a New Zealand port. It’s the beginning of a new service being operated by South Pacific Shipping (SPS) and Oldendorff Carriers in a deal brokered by Braemar ACM’s Bruce McFarlane, a Mount Maunganui local. Braemar also negotiated the deal with ISO Stevedoring that delivered the mobile cranes from the manufacturer in Germany, to the port of Tauranga, New Zealand last year. “We saw an opportunity to bring together two major players from the log trade and dry bulk shipping to create new economies of scale through the utilisation of the new mobile shore cranes and larger vessels at Tauranga,” says Mr McFarlane. Loading the MV Clemens Oldendorff also introduces a changed loading procedure with

ISO Stevedoring using its new harbour cranes to load the vessel. The ship also carries all of its log cargo below deck level. The logs are sourced from Pacific Forest Products (PFP) and supplied entirely from sustainable plantation forests. The vessel will transport the logs from the Port of Tauranga with no deck cargo fumigation or lashing required, which will mean faster and more efficient loading that increases berth utilisation. Moving to the larger “Post Panamax” vessel allows the logs to be transported with a lower carbon output per CBM, compared to shipping on a regular handysize logger. SPS’s Cameron Mackenzie explains: “Not only will this be the biggest vessel to load logs from New Zealand, loading a gearless ship is also a first for the New Zealand log export industry. “A Post-Panamax vessel will carry underdeck twice the volume of a conventional logger, but will not require any fumigation by Methyl Bromide as no logs will be carried on deck. This deal is also good for the environment.” Oldendorff Carriers has been part of the

New Zealand log trade for decades. If the Post Panamax loading goes to plan, and freight rates remain proportionate to current levels, SPS will look to charter further Panamax vessels. Oldendorff Carriers has now concluded two deals that will bring Post-Panamax vessels to load logs from Tauranga. Both will see Oldendorff provide ships that will be over 30,000Mt deadweight more than the current largest vessel to have loaded logs from New Zealand. NZL

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forest talk

Falcon flies on the slopes DC Equipment’s Nick and Solomon (left and centre) hand over the 150th Falcon Winch-Assist machine to Nigel Bryant of Nelson-based Nigel Bryant Logging. IF YOU NEED A CLEAR DEMONSTRATION OF HOW SAFETY-CONSCIOUS harvesting contractors have become in the past decade, the sale of the 150th Falcon Winch-Assist machine provides convincing evidence. It took just seven years to reach that milestone and manufacturer, Nelson-based DC Equipment, says demand is currently at an all-time high. The shift to mechanised tree falling on steep slopes has accelerated around the world after the technology and safety of the innovative practice was proven in New Zealand. Kiwi companies like DC Equipment are at the forefront of the tech drive, exporting safety-first forestry equipment to customers in New Zealand and across the globe as a solution to removing vulnerable workers from dangerous tasks such as tree falling and breaking out. “I can’t believe we’ve hit Winch-Assist number 150, it just seems like yesterday we were building our first one,” says Dale Ewers, founder and owner of DC Equipment, as well as running a successful logging company. “We got into this business to protect people in our own harvesting crews and it worked so well we offered it to other contractors. We haven’t looked back.” Designed and tested extensively in a wide range of slope and soil conditions, the Falcon Winch-Assist has clocked up approximately halfa-million operational hours and zero harm incidents across its customer base. One leading customer is forestry equipment leasing company, TDF Solutions, which has purchased 27 Falcon Winch-Assist machines in recent years, including number 150. TDF’s Business Manager, Frankie Davidson, was himself involved in the early years of winch-assist development with a company that built a double-drum, twin-rope bulldozer but he has since become a firm believer in the single rope system produced by DC Equipment. “It’s an awesome product and it works bloody well,” says Mr Davidson, whose company provides forestry equipment to contractors on a lease-toown basis through New Zealand. “You’ve only got to see how they have changed the way we work on the hills and the safety record. Perhaps the best endorsement is that the customers we have keep coming back for another one… and another. “Since we took delivery of the 150th Falcon Winch-Assist – our 27th – we’ve already signed up our 30th.” TDF was among the early purchasers of the Falcon Winch-Assist and Mr Davidson says that although the key principles have not changed over the years, he has seen it become more refined and more user-friendly. “Compared to the first one, number 150 is different in almost every single way and yet it is exactly the same,” he says. “The way the control system works is incredibly simple to use for the operator and there’s years and years of development and hundreds of thousands of hours with machinery use and technology to develop how the system works to look after the machine and look after the operator. “The interesting thing is that contractors are not only buying these machines for working above certain slope angles, but a lot of people are also using them for environmental reasons and in adverse weather conditions. Many operators who have been using them for a while find

14 NZ LOGGER | November 2021

it very difficult to go onto any slope without a tether. Even on 20-degrees they feel very vulnerable and uncomfortable. To retain staff it is almost becoming necessary to have machines like this.” The Falcon Winch-Assist has been designed from the outset with singledrum, single-rope technology. It uses the largest rope size of any winchassist machine – at 1⅛ inch (28mm) diameter the swaged rope provides 71 tonnes of breaking strength ensuring that even shock loading will not compromise the strength or structural integrity of the rope. A larger rope also equates to longer rope life as it is more resistant to damage. But even with such a huge breaking strength, the Falcon Winch-Assist operates to a 21-tonne working load limit as a safety measure. Because the operator who is sitting in the felling machine only has to manage one rope when working on the slope it reduces complexity and the potential for snags. Similarly, the design of the winch system means less mechanical and electrical complexity, which reduces the opportunity for faults and breakdowns. The Falcon Winch-Assist has seen numerous improvements and safety features added over the years to eliminate operator risk, including: • overspeed alarm triggering a rope management system in the Winch which automatically slows it down to prevent shock-loading; • movement alarm to alert the operator if the winch-assist machine experiences any movement; • cab door tamper detection alarm; • over tension alarms; • drum over-speed alarm/arrest; • maximum rope pay-out alarm/arrest; and • live feed camera for the operator to monitor the engine bay and winch drum. The beauty of the Falcon Winch-Assist being built onto an excavator base is that it is a multi-purpose machine, being able to work as a loader, shoveller or digger through the option of fitting a quick hitch when the machine is not required for tethering. Typically fitted to a 30-tonne carrier, the weight of the complete winch unit is comparable to the original counterweight, plus a completed Falcon is just 600mm longer and the winch system itself has minimal impact on the original specifications and performance of the base. The raised bodywork also sees the winch unit almost completely enclosed by rear guarding for additional protection, while provision has been made for easy access points for maintenance. Mr Davidson concludes: “There used to be a lot of discussion around winch-assist being the future of steep slope logging – it’s no longer the future, it’s the now. If you are not looking at doing winch-assisting, then you are going to limit your ability to win contracts going forward. It’s that simple.” Mr Ewers adds: “With winch-assisting now accepted as the way to harvest most trees on the hillside, DC Equipment is currently developing the next phase of mechanisation in relation to our felling carriage – a skyline carriage equipped with a harvesting head for felling trees on slopes too steep for even the Falcon Winch-Assist to reach. Watch this space.” NZL

Wood residues in the spotlight FOR NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA, IT’S NOW BEEN OVER EIGHT years since the Forest Industry Engineering Association has run a wood residues programme aimed specifically at the forest products industry. Residues to Revenues 2022 is scheduled to run in Rotorua, New Zealand on 9-10 March 2022. It will also be available to companies from outside the country through live or virtual streaming of the event. To cater for the current demand for information relating to harvesting, handling and transporting of wood residues, a one-day conference along with exhibitions and practical workshops has been set up for forest owners, sawmills and wood manufacturing operations. It’s aimed at providing local businesses with a better understanding of the real value of energy tied up in wood fibre – and the opportunities open to it in supplying this new product to the market. Demand for wood residues in New Zealand at the moment is booming. And for supply, the volume of forest residues, bin wood, offcuts left on landings, short length or malformed logs that won’t meet MDF, pulp-mill or chip export log specifications and sawmill residues in most regions continues to climb – particularly as wood harvest levels increase, extraction systems improve and the prices being offered for the residues or wood wastes streams rise. Announcements from large-scale industrial heat or energy users switching from using fossil fuels to renewables, including biofuels, are occurring almost every month now. Fonterra’s wood pellet boiler at its Te Awamutu plant was officially opened in August, an investment of some NZ$11 million. Next to switch from coal to biomass is its Stirling cheese plant in Otago. It’s the third significant fuel-switching project the co-op has undertaken in as many years and there’s still more to come. The company is aiming to get out of coal altogether by 2037. In Southland, Danone Nutricia is installing a new NZ$30 million wood fuel boiler, converting it from gas. For the forest industry in the lower South Island, the Fonterra and Danone operations alone are going to require an additional 55,000 tonnes of sustainable wood fuel per year to be supplied. Added to this, other significant conversions from other manufacturing sites, milk operations and hospitals are also being discussed. What this means is that forest owners, those involved in logging operations and those with surplus waste from sawmilling and wood manufacturing operations are looking to satisfy this current and projected future demand. The industry is now weighing up the

economics. After a decade of inaction, wood residues are now really starting to stack up financially. Options for harvesting, handling, transporting and the organised delivery of wood residues from commercial forest operations and wood processing plants are seriously being explored. Similar moves are also afoot in other regions across the country. As part of the Residues to Revenues 2022 event, case studies of early adopters of in-field chipping and delivery systems are going to be outlined. Successful systems being employed from outside this region will be showcased along with some innovative business models that have been adopted elsewhere, both within Australasia and internationally, to ensure that the suppliers of bio-fuels are able to provide a timely and consistent quality fuel to these larger end users. The March 2022 event will include a one-day conference and a pre-conference in-field chipping showcase where new technologies for processing forest slash, logging residues and stump wood will be outlined by major equipment suppliers from around the world. A practical post-conference workshop run by the Bioenergy Association will also look more closely at the quality and delivery requirements for wood fuels to larger scale industrial heat and energy plant users. Turn to page 30 for our detailed Biomass feature. For further information on this wood residues event visit: www.woodresidues. events NZL

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forest talk: opinion

“The three Fs” Story: ACT Primary Industries Spokesperson, Mark Cameron (pictured). WALKING INTO MY WORKSHOP WHICH IS ALWAYS IN SOME STATE of clutter with old gear, machines and jobs on the go, I find myself looking for my axe. There’s wood to split. I happen upon my old “Kelly Master-Works” and unwrap it from its oily rag. It is a prized possession. My old plumb axe doesn’t have a handle, it was better for splitting wood. My Kelly was more for felling or limbing in the bush. These are some of my personal treasures from earlier in my life. Leaving school in the ’80s was a challenging time, but equally an exciting one – opportunities aplenty for youngsters entering the world. Although not compared with nowadays, where opportunities seem endless. A career in the primary sector was always a reliable and rewarding one. A real chance to get a good head start and to chart a future. Kids mapped out career paths and like so many of my mates, “the three Fs” of the primary Industries (forestry, fishing, farming) are where so many ended up landing. The stereotypical career path for kids in the ’80s was, more often than not, hands on. Of the three Fs, it was either farming or forestry for me. It certainly seemed like the way forward. My savings had paved the way for early career investments and I hoped, at the time, and at the very least, a limbing saw would be my first investment into a forestry crew – my gang. Man did I want a Stihl. As did all my mates. I’d settle for a “husky” I thought at the time, if I had to, or more honestly, because the money wasn’t there for my preference. Also, safety chaps were becoming pretty much standard kit too. Somehow I’d chosen to leave them out of the budget, but knew that being on a saw, without a doubt, mandated their use. A few of my mates did end up on boats with weeks or months at sea. That wasn’t for me. The constant guts ache, or perceived one, a definite no. Ironically, it wasn’t in the bush or the boats that I ended up lending my hand. Years later, now farming and milking cows (not in the bush), I looked back on the career that I never had and those that have now made a wonderfully successful career of it, in or part of, a forestry gang, a working brotherhood. Working long, hard hours, often in remote areas of the back blocks of rural New Zealand, many of my friends ended up driving heavy equipment, loading, limbing or cutting through forestry roads. The logging crews, those guys on a saw, or in a skidder, perhaps an

16 NZ LOGGER | November 2021

excavator have changed the landscape, and the perception of those in the bush. For so many, the revolution in the industry was born out by their hard work. These “hard men” a perception which remains still, are now less seen with the plumb axe, maul, saw or wedge… as I’d seen as a kid. More an army, of machines and men. A mobile force of excavators, and Waratahs, skidders and log haulers. High viz everywhere. The culmination of modern technology, better logging and safety techniques, equipment and efficiency, have made planting, forestry management and harvesting an absolute economic boon for New Zealand. Our number one exotic timber is an absolute stalwart of the primary sector. The old pine, or more aptly the grown pines across the countryside. Of 10 million odd hectares of forests around New Zealand, exotic plantations make up a little over two million hectares. A significant portion of that, our forestry staple, or Pinus radiata is king. A high quality, fast growing, soft to medium straight wood, invaluable to the export markets and domestic construction sectors. The forestry story is a successful one, with those that work in the industry contributing billions to the New Zealand economy, only marginally less than the sheep and beef sector. Equally, employing thousands of people, whether directly in the field or in the logistical support of freight by rail and road. It is a sector with huge opportunities, jobs commerce and wealth. This industry has, for decades, created jobs and is a key marker of success to the wider primary industries. At the bottom of the world as a small island nation we can only applaud the success of the forestry sector and its huge contribution. A sector which, in combination with the farming, growing, and fishing sectors, makes our primary sectors our number one economic earner. As ACT’s spokesperson for the Primary Industries, I couldn’t be prouder that it kept the economic wheels turning when so many periodically can’t – COVID issues bringing that rationale to the fore. Part of my role in Parliament will be to remind our younger generation what an amazing career they can have in the three Fs. I know I have. Although I don’t swing an axe like I used to or run in a scarf or back cut, the smell of pine oil and sawdust is never far away, and by virtue the memories and reminder of what a wonderful industry forestry has been for so many and equally how great it will be in our future. NZL

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IGERCAT NO LONGER HAS THE SIX-WHEEL SKIDDER market to itself, with John Deere recently crashing the party. The arrival of the John Deere 768L-II bogie skidder signals the first real choice for contractors in this niche segment more than a dozen years after six-wheelers were originally introduced. The question is, why did it take so long for a competitor to introduce a six-wheel rival? The advantages are obvious: improved traction, increased productivity and reduced environmental damage. All reasons why Tokoroa’s Gareth White has owned Tigercat six-wheelers in the past and still has a 635 working in one of his crews. Now he’s become the first in New Zealand to put the new John Deere 768L-II into the forest and has been followed by half a dozen others around the country. Gareth’s machine is working with one of his smaller groundbased crews in the Kinleith Forest, not far from the main highway south, near Atiamuri. A number of Tigercat six-wheelers have worked this forest over the years. For good reason. While some parts of Kinleith are blessed with easy-to-traverse volcanic soils that originated from the massive Taupo eruption two millennia ago, there’s also a lot of clay and pap that turns to mush in the wet winter months. Four-wheel skidders have no chance of working in those cloying conditions and the only options for extracting wood are either a tracked dozer with a winch/grapple, or something with more wheels to spread the footprint and improve traction.

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The first six-wheel John Deere 768L-II skidder in New Zealand has gone to work for G White Logging of Tokoroa.

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These are the conditions the John Deere six-wheeler was designed to work in. Extreme conditions test the power and traction of the new John Deere 768L-II skidder’s ability to keep delivering wood to the skid site.

The latter option is Gareth’s choice because it provides an opportunity to pull more wood than a compact dozer. In the right conditions. Equipped with band tracks, of course. And it was the ability to use band tracks allround that sealed the John Deere 768L-II deal for Gareth. “One of the biggest decisions for me in going for the John Deere is that we could run band tracks on all six wheels without it affecting the drivetrain warranty – you can only run ring chains on the front of the Tigercat, which are a pain in the arse because you are always having to adjust them,” he says. “During the online virtual reveal that John Deere held for the New Zealand and Aussie markets we got to ask questions directly to the guys in the States and one that we asked was ‘can we run the band tracks’ and they said no problem; ‘can you run the diff locks with the band tracks’, yep no problem with warranty. “That was a major part of the decision because a lot of the ground we get, especially during winter, it’s tough, even for a six-wheeler. With the John Deere we put Eco Tracks on the front with the bands on the rear bogey and it’s been running very well. No problems, so far,” he adds. G White Logging Crew 36 are no strangers to running a six-wheeled skidder, having had a Tigercat 615 for a few years. Gareth says the 615 showed how much difference adding bogie axles to the rear can make to a wood recovery

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processor supplied with wood. They are used to doing the hard yards. “The crew works in really varied country, they’ll go from flatter places to steeper parts that would potentially have been classed as tractor blocks,” says Gareth. “So it’s kind of in between ground-based and hauler country. Having that extra traction makes a big difference in that type of country. He’s (skidder driver Mike Liddell) been in some reasonably steep places already and he’s been pretty comfortable with it and hasn’t had any real problems. “It’s been a good test for it, especially as it’s so crucial in that crew, it is their prime mover. It’s Hard yards only a small crew (just five people) and if they The John Deere bisects the Tigercat pair on power, don’t have that ability, it would be a real problem too – with its 210kW peak output falling midway to get that wood out.” This is precisely the terrain and conditions that between the 625’s rated output of 198kW and the 220kW peak power in the 635. It would be John Deere designed its first six-wheeler to be interesting to see a comparison of the torque able to cope with. Matthew Flood, Product Marketing Manager figures, but Tigercat keeps those to itself. No matter. Gareth made the decision based on for John Deere, concurs: “With our new other parameters and took delivery of his 768L-II 768L-II Bogie Skidder, we’re delivering a purposenot long before New Zealand was plunged into built machine that navigates tough terrain, such the nationwide Level 4 lockdown, which saw the as swamps or steep slopes… helping loggers skidder parked up for a couple of weeks before maximise their potential, regardless of the the majority of the country was able to get back conditions.” to work again. The arrival of the new 768L-II has also seen With the wet weather extending from Winter John Deere rationalise its skidder line up in New SERIOUS POWER BIGmodels. TIME LOGGERS into Spring, the 768L-II has needed to make use ZealandFOR to three The new six-wheeler of all its traction capabilities to keep the crew’s sits in the middle of the new local line-up, flanked operation “and we had a really good run with it”. But in sticky winter conditions the front Eco Tracks do provide an advantage and that’s what swayed Gareth. The 615 is no longer in production, with the 625 now the smallest six-wheel option available in the Tigercat stable. That’s the model John Deere is targeting with its all-new 768L-II, though if you look at the specs, the John Deere falls somewhat between the two Tigercat six-wheelers in terms of both dimensions and power output. At 9,075.3mm, it’s a little longer overall than the 625, which is 8,790mm, but half-a-metre shorter than the 635’s 9,525mm.

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Above left: The extra height provided by the long arch allows the operator to raise the stems well off the ground to reduce drag. Above right: The 768L-II is the only six-wheeler in the John Deere skidder range… for now. It joins the four-wheeled 748L-II and 948L-II (top); Dropping stems on the skid is made easier with the extra-length crane (bottom). on either side by two four-wheel models, the 648L-II (tested earlier this year by NZ Logger as part of our focus on the series-II changes) at the bottom and the powerful 948L-II right at the top. Terry Duncan, who looks after forestry sales for North Island distributor, AGrowQuip NZ, says that while its possible for contractors to order models from the rest of the range, such as the two-wheeled 748L-II and 848L-II, he believes the revised range has all the bases covered. And while skidders can be fitted with either the John Deere’s 6,000-series or 2-speed 4,000-series rope winches, the standard and most popular configuration for the New Zealand market, is for grapples only – the winch is usually a special order, although some stock machines with winches are coming in. Gareth says they have no need for a winch on their new skidder, as the crew can always borrow a winch-assist machine from one of his other crews to help Mike negotiate steeper areas to drag the stems back to the skid site in the 768L-II. Longer crane Looking at the 768L-II in greater detail, it would be easy to conclude that it’s just a 748L-II with the addition of bogie axles at the rear, but there’s more to it. The extra engineering to lengthen the chassis and install the heavy-duty bogie has also created an opportunity to develop a new 3.7m arch design to improve visibility, against the standard 2.6m arch, or 3.0m option, specified for the 748L-II. It’s also enabled a larger grapple to be fitted, namely the 1.77m2 (19.1sq.ft.) model from the 948L-II. The crane itself is longer in order to hang the grapple out and compensate for the

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extra length due to the bogie axles. Gareth could have specified the even larger optional 2.07m2 (22.3sq.ft.) grapple and admits “at times we could have done with the bigger grapple but it’s not like the one we have is small, you just think, ‘we could do with more of those size trees’”. The 768L-II also has more power than its fourwheel stablemate. John Deere actually offers three versions of its PowerTech 9.0 engine in the 768L-II, in Tier 2/Tier 3/Tier 4 Final environmental configurations, all rated at a maximum power output of 210kW (281hp) at 1,800rpm and 1,276Nm or torque peaking at a low 1,400rpm. By comparison, the 748L-II Tier 2 model delivers 172kW (231hp) and 1,020Nm and the Tier 4 Final version boasts 196kW (263hp) and 1,141Nm. Useful performance additions to compensate for the extra weight of the six-wheeler (23,697kg versus the four-wheeler’s 19,713kg) and the bigger loads it can pull. The standard size fuel tank in the six-wheeler holds 497 litres, against 391 litres in the 748L-II, which provides a good couple of days running between re-fuels. In theory, the John Deere should be using less fuel than a similar machine fitted with a torque converter because its power and torque is conveyed to the ground more directly via the CVT transmission. A Hydrostatic transmission suffers some losses through the torque converter. The CVT drives differently, too. With this transmission you set your maximum engine speed – which can be anywhere up to 1,800rpm – because it is a constantly revving engine and then you control your ground speed with the accelerator pedal. The machine’s speed is

governed by the ratios programmed into the box, in this case six forward and six reverse speeds. Progress through the ratios is seamless, eliminating so-called ‘shift shocks’ due to surging revs. The CVT automatically senses the load and delivers the torque and tractive effort that is needed to maintain the desired speed using the ratios programmed into its brain (these are set by the factory but can be re-set by the operator). So, if the operator needs to slow down to get around an obstacle on the track they can manually bump it down a couple of shifts in the ratios and it will dynamically slow down and then shift up again as soon as the skidder has got around it. “It’s a different type of drive system and it took my operator (Mike) the first day to get used to that with the constant accelerator setting,” says Gareth. “One thing he can’t do is go from forward to reverse real quick. That took a little bit of getting used to because he has only ever driven the Tigercat. So it was a little bit of a learning curve but he picked it up real quick.” Mike says it took a week before he was completely comfortable with the driving system, but he’s very happy with it now. And the bogie axles and tyres also make the ride smoother over lumpier ground. He’s also impressed with how the transmission holds the machine on the hills. If the going gets really tough, even with the band tracks fitted, he can engage the diff locks, with the ability to use the front and rear axle lockers independently or all in unison, knowing that the 45-degree articulating chassis will keep

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the wheels in contact with the ground on the roughest tracks. He’s used the diff locks a fair bit in the muddier and steeper sections. The 557mm ground clearance isn’t too bad, though it is lower than the Tigercat 625. Gareth goes on to say: “I was just looking through the JDLink last night and seeing how much time he was spending in it and what gear he is using etc – it’s awesome because I can see what the fuel burn is. He’s doing just below the 30 litres an hour which is relatively high but you have to take into account he has the tracks on all wheels and it’s tough going, but it has been working in the hardest area of the block. It’s steep and it has been very wet in there and I expect that figure to improve when it moves into easier country soon.” Impressive grapple Putting the bogie axles and larger arch/grapple aside, there’s a strong sense of familiarity about the John Deere 768L-II because it shares the same cab and much else with the 648L-II we tested earlier this year, including the joystick steering. Mike likes the cab and says the interior space is excellent, it’s very comfortable and has good vision. The ability to easily swivel the seat around

from facing front to almost facing the rear, as with his old 316 also gets the thumbs up. The armrest-mounted electro-hydraulic controls and switches are within easy reach, including the buttons to change the gears, which are on each joystick. Flick up to change up and flick down to drop a gear. The joystick steering provides light and smooth control, too. Mounting all the controls and switches onto the seat leaves the cab remarkably free of clutter and, with just two sets of accelerator and brake pedals on the floor and a display screen on the front/right pillar it feels quite roomy. There’s even a heated seat to warm the bum on cold winter mornings. Vision to the rear is noticeably better in the 768L-II through the larger arch and grapple, which is important when approaching stems on the ground in reverse, which is a little trickier than on a four-wheel skidder due to the additional length imposed by the bogie axles. Mike also points out the black covers just after the arch that prevent dirt from gathering up around the rams, “makes it easier if you have to change a hose”. Greasing is very easy, with nipples handily located for better reach. Although it’s not as big as the monstrous 21sq.ft. grapple that comes standard on the

Top: The ability to use band tracks on all six wheels without nullifying the drivetrain warranty was a factor in Gavin White’s decision to buy the John Deere 768L-II. It’s taken more than a dozen years for a competitor to launch a six-wheel skidder to compete with Tigercat, and the new John Deere is a worthy opponent. Tigercat 635 (which also offers a 23sq.ft. option), it’s still a big piece of kit and will hold an impressive number of stems. Opening the tongs up to their maximum 3,785mm, it could probably encompass 12 tonnes of wood, but Mike doesn’t like to load it too much, especially when operating in softer ground conditions. One of the nice features of the L-series is the grapple squeeze, which provides a constant pressure, so operators are less likely to lose stems during a rough journey back to the skid. And the extra length of the crane enables the operator to lift

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DIAGNOSE • DESIGN • DELIVER

stems higher off the ground, which helps reduce drag and damage. “The grapple has a very good grab on it and it does take more logs than I’m used to on flat stretches,” says Mike, “but I can’t pull as much uphill and I need to push the arch back and forth to keep going. “Another good thing is the wide blade. We did have a digger that could make tracks for us but it’s not been around for a bit so I’ve had to use the blade on this and it’s come in very handy for pushing tracks, it just peels the dirt off like butter.” And in spite of its extra length, the 768L-II appears to have a very good turning circle as Mike manoeuvres on the skid to drop the stems and push them into position with the extrawide 2962mm blade where they can be easily accessed by the processor. It’s pretty nimble allround, he says. Iron Tester, Shaun Field, is about to find that out for himself as he takes over the reins of the John Deere skidder. Shaun is no stranger to skidding wood, having driven a variety of makes both here and in Australia, including Tigercat six-wheelers. He’s no stranger to this part of the country either, working in a crew just a few kilometres away a few weeks ago, albeit at the controls of a tracked harvester. But he’s been very keen to see how the 768L-II matches up to expectations and you can read his impressions on page 26. Meanwhile, Gareth White is already happy with his purchasing decision and doesn’t think he is taking a gamble being the first to put the new

John Deere six-wheeler to work in this country. “I have always liked the John Deere skidders,” he says, “they have been building skidders for a long time obviously and they know their stuff. I know that they have significant R&D capabilities and the way I like to think about it is they wouldn’t have released anything if they weren’t serious about competing in that area of the market. “I’ve never actually owned a John Deere skidder of my own before this but I operated them when I was working for wages, so it’s not like they are an unknown to me. “I’ve always run 909 levellers. I just really like the finish in the John Deere. In my opinion the finish is always so good on them and that’s what you appreciate. They’ve thought about the little things and they’ve finished them in a nice way and they’re integrated really well.” And this one has integrated into the G White Logging operation very nicely. NZL

Above left: Extra heavy-duty components are used in the construction of the bogey axles. Above: Gareth White (right) and operator, Mike Liddell, with the new John Deere 768L-II six-wheel skidder. Below: In addition to the bogey axle on the rear, John Deere has increased the size of the arch to provide better vision and lengthened the crane. A rope winch is not standard but can be ordered.

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iron test: Shaun Field

Iron Tester, Shaun Field. THIS MACHINE REALLY SUITS PLACES LIKE KINLEITH AND THE Mamakus, where you’re plugging through mud in the winter months and you need the extra traction to pull wood. I couldn’t get over how effective it was in such crappy conditions. You do need those band tracks on all wheels, but on the flat I could pull six big stems behind me over very sticky ground and not even need to bring in the diff locks. They were only necessary when I had to drag up a hill and also use the crane to help punt me up a very difficult bit. Four-wheel skidders wouldn’t stand a chance in these conditions. I haven’t done a lot of skidding lately but this would be a machine of choice. Getting into the cab reminds me of the last of the Timberjacks I used to drive – very much updated, of course. But the layout of the controls is very similar and all fall easily to hand. Unlike that old 660D, you now have a joystick to steer with and it’s effortless, though very sensitive to any input. And you don’t have to crane your neck when swapping directions because you now have a swivelling seat, which is easy to turn because the button is on the arm. I’m impressed with the amount of space in the cab and the good all-

round vision, although you do have to tip your head either side of that big bonnet when going forward to see things close up. But there’s great vision looking back through the arch – you can easily see the wood on the ground to be able to place the grapple. There’s a three-button start up sequence, just like in other John Deere equipment and you’re ready to go. I made the mistake of putting the transmission into auto to start with, which meant I was bogging down a bit when I was going up the hill because it was trying to stay in a higher gear. Mike Liddell told me to change gears manually and keeping it in lower gears going up the hill allowed me to kick it up. It’s my first experience of that CVT transmission but Mike explained it really well and I found it easy to operate. There’s plenty of power on tap. I only used third, fourth and fifth and it was cruising along on the flat and pulled decent enough drags. Didn’t feel like I had to thrash it. In some jobs with a skidder you feel like you are fighting a losing battle because you are under the pump trying to keep up. This one is no stress, just grab what you can fit into the grapple and head off.

1: The 1.77m2 grapple is standard on the John Deere 768L-II skidder, but there is a larger 2.07m2 option. 2: Good view throughout to the rear of the skidder. 3: Regular operator, Mike Liddell, likes the cab layout and swivelling seat.

4: Roomy cab with plenty of visibility – the seat rotates 270-degrees from front to rear. 5: The 768L-II has a handy built-in fire hose situated between the cab floor and chassis in place of an extinguisher. 6: Good access from the ground to filters and other maintenance checks.

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IFICATION

SPEC S

SPECIFICATIONS – JOHN DEERE 768L-II BOGIE GRAPPLE LOG SKIDDER ENGINE

BOOM/GRAPPLE

6-cylinder, 9.0-litre, John Deere PowerTech PSS 9.0, Tier 2 Power 210kW (281hp) @ 1,800rpm 1,276Nm @ 1,400rpm Max Torque 18km/h Top speed

Arch/boom Grapple

Type

Continuous Variable Transmission, six forward- and six reverse-speed ratios Axles 1425 Super-Wide Extreme-Duty Axle (SWEDA™) front/bogie-axle rear 30-degrees stop-to-stop Differential (front & rear) Front Axle Oscillation Hydraulic-locking, operated-on-the-go, differential lock STEERING Type Steering articulation angle

Fully hydraulic, joystick-operated 45-degrees

BRAKES Braking Park Brake

Inboard-mounted wet disc on front & rear axles Spring applied, hydraulic released, wet multi-disc

HYDRAULICS Drive Pump

BLADE Standard width Full raised height

TRANSMISSION

High lift, continuous rotation, 3.7m Opening 3785mm Area 1.77m2

2,962mm 1,517mm

REFILL CAPACITIES (LITRES) Fuel tank Engine oil Cooling system Hydraulic system

496.6L 25 41 123.6

DIMENSIONS (MM) Length 9075.3 Width 3,058 Height 3,365 557 Ground clearance Wheelbase 4,416 30.5-32 Front Axle, 780/50-28.5 Rear Axle Tyres 23,697kg Operating weight

Open circuit, variable displacement axial piston

COOLING Type Heavy-duty radiator with continuous de-aeration tank and recovery reservoir Hydraulic driven, variable speed, auto-reversing Fan

It’s a big grapple and it held onto everything, except on one occasion when I lost a log due to operator error – I pushed the diff locks by mistake instead of the grapple. The bogie wheels seemed to make the 768L-II feel more stable when I was leaning around steep tracks. Just have to be careful if you need to raise

the crane up, that you don’t upset the centre of gravity. It’s very quick over the ground when empty, feels quite light, even with the extra weight of the bogie. So you can achieve good round-trips and keep the skid constantly supplied with wood. That’s what a good skidder is all about. NZL

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Biomass

Wood-based biomass beating

CLIMATE CHANGE

Story: Jim Childerstone Photos: Jim’s Forest Services, Morrow Engineering and Fonterra

OOD-BASED BIOMASS IS NOW recognised as a vital resource to mitigate climate change. And the mainstream media is at last becoming aware of forestry as a sustainable energy resource. But it’s taken the likes of New Zealand’s mega business, Fonterra, to make media headlines. Earlier this year Fonterra announced the establishment of an 11,000kW (11MW) wood chip boiler for its Stirling dairy processing

plant in South Otago. The company has been tinkering with replacing coal-fired boilers over the past few years, but had originally been concerned with consistency of supply. Dairy units, fibreboard plants, paper mills and garden centres, all compete for available pulp and low grade logs, which is still worth more in export values. Further down the road near Balclutha, the French-owned Danone milk treatment plant is also soon to commission a similar sized

Veolia chip boiler. This is all going to take considerable volumes of forest harvest residue available within Otago/Southland forests. Tree planting, however, is supposed to be ramping up due to current government policy to cut greenhouse gases under New Zealand’s commitment to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and recommendations of the Climate Change Commission.

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Left: The Fonterra Stirling dairy processing plant, near Balclutha in South Otago. Right: Alexandra-based Pioneer Energy, is the wood chip supplier for the Stirling plant. The Fonterra boiler is to be installed by Polytechnik Biomass Energy which is in the process of installing, five boilers – three for the Ministry of Health Christchurch Hospital steam boilers, one for Wood Engineering Technology in Gisborne, as well as Stirling. Polytechnik’s General Manager, Christian Jirkowsky, explains that the total thermal output of all those biomass boilers would be around 50MW (50,000kW). “In using over 100,000 tonnes of forest residues, thereby replacing global warming fossil fuel, those boilers will reduce emissions by 75,000 tonnes every year – equivalent to taking about 30,000 to 40,000 cars off the road,” he figures. Throughout the country there has been a steady increase in installation of wood chip boilers which has taken place with little attention from the mainstream media. Instead, hitting the headlines for climate change have been electric vehicles and shiny metal structures such as wind turbines, green hydrogen plants and acres of photovoltaic solar energy plants requiring high emissions to produce the materials. Currently on the market are a variety of biomass boilers ranging from under

1000kW to 40,000kW output. Within the mix of conversions from fossil fuels are tertiary institutions, schools, universities, public utilities, aqua centres and a variety of commercial businesses. But the elephant in the room has recently been electricity supply, having to import coal partly due to drought conditions, demand through an increasing population, infrastructure and housing development. Which begs the question: Why are some dams spilling water while Huntly Power Station is under pressure to increase supply with increasing tonnage of coal imports? However it is understood that development of other forms of biomass conversion could solve the problem in the longer term. Water turns the turbines. So does steam from burning wood and other low emission materials, which can drive generators. One kilojoule of wood burnt in boilers emits only a little over 2kg compared with coal which emits nearly 95kg/kj of CO2 (Scion Research). Fonterra’s Stirling plant is the latest project to eliminate coal and the first site powered with 100% renewable thermal energy. Senior Engineering Project Manager, Ian Hall, explains the plant will reduce emissions

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Biomass

Above: Morrow Engineering’s biomass boiler being installed at the Nelson Azwood pelleting plant. Right: Morrow Engineering’s seven megawatt boiler feeds the Stillwater sawmill, on the West Coast.

by 18,000 t/year using a similar volume of wood chip per year. “This is the equivalent to removing 7000 cars off the roads,” he calculates “and putting $10m back into the community.” Established in 1982, the expansion included an upgrade to the whey protein concentrate plant to improve whey quality and energy efficiency. Its wastewater treatment plant processes close to three million litres of water per day and can process 20kg blocks of cheese per minute. Ian says 90% of cheese made at Stirling is exported all around the world and it employs more than 110 people. Wood chip supplier for the Stirling plant, Alexandra-based Pioneer Energy, estimates it will require 22,000 tonnes of wood chip at peak times to meet the plant’s contracted volume. Spokesman, Richard Ireland, says the company sources suitable grade stem wood from reputable suppliers “with the majority of our logs as contracted volume”. He explains fibre is pulled and collected “in many ways and functions, usually during the felling process, with product chipped

through a biomass specific Heizomat mobile chipping plant”. The processing takes part on and off Pioneer’s sites dependent on the supply regime utilised. Local Christchurch-based boiler maker, Morrow Engineering, which claims to be the sole New Zealand manufacturer of wood chip boilers and boiler conversions, has just dispatched a 4MW thermal heated boiler to Gorton’s sawmill at Milton. Morrow Engineering’s Alistair Morrow, says the firm is well into boiler conversions of all shapes and sizes. One of the company’s largest manufactured boilers was recently installed for Azwood Energy in Nelson. Alistair explains the Azwood plant required extra heating facility to dry the material to produce pellet wood, which gives maximum net calorific value in heat energy. The moisture content is below 5%, which matches coal without costing added carbon credits.

This involved secondary processing to produce pellets, an added expense but popular with super-heated boilers which is of benefit to the nearby Fonterra plant as the result of a supply deal. Another large Morrow Engineering boiler with 7MW output was installed some years ago for the West Coast’s Stillwater sawmill for its drying kilns. This mill is also involved with re-manufacturing a variety of products. Although originally producing coal boilers back in 1969 for home heating and small businesses, Alistair says the company has since been producing units to utilise low greenhouse gas emissions biomass. He’s a little perturbed that imported boilers don’t attract import duty while local manufacturers exist with little help from Government. Alistair launched the family-owned firm back in 1969, and at age 79 has no intention of retiring “just yet” – one son is currently learning the ropes.

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Biomass

CHIPPERS and PROCESSORS On

VARIETY OF BIOMASS WOOD processing plant chippers, shredders and wood grinders, both mobile and stationary, are busily producing wood fuel for heat energy throughout New Zealand. They range from the massive Morbark and Doppstadt units munching up whole trees over a metre stem size, capable of producing up to 100 cubic meters of wood chips per hour, to the smaller mobile chippers capable of chipping skid site branch wood and rejected defect logs up to 450mm diameter, and stationary chippers mainly established in sawmills. A variety of smaller chipper/ shredders have been in use over the past couple of decades. They include the Hansa and Vermeer series able to be towed by small trucks and utility vehicles, and used by contractors to trim trees, for vegetation site clearance and windfalls capable of handling branch and stem sizes up to 300mm. Some material ends up with municipal landscape contractors, garden centres, private property

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1: The Hyundai trackscavator rakes residue to feed into the chipper. 2: The Morbark 4600 XL chips up forest residue after shelter belt clearance in Canterbury. 3: Phil Mauger’s chipper mulcher in action on a Christchurch shelter belt. 3 owners and dairy calf feed pads. Currently the larger industrial boilers capable of producing up to 20-30MW of heat energy require a consistent supply of large volumes of chipped or hogged fuel. This is where the likes of the Doppstadt, Morbark and Bandit drum chipper series and tub grinders are contracted for supplies. These machines are capable of filling a chip liner and trailer unit within an hour ready for delivery. Watching these machines operate is quite a sight. Photographed a few years ago, Phil Mauger (above) pulls his German-built DH 910 Doppstadt along the end of a shelter belt west of Christchurch, manoeuvres his Hitachi 160 traxcavator with grapple along

the felled shelter belt and proceeds to pull the whole tree into the feed chute. Parked on the other side of the chipper is Phil’s chip liner and trailer unit which rapidly fills from the chipper’s flue. It’s all remotely operated from the traxcavator. The truck makes deliveries to nearby orchards and horticultural establishment bunkers feeding biomass boilers. Also, during the major earthquake clean-up, Phil Mauger used his Doppstadt shredders to smash up damaged building materials. He uses a Doppstadt low-speed 3060 and high speed AK430 on various breaking-down and demolition jobs filling landfills. Up inland near Mayfield, Canterbury

4: The Binder boiler feeds heat to Dunstan Hospital. 5: The Doppstadt drum chipper with spaced knives. 6: Staff show off the recent chip boiler installation at Dunedin Polytechnic. 7: Dunedin Hall Brothers Transport’s Bandit hogger chews up whole willow clearance near Dunedin airport. 8: The Doppstadt chipper being fed with whole trees to fill the chipliner. 9: Pioneer Energy Wood Fuels currently supplies 14 customers with a varying range of chip and fuel volume.

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Phil Mauger sets up his 160LC traxcavator to feed trees into the chipper.

Woodchip’s Brad Coleman has his Morbark 50/48 chipper and Hyundai 210 LC10 traxcavator on a similar operation ripping through felled trees on a dairy unit. The Morbark has a similar taste for large wood as the Doppstadt. Brad had been contracted to supply wood chip to the newly installed 8MW Burwood Hospital boiler and several other units around the Canterbury area. More recently he undertook a trial to process wilding trees in the Mackenzie country, looking at opportunities for use of these self-sown trees to produce biomass. In the meantime, down south of the Waitaki River, Pioneer Energy has been at it for 14 years. Initially the Alexandrabased company promoted and supplied biomass to the mostly smaller boilers, such as the Binder and Hargassner series for institutions, one being the University of Otago Polytechnic. Pioneer’s Richard Ireland says the University has to date installed about a dozen boilers of varying sizes in the halls of residence and lecturing facilities. “Our customer partnership has proven results and we are very proud of our ability to work together to achieve sustainability goals, such as with Otago University,” he says. The University has won a prestigious Australasian sustainability award for an

initiative that aims to “shrink the university’s carbon footprint by a third by 2020 (mostly achieved) and propel the campus more than halfway towards being zero carbon”. “Pioneer Energy Wood Fuels currently supplies 14 customers with a varying range of chip and fuel volume,” says Richard. “We have also converted three boilers to run off wood chip and installed the Heizomat brand of hot water boilers”. Looking ahead, Richard says the company is working with parties “in the wilding conifer space and is set to undertake recovery and utilisation trials in the coming months. Pioneer has partner business’ which are set up to recover and transport this fibre”. The partnerships span both the North and South Islands of New Zealand, he says. Besides supplying wood chip from its mobile Heizomat chipper to Dunstan Hospital and Wanaka’s aqua centre, Richard explains: “Experience tells us that not every boiler and circumstance is the same. As an example we have come up with fuel blends and technology changes to be able to utilise existing assets with very small capital input when considering new plant. In Dunedin we are running a 50-year-old coal boiler on wood (Dunedin Hospital). Our tried and true fuel blend means the boiler exceeds maximum continuous rating; we

achieve this at 80% firing rate. The capital investment required to convert was also minimal with only 5-7% of the replacement coal required. Our operational cost is closer than typically thought, when wood’s 0.5% ash content and ETS changes are taken into consideration.” Extra savings occur due to the fact coal clinker and ash costs money to be dumped at landfills while wood ash is mostly used in a fertiliser mix. Pioneer Energy Wood Fuels was originally started by Ernslaw One as Ernslaw Bioenergy, then moved to Wood Energy NZ as a brand of EFI/Pioneer, becoming Pioneer Wood Energy 14 years ago, Richard says. Also taking an interest in the potential of wilding conifers for biomass energy is Ahika Consulting’s Lloyd McGinty who has been looking at wilding growth up in the Mackenzie Country. The company targets carbon solutions that provide opportunities for renewable energy and assists businesses to reach net carbon zero status through reducing emissions and afforestation. “Our work includes biomass energy systems, biomass supply options, native and exotic afforestation projects that generate carbon credits and managing the

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risk of increasing carbon price,” he explains. The company’s expertise is to identify opportunities within processes to improve how energy is used, reducing onsite carbon emissions and waste in the process. Another player in the wood chip supplier and promoter business is Otago-based Eduard Ebbinge of Ecotec and Lumbr (formerly Spark Energy renewable energy for business). Eduard claims the firm is at the forefront of commercial boiler installations, the supply of fuel-grade wood chips to the commercial market and remains the most prolific facilitator of conversions to wood energy around New Zealand. “We have now delivered well over 50 commercial wood boiler installations (nationally) and have a strong order book well into 2022,” he says. “As a wood fuel supplier we purposely stay away from supplying the larger industrial boilers, as we take the view that the introduction of such large boilers will, sooner rather than later, distort the balance of supply and demand for wood fibre in affected regions.” Eduard feels this is likely to lead to fuel

Wilding conifer clearance left in situ. price increases to end users and investment business cases “falling apart like a house of cards”. “In the end this may not matter for some of the parties involved as the drive for such conversions is principally about reduction in carbon footprint and sending a strong signal to their stakeholders about environmental commitment rather than

return on investment,” he says. He concludes that in his section of the market, “we focus on delivering positive outcomes for our clients both environmentally and financially, and strongly believe these two goals need to be aligned for wood energy to become a sustainable component of New Zealand’s energy mix”. NZL

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Biomass

NZ forestry RESOURCES KEY R ECENT MEDIA HEADLINES STATED that Huntly power station had imported nearly 650,000 tonnes of coal last year to boost New Zealand’s falling power supplies. The bulk of electric power is currently mostly sourced from renewable energy hydro schemes with a small percentage from wind, solar and other sources, including research into landfill energy recovery. Coal imports raise our greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 1.3 million tonnes per year (Scion Research). Five industrial boilers running on wood biomass with a total output of 50 megawatts of energy saves 75,000 tonnes per year (Polytechnik Biomass Energy). It’s going to take a lot of boiler installations and biomass just to mitigate what Huntly is using. Even every wood boiler in the country at present won’t make it. After all, coal creates steam to drive generators. So does wood. But much of the calorific heat value coming from wood depends a lot on availability, recovery, processing technology, species, piece size and moisture content. Basically coal burns hotter per kilogram, thus less volume. But a kilojoule of coal input will emit over 95kg of CO2. While a kilojoule of wood only emits just over 2kg of CO2(Scion Research). Thus burning wood chip offers big savings in carbon credits. And some industrial-sized biomass boiler installations use excess steam to drive generators, such as the Polytechnik and other manufactured units. One perceived problem confronting the future of increasing wood biomass volumes is availability of the resource nationally. Particularly in the event of large boiler installations required by the likes of Fonterra’s major plants – up to 30-40MW capacity – or freezing works. Fonterra is aware of competition for chipped and hogged wood supplies, including fibreboard manufacturers, paper mills, dairy units, firewood and chip wood exports. The question is, what’s the volume availability of biomass for industrial heating projects? It appears permanent carbon forests would be of little help as harvest operations do not appear on the horizon, with thinning and pruning not part of management. In the case of Fonterra’s Stirling cheese plant, Dunedin City Council’s City Forests has upped its existing 10,000 tonne p/a of chip log to bioenergy suppliers by a further 10,000

Above Left: The Billet wood residue on this skid site is a potential chipping resource. Above right: Reject log stack on the landing. tonne to the plant through Pioneer Energy. City Forest’s Kent Chalmers says: “We see that the volumes of the grades that have traditionally been supplied to the bioenergy and MDF industries, billet wood and chip logs, that are viewed as residues are close to being fully committed.” He explains that growing the supply with additional volume will require either collecting (more difficult to extract) residues from cutover and skid sites or moving to export pulp type logs that will have a higher operational cost. “Either way there is additional volume available but it will be more expensive than where we are now,” he explains. However Fonterra is confident that there will be a continuous and adequate supply of wood biomass to “meet our needs and the needs of others”, says Fonterra’s Ian Hall. “If there’s more domestic processing, it’s a good thing for New Zealand and the industry as well. “Results from conducting an independent request for volume and price information as well as analysis conducted by PF Olsen indicate there is sufficient volume of wood available in New Zealand. It is just a matter of cost.” This presumes that the industry may have to compete for higher priced low-grade export log, mentioned by Eduard Ebbinge of Ecotec and Lumbr, who also gets supplies from City Forests. Fonterra says it is exploring all options to use technology and continue to reduce overall energy use as shown by its successful 20% energy intensity reduction from 2003; “this reduces the volume of thermal energy we need to generate and therefore procure”. “Our Te Awamutu boiler conversion from coal to wood pellets was based on the ability

to partner with Nature’s Flame and secure an expanded domestic supply of wood pellets. We continue to look at opportunities to partner with others to ensure we have a secure and reliable long-term supply of energy.” (Wood pellet manufacture can involve extra secondary processing costs.) Latest data after several years of Scion Research, culminating in 2017, studies the potential future of biomass availability over the next 25 years from 2022 to 2047. The team, led by scientist Peter Hall, undertook a comprehensive study of what could be expected from a low carbon and wood fibre supply situation. In his research Peter takes into account the current boom in forestry production as a result of the advent of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and carbon credits under the planting subsidy after 1989 – headlined “the wall of wood” coming on-stream from 20002017. However the volumes are figured to dip to a low point from 2035-39, after which new plantings catch up, including the current Billion Tree programme. The volumes of wood and other green biomass sources was predicted to reach 6,500,000 tonnes next year of which nearly 4,000,000 tonnes come from in-forest harvest residue, mainly from landings and cut-over areas. Not included was land clearance, shelter belt removal for irrigation, intensive farming and wilding tree removal. Also taken into account for total biomass was waste from saw mills and processing plants (slab, offcuts sawdust), municipal wood waste (building sites, pallets, site clearance, parks and demolition material), orchard and vineyard prunings, straw from grain harvest, and stover from corn harvest. The available cost-effective recoverable tonnage is predicted for next year to reach

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just under 1,000,000 tonnes, mostly from forest residue (includes defect/reject log, off-cuts, slovens and branch wood) and processed waste from mills and timber processors. Energy input in gigajoules is estimated at 22,500,000 GJ with emissions reduced by 1,294,227 t/p/a. Not quite mitigating Huntly emissions. Hall explains that in-forest residue recovery is limited on cut-over sites due to contour and costs with current methods; thus only a small percentage can be processed. It was calculated a percentage of cut-over slash would remain for soil improvement and slope stability. And not all skid sites were accessible. But there was room for innovations and plant improvement. On easy contour, post-harvest windrows can be processed by mobile chippers. Also, distance to users comes into costs. “However as technology develops and system productivity improves, costs may improve over time. For example recent innovations in chipper technology are expected to substantially reduce fuel consumption in this part of the system, where chipping is applicable,” Hall believes. Then there is also the factor of processing to attain the best net calorific values to

get maximum heat energy. Chipping improvements with chip uniformity using screening systems to maintain chip size and ridding impurities, reducing moisture content, were factors to improve heating. Canterbury Woodchip has installed a drying plant at its South Canterbury headquarters. Some boilers, such as Polytechnik’s Burwood Hospital plant take both hogged and chipped fuel at full moisture content which is dried to about 12% moisture content using excess steam to dry fuel before being fed into the furnace (hogged fuel is cheaper owing to larger mixed piece size.) Central Otago-based Pioneer Energy has calculated dried wood chip, pellet and block can match coal output in costs at 4.5 cents per kilowatt hour, with nil costs for disposal. Apart from funding or subsidising low grade export logs (KI, pulp grades), one suggestion was for greenhouse gas emitters to plant forests, partly to earn carbon credits, but to harvest the trees at 15 years for biofuels. Scion Research, as with other organisations, has also been working on producing green liquid fuels to replace fossil fuel such as diesel. Resins from certain conifers such as P. Contorta and P. sylvestris

are highly inflammable, as evidenced during the Mackenzie Country recent fires. Which also begs the question that these species provide the bulk of wilding conifers – a possible resource? This is a good indication of just how invaluable our forestry resources are, particularly allowing New Zealand selfsufficiency in, not only our building industry and variety of products attained from wood, but also clean energy production and exports. Carbon is sequestered in growing trees, retained in a multitude of products and emits minimal amounts of greenhouse gasses which are replaced through rotational management systems under Forest Stewardship Council certification. This appears to be a subject not fully taken into account by permanent carbon forest investors. (Note: The writer was on a six-month contract to Holcim New Zealand to access availability of wood biomass in 2010/11 for the proposed plant at Weston, after the closure of the Westland Foulwind plant, mostly from forest residues within the East Otago/Waitaki region. The project has not proceeded.) NZL

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Breaking Out

Designing forest

stream crossings S

TREAM CROSSINGS ARE AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT of our forestry infrastructure. “We build about 1500 to 2000km of new road in our plantation forests each year, and we need about one to two stream crossings per kilometre. This adds up to about 3000 crossings per year that can range from multi-span engineered crossings across larger rivers, all the way through to the many single culvert installations,” notes Professor Rien Visser, who heads Forest Engineering at the School of Forestry, University of Canterbury. They not only need to be the right diameter (or height) to pass a flood flow, but it is also important to protect the natural ecosystem by ensuring fish passage. Two final year forest engineering students, Luke Wilson and Drew Wood, have worked on research projects to help the industry improve their design practices. While stream crossing sizing practices are set out in guides like the New Zealand Forest Road Engineering Manual (NZFOA 2020), it is not an easy process, with highly variable outcomes. You need to calculate the flood flow, and then match it to the stream crossing opening. It depends not only on the chosen approach, but also the person doing it, and this can lead to uncertainty. Most of the flood flow calculation factors are relatively easy to measure, such as catchment size and stream slope from maps, and rainfall data from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) website. However, all of the culvert sizing equations require a ‘Catchment Factor’ that reflects the vegetation and soil type and

hence the expected flood flow response from a larger rainfall event. This Catchment Factor will range between 0, where none of the rainfall will exit the catchment, and 1 where all of the rainfall will come out in the flood. This is where Luke Wilson has made a major contribution. He has developed a Geographic Information System (GIS) Tool that semiautomates the process of culvert design with minimal input from the designer. Developed using ArcGIS’s model builder, it uses a LiDARderived Digital Elevation Model (DEM), a Land Cover Database and a Fundamental Soil Layer for soil drainage information (both from Land Resource Information System). These GIS layers provide the slope, land cover and soil contributions so that a weighted runoff coefficient representing the entire catchment can then be calculated. In comparison, doing this manually, the designer would be expected to just estimate a single factor for the whole catchment. The benefit of building this GIS Tool is that it also allows a sensitivity analysis to be undertaken. For example, we know that a forested catchment discharges less water during a rainstorm than one that is harvested, but what is the scale of this effect? In the figure (right) is a catchment of 36ha for which we want to design a culvert. When still fully forested, the Catchment Factor is 0.45 leading to a culvert size of 1.8m. For the same catchment when harvested, the Factor increases to 0.7, an expected increase in flood flow of 36% leading to a 2.2m culvert being required. The tool also allows you to simulate the effects of partial harvests in larger catchments.

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Left: While culverts make for low-cost stream crossings, if not installed correctly they can make it impossible for some of our native fish species to pass. Above: The runoff raster’s generated for a fully forested (left) and harvested catchment (right). Harvesting has increased the area with the highest Catchment Factor resulting in an increase of 0.45 to 0.7, meaning an expected increase in storm water flow of 36%. A key focus of developing the tool was to reduce the variability of results between different designers for the same catchment and to save designers’ time. It was evaluated alongside the manual methodology across 35 different catchments in the Northland

region. The results agreed very well with the difference being less than 3%. The tool was also a lot quicker than if done manually and removed a large amount of potential human error from the process. Luke believes that the new method allows for a better

design process by being more structured, reducing the reliance on user ‘experience’, and by providing a method where different designers will produce identical results. It should also give Councils more confidence in the resource consenting process in that

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Breaking Out

Left: Drew Wood (standing) and Luke Wilson inspect a potential stream crossing site. Bottom Left: This drift-deck crossing, with a stabilised downstream bed, is a good example of a structure that retains fish passage.

the designers are not choosing values that may lead to smaller, and hence cheaper, stream crossing options. In terms of design and installation, while getting the flood water through a stream crossing is important for the integrity of the infrastructure, making sure it minimises the impact on fish movement is equally important. In fact it’s a legal requirement. Working with Rayonier Matariki over summer in the Bay of Plenty region, Drew Wood completed a waterway crossing infrastructure survey in one of their forests. There were 119 larger crossings in the area surveyed; namely 91 culverts, 11 bridges, 6 concrete based fords, 6 battery culverts and 5 drifts decks as part of the 1500km road network. While that survey focused on the

physical condition of the crossings, it made Drew wonder about what aspects might hinder fish passage, given that hundreds of kilometres of waterway habitat will be above the stream crossings. By knowing which species of fish live in the various waterways and knowing what they are capable of, we can determine appropriate design options. Some native fish are anguilliform, such as eels, which can travel overland and breathe air if their body stays wet. Fish like the Red Fin Bully are ‘climbers’, meaning they are good swimmers and can navigate fast-flowing water. However, fish such as Inanga (whitebait) are just ‘swimmers’ and rely on finding low-speed sections of the waterway to move upstream. In faster flowing rivers this can often be along the stream

edges. But depending on how a culvert is installed it may have a perch (raised height, hence resulting in a small ‘waterfall’), or if installed too steep there is no slow moving water along the edge. In Drew’s study area he identified 11 fish species, of which 5 have the conservation status ‘at risk declining’, highlighting the importance of getting the design right. By knowing which species are present in the waterway and how they swim, instream structures can be designed to ensure that the fish species present in the waterway can move through freely. With modern science we can now establish which fish are present in a waterway by identifying DNA in a water sample (called eDNA). By taking water samples above and below a stream crossing it is possible to identify if there are fish species present in one area and not the other. This can help to prioritise upgrades of instream structures to improve their fish passage performance. Drew concludes that when designing or assessing instream structures for fish passage, the best guidance is to match the flow in the structure to the natural flow of the waterway. “It is really important to continue to improve our understanding of what it takes to build effective stream crossings,” notes their supervisor Professor Rien Visser. “Luke and Drew have made a good contribution that will not only be valuable for industry, but we can also integrate it into our teaching.” Authors: Rien Visser looks after Forest Engineering at the NZ School of Forestry. Final year student Luke Wilson (lwilson1234567@ gmail.com) will start working at Summit Forestry in Kaitaia, and Drew Wood (drew. wood1407@gmail.com) with Rayonier Matariki Forests in the Canterbury region. Their full dissertation reports can be downloaded at: https:// forestengineering.org/ NZL

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Prue Younger, CEO Message

There’s been some key messaging coming out of the Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE) review process about unlocking trainers in our industry. The idea is for industry to put in a model that suggests what’s working and what’s not. Te Pukenga is working with other government agencies to reduce time in the room for employers. At a series of nationwide workshops, a simple statement was asked about how industry wants to embed training without being an inconvenience? It was identified that the vocational education and training (VET) system was currently financially driven, and it was failing equity and groups like the challenged learner and Maori. It was also realised that there has been no collaboration, rather operating in a very competitive environment. Only 15% of businesses use the VET system despite a majority of employers training, which shows a disconnect between qualifications and industry. Like forestry, the statistics show that 60% or more of vocational training is carried out in the workplace as classroom-based learning does not always meet the needs of either the learner or the employer. The RoVE has created the opportunity for industries, and specifically the forest industry, to review and, if necessary, reconfigure its vocational training system. The assurances by Government that the reform be learner-focused, industry-led and Government-enabled demands close attention and provides the stimulus for a coordinated forest sector reaction. The changes anticipated mean traditional industry networks and advisory groups may need review, but certainly refocus onto RoVE activities. The objective of the RoVE is to ensure the Vocational Education system is going to be fit for the future, address inequities, be more flexible and adaptive and by 1 January 2023 the launch of Te Pukenga will have been completed. It is becoming a new nationwide provider bringing together 16 institutes of technology and polytechnics and arranging training functions from many of the 11 industry training organisations. But it is not the only option for our industry to manage delivery of training, as current PTE’s will still be able to provide delivery and Te Wananga o Aotearoa is another independent provider. The recent establishment of the Forestry RoVE Advisory Group (FRAG) will enable our sector to provide input to the various RoVE workstreams and take into consideration the Forestry & Wood Processing Workforce Action Plan. FRAG is seen as a pragmatic and inclusive mechanism to contribute to the reforms with a strong forest industry voice. The group reflects a good cross section of stakeholders in forest industry education and training with representatives from forest owners, contractors, trainers and assessors, to our future foresters. Participants will represent and communicate with their stakeholder groups while collaborating as an active working group in the best interests of the forest industry. 44 NZ LOGGER | November 2021

FRAG may establish working groups and bring in subject matter experts to be co-opted to participate in meetings/discussions to support the work plan. We see FRAG being responsible for: • Co-designing as the industry lead, an operating model, including policies, rules, procedures, and guiding principles, which align the forest industry vision for vocational training with the service provision offered by the RoVE. • Interacting with the Primary Workforce Development Council (WDC) – Muka Tangata, Te Pukenga, COVE, other Tertiary providers, Government agencies, Transitional ITOs (Competenz Forestry) and industry stakeholders. FRAG plays both a strategic role and an advisory role. The vision is to develop a skilled, qualified, safe and effective workforce achieving recognised qualifications which are current and fit for purpose. FRAG will also advise on communications, potential operational projects, and existing member projects. These include identifying operational improvements in the training and assessment of forestry learners. It will ensure the group of forestry trainers/assessors are supported and well communicated to, through the transition and beyond. Along with providing input into other education sector working groups, FRAG will support existing industry initiatives and projects in the delivery and education space. In the development of the intent of FRAG from a strategic perspective we have collectively put forward ten overarching core principles that cover standards, communications, industry ownership and responsibilities, training delivery, assessment, an environment that enables, skills recognition, accessibility to and support for the forestry training sector, giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and funding. The administration and secretariat activities of FRAG will be managed by FICA, with the FICA website acting as a central hub for all communications, and we will ensure that a central database of key industry contacts and stakeholders is maintained, with regular communications going out via email newsletter and Facebook. We will look towards key stakeholders sharing this information on their own databases, to further increase exposure. The intention again is to make sure that communications will be clear, consistent, regular and widely distributed for maximum exposure and transparency. Over the next few months, FRAG will be sure to reach out with our thoughts, ideas and proposals to gather feedback – we are your vehicle to connect with RoVE and to ensure forestry has one voice and is heard. The delivery of VET in New Zealand is changing to better support our future workforce and employers. That transition is well underway and we cannot let others set our future.

top spot

Safety/performance/quality

Hands-on performance ONCE AGAIN, AS WE CONTINUE THROUGH A COVID-restricted period of time, it’s great to be able to continue to recognise participants who exemplify the skills and professionalism that make our industry what it is. The photos of the folk from Kaha Logging reinforce the importance that well-trained, skilled and focussed individuals continue to perform where manual Breaking Out and QC/Retrim roles are required to safely and efficiently extract and process logs. A clear reminder that, while mechanisation has and continues to play an increasingly important role in harvesting, the importance of maintaining highly skilled individuals in manual tasks needs to continue to be a key focus. The combination of manual and mechanised functions will continue in our industry. This issue we bring you photos of some top performers in the East Coast and some of the folk from Kaha Logging in the Waimarino area of the Central North Island. Sponsors – they don’t have to do this but they choose to!

Awesome companies, awesome people and awesome support! They back you and your workmates to succeed as professionals, so why wouldn’t you support them? They believe in what we do and what you do. So a big ongoing thank you to our Strategic Partners – STIHL and NZ Logger and sponsor SWAZI. The best way to keep our industry working is to get out and support those businesses that support New Zealand. Participating Companies This competition wouldn’t be what it is without our participating companies. We understand the commitment it takes

What’s in a picture? THIS IS THE HELMET OF A THIN TO WASTE participant with 15 years’ experience, who consistently scores well in Top Spot. He applies between 2,000 and 5,000 cuts per day equating to 470,000-1,125,000 per year or 7 million-16.9 million cuts over 15 years. This is the first time this has happened to him. Why have we included this? It is a very good example of what can happen (even to vastly experienced people) and the learning that can come from it. When this occurred, the operator was embarrassed about the fact it had happened to him and contemplated not reporting it, but decided to. As a result, the crew gained some key learnings including: • Maintaining vision of the left-hand side of the bar when cutting – if you can see the

left-hand side kickback is unlikely to hit you should it occur. • Knowing where you are placing the tip of the bar – don’t guess. • Review of the trimming policy by the crew to include the points above. All thinning crews starting up after the planting season should refresh themselves with the risks associated with chainsaw use and felling/ trimming techniques. Our thanks to the participant and crew involved for sharing this timely reminder.

from them to be part of Top Spot and value their ongoing support and feedback. Our ongoing thanks to Rayonier/Matariki Forests, Wenita Forest Products, Port Blakely, Crown Forestry, CMH Logging, Hauraki and Moehau Logging, Thomassen Logging, Te Waa Logging, Inta-Wood Forestry, Otautau Contractors, Heslip Forest Contracting, Waikato Forestry Services, Makerikeri Silviculture, XMen Forestry, Central Forestry Services, Mangoihe Logging, Kohurau Contracting, Dennis E Hayes Logging, Ernslaw One, Blue Wood Logging, Mike Hurring Logging, McCallum Harvesting, Whisker Logging, Kaha Logging, Lahar Logging, Dempsey Logging, Moutere Logging, JBD Harvesting, McDougall Logging, Forest View Logging, Kimberley Logging, Dewes Logging, Manaia Logging, Storm Logging, Eastside Logging, Veal Forestry, McHoull Forestry, Pride Forestry, Bay Pine, Penetito Forestry, FM Silviculture, Forest View Forestry, Wayne Cummings, Rodco Forestry, Johnson Forestry, Pro Forest Services, Eastside Logging. Into safety? Into performance? Into quality? Contact Shane Perrett on 0274 781 908, 07 3483037 or at primefm@xtra.co.nz. NZL

Bill Wheeler (EOL Regional Manager – East Coast) and Jesse Tidy from Onward Logging.

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top spot

Safety/performance/quality

Harlem Hawira and Andre McDonnall setting up twisters on both worker and non-worker stumps to handle the weight of whole stems that will be fully suspended across a deep gully. William Callaghan, aka Gap, on the processor and handling these massive stems, some of which are up to 900mm in diameter.

The crew from Dewes Logging with top results from William Saddlier, Quinton Collins, Ebony Tuari and Tahi Hiroki. Lahar’s QC George Hinana carrying out his QC duties, making sure all logs meet the customer’s requirements.

Harlem Hawira and Andre McDonnall from Lahar Logging.

The setting requiring full suspension of logs from Lahar Logging.

November 2021 | NZ LOGGER 47

new iron

FIRST FX FORESTRY MACHINE FOR PURE LOGGING Pure Logging in Northland has taken delivery of its first FX forestry machine, a Hyundai FX3632G. Fitted with a custom-built, highstrength bonnet from Satco, processing head and four-point harness seat, the machine rolled in to the skid and got straight to work. First comments on the machine were how smooth the hydraulics were, how quiet the cab is, and the power of the aircon. Pure Logging is a long-time customer of the Porter Group.

JOHN DEERE FOR AC LOGGING Charlie and Kowhai of AC Logging in Southland have taken delivery of a new John Deere 2656G forestry swing machine fitted with a Satco 324. Mark Evans of Heavy Equipment Repair did a top job with additional guarding and the harvester installation. Sold and supported by Drummond and Etheridge.

SUMITOMO FOR DM LOGGING DM Logging owners, Dean and Michelle Dahlenburg, have taken delivery of a new Sumitomo SH240-5TL. Dean set this machine up with live bucket circuit, Ensign 1530 grapple and hydraulics along with a full PFS Package with Side Intrusion and ROPS Cab. The new 240TL joins a Tigercat H855D, H855E harvesters and 1085C forwarder in Dean’s busy Blue Gum harvesting and loading operation throughout Southland. Pictured are Dean and his crew with their new machine.

WEILER S550 FOR BLACK CONTRACTING Warren Black and the team at Black Contracting have added a new Weiler S550 wheel skidder to their fleet. Powered by a Cat 7.1 engine, they say the Weiler skidder is impressing with its power, smooth operation, speed along the ground and drag capabilities. The new skidder has been put to work on logging duties in the Otago region and is pictured with Arden Black. Sold by John Mathias, Otago Territory Account Manager, Terra Cat.

ELTEC/WOODSMAN COMBO FOR SHOTOVER Sam Keenan, owner of ShotOver Contracting, has taken delivery by Shaw’s of an Eltec FHL317L tilter fitted with a Woodsman Pro 750. Working in the hills of Masterton, the machine is performing all the felling and processing duties for the crew.

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new iron

CAT 330GC FOR MCCORMICK LOGGING This new Cat 330GC has been delivered to McCormick Logging for its Rotorua operations. The unit was guarded by PFS, and the logger boom and Ensign live heel with 1730 provides excellent reach, says operator, Brenden. He is impressed with the smoothness of the Cat 330GC hydraulics and how stable the machine is. The machine was sold by Terra Cat Territory Account Manager, Mark Costello.

NEW MACHINERY FOR TAHURUA EARTHMOVERS Haydon and Bridget, owners of Tahurua Earthmovers, have added a SH370LHD-6 to one of their roading operations based out of Gisborne. This machine was fitted with a Doherty 3.2 metre wide bucket with teeth for moving earth and was guarded by The Engineering Co in Napier.

CAT 538LL FOR KURU CONTRACTING This is the first of three Next Generation Cat 538LL Forest Machines delivered to East Coast-based Kuru Contracting. Owners Ricky and Leanne Kuru took delivery of the purpose-built Cat unit and say they’re very impressed with the Next Gen features including a more spacious cab design, better visibility, and more swing torque for increased power and performance. The unit was sold by Terra Cat Territory Account Manager Forestry, Heath Stewart.

SAT324 HARVESTER FOR T ANDREWS T Andrews has taken delivery of a new SAT324. Troy is working near Tapawera, in the Nelson area. The SAT324 has paint marking and the Logmaker control system. Troy says he is impressed with the speed of the harvester.

HYUNDAI FOR ROESKE MULCH N DIG Porter Equipment Territory Manager, Josh Hunter, recently delivered this Hyundai FX3230 forestry model to Tony Roeske of Roeske Mulch N Dig in the Wairarapa. Tony is stoked with his new machine!

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new iron

CAT 538LL FOR TOMBLESON LOGGING Tombleson Logging has recently taken delivery of a new Next Generation Cat 538LL Forest Machine. The new Next Gen unit is working in Kinleith Forest for owner Nick Tombleson and features several significant next gen design upgrades including a purposebuilt cab with greater visibility, increased track speed and torque, as well as increased slew torque. The machine was sold by Terra Cat Territory Account Manager, Mark Costello.

WEILER S250 FOR EDWARDS LOGGING This Weiler S250 skidder is a new arrival for North Canterburybased Edwards Logging. The new unit replaces a trusty Cat 518C on site with the Weiler package delivering increased power, smooth operation and drag capability. The unit is pictured with Edwards Logging’s Cat 558 processor and was sold by Terra Cat Territory Account Manager, James O’Connor.

SIX WHEELER FOR KING ONE King One owner, Andrew Pratt (Pratty), has just added a new 635H six wheeler into his fleet. The 635H replaces a faithful 632E, and Pratty chose the new H series six-wheel machine as he specialises in Steep Terrain Winch Assist felling and uses a Tigercat LH855E for that task. The new skidder is also set up to tether to the Timbermax Winch, and will help increase the efficiencies in steep slope and long haul blocks throughout Southland. This machine is set up with Forwarder tyre and Band Track configuration on the rear and along with EHS Trans and Cruise Control, the new six-wheeler copes well in all weather and terrain conditions. Pictured are Pratty and his crew from King One.

HYUNDAI FOR JB LOGGING SANY HIGH AND WIDE FOR MAHUTA LOGGING Mahuta Logging has taken delivery by Shaw’s of a Sany high and wide SY305H DC Equipment tether winch package. This machine is working in the hills of Port Waikato.

Stephen Hireme is stoked to be operating JB Logging’s brand new Hyundai FX3632LL log loader. With 13 years in the bush under his belt, 10 of which have been with JB Logging, Stephen is an experienced operator and says the FX really delivers on performance. Sold and delivered by Anthony Wanoa.

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new iron

NEW MACHINERY FOR M WELCH ELTEC/WOODSMAN COMBO FOR MANA LOGGING Mana Logging has added another Eltec to its fleet, taking delivery of a FHL277L fitted with a Woodsman Pro 1350 felling head by Shaw’s. The machine is performing all the felling and shovelling duties for the company’s operation in the hills behind Mōrere, Gisborne.

When it came time to upgrade his levelling processor, Mark from M Welch Logging decided to try the 959MH and SATCO combination. Operator, Nick (apologies for the original typo), says he is awed by the increase in performance and production as well as sheer comfort from the new machine. Seen here deep in the Gwavas Forest going about its daily duties with ease, the machine was delivered and supported by the AGrowQuip Hastings Team.

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