Australian Forests & Timber - May 2020

MAY 2020

Tumut and Tumbarumba recovery Pages 5-9

Round Table: Sustainable forest management Pages 10-11

Mixing milling with farming Page 30

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In the news

SETA wants fuel reduction answers Philip Hopkins

A

REGIONAL forestry group has urged a review into why NSW fuel reduction burning (FRB) was reduced in about 2004, while strongly advocating for a minimum annual 5 per cent fuel reduction target.

The South-East Timber Association made these and many other recommendations in its submission to the NSW Bushfire Inquiry.

SETA secretary Peter Rutherford said the review should investigate why FRB levels were not increased in the light of earlier experience in NSW and the recommendations of earlier reports. These include the federal House of Representatives 2003 ‘A Nation Charred’ report and the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission.

Mr Rutherford said the minimum 5 per cent FRB and mechanical fuel reduction target was based on Western Australian experience and several Royal Commission inquiries, including the landmark 1939 Victorian inquiry.

Mr Rutherford cited figures from the past 20 Rural Fire Service annual reports.

These showed that the averwww.timberbiz.com.au

age annual area subject to fire and mechanical fuel reduction in the past 16 years was only 30 per cent of the average area treated in the first four years of this century. FRB in the same period declined by at least 67 per cent.

The total fuel reduction in the past 16 years in NSW had averaged 168,628 hectares annually. The average area treated in the first four years was 555,498ha per annum, he said.

SETA’s 22 recommendations also include: *Review the Bush Fire Coordinating Committee to ensure it has the scientific skills to ensure bushfire action is not overwhelmed by emergency response financial, political and media demands. *The Centre for Environmental Risk Management should be defunded and wound up, and a bush fire research scientist should review the outputs of the CERMB. *Amend the Wilderness Act to recognise the evolution of the Australian biota under Aboriginal fire management regimes. *Reduce the current minimum interval between FRBs. *The current line of fire fuel ignition on lower slopes

should be changed to spot ignition, working along ridgetops and progressing down slope to minimise canopy scorch. Canopy scorch hinders germination of shrubs, thus diminishing fuel reduc-

tion benefits compared with low intensity burns. *Undertake an audit of aircraft use to show whether the aircraft are being used efficiently. Issues include the percentage of aircraft time

and expenditure on direct asset protection, initial attack in remote areas, general bombing of active fire fronts more than one kilometre from designated control lines and intelligence gathering.

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In the news May 2020 Issue 3 Vol. 29 Established 1991 News 3-4 Recovery update 5-9 Round table 10-11 Mulchers 19 Skidders 20-22 Chainsaws 23-24 Mill profile 30 Front Cover: Rab Green, Tumut site manager for AKD, with salvaged timber from the bushfires.

Publisher and Chief Executive: Hartley Higgins General Manager: Robyn Haworth Editor: Bruce Mitchell b.mitchelll@ryanmediapl.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9512 Advertising: Gavin de Almeida g.dealmeida@ryanmediapl.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9517 Production: Peter Frezzini & NEM Creative Trader classified: g.dealmeida@ryanmediapl.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9517 Subscriptions: subs@forestsandtimber.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9522 Subcription rates One-year (8 editions) $55 Two-years (16 editions) $95 Accounts: Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9555 Postal Address: 630 Regency Road, Broadview South Australia 5083 Phone: (08) 8369 9555 Fax: (08) 8369 9501 Melbourne Office: Suite 2262, 442 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn VIC 3122 Phone: (03) 9810 3262 Website www.timberbiz.com.au Printed by Lane Print, Adelaide, SA

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4

Grafton nursery to dispatch 2.3 million seedlings to restock region’s plantations A

record 2.3 million seedlings will be sent out the gates of Forestry Corporation’s Grafton Production Nursery this month, to replant the region’s timber plantations.

Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis said the NSW Government is remains committed to the future of forestry in the region.

“The team at Grafton Production Nursery has done a terrific job of growing over 2 millionseedlings which will assist in securing the future of the timber industry in NSW,” Mr Gulaptis said.

“Timber grown right here in the Clarence electorate plays a vital role in supplying the materials used to build homes and infrastructure right across NSW and I am proud of the work we are doing locally to keep the industry alive.”

Forestry Corporation of

NSW’s Grafton Nursery Manager Kath French said the seedlings dispatched this year would regrow the timber plantations that have been harvested in the past year.

“Each of these 2.3 million seedlings was individually sown here at our Grafton Production Nursery back in September from a carefully selected seed, and we have spent the past six months carefully watering, weeding and fertilising this crop,” Ms French said.

“Throughout April, the 12-person team at Grafton Production Nursery will be sorting and grading the seedlings to ensure only the hardiest seedlings are sent

out the gate to our plantations.

“Each of these seedlings will be planted by hand by a team of planters to regrow our timber plantations, with the 2.3 million seedlings from Grafton restocking more than 2,000 hectares of hardwood and softwood plantations on the north coast – an area almost twice the size of the town of Grafton.

“Once in the ground, these seedlings will be grown for around 35 years to supply renewable timber for the next generation’s homes and infrastructure, so it’s vital that we only send the seedlings with the best chance of survival.

“The seedlings we have grown this year are an even mix of pine and eucalyptus species, to restock both softwood and hardwood plantations throughout the region.

“The nursery also grows

large numbers of seedlings for private customers with large orders.

“This is the largest seedling crop our Grafton team has managed to date, as the impacts of drought and fire in 2018 required us to double production of southern pine.

“Following this summer’s fires, we are preparing to double the nursery’s output next year to replant affected plantations, allowing our production teams time to harvest affected timber and prepare the sites for planting in 2021 so we can replant and regrow all the burnt plantations with renewable timber.”

“Forestry is a long termindustry and every time we sow a seed here at Grafton Production Nursery we planning more than 30 years into the future for when that seed will become an essential timber product for the next generation.”

Working towards economic recovery As the economic effects of the CoVid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the world it is becoming more and more important to look beyond the virus and to the recovery.

How the country bounces back economically from the current chaos will be determined largely by the actions the Federal and State governments take now.

Currently they are pouring money and resources into the economy. This is essential. The aim must be to help one sector that will have benefits for many other sectors.

The nation will come out of this. Battered and bruised but hopefully more or less intact.

As a nation we will be paying the price for all the stimulus packages that have been accessed, all the people who have lost employment one way or the other, and all the businesses that have had to

close their doors for many years to come.

Until this is over businesses must be encouraged to get on with the job to help keep people in work, money moving and businesses survive.

The Victorian State Government has an enormously powerful tool at its hands that it can set to work without even having to lift a figure.

All it has to do is keep the native timber industry in Gippsland alive. Don’t close it down. Don’t set an end date. Just let them keep working.

The economic prosperity from that industry along will flow all the way into the streets of Melbourne.

This is not a time for grandstanding, not a time for the Premier Daniel Andrews to

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

dig his heels in on his decision to shut the native timber industry down.

The state government late last month released Department of Treasury and Finance modelling, which forecasts 270,000 Victorians could be out of work as a result of the health crisis.

Unemployment is expected to peak at 11 per cent in the September quarter, which is more than double the current rate.

Economic output for the nation’s second-most populous state is forecast to drop by $32 billion - or more than $1 billion a week - over the next six months.

The long-term effects are almost incalculable.

Premier Andrews simply cannot afford to lose the native timber industry in his state.

This is a time to plan for a strong financial future for his state, not plan for more pain. www.timberbiz.com.au

Recovery In the update news

AT A GLANCE

• Forest and haulage contactors are working around the clock harvesting fire damage plantations

South West Slopes rebound Mills begin huge task of processing burnt logs

F

ate has dealt a double blow to the Tumut and Tumbarumba regions ravaged by fires earlier this year, with the region, and Australia, now responding to the uncertain consequences of COVID-19 virus.

The bushfires that burnt for two months resulted in 25 deaths across New South Wales and threatened numerous communities including Adelong and Tumbarumba, destroying homes, orchards, vines, farm sheds, and fencing, plus devastating much of the region’s plantation forests resource.

Hyne Timber, Visy Pulp and paper and AKD Softwood are the three largest employers within the region’s industry; together they employ over 750 people directly across Tumbarumba and Tumut districts.

The Dunns Road bushfire that started on New Year’s Eve from a lightning strike destroyed over 300,000 hectares of drought effected pastoral country and forests before being bought under control by fire fighters and determined local communities, supported by mills staff and local contractors.

Visiting the region last month, the scene was mixed following subsequent rainfalls resulting in a mantle of www.timberbiz.com.au

green across the valleys, peppered by burnt out forests and remnants of destroyed rural buildings and fencing.

Resulting smoke taint put paid to most of the regions high quality cool climate wine grapes, writing off the vintage.

Timber and pulp mills along with forest and haulage contractors were busy with the huge task of harvesting and processing salvaging logs under time pressures before the timber becomes unusable.

The South East Slopes industry supply chain supports over 5000 jobs and is worth an estimated $2billion to the region annually.

Rab Green, Tumut site manager for AKD said this was the first time his site had processed 100% burnt logs and potentially the biggest salvage operation undertaken.

‘We have prepared well with water sprinklers installed in the yard and debarker to minimise carbon effecting equipment,’ he said.

‘We will closely monitor the effects on the burnt log as we process it and react accordingly to ensure we process as much volume as we can’, he added. In his message to staff and the local community, Hyne CEO Jon Kleinschmidt thanked everyone involved

In total in New South Wales alone more than 5.4 million hectares were burnt, around 2400 houses were destroyed and 25 people lost their lives.

A third of the Forestry Corporation’s 100,000ha plantations in the area surrounding Tumut impacted by fires.

Around 31 per cent of the plantations around Bombala impacted by fires.

Around 74 per cent of the 167,000ha of native forest around Eden burnt.

• Digital USNR scanner at Hyne Tumbarumba Mill with protecting the mill during the fires.

‘I met with many Rural Fire Service volunteers and emergency services, many of whom are our own team members, who continued to fight bushfires, put in containment lines and help the broader community’, Kleinschmidt said The Hyne Timber mill in Tumbarumba was back up and running late January with

management thanking volunteers and emergency services that protected the facility throughout the bushfire crisis having been categorised as a critical infrastructure.

During our visit the mill which employs 230 people was planning to add an extra shift as it processed 7500 harvested plantation logs daily and holding 14 days of logs stock.

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

The mill has a turnaround of up to 150 trucks in and out every day receiving salvage logs, delivering wood chips to Visy and finished product to over 400 different customer sites including supply of timber for CLT panel manufacturing at XLam in Wodonga.

Hyne also exports 1400 shipping containers of non-structural grade timber to five export markets.

5

In Recovery the news update

• Hyne’s Tumbarumba Mill processes 7500 harvested logs daily

Salvage operations well underway Forest Corporation placing recovered timber with local customers

S

ALVAGE operations in Tumut’s softwood plantations hit by this season’s fires are well underway, with local crews working at a significantly higher rate of production than normal, planting programs ramping up to restock plantations and preparations underway for some export operations.

Forestry Corporation of NSW’s Regional Manager Dean Anderson said Forestry Corporation was placing all the burnt wood it possibly can with local customers to allow as much as possible of the unburnt plantation to continue to grow to be there for the future.

“Unfortunately burnt wood does not last forever and some of the trees burnt are either too small or too young for the local sawmills. Some of these logs exceed what Visy can take, so they will be exported so we can clean the sites up ready for replanting as soon as possible,” Mr Anderson said.

“While timber from older trees is suitable to be processed into house frames, furniture and other essential renewable wood products, trees between 12-24 years old are generally not large enough for sawlog processing.

“Our local industry cannot process this timber, but there is an opportunity to export it to offset some of the cost of the operations required to remove trees 6

from fire-affected sites and prepare them for replanting.

“Everything that can be processed locally will go to our local industry, and the surplus that is not suitable for domestic markets will be transported by truck to the Port of Melbourne for export.

“There is a significant task ahead of us, we will be looking to harvest about twice what we would normally harvest in a year from the full region just from the Green Hills area in less than 12 months.”

Michael Clancy from Overflow Pty Ltd at Tumut is well into the burnt timber.

He said 95 pc of his work had been salvaging burnt timber since the beginning of February.

“From a recovery point of view it has gone very well,’’ he said.

His five teams are working in the Greenhills area with the timber going to Visy, Hyne, Ausply, and AKD. “Some parts of the plantations have been burnt very heavily which makes for hard work in recovery,’’ he said.

“But some areas have not been burnt as heavily and those results are coming up pretty well.

“Overall it’s the best we could expect both from our side and also the manufacturers.

“Everyone seems to be on the same page in trying to make it work.”

Mr Clancy said his teams were not “going gang-busters”.

wood going down there and they are looking at putting more contractors in.

“Bombala has 1.5 million tonnes to harvest in 12 months.

“The normal volume is around 500 tonnes.

“We’re starting to get some blue stain in Bombala but they can still take that exportwise.

“So everyone’s got a fair bit on at the moment, that’s for sure.”

Shaun Doyle’s Bassover crews are “going flat out and Hyne Timber have developed and installed latest technology trying to stay flat out”. robotic handling and sorting equipment But he has concerns over the potential economic effect of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Our biggest issue will come from the export side and our suppliers,’’ he said.

Health is not an issue.

“We basically self-isolate out in the bush anyway; we only have one person per vehicle on the way to work,’’ he said.

Mr Nuttall said that the fire recovery work was “not too bad”.

“The problem we are having is that our specifications Monitoring milling at Hyne Tumbarumba Mill are changing every week,’’ he “It’s more in the 100-110 per tall is right in the middle of said.

“They want the sawmill to the burnt timber from Bomcent range,’’ he said. take more timber, so the saw“It’s more sustainable if you bala and Tumut.

The timber from Tumut is mills dictate what they want run at that level; if you try to hit 130 per cent it just creates going to Visy while the timber to take.

“It’s a bit of a nightmare acsalvaged from Bombala is goblockages in the system.

“If we can do what we nor- ing straight to the export yard tually.”

Mr Nuttall said his work was mally do, plus a little bit at Eden.

“They’ve had three boats being driven by the sawmills more, and we can do that week-in week-out over a nine there in the past four or five which were not taking all the or twelve-month program it is weeks and there’s more com- wood they should do or could.

“So now we are basically ing,’’ Mr Nuttall said. sustainable.”

“There’s going to be a lot of export-driven,’’ he said.

Monaro Logging’s Ian Nut-

•

•

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

www.timberbiz.com.au

Recovery update

AKD shifts focus to salvaged logs

A

KD Softwoods expects its Tumut sawmill will have shifted almost 100 per cent of its processing operation to the blackened logs coming from the Green Hills and Bago plantations scorched in the Dunns Road Fire by today.

AKD’s Tumut Facility Manager Warren Green estimates they will have 8-12 months to process the burnt timber.

When burnt logs arrive at the mill, the first challenge is to wash off the charcoal and carbon.

On arrival the logs are kept under sprinklers to help with this process, because it needs to be done very fast.

Burnt logs require a lot more water than healthy logs.

The logs are then put through the de-barker as quickly as possible to stop any charcoal and carbon from making it to the middle of the log.

“It’s very course, carbon and charcoal, so what we

• Salvaged logs loaded for debarking at AKD Tumut Mill

• Scantling sorting area at AKD Tumut Mill

need to do is just have more maintenance and more changing of our blades, and changing of our saws,” Mr Green said.

When the product starts to deteriorate, AKD will need to drop the value of product from a high grade product to a low grade product and monitor that going through month by month.

“We will get to a stage when we’ll say ‘we can’t cut any more of it because it’s too far gone’, but we don’t think that will be until potentially eight months’ time,” Mr Green said.

“We’ve done it before, but we’ve never done it on a scale like this where we’ve done 100 per cent burnt log.”

To combat the shorter time frame and the processing differences, AKD will be running additional hours and increasing their work force to be able to move through the burnt materials at a faster rate.

Thank you.

AKD wishes to extend our appreciation to those who fought and those who supported during and following the fires earlier this year.

Thank you to our loyal staff, suppliers, customers and local communities. We are extremely proud of the way the community banded together in those challenging circumstances.

The safety and wellbeing of our people has always been our priority and it continues following the fires and throughout our management of the CoViD-19 virus.

As we continue to process volume salvage logs, maintain a safe site, we are also ensuring that we deliver quality timber products to our valued customers.

AKD is proud to be part of the Tumut regional timber community - we will get through this together.

Stay safe.

Shane Vicary CEO

AKD. Reliable and Sustainable... naturally

Rab Green Tumut Site Manager

www.akd.com.au AUSTRALIAN MADE

in Tumut

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Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

7

In the news Recovery update

• Haulage contactors are kept busy supplying the Visy Tumut Mill

Mill setting sustainability standards

O

n many scales the Visy Kraft Paper mill at Tumut is impressive, culminating in a $1.1 billion pulp and paper manufacturing investment, the largest integrated mill of its type in Australia.

The mill employs over 300 staff and produces approximately 700,00 tonnes each year from an annual intake of almost 2 million tonnes of softwood fibre annually.

Previous General Manger Kevin Anderson said the mill

has set new standards in technology and sustainability in manufacturing craft papers.

‘Every aspect of the mill also sets new highest environmental standards from design to production, including waste management’, he said.

‘Heat and power are cogenerated on-site from alterative and renewable fuels and a close loop water system for all wastewater is reused to irrigate pasture land,’ he added.

Fibre for the two paper machines is sourced from local plantation thinnings, sawmill residues from local processors, and reclaimed fibre.

Manager - Forests and Fibre Compliance, Carlie Porteous commented that Visy’s FSC Certification program brings industry confidence in the fibre supply chain.

‘Also, that forests and forests communities and employees in all aspects of the supply chain, have appropriate working conditions’, she said.

• Wood chips from Hyne Tumbarumba Mill supply Visy Craft Paper Mill at Tumut

8

• Debarking salvage logs at Hyne Mill

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

www.timberbiz.com.au

Recovery Inupdate the news

• Stacey Gardner and Alan Taylor hosted a successful AFCA members and guests dinner at Tumut Oriental Hotel

Industry dinner highlights solidarity I

n a demonstration of solidarity with its members and the South East Slopes forests and timber processing industries, the AFCA board met in Tumut last month and held an industry dinner for members, sponsors, mills and supplier’s management and staff.

The board also met with ForestFit Reference Group (IRG) to discuss the draft Training Framework which is a guide for the development of a training model, content and material which will be piloted later this year.

Following the resignation of Sue Kenney as Project Manager of ForestFit, Dionne Olsen of Pursuit Consultants and coordinator of AUSTimber was appointed to the position. During her visit to the region Dionne visited Austply in Wagga Wagga organised by Simon Dorries, CEO of Responsible Wood.

Members of the IRG include: www.timberbiz.com.au

• Bronwyn Petrie - NSW Farmers Representative • Campbell Sanderson Fibre and Forestry Manager, Visy Pulp and Paper • Christopher Mangan - Director, Mangan Haulage Pty Ltd • Damian Paull - Chief Executive Officer FSC Australia and New Zealand • Ian Reid - Director Austimber Harvesting and Haulage Pty Ltd • Malcolm Hatcher - General Manager Technical Services Midway Limited • Melissa Hayward - Director, HR Forestry • Michael Clancy - Manager, G and J Groves • Simon Dorries - Chief Executive Officer, Responsible Wood • Steve Dobbyns - Director, Timber NSW Jamax Forest Solutions • Tim Cleary - Project Manager FOLS / E.O. of NSW ITAB for Forestry, ForestWorks • Tracey Mills - HR Manager, Forest Enterprises Devel-

Ahead of the ForestFit Advisory Group meeting in Tumut, members of the Group toured • the Ausply Mill in Wagga Wagga with Operations Improvement Manager, Big River, Norm Carl.

Picture with Norm are Damian Paull, CEO FSC , Tim Cleary , Forets Works and EO NSW ITAB Forestry and Furnishing, Dionne Olsen, Forest Fit Project Manager, Yvette Nash, GM Forest Works and Simon Dorries CEO, Responsible Wood. opment & Consulting Pty Ltd. • Yvette Nash - General Manager, Forest Works.

Talk amongst contactors at the Tumut dinner focused on

the work available with salvage logs haulage and forests harvesting in the region following the fires.

The Mangan family, con-

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

tactors from Oberon NSW, attended the dinner and held discussions with local operators on providing services in the region.

9

Round table What’s On DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC EVENTS MAY BE CANCELLED, PLEASE CHECK WITH event ORGANISERS 30 April - 2 May 2020 – POSTPONED Women in Forestry Conference Whangamata, New Zealand 20-21 May 2020 – POSTPONED Forest Industry Safety & Technology Rotorua, New Zealand 27-28 May 2020 – POSTPONED Forest Industry Safety & Technology Melbourne, Australia 15 June - 16 June 2020 – POSTPONED Timber Offsite Construction Conference (FRAME) Crown Promenade, Melbourne, Victoria.

Protecting our forests for a sustainable future Sustainable forest management is about finding the balance - protecting our forests for future generations, while also providing many other benefits including the timber and timber products we use every day.

For our forests to be truly sustainable they have to support all our communities’ environmental, social and economic needs and values now and into the future.

Forest managers are well trained to understand how to maximise the timber we can get from harvesting operations and use science to ensure forest features are protected and the trees will grow back ensuring the forest remains healthy and productive for years to come.

In this Round Table three experts in the field discuss what sustainable forest management should look like, and how to achieve it.

Q & A Panel

June 2020 – POSTPONED Wood Science Course Gottstein Trust www.gottsteintrust.org 23 July 2020 Doing Timber Business in Queensland Brisbane Marriot, Queensland.

27-28 July 2020 Annual Modular & Prefabrication Construction Singapore.

19-20 August 2020 – POSTPONED WoodTECH 2020 Rotorua, New Zealand 24-27 August 2020 World Conference on Timber Engineering Santiago, Chile 25-26 August 2020 – POSTPONED WoodTECH 2020 Melbourne, Australia 22 October 2020 – CANCELLED Green Triangle Timber Industry Awards 2020 Mount Gambier, SA 3 - 6 November 2020 AUSTimber, HVP Flynn site, Latrobe City, Victoria 2021 2-5 June 2021 Elmia Wood, Jonkoping To be included in What’s On please send events listings to b.mitchell@ryanmediapl.com.au 10

Q

Rob de Fégely

John O’Donnell

Peter Rutherford

Director Margules Groome Consulting P/L

Previous District Forester NSW Forestry Commission

BSc (Forestry)

hat should sustainable forest management look like in W Australia?

Rob de Fégely The concept of sustainable forest management should encompass the protection of our forests from injurious pests and extreme bushfires, encourage the conservation of our flora and fauna and ensure any production can be undertaken in perpetuity. The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) provides a useful definition stating that sustainable forest management creates outcomes that are socially just, ecologically sound and economically viable.

The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) compliments this definition by referring to sustainable forest management as a dynamic and evolving concept, which aims to maintain and enhance the economic, social and environmental values of all types of forests, for the benefit of

present and future generations” . Thus, from an Australian perspective, active management that evolves over time to support not only the conservation of forests but their responsible use by all Australians should be the enduring objective.

John O’Donnell Cool hazard reduction burning (HRB) is undertaken across forested areas and recognising that low intensity burning protects sensitive species and their locations.

Wildfires in 2019/ 20 have had huge impacts on forest ecosystems, fauna, waterways, fish, greenhouse gas generation, air quality and heritage sites.

It is understood over 1 billion animals have died in the 2019/ 20 wildfires in NSW alone, Cool HRB is widely used to improve the health of forests, as organic matter builds up, eucalypts and forests

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

decline. Sustainable native forest harvesting/ roading and retention of fauna trees/ strip/ advance growth/ growers.

Sustainable plantation harvesting/ roading and slash on tracks. Plantation estate on cleared land expanded for employment, exports and reducing greenhouse gas impacts. Plantation wildfire protection measures in place to reduce estate loss. Plantation log salvage areas for major bushfires established and intra state and interstate agreements to use plantation timber in short timeframes. Utilise and recognise forests as carbon capture sinks.

Optimise forest timber/ sawlog recovery, product timber recovery, paper/ magazine recovery and use of renewable energy.

Renewable energy used as much as possible in building forest machinery and timber product recovery.

Peter Rutherford Sustainable forest management (SMF) would ensure the maintenance of biodiversity values across the landscape. SMF cannot be delivered when an increasing percentage of our parks and reserves and adjoining forests, are subject high intensity wildfire on a 15 to 30 year cycle.

SFM will ensure regrowth, to mature forests, have healthy crown structures and flowering capacity, to support the full range of browse and blossom dependent birds and mammals.

Broad scale forest dieback, provides a succulent leaf resource for koalas and pest insects, but is not SFM. Dieback greatly reduces flowering/seeding capacity of the forest, to the detriment of future regeneration and species such as Swift Parrots. www.timberbiz.com.au

Round table

Q

How would that scenario be established?

Rob de Fégely By accepting that sustainable forest management requires an understanding of many layers of interacting demands which can only be achieved by incentives for active and adaptive management. Our forests are dynamic and have a long history of management by Indigenous Australians prior to European settlement.

Clearing for agriculture and urban areas, introduced pests and poor fire management have done massive harm over the last 230 years. We need to return to active and adaptive management based on sound research and past operational experience to guide skilled and

Q

2020 Green Triangle awards cancelled

trained forest managers to improve the health of all our forests.

John O’Donnell Dramatically increase HRB in our forests to reduce wildfire risks.

Increase the use of aircraft, helicopters and drones to increase the area that can be hazard reduced each year and ensuring cool burns.

Undertake ecological maintenance burning for forest health. Establishment of a Healthy Forests Initiative (for eucalypt forests) to reduce the fire danger and return forests and rangelands to a healthier state.

Protect regrowth areas from wildfires and harvesting, using adjacent

area HRB, track boundaries and quick bushfire attack. Young eucalypt growth receives periodic very cool burns based on sound science using current case studies and research. Thinning of regrowth undertaken where feasible.

Continue refinement of sustainable native forest and plantation harvesting/ roading, Codes of Practice, Harvesting Plans and meeting certification requirements.

Promote multiple use forestry and forest ecotourism.

Peter Rutherford The current Australian biota developed, over tens of thousands of years of Aboriginal fire

management, supplemented by natural fires from lightning strikes and volcanic eruptions.

The disruption to fire adapted ecological processes, resulting from the loss of Aboriginal fire, needs to be understood and the symptoms recognised.

The use of generally low intensity fire, will maintain appropriate Carbon to Nitrogen ratios in the soil, ensuring forests are less likely to develop the symptoms of dieback/senility, until they are old.

Appropriate fire regimes will aid the regeneration of disturbance dependent flora and generate food resources for a growing list of threatened species.

hat tools would be needed to achieve sustainable forest W management?

Rob de Fégely New thinking is probably the best tool we can apply to achieve Sustainable Forest Management.

Improving our vision, plans and innovation combined with ambitious leadership and long-term certainty in R&D funding to achieve better conservation, protection and production outcomes.

The past divisive approach of compartmentalising forests by tenure and/or suggesting that planted forests and national parks are good and production from natural forests are bad is blinkered thinking and will not work in the future. Bushfires are getting worse, threatened species numbers are escalating and imports of renewable wood products are increasing.

Australia should and can do more with innovative local processing while achieving greater conservation outcomes by applying active forest

www.timberbiz.com.au

management. Tougher environmental regulations will not improve the quality of our forests or save threatened species as they are too inflexible for our dynamic forests. We need to develop a more incentive based management system that applies across all forest tenures which is monitored by a series of key performance indicators, potentially a tenure blind certification system that equally recognises the importance of conservation, protection and production.

John O’Donnell Implement Royal Commission and Bushfire inquiry findings, hopefully sound findings.

Implement a Bushfire Hazard Reduction Act, empowering sound and adequate hazard reduction programs across all forest sectors, state-owned, Council and freehold in a cooperative approach.

Adequate government funding of HRB to all applicable government departments and cooperative burning arrangements undertaken with landholders.

Implement completed research in eucalypt forest health increasing cool burning and establish a Healthy Forests Initiative. Train farmers in forest health and fire. Increase investment in pine and hardwood plantations, with state and federal policy assistance.

Optimise native forest and plantation greenhouse gas capture, noting the huge impact of forest wildfires on greenhouse gas emissions. Businesses undertake periodic reviews to improve greenhouse gas capture. Use research for improved plantation log salvage techniques to reduce blue stain and timber degrade. Business reviews of optimisation of forest timber recovery, product timber recover, paper/ magazine recov-

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

ery and use of renewable energy.

Peter Rutherford A legislative framework, facilitating active and adaptive management, will underpin SFM. The current environmental regulatory framework is dominated by a terra nullius ecological view, that encourages management by neglect and overregulates/stops active management.

Forest managers, with a practical understanding of the use of low intensity fire, to deliver improved ecological outcomes and reduced wildfire incidence and intensity, are a key element of SFM. Integrated feral predator and other pest species control, needs to be funded and maintained across the broad landscape, to mitigate the impact of introduced species on native flora and fauna.

THE COVID-19 pandemic has claimed another “victim” with this year’s Green Triangle Timber Industry Awards cancelled.

The awards, which began in 2018, awards recognise individuals and companies in the Green Triangle timber industry for their dedication to best practise, continuous improvement and excellence in their roles and businesses.

However, the organising committee announced that because of the widespread and continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 awards would be cancelled.

“Whilst we recognise the disappointment of the many individuals that support the forestry industry in the Green Triangle, the decision was not made lightly,’’ the committee said in a statement yesterday.

“There is a significant amount of effort that goes into creating an awards program for our industry from the sponsors to the judges and the many local businesses and individuals involved in making it such a fantastic event.

“While we are deeply disappointed to make this decision, it was simply not feasible to proceed with the planning for the 2020 Awards.”

The committee is committed to ensuring that the awards will take place in 2021 and once again be the forum to recognise individuals and companies in the Green Triangle timber industry for their dedication to best practise, continuous improvement and excellence in their respective roles and businesses.

It will also use the extra time to ensure the awards remain both highly respected and relevant for the timber industry and community.

“On behalf of the GTTIA committee I would like to sincerely thank all sponsors, judges, industry professionals, businesses and the community that have supported the Green Triangle Timber Industry Awards from the outstanding success of the inaugural awards in 2018 to the sell-out event in 2019.

We look forward to working with you all again in the future.,’’ the statement said.

11

Silviculture

• Scion's new nursery facility

Research nursery’s major upgrade S cion’s research nursery has been upgraded with new facilities and demonstrations of stateof-the-art machinery not yet used in New Zealand forestry.

The facilities are pilot scale, but show how a modular, automated, lean-flow, environmentally sustainable propagation facility could work in New Zealand conditions.

Year-round propagation With our upgraded facili-

ties, cuttings can now be propagated at any time of year. The upgrade includes an enclosed growing area with automated climate controls. The facility will also allow us to do parallel testing of different environments, speeding up the research and development required to develop plant propagation solutions. Enclosed hedge tunnels and mini hedges are another new feature in the

upgrade. Used for indigenous and exotic species, these miniature motherstock are novel in New Zealand. They provide savings in time, labour and space.

New machinery An automated paper pot sowing line, on loan from Ellepot, is one of the key pieces of new technology.

Paper pots will now replace plastic potting bags for most

seedlings as we demonstrate this technology.

Another key feature of the upgrade is the automatic tray washer that cleans so thoroughly it prevents the spread of weed seed. The nursery team is enjoying the benefits of the washer, which has led to roughly 90 per cent fewer weeds.Investing in our staff Our nursery staff are what keeps the place going, and the new facilities will signifi-

cantly improve many of the nursery processes for them, while also making their work more diverse and rewarding.

Team members are also undertaking training and gaining new qualifications to recognise their skills.

In an industry plagued by labour shortages, we are committed to investing in our talented staff and helping to grow their careers in horticulture.

Needle blight trials have global implications Rosie Bradshaw

liar diseases of Pinus radiata in Australia and New ZeaMassey University land.

In 16 Pinus radiata progeny Pine needle blight, caused

by Dothistroma septosporum trials in northeastern VicDothistroma-caused is one of the most serious fo- toria,

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12

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defoliation varied widely among trials and assessment years, ranging from 5 per cent to 65 per cent.

Dothistroma septosporum was introduced into New Zealand approximately 50 years ago and the population has remained virtually clonal thanks to the lack of new incursions from overseas.

The population thus presents a unique opportunity to determine if and how this pathogen has changed over time in NZ pine forests. In a recent paper by researchers at Massey University and Scion (Bradshaw et al 2019), D. septosporum cultures collected in the 1960s and stored in the Scion culture collection were compared with those from the 1990s and 2000s by whole-genome sequencing and phenotype analysis.

The group of 1960s isolates showed a low level of genetic diversity, suggesting that more than one isolate may have been introduced into the country, but that they were closely related. As expected, the genetic diversity increased over time due to natural mutation, but the genome sequences were still 99.999% identical.

From growth and spore germination assays, no evidence

was found to suggest that copper fungicide treatments in NZ forests over the past 50 years have selected for increased copper tolerance in D. septosporum.

Given that copper fungicide sprays are only used at most every 2–3 years, and only when certain thresholds of disease symptoms are exceeded, the selection pressure exerted by these anti-fungal compounds in the forest environment may be minimal compared to frequently-sprayed agricultural crops.

Remarkably, isolates from the 1960s showed significantly elevated virulence against Pinus radiata seedlings and produced higher levels of the virulence factor dothistromin in culture compared to isolates collected in the 1990s and 2000s.

Although the sample size was small due to limited numbers of suitable viable isolates from the 1960s, the results suggest that the NZ population of D. septosporum has become less virulent over time.

Whether the reduced virulence seen over time in this study reflects reduced virulence in the forest over five decades is not possible to assess. Many factors such as

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

fungicide spraying regimes, tree genotypes and tree stocking rates, compounded by environmental influences, have affected disease levels observed in the forest and accurate long-term records of dothistroma needle blight are not available.

Regardless, D. septosporum appears to have changed over time in the NZ exotic forest environment despite its near clonal introduction event.

Our hypothesis is that the long rotation times of forest crops could select for pathogen isolates that are not so aggressive that they kill their long-lived hosts. This could occur as a trade-off between pathogen virulence and transmission, in which highly aggressive pathogens that kill their hosts consequently have fewer opportunities to find a suitable new host.

This finding has implications for global forest health, suggesting the potential for incursions of highly virulent but clonal forest pathogens to become less virulent over time.

Further, the implications for practical resistance breeding are that, in some situations, even low levels of resistance or tolerance might be sufficient for long-term tree health and survival. www.timberbiz.com.au

FORESTRY & ENGINEERING PTY LTD AUSTRALIA

Total Logging Solutions Log Max - Heads above the competition!

Log Max harvesting heads are designed for installation on various types of carriers, from light wheeled harvesters to large tracked harvesters. Low weight is essential for the CTL-method using wheeled harvesters. This has resulted in Log Max being top of the range when comparing pulling force to weight ratio.

A product of technical excellence and performance.

The company is well-known and well-reputed in the industry. Well-experienced technical support and customer care.

Concentrated work with ISO/quality assurance in every ongoing process Continuous staff education regarding commitment and understanding of each customer’s needs..

Altogether, this has made Log Max an established brand worldwide.

®

Eco Log Forwarder 594E

The Eco Log 594E is our largest model forwarder with a loading capacity of 20 tons.

Volvo Penta engine with a full 320 hp Updated cab with smart solutions, improved comfort and better visibility Enhanced control system IQAN MD4 7-inch touchscreen for an even better overview Replacement of components provides easier service The new 594E belongs to the new generation of E-forwarders that has been developed with the driver in focus. The model has been fitted with a completely new cab, where space, comfort and visibility are prioritized - all in order for you to work as a driver, both more comfortable and efficiently.

We also provide the market’s best warranty on our forwarders - 2 years warranty or 3000h operating time (Whichever comes first).

Eco Log Harvester 590E

The Eco Log 590E is our largest model harvester. With a 320 hp Volvo Penta engine and a 310 kNm crane, you can handle all types of work quickly, safely and costeffectively.

• Volvo Penta 320 hp engine • 350 ° swivel cab • 25 ° lateral tilt • Can be equipped with balanced bogie • Powerful crane with lifting force of 310 kNm With the Eco Log 590E no job is too big. The new Volvo Penta engine is specifically designed for high performance, reliability and fuel efficiency, and provides 320hp at your disposal. Eco Log’s unique pendulum arm suspension gives the 590E the best possible terrain features.

2 years warranty or 3000h operating time (Whichever comes first). Extended warranty to10,000h on frame and pendulum arms and 6000h on hydraulic pumps and motors.

The Neuson Forest name guarantees technical expertise, mastery of complex hydraulic processes under the most difficult conditions and perfect service. With more than 25 years of experience we have made our machines into one of the highest performing and most costeffective solutions for fully mechanised wood harvesting.

Nothing is too steep with its compact design, the great stability, tilt 25° forward, +/-15° sideways and the powerful parallel crane.

Hire to purchase. Machines are in stock and available now.

To enquire about any of these brands please contact Scan Forestry on 02 6947 4505 or 0408 614 503

Technology

LiDAR alternative has potential to make waves Cost-effective alternative provides support forest inventory management

A

N alternative to Li- can be useful for a number of DAR technology has areas in forest management.

LiDAR does, however, have a been tested in New Zealand with promising re- number of disadvantages, not least its cost. At $3 to $15 per sults.

The more cost-effective al- hectare, its use for monitorternative provides a means ing the vast expanses of forfor remote sensing, data cap- est associated with Australia ture and the development of and New Zealand can be an digital terrain models to sup- expensive exercise. Other port forest inventory manage- downsides of LiDAR include the length of time taken to ment.

Airborne LiDAR technology acquire the information due has long provided a valuable to flight delays and long protool for remote sensing, by cessing times, plus the diffiusing scanners that measure culties associated when using various points on the surface the technology in areas with of forest objects. This allows persistent cloud cover.

Recently, an alternative has for 3D representations of the forest to be created, which been tested in the form of

interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR). InSAR operates in what is known as the ‘microwave region’, which means data capture is possible day or night, regardless of cloud cover. It is also relatively inexpensive when compared to its alternatives, at approximately $0.16 per hectare.

InSAR is already being used in some countries for forest data collection, but because measuring New Zealand’s forests has some distinct challenges, including steep terrain and dense canopies, additional research was required to confirm its effectiveness.

Ellen Leonardo, Remote Sensing Scientist at New Zealand-based research company Scion, recently conducted a study that compared InSAR and LiDAR data from Geraldine Forest in New Zealand’s Canterbury.

The results showed that, while LiDAR proved to be more precise than InSAR, the data needed to estimate forest attributes including height and total volume captured by InSAR was still reasonably accurate. There is also the potential for future improvement, if InSAR can be successfully used in combination with data from other sources.

The Scion Geomatics team also studied and evaluated a third technique, known as satellite photogrammetry.

While InSAR was found to be the most inexpensive means of data capture, satellite photogrammetry was shown to be more precise.

Ms Leonardo said InSAR may not be the most precise source of forest inventory information, but it does still have some distinct advantages.

“Forest managers should consider all factors when choosing the most suitable remote sensing system to use,” she said.

Servicing the forestry industry for 50 years From modest beginnings, Ensign has grown to become one of the most trusted and respected names in the log handling business. Today, Ensign continues to build on that reputation as it continually refines and develops its product range in an effort to supply its clients with the very best tools for the job.

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That’s why Ensign is the forest industry’s first choice.

FOR PRODUCT & SALES ENQUIRIES CONTACT GB FORESTRY P. 03 8353 6655 E: office@gbforestry.com.au

GBFORESTRY.COM.AU

GB Forestry are the exclusive distributor of Ensign forestry attachments & equipment.

© Copyright 2020 Engineering Service Rotorua Ltd. All Rights Reserved. The Ensign brand is a trademark of Engineering Services Rotorua Ltd.

14

ensign_halfpage_advert_2_final.indd 1

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

21/02/2020 2:43:51 PM

www.timberbiz.com.au

OUTRUN™ THEM ALL. UP TO 300 HORSEPOWER TO PUT YOU IN CHARGE. Our L-II Series Skidders are now the most powerful in the forest.

With up to 300 hp on our 948L-II from John Deere’s proven 9 litre Tier 2 engine, there is no rival. They give you more pulling power, faster multi functioning, and the widest range of grapples available, including the new standard 2.07 m2 option.

The quiet, spacious cab includes a 240 degree rotating high back seat, effortless operation, configurable controls and LED lighting package, to help keep operators more comfortable and more productive.

Choose from 3 different models to suit your application.

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In the news

Mulchers

• The new C275 Forestry Mulcher in action

New mid-sized mulcher from Rayco R ayco has released a new powerful, midsize mulcher and updated its RCT150 Crawler Truck.

“Rayco sets the bar for high-performance equipment built with the operator in mind,” said J.R. Bowling, Rayco Manufacturing Mulcher Specialist, “and these models are no exception.”

The new C275 Forestry Mulcher, designed for clearing small trees, underbrush, and a variety of unwanted vegetation across a wide range of environments, C275 delivers 205 kW in a compact, low ground pressure package.

The C275’s 109-gpm cutter system provides hydraulic power to the Predator mulcher head, which has a 196 cm cutting width, while the heavy-duty steel undercarriage and powerful final drives allow operators to tackle difficult terrain with confidence. The C275 also will accept a DENIS CIMAF mulcher head.

Rayco’s exclusive elevated cooling design keeps engine and hydraulic temperatures within their limits

www.timberbiz.com.au

in even the harshest of environments. To minimize maintenance, an operator can activate a reversing fan from the cab to clear the debris screens, helping extend service intervals even when operating in hot, debris-filled environments.

The debris screens are easily removable when manual cleaning becomes necessary, and the rear door opens to allow unrestricted access to the debris screen and engine radiator.

The cabs are climate controlled and sealed from dust and debris to maintain operator comfort. Operators appreciate the high-backed, heated seat with adjustable armrests and air-ride suspension. For safety, the cab is certified to meet ROPS, FOPS, and OPS specifications and is equipped with a rooftop escape hatch. Highoutput LED work lights and a backup camera enhances rearward visibility.

Other key features include Rayco’s exclusive track tensioning system with monitor, which alerts the operator to over-tension situations and provides easier access to track ten-

sion grease fittings; hydraulic tilt cab to access pumps and other components easily; and the hydraulic rear winch.

The RCT150 Crawler Truck has been set up for remote delivery or removal of large payloads to areas not accessible by typical vehicles.

With the capacity to carry 6,804 kg, the RCT150 Crawler Truck comes with a 3m x 2.4m dump bed with removable sides, or as a cab/chassis that can be outfitted to meet the customer’s needs.

It can accept a broad range of truck beds/bodies or be fitted with equipment to perform specialized tasks, such as drill rigs, aerial lifts, cranes, and more. Auxiliary hydraulics are easily added.

The RCT150’s 275-hp (205kW) CAT Tier 4 Final engine provides more horsepower than other machines in its class. Rexroth hydraulic pumps provide exceptional service life and are backed

by Rexroth’s global service network. The model’s design offers unrestricted access to engine and hydraulic components for ease of serviceability. Its 700mm wide rubber tracks yield

ground pressure of just 27.6 kPa when loaded.

Built with the operator in mind, the RCT150’s cabin features heating and A/C as well as a fold-up front window that doubles as an escape path. The highbacked, air-ride suspension

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

seat is heated and has adjustable armrests. A single joystick, for ease of operation and response, controls the machine’s travel. A colour display panel keeps operator alert to engine performance and machine vitals.

Online Registration Available Visit fols.forestworks.com.au:

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19

Skidders

BRIEFS AUSTimber 2020 cancelled

THE organisers of AUSTimber 2020 have cancelled this year’s event over CoVid-19 concerns and will now work on delivering the event in November next year.

It was planned for early this year, and then was postponed until November because of the bushfires in the Gippsland region of Victoria.

“Given the uncertainty around ongoing restrictions both now and over the next 12 months or more, including travel within Australia and internationally we have made the difficult decision to reschedule AUSTimber2020 until 2021,’’ Australian Forest Contractors Association’s general manager Stacey Gardiner said.

FSC membership VICFORESTS is no longer eligible for membership of the Forest Stewardship Council of Australia because it has failed to achieve Controlled Wood Standard within the required time.

However this does not means that Vicforests will be denied Controlled Wood Standard accreditation in the future.

The FSC said it would welcome an application from VicForests when it could satisfy the current membership requirement and has strongly urged VicForests to continue its pursuit of the Controlled Wood Standard.

Hi-tech hub ALLIED Natural Wood Exports has lodged an application for a $14.5 million hi-tech timber optimisation hub with Bega Valley Shire Council.

The development application includes the construction of steel-framed, Colorbond sheds to house a sawmill, pallet plant and briquette plant at its wood chip terminal on Edrom Road.

Bushfire inquiry THE Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements began its formal proceedings with a ceremonial hearing in Canberra last month. Due to social distancing requirements because of the CoVid-19 pandemic the hearing wasn’t open to the public but was live streamed.

The Commission will examine the preparedness for, response to, and recovery from disasters including the recent bushfires, as well as floods, cyclones and earthquakes.

20

Loggers feed skidder upgrades

J

OHN Deere’s L-II Series Skidders reflect three years of continual refinement based on invaluable input from loggers, the ones who live it every day.

“Deere took our most powerful, productive skidders ever, the L-Series, and incrementally enhanced performance and durability to push them to the next level,” said Simon Shackleton, General Manager for Sales & Marketing John Deere Forestry.

These upgrades resulted in over 1,600 component changes, including more robust electrical harnesses, fittings, hoses, cylinder guards, grapple-tong teeth, and more. Launched in 2018, the John Deere L-II Series skidders offer loggers a superior equipment solution designed for the challenges that they face daily. Made up of five models – including the 640L-II, 648L-II, 748L-II, 848L-II and 948L-II, the new L-II Series line combines the power and productivity of the previous models with improvements to performance and durability, taking these machines to the next level.

The L-II Series machines offer impressive horsepower, power-to-weight ratio, and constant engine speed to deliver superb responsiveness and efficiency. These powerful and stable machines provide excellent pulling power, especially when climbing hills, navigating diverse terrain or hauling bigger payloads.

“We made subtle changes under the hood, improving component placement and dramatically reducing the complexity of the electrical and hydraulic systems. All with the goal of improving the overall customer experience. The result is a reengineered machine that is simpler, easier to maintain, and more reliable,” Shackleton said.

Built on over 180 years of groundbreaking innovation.

Backed by a half-century of experience in the woods and continually evolving to meet and exceed our customers’ highest expectations, our new L-II Series Skidders have what it takes to help you outrun the ordinary.

“Simply more reliable, incorporating a less complex, easier-to-maintain design, our L-II Series Skidders are well equipped to handle the toughest forest environments,” Shackleton said.

Redesigned electrical and hydraulic systems - Routing of the electrical and hydraulic systems has been simplified significantly to improve reli-

ability and ease maintenance.

Wiring and hoses are better protected against wear and bending. Durable forestry proven electrical components help extend wear life.

Longer booms - Options for longer booms on the 848L-II and 948L-II for more manoeuvrability when working on slopes.

Bigger grapples - Larger grapples — including a huge 2.07m2 model on the 948L-II — help

either, CVT combines the efficiency of a direct-drive transmission with the smoothness and operating ease of a hydrostatic drive. More power to the ground CVT automatically senses the load, delivering more torque and tractive effort as needed to maintain the desired speed. No more shifting. Simply set the maximum speed and let the CVT do the rest. There’s no need to hunt for the correct gear, shorten-

you deliver more wood to the landing with fewer skids. More grapple-squeeze force provides a constant pressure, so operators are less likely to lose a log, even if a load gets jarred.

Grapples feature box-style tongs for maximum strength and harder wear surfaces for long life. Components are easy to access, simplifying service.

Softer steering - New steering sensors control articulation

ing the learning curve for new operators, while helping experienced pros maximize productivity.

Superb power and stability Combining impressive horsepower and power-to-weight ratio with a constant engine speed, L-II Series Skidders deliver superb responsiveness with maximum efficiency.

Rock-solid stability provides excellent pulling power, es-

speed when nearing frameto-frame contact, cushioning impact during full articulation and improving operator comfort.

Tougher tyres - Higher-ply tyre options from the factory increase tyre strength for carrying heavier loads.

Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). - Loggers often wonder if the easy-to-use CVT transmission is a direct-drive or hydrostatic transmission.

The answer? Without being

pecially when climbing hills, navigating adverse terrain, or hauling bigger payloads.

Independent axle-diff lock - Engage all four tyres, or just the front two or rear two as needed, to maneuver over tough terrain.

Make a comfortable living - Designed by loggers for loggers, the quiet, spacious cab helps keep your operators more comfortable and productive — so you can boost your bottom line. - Fatigue-beating

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

creature comforts include a highly efficient air conditioning system, operator-configurable controls, and plenty of storage space. Armrest-mounted electrohydraulic controls provide easy, fingertip operation of all machine functions and turn with the optional rotating seat. Joystick steering provides smooth, intuitive control of steering, direction, and ground speed. A 240-degree rotating high-back seat improves rearward visibility to the grapple and minimize neck strain. All skidders for the Australian market come with an LED lighting package.

Our most rugged axles ever - Outboard-Extreme™ axles are designed with larger components to deliver maximum jobsite durability, along with a heavier weight to boost machine stability. They are standard on the 848L-II and 948L-II (not available on the 648L-II).

A pressurized continuous-lube system and independent axle filter help extend wear life.

Axle oil-pressure monitoring alerts the operator if a leak occurs.

Reliable drivetrain - A constant engine speed helps provide superb multifunction performance. The elimination of sudden surges and engine overspeed also reduces component wear and helps extend engine life. The 640L-II, 648LII, and 748L-II feature highperformance 6.8L engines, while the 848L-II and 948L-II run powerful 9.0L engines. All engine options in Australia and New Zealand feature the Deere Tier 2 engines.

Minimize maintenance and expense - Unlatch the large panels for fast, wide-open access to filters and critical components. Grease points for boom and arch are easily reached from ground level, while extended service intervals help to further simplify maintenance and reduce expense.

Low total fluid consumption John Deere EPA Tier 2 engines maintain engine performance while minimizing total diesel consumption. Auto-idle reduces engine speed after a period of inactivity, reducing fuel consumption and noise, while extending component life. Auto shutdown turns the engine off after a pre-set length of time, reducing engine wear and fuel costs.

Fuel-efficient hydraulic reversing fan - Hydraulic-driven variable-speed fan runs only as needed, reducing fuel consumption and debris flow through the cooler cores. It’s programmable to reverse at www.timberbiz.com.au

periodic intervals to clear coreclogging buildup. Or it can be actuated at the push of a button if demanded by conditions Extended filter-change interval - Hydraulic filter service interval is 4,000 hours. Most customers will be able to work a whole season without a change interrupting production.

TimberMatic™ Maps and TimberManager™, New to L-II Series skidders is the compatibility with TimberMatic™ Maps and TimberManager™, a streamlined set of software solutions that offer loggers enhanced machine visibility and communication for a productive workday. TimberMatic Maps and TimberManager provide loggers with the ability to plan work that needs to get done in a day. The map provides the precise location, estimated volume or mass, and percentage complete for up to two species of timber. As timber is moved, operators can update the map for improved team visibility. Loggers can also add items of interest to the digital maps such as areas of interest, soft ground, or hazards. These features are shared in real time with all crew members for a better understanding and opportunity to optimize jobsite awareness and production as a system of machines.

TimberMatic Maps and TimberManager is available on nearly all models of John Deere forestry equipment, including skidders, wheeled and tracked feller bunchers, wheeled and tracked harvesters, forwarders, and swing machines. Plus, the system can be updated on most existing machines.

JDLink™ Telematics - JDLink, enables you to manage your entire fleet from your desktop or mobile device and gives you anytime remote access to machine hours and location, fuel consumption, idle time, maintenance reminders, and more. JDLink lets you track your machines, which machines are working and if they are working properly and to their utmost productivity and efficiency.

To find success in the forest, you can wait for the perfect set of conditions, give yourself every advantage to create your own. productive machines, innovative technology, useful insights, dependable support.

The obstacles to success are many. John Deere helps you outrun them all.

For more information contact AFGRI Equipment 08 6287 7777 in Western Australia, for all other states, contact RDO Equipment Pty Ltd 1300 008 608. www.timberbiz.com.au

Models Available in Australia Model

Engine Size

Gross Power

Gross Torque

Operating Weight

Maximum Grapple Capacity

648L-II

6.8L

157kW 943 Nm (210 hp)

19,054 kg

1.63m2

848L-II

9.0L

210kW (281 hp)

22,384 kg

1.77m2

1276 Nm

John Deere’s L-II Series Skidders in • action near Traralgon in Victoria.

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

21

Skidders

• Both Eco Log forwarder models, the 574F and 594F, have improved design with smart details that make the life for operators and contractors easier

Loggers feed skidder upgrades

T

HE Swedish machine manufacturer Eco Log has launched its new generation forestry machines in the F-series.

The F-series by Eco Log is a new generation of forest machines. The most significant improvement compared with previous models is that all Eco Log machines from now on will be delivered with engines that stand up for the emission requirements according to EU´s Stage V. The stage-5 engine has been tested for 18 months and Eco Log sees lower fueland AdBlue consumption.

This is thanks to the stage-5 engine and the technology with particle filter with another type of after-treatment

strategy. We wrote about EU & US emission standards here at Forestry.com. If you want to go deeper into this you will find that article here.

Just like in the E-Series, all Eco Log machines in the new F-series will have Volvo Penta engines. They have close cooperation with Volvo Penta to optimize the engine solutions for all machine models. The Penta engines have been used in Eco Log harvesters since 2016 and in the forwarders since 2017.

The large forwarder Eco Log 594F will also have a new transmission that gives better traction. Apart from better traction, a somewhat lower gearing means that

you can lower the pressure in the transmission which gives better dynamics in the driving.

Both forwarder models, 574F and 594F have improved design with smart details that make the everyday life for operators and contractors easier.

New frame gives new opportunities To get a suitable layout for the new stage-5 engines the front frame got a new design. This brought some opportunities for smart solutions to simplify maintenance and contribute to improved safety. Here are some details: A new motor hood with a larger opening angle gives

Facts and figures on the Eco Log 594F Payload: 20 metric tons Machine weight: 23,5 metric tons Engine: Volvo Penta 6 cyl D8 – 7,7 l, Stage V Effect: 235 kW/320 hp Torque: 1310 Nm Fuel tank: 195 liters Transmission: Hydrostatic mechanic Traction: 260 kN Max speed: 20 km/h

better access to the engine.

The hood is opened and closed electrically.

Better access to all service points under the hood, even though the particle filter has been squeezed in under the hood.

The radiator grill opens sideward for cleaning the radiator.

Larger fenders make place for a toolbox on one side. On the other side, the batter-

ies have moved out into the fender for easier access.

The tap of the AdBlue tank has been moved to behind the cabin, close to the fueland hydraulic oil taps.

The central lubrication has been placed with easier access behind the cabin but still well protected.

New positioning lights and a glowing logo in the grill, give the machine an awesome front.

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Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

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Chainsaws

Oregon saw chain delivers reliable performance

W

ITH the world experiencing heightened uncertainty right now, the one thing professionals should be able to count on is their tools.

In times like these, it has never been more important to have the right tool for the job.

Oregon family of saw chains features options specifically

engineered to withstand abrasive cutting conditions.

Oregon’s chains, DuraCut Saw Chain and VersaCut Saw Chain are made for the most difficult conditions, delivering durability, versatility and efficiency and designed for maximum performance.

VersaCut Saw Chain delivers both versatility and durability.

The semi-chisel and MicroChisel cutters stay sharp longer for all-day cutting. The lowvibration, semi-chisel cutter design provides smoother cuts and less fatigue.

VersaCut is designed for a variety of applications - clean or dirty wood, dry or green, it’s the ultimate choice for tree professionals.

Designed for professionals cutting wood in abrasive environments, DuraCut Saw Chain (formally known as MultiCut) features advanced plating process with extra layers of chrome to deliver unmatched durability in the harshest conditions and is ideal for bushfire aftermath.

The chain allows cutting time

of up to three times longer than conventional saw chains and the extra heavy-duty chrome allows for increased saw chain strength.

VersaCut and DuraCut Saw Chains are available in variety of sizes to fit most chainsaws. Check local Oregon stockists for pricing and availability.

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6/11/19 12:38 PM

23

Chainsaws

New online store for harvester professionals

W

ORLD leaders in the forestry and agriculture market, Oregon have just launched a new online store which will allow Harvester professionals to access their extensive range of genuine chains, bars, and sprockets from exclusive Australian distributors, Briggs & Stratton Australia.

Since becoming the exclusive Australian distributors in 2018, Briggs & Stratton Australia have provided Australian professionals with access to the highly renowned range of Oregon products.

Since their beginning in 1947, Oregon has produced a range of products for the forestry, lawn, garden, farming, ranch, agriculture and construction industries.

Their products are known world-wide for superior quality, and are designed to be long-lasting and durable. With super strength and versatility, Oregon provides professionals with the best tools to get the job done with efficiency and ease. No

matter what the application, Oregon products deliver reliable performance.

The new Oregon Harvester online platform will provide Australian professionals with an easy to navigate virtual store with products being delivered directly to your door. It has a streamlined checkout process and is as simple as registering for an account online. A bulk discount offer is also available when customers purchase three Oregon loops, three Oregon Reels or three Oregon Bars in one transaction*.

Outlined below is a guide to the product offerings currently available on the site: Chains (Available in both Reels and Loops) – optimised to increase cutting proficiency and reduce operator downtime. The Harvester chain is equipped with added precautionary features and rugged chain cutters to deliver a secure, reliable cutting performance for any harvester application, in any capacity. Available in both 3/4” pitch and 0.404»

pitch gauge and in a variety of cutter styles for your specific application and cutting needs.

Bars – The needs and safety of harvesters are as diverse as the environments in which they work, it’s crucial to have guide bars that can match those extremes in durability, protection and productivity. The variety on offer will ensure there is a guide bar for whatever the harvester application. Available in various sizes & types to ensure an accurate fit.

Sprockets – Dependable, quick-installing sprockets are critical to job application and safety, the Harvester sprockets are designed to precisely fit all Harvester cutting system needs. Available in a range of sizes.

Purchasing genuine Oregon chains, bars, and sprockets has never been easier.

You can find us at: www.oregonharvester.com.au *Conditions apply. Must be a minimum of three loops or reels or bars otherwise single unit price applies.

NEW OREGON HARVESTER ONLINE STORE! BUY GENUINE OREGON CHAIN REELS, LOOPS, BARS AND SPROCKETS. DISCOUNT OFFER: Buy 3 Oregon reels or loops or bars and get 11% off *

oregonharvester.com.au

*Conditions apply. Must be a minimum of 3 reels or loops or bars otherwise single unit price applies.

24

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

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THE VOLVO WAY OPERATOR COMFORT

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Forwarders Looking Back 2019 Manufacturing giant Boral is pressing ahead with research into creating a bio-refinery in New South Wales using its hardwood sawmill residues. The $1.2 million feasibility study aims to determine the technical and financial viability of building a second-generation bio-refinery that would produce renewable diesel fuel and bitumen.

Funding for the study comes from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency ($500,000), with Boral providing the other $700,000.

Steve Dadd, Executive General Manager of Boral Timber, said the company had been looking for some time for a value-added use of timber residues from its six northern NSW coast timber mills.

The residues, previously exported to Japan for pulp and paper, are currently used for landscaping, boiler fuel and other low-value applications.

2015 STUDENTS IN SA who are undertaking Certificate II in Horticulture (bushfire recovery) have been at affected areas of ForestrySA’s Kersbrook Forest helping the community with recovery efforts.

Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Gail Gago said the course, a collaboration between TAFE and ForestrySA, involved students learning about erosion control, tree felling, rural fence construction and maintenance.

“This great program links conservation and land management course modules to forest reserve-based planning and project implementation for biological survey, revegetation, rehabilitation, pest plant control and facility maintenance,” she said.

The fires burned more than 4,150 hectares of ForestrySA land, including 1,700ha of Native Forest Reserve and 760ha of standing plantation timber.

2010 A new timber research facility in Queensland is exploring ways to turn plantation thinnings into saleable composite products.

“The new facility is essentially a mini plywood production mill,” says Rob McGavin, the project leader and a senior researcher with Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries (QPIF).

“We’re using it to make experimental veneers and plywoods from different wood species and adhesives under a wide range of processing conditions, at full commercial scale.”

26

Komatsu Forest’s BIG red forwarders get the job done T he Komatsu forwarder range has a long history in Australia since the introduction of the original Valmet forwarder range in 1986 resulting in over 650 Valmet/Komatsu forwarders being sold. The current Komatsu 895 was released in 2013 and has contributed over 160 units to this total with much of its development having been the result of experience gained in the Australian market. In mid 2017 the Komatsu 875 (16 tonne) was released to replace the gap left by the earlier successful Komatsu 890.3.

The list of new features designed to improve productivity and operator comfort on the Komatsu forwarders is a lengthy one. All new features and improvements are based on enabling the operator to maximise production in a manner that is sustainable for both the operator and the forest.

The Komatsu forwarders are powered by Agco Power high torque engines (Tier II) delivering low speeds with high power and low fuel consumption. When coupled with the new generation transmissions with

greater traction, improved crane performance and larger bunks deliver the optimal forwarder performance.

The updated MaxiXplorer control system is cutting edge technology for a complete machine control for optimal productivity, flexibility and user-friendliness. It

gives the operator clear overviews and follow-ups from felling operations through to complete control of the entire logistics chain, giving them the ability to register timber deliveries roadside wood pile locations. This is further supported by Maxifleet management system

which provides the ultimate service tool.

Michael Clancy from Overflow Pty Ltd at Tumut is going flat-out with five crews in pine salvage operations.

This means his machinery has to be dependable and on top of the job, and much of that depends on communi-

• Les Walken’s Komatsu 875 in Tasmanian Hardwood Plantation

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

www.timberbiz.com.au

Forwarders

• Monaro’s Komatsu 875 in Tumut Thinnings

cation. His Komatsu 895 forwarder, for example, was delivered in June 2017 and has just ticked over 6000 hours.

“We have a long history with Komatsu Forest going back to the 1980s,” Michael said. He skipped the first series 895 and bought the second- generation machine.

“We are happy with it,” Michael said. “It has been a good machine. We wouldn’t hesitate to buy another one.”

Michael said the 895 was on a service contract; “All our machines have been on service contracts for the past three years”.

“We like to have the manufacturer look after the machines,” Michael said. “It does cost a bit, but the communications are so much better. “It has met our expectations. We just need a machine that works every day.

“And we’ve had the same operator on the machine since new. Again, it’s that communication thing.”

Shaun Doyle from Bassover Pty Ltd out of Eden since 2011 after working in private plantations in the Tumbarumba area. But when the fires ripped through the Eden area on January 4 Shaun lost all his equipment.

“I lost a Komatsu XT460L with a C283 head, a John Deere 909 with a 624 Waratah head, a Komatsu 895.1 forwarder, and a Komatsu 890.3,’’ Shaun said. “We lost everything we had.” Therefore everything had to be replaced. www.timberbiz.com.au

“Actually, I’m loving it,” he said. “The new Komatsu 895 forwarder is basically the same as the old one. They just go to work and work every day. The forwarder he lost was only 18 months old and he was quite happy to replace it like-for-like”.

Shaun has mechanical background so does most of the minor servicing on his machinery himself but leaves the major servicing such as the 1000-hour ProAct service for Komatsu Forest. “The first 100-hour service, the 250 hour, the 500 hour they do, and then every 1000 hours after that,” Shaun said.

“For warranty work they come out because I don’t need to be fixing stuff. “I’ve always stuck with Komatsu Forest because I always find they have really good service. They have everything.

If I ring up for a part, they’ve got it”.

“Some other dealers don’t have that, spare parts, or even guys on the ground.

We’ve got a really good guy over here in Nathan Hennessy. He knows his stuff. If we have a big issue he can come out and usually get us going pretty quick,” Shaun said.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s computer based or mechanical failure, he knows what he is doing. “If we need anything on a machine, they will either have it or source it pretty quickly.”

Les Walkden Timber Har-

vesting has two 16 tonne Komatsu 875s in operation in Tasmania working in both plantations and in native timber. One is 12 months old and the other about 2½ years old.

Walkden’s harvesting manager Andrew Clark said one forwarder was working on plantation thinning for Sustainable Timbers Tasmania. “That’s operating in flat country as well as some steep and rocky areas,” he said. “The other is in clear

fall operations in some very steep country.

“But with the 875s being as nimble as they are the going is easy,’’ he said. “No problems with them. “The reason we didn’t go to the bigger Komatsu 895 machines is that they are a bit too big for plantation thinnings.”

Andrew said there had been no issues with servicing them and no issues mechanically.

Monaro Logging’s Ian Nuttall has two Komatsu 875 forwarders in bushfire salvage work in the Tumut and Bombala areas. One – about two years old - has about 5000 hours, while the newer one was delivered only last year.

He said they were handling the extra very well. “We have one in Tumut in clear fall operations and one working in Bombala,” Ian said. “The operators really like them and those who have been on the bigger units love the smaller machine as well. They are very nimble, a great machine.”

Ian handles the servicing and let Komatsu do the warranty work. “They are good like that and a great company to be involved with.”

Ian has a couple of older Komatsu 890.3 forwarders with about 22-23000 hours on them. “They have been great machines as well,” he said.

The Komatsu formerly Valmet forwarders have enjoyed great success over many years in Australia and on current trends the Komatsu 895 is destined to be the largest seller in Australia surpassing the ever popular 890 Series. At the same time the smaller Komatsu 875 has been well accepted.

Importantly the success of the Komatsu Forwarders in Australia is not only the reflection of the machine’s attributes but the strong product support and customer commitment from the Komatsu Forest team in Australia, or commonly referred to by customers as, “KF”.

• Overflow’s Komatsu 895 with Floatation Tyres

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

27

Forwarders

There is loads of storage space and enough room to comfortably accommodate two additional riders behind the operator. This space becomes particularly • useful when training new operators

Ponsse pulling its weight in the forest Elephant King and Buffalo, a formidable duo

P

onsse has always been renowned for building tough, reliable forestry machines. This point has been proven in Australia since the introduction of the 20T Elephant King Forwarder back in 2015.

Since then, a good number of Australian contractors and their operators testify that the Elephant King really does pull its weight in regards to quality, reliability, operator comfort and performance.

Fast forward from 2015 to today and there have been more than 25 Ponsse Elephant King forwarders go to work in Australia. Quite an achievement when you consider Ponsse had never had any representation in Australia until late 2014.

In addition to the large and powerful Elephant King Forwarder, there is also a slightly smaller but nonetheless impressive Buffalo Forwarder now available in Australia.

This machine fits neatly into thinning work or can still be used as a clear-fall machine thanks to utilisation of the same 275hp engine and K100 crane as the Elephant King, giving the Buffalo the same impressive power and crane capacity in a slightly smaller package.

Starting inside the cabin of both machines, the layout is clean, quiet and ergonomic and provides the operator excellent visibility all around and above through the unique sloped rear screen.

space and enough room to comfortably accommodate two additional riders behind the operator. This space becomes particularly useful when training new operators.

Fitted out with automatic climate control, handsfree telephone, bluetooth radio and a heated high back seat with neck and side rests, the cabin finish and comfort is likened to the quality of a luxury car.

The K100 crane, manufactured by Ponsse is strong and powerful. It is controlled via mini levers which are easily fine-tuned to suit the operator’s needs on Ponsse’s OPTI touch screen control system.

This control system also helps operators understand all critical on-board systems while they are in control of the machine.

Getting its immense power to the ground starts with a Tier 3, 275hp Mercedes Benz, 6-cylinder engine. The use of this engine has helped Ponsse’s customers in non-European countries avoid the use of costly and troublesome Ad Blu and after treatment systems not required by Australian regulations. From there, power is transferred through a hydrostatic transmission and German built NAF axles and bogies.

has served the Elephant King so well, the K121 takes the Elephant King into a league of its own with a massive 22% more lifting power (195kNm) and 45% more slew torque (48kN) when compared to the

• From the driver’s seat

K100. This increase in lifting power will enable installation of larger grapples up to 0.50m2 which will increase overall productivity of the Elephant King particularly when unloading at roadside or when loading trucks.

The K121 crane can also be installed as a tilting base crane enabling a maximum of 24 degrees rearward tilt, further enhancing its impressive capability in steep Elephant King goes to the next terrain. level The King post and boom are manufactured In 2019 Ponsse officially ends launched a new crane op- from a complete single piece tion for the world class 20t casting providing superior Elephant King Forwarder. strength and reliability.

Luxury car quality Lighting has been imBuilding on the strength of There is loads of storage the existing K100+ crane that proved to include a total of 7 28

boom and stick mounted LED lights to direct light more effectively to where it’s needed, all with ample protection.

Overall boom geometry is improved with even speed and power through the whole

movement range.

Extension glide pad surface area has been increased by 15% providing lower friction and overall lifetime.

All hose routing is now fully enclosed within the main boom and stick which creates a clean look but more importantly, less external hoses prone to damage from external hazards such as limbs and load bolsters which will equate to less downtime and lower operating costs.

Productivity has been further enhanced with the introduction of Ponsse Active Crane. This is a system of sensors and modules integrated to the OPTI system which allows the operator

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

to control the grapple movement instead of individual functions separately. Active Crane is easily controlled using two control levers, one that controls the height of the grapple from the ground and the other controlling the direction of movement. This results in the operator not needing to control all functions simultaneously with the machine control system deciding to lift, fold and extend based on the inputs from the operator. This ease of use is particularly helpful for new operators with the ability to switch Active Crane on or off with the push of a button.

Both the K121 and Active Crane were introduced on the Elephant King for Australia in 2019 with 5 units already in operation.

Ponsse pride themselves in manufacturing their own frames, cabins, cranes and electronic systems. Unlike many manufacturers today who outsource much of their manufacturing and then assemble components to make a machine, Ponsse, through their own manufacturing of major components and electrical systems, have far greater control over the quality of their finished machine, and it shows.

Based in Finland, Ponsse is one of the largest manufacturers of Forwarders and Wheel Harvesters in the world, with more than 70% of their 1400 machines manufactured, exported outside of Finland to countries such as USA, Russia, Brazil, Australia and China. www.timberbiz.com.au

Mill technology

Major tech boost for Branxholm mill T HE application of optimization technology has helped CMTP Branxholm Sawmill realize the benefits that automation could bring to its end-dog carriage line.

Since the implementation of the new system both productivity and recovery have jumped, prompting the owners to further invest in this mill.

Having worked in other mills where optimization was utilized, general manager Dale Jessup knew it was sure to be a big win for his mill.

With commissioning several months past, he’s well satisfied with the decision.

Branxholm Sawmill is a division of CMTP which is based in Colac, Victoria. CMTP has several operations located throughout Australia.

The company is a packaging specialist that markets pallets and crates for storing a wide variety of goods from produce to electronics to livestock, and more.

CMTP Branxholm Sawmill is located in Branxholm, Tasmania.

The CMTP Branxholm site has a green mill, kiln, and heat-treating facilities, and it manufactures pallets and crates for produce.

This site is the largest pallet producer in Tasmania, and also produces some timber products for export.

Export products are dried and then heat treated to meet requirements before shipping off-shore.

The operation employs 30 people, and has an annual output of 20,000m3 .

Realizing potential The sawmill recently invested in optimization and equipment upgrades for its end-dog carriage.

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The carriage operation was originally a manual process.

Dale Jessup, who has been with CMTP Branxholm for 9 years, had previously worked at mills where similar optimization had been implemented.

With recovery currently running at 44% with a manual carriage process, he recognized that there could be big gains in recovery and productivity if the mill invested in optimization.

“The main driver for the investment was recovery,’ Dale said.

“Our recovery pre-installation was about 44%.

“I knew the potential of what an optimizer could do for us.”

He contacted USNR Account Manager, Jason Clay, and Darren Ousey from Skookum Technologies, to come and assess the situation and help develop the most effective solution.

“We did a visual assessment of what was occurring on the saw line, and we unanimously agreed that we would get some pretty significant increases with optimization; we thought we could safely estimate about 6% increase in recovery,” he said.

The solution included USNR’s EndDog Carriage optimization utilizing both front- and back-side Lasar2 sensors.

Both front- and back-side scanning allows full modeling of the entire surface of the Radiata Pine logs, which have a lot of shape and character.

The optimization configuration added software algorithms to model the scribing saws that edge the sideboards prior to sawing them off the log.

As well, Skookum designed a new log charging system to load and rotate the logs and cants for scanning, posi-

A log has completed its A-axis first pass through the saws, and is returned to the home • position for rotation to the B-axis for the next pass tion them for optimal recovery, and then transport them through the carriage saws.

The mill processes Radiata Pine logs from 120 to 380 mm diameter and 3.1 to 3.7m in length. It is designed to operate at 100 m/min.

The scanner system consists of proprietary USNR Lasar2 3D sensors. These sensors have a broad range of capabilities and are ideal for stationary snap-shot scanning, providing full coverage, high resolution 3D images.

The sensors are fast: onescan, oneset.

The unique scanning method allows accurate scanning on light, dark, rough, fuzzy, shiny, and barky logs.

Among the benefits of the data collected by this sensor is the ability to automatically detect sweep, taper, diameter, length, ovality, flare, fluting, nodal swelling, broken ends, and kink.

3D log images can be automatically saved to files for later off-line reoptimization.

Off-line and on-line results

are identical, allowing for finetuning of settings without risking any real wood.

This system performs 2 scans on each log before it is dogged for sawing.

The first scan provides data for optimizing the log rotation, and the second scan determines the log breakdown solution.

The A-axis orientation is the log’s position ready for sawing to expose right and left faces.

The B-axis orientation is achieved once the log returns to the home position and is rotated 90° for sawing to expose the final 2 faces.

Productivity improvement The existing mill had been acquired by CMTP, and Dale didn’t have much in the way of technical specifications on the equipment.

Because of this lack of specifications, during commissioning the team discovered that the hydraulics for the setworks weren’t capable of expending enough oil to set the logs at the rate of speed that was desired.

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

“We were experiencing some delays – a few seconds for each log, but over a shift it really impacted production,’’ Dale said.

The mill replaced the hydraulic pack after the optimizer was installed, to realize the full productivity improvement.

“As soon as we got the hydraulic pack changed over we noticed an immediate improvement,’’ he said.

“We haven’t looked back.”

Dale says he’s well satisfied with the level of service he’s received.

“During ordering, delivery, installation, and post-commissioning we’ve been very satisfied with everything USNR and Skookum have done for us,’’ he said.

“When we placed the order USNR was very busy, so we hired TUI Technology to do the controls.

“We weren’t sure if that would create problems with coordinating the project, but the level of cooperation was excellent between the teams.”

29

Mill Profile

• Big smiles all round for Margaret and David Mottram

Mixing milling with farming in southwest Australia Keith Smiley

M

ARGARET Mottram articulately and thoughtfully describes what makes Rockbridge stand out from the crowd. She evinces the struggles and successes of her husband David’s family, going back to great great grandfather John Mottram.

It’s a story that began with farming cattle and sheep and turning a portion of the land for sawmill production.

David Mottram envisioned making a profit from logs, on land owned by his family - so he began by processing timber left on the ground from a previous logging operation on a simple saw that he made.

Today, the milling enterprise has grown to four sawmills including a Wood-Mizer, a more recent acquisition.

The sawmill is located 30 kilometres away from Manjimup, in a hilly area called Upper Warren, on the river

of the same name. The business derived its name from a natural sheet of rock at the base of a creek line, which was used to cross from one side of the property to the other. A bridge has since been constructed making access easier.

Rockbridge employs eight people to work the machines while Margaret adeptly smooths the flow of paperwork. Although David is director of mill operations, he has appointed Neils Larsen as manager. Neils is Margaret’s son while David’s son John looks after the farming side of the land. It is a harmonious arrangement that works for all.

Margaret describes David as ‘amazing’, because he can make something out of nothing.

“He’ll seek out opportunities, and will take certain risks and if it looks like working, he’ll run with it,” says Margaret.

• Karri logs ready to be machined 30

A rare praise in anyone’s marriage, Margaret expresses her view of David: “He is loyal, hardworking, reliable, good to his word, somewhat old school with a handshake”, she said.

Rockbridge Milling has 30 years’ experience in cutting quality South West karri, marri and jarrah hardwoods, with pine and karri timber, used mainly for structural timbers and fall-down to pallet fabrication. They made a small investment in kiln drying but decided to stick to milling, doing what they know best and continued custom cutting to client requirements.

So that nothing is wasted; Rockbridge sells its sawdust and wood chips from the timber tailings.

Some of the hardwood is shipped to mining and construction markets and because of their versatility in machinery, they are able to mill timber to specification.

• Logs to timber, Rockbridge delivers

They provide timber for the transport and manufacturing industry, for example, large section blocks, used for crane and transportation, as well as bridge timbers and all glut material for packaging. They even supply cray pot timber, said to be fifty percent better for catching crayfish the experts argue.

Somewhat a curio, the original house built in 1870 still stands on the land and, ‘set up like a museum’ says Margaret. When they are not busy at either the mill or the farm, they are playing tennis, golf or fishing; not bad for a couple well into their sixties.

The Mottrams’ will continue to support the mill, because, as Margaret aptly extols: “It’s like having babies; you watch them grow but when they are older, and succeeding, you want to maintain your interest in them.” As watching your

business grow over 30 years and being totally involved in its development you want to ensure that its success continues.

There is always room for improvement, more profitable and efficient means for Rockbridge to expand, but they are not getting any younger and may have to implement a succession plan to retain the mill’s viability. Manjimup has everything, they will tell you, and that has to be admired.

Their enthusiasm has not waned, nor has their handle on keeping the family together. Some of the best floors are using Rockbridge timber, some finding its way to the creation of fine dinner tables. The blackbutt, jarrah, karri and pine have their place in a range of timber the Mottram’s are proud of, and so they should be, after carving out a niche in a competitive environment of WA’s South West.

• Agricultural stakes transported across the state

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2020

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Classifieds

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For rates and deadlines call Gavin de Almeida on (08) 8369 9517 or email: g.dealmeida@ryanmediapl.com.au

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USED CAT324D Harvester with Waratah 622B

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31

The MARKET Leader…

Komatsu 875 & 895 Komatsu Forest have maintained a very strong market position with their two most popular forwarders being the Komatsu 875 (16 tonne) which really compliments the 895 (20 tonne).

These two current models have been further refined to meet expectations and to cover all the contractors’ extraction requirements with the latest developments in these key areas.

• New transmission system for greater traction and control.

• Improved crane performance with a large bunk area.

• Introducing Maxifleet to provide the ultimate service and production tool.

• New electric engine hood and new access panels for much improved serviceability • Stylish and modern cab with central locking and remote key.

The latest Komatsu forwarders have been taken to another level in lifting the overall standards for forwarding which make them the best in their class.

www.komatsuforest.com.au

Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd. 11/4 Avenue of Americas Newington NSW 2127 Australia T: +61 2 9647 3600 E: info.au@komatsuforest.com