Australian Forests & Timber - June 2020

JUNE 2020

Green Triangle - Unlocking the future

ROUND TABLE Native forestry’s role in wildlife, bushfire and climate change Eden-Monaro by-election

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In the news

A by-election like no other

Any result in Eden-Monaro will be vital for the timber industry.

T

he July 4 Eden-Monaro by-election is being hailed as one of the most significant by-elections in recent history.

Any vote in Eden-Monaro, be it at an election or a byelection, is significant and

closely watched. The EdenMonaro by-election was triggered after former Labor MP Mike Kelly resigned due to ill health.

Dr Kelly held the seat on a margin of 0.85 per cent and defeated Liberal candidate

Dr Fiona Kotvojs at the 2019 election by less than 850 votes.

Also standing this time are Kristy McBain (ALP), Cathy Griff (Greens), Matthew Stadtmiller (Shooters Fishers and Farmers), Dean McCrae

NSW

$7.8Billion economic contribution Eden-Monaro

5,150 Jobs across the forest product industries

*Statistics from the Australian Forest products Association (AFPA)

Kathy Griff

Fiona Kotvojs

Karen Porter

Kristy McBain

Greens

Liberals

New Liberals

Labor

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(Liberal Democrats), Narelle Storey (Christian Democratic Party), James Jansson (Christian Democratic Party), Joy Angel (Sustainable Australia Party), Andrew Thaler (Independent), Karen Porter (New Liberals and Riccardo Bosi (Sustainable Australia Party).

Four Nationals members, two men and two women, contested a preselection battle after Australian Forests & Timber had gone to print.

But it was understood Queanbeyan councillor Trevor Hicks, grazier Michael Green and businesswomen Fleur Flanery and Mareeta Grundy had put their hats in the ring.

That would take the number of candidates to 11, meaning preferences, as always in Eden-Monaro, will be important in determining who will take home the prize.

It has long been held up as a bellwether seat; from the 1972 election until the 2013 election, Eden-Monaro was won by the party that also won the election.

During that time, all of its sitting members were defeated at the polls – none retired or resigned.

Dr Kelly’s 2016 victory made him the seat’s first opposition MP since 1969.

On the flip side, no government has won a seat from an opposition at a by-election in more than 100 years.

The summer’s bushfires, and the future handling and management of the industry into the future, will be a key – possibly the key – issue. And there is also Covid-19 which is starting to bite in regional areas, none more possibly than Tumut.

Australian Forests & Timber approached the four major candidates and sought their response to three timber-related questions.

FIONA KOTVOJS Liberal

1.

I am committed to the Native Timber Industry and the Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) that underpin it. RFAs have consistently been the best mechanism for balancing environmental, economic and social demands on our native forests while protecting and securing jobs, providing resource access and a stable investment environment to the forest industry. It is my belief that RFAs offer a modernised approach to forest management, through greater transparency, outcomes-focused reporting and reviews, recognition of climate change and the inclusion of the role of Traditional Owners.

In January, fires tore through my property and we had to fight to save our home. I know firsthand that fuel reduction burning is an important tool in bushfire mitigation. As we saw this summer many of our forestry workers in bushfire affected regions worked on the frontlines to battle the fires and played a vital role in protecting communities, our forests and our wildlife. I recognise that there are a variety of ways to reduce fuel loads. I support the Morrison Government’s decision to provide $1.5 million to undertake Mechanical Fuel Load Reduction Trials in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia, as part of the $15 million National Bushfire Mitigation Programme.

I support the Morrison Government’s National Forest Industries Plan which has the aspirational goal of ‘a billion new plantation trees’ over the next ten years, and identifies many more important actions that the government is delivering to underpin growth in our renewable forest industries. As the NaThe questions were: tional Forest Industries plan 1. Do you support a is underway, nine Regional sustainable native hardwood Forestry Hubs have been esforestry industry and the RFAs tablished including the South that underpin it?

West Slopes Forestry Hub here in Tumut, Eden Monaro.

2. Do you support fuel Work is also being done to reduction burning and the reduce barriers to forestry eximportant role that the native pansion, additional research forest industry workforce centres to use our forest replays in fighting bushfires? sources smarter have been established, and we are growing 3. Do you support government community understanding of spending to expand the forestry. plantation and farm forestry sector?

Continued on Page 4

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2020

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News Green Triangle Mills update Round Table Insurance Harvester heads Mill profile

Front Cover: OneFortyOne’s Ockert Le Roux, Danielle Wiseman and Taylah Martin in one of the Green Triangle’s softwood plantations.

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Eden-Monaro result will be vital for the timber industry.

Continued from Page 3

KRISTY MCBAIN Labor

1.

Yes. I know that many forestry communities are doing it tough after the bushfires, and we need to make sure they get the support they need. My number one priority is keeping people in jobs – especially after the bushfires and the coronavirus. Labor has always supported the Regional Forest Agreement framework, which provides certainty for industry and protects environmental sustainability. I want to make sure the NSW Government continues to undertake detailed assessments and reviews on its RFAs – so we can get that balance right.

2.Yes. Last summer’s bushfires were devastating for our region. Eden-Monaro saw about one million hectares burnt. Forestry workers played a crucial role in assisting our RFS make containment lines. There’s no doubt that the timber industry workers increased our capacity to deal with bushfires. We do need better fire management systems in place – that includes reducing fuel loads when it’s safe to do so. The Bushfire Royal Commission will look at issues of land management and make recommendations based on the evidence. One thing is clear – we need better communication systems and they need to be more resilient to natural disasters like bushfires.

Yes, in principle, but government support for the industry needs to be

3.

Employment

Forest Product Industries

Direct

Indirect

Eden-Monaro

2,168

2,981

New South Wales

24,089

33,122

Australia

80,000

100,000

*Statistics from the Australian Forest products Association (AFPA)

feasible and each business case assessed on its merits.

KAREN PORTER New Liberals

1.

I support a truly-sustainable and well managed native hardwood forestry industry, with properly reviewed RFAs that manage the current and emerging threats to our native forests.

Those threats include uncontrolled bushfires, pesticide use and their run-off, feral animals and their humane management, as well as the effects of climate change, particularly drought and shifting species distribution.

There needs to be enough resources to manage those threats, which must come jointly from government and the industries that benefit from those forests.

We support fuel reduction burning when this is part of bushfire danger reduction strategies. Working together with The First Nation people who are able to do fuel reduction in an ethical way that protects our

2.

animals, flora and fauna is a positive step forward.

“Trees in farms” are an important way of both locking up carbon and providing carbon-credit funding to farmers. We also see them as a useful means of addressing hydrological damage caused by poor farming techniques.

3.

CATHY GRIFF Greens

1.

Intensive logging for woodchips drives all native forest logging in the Eden-Monaro electorate. It is not sustainable. Further, the legal validity of all Regional Forest Agreements is less certain following the Federal Court judgement in the Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum Inc VicForests VID1228/2017 case in Victoria. Transition to a plantation-based industry is already under way and The Greens support a strategy to make this complete.

Well-targeted hazard reduction burns can play a role in protecting prop-

2.

erty, but can be ineffective or even counter-productive on a landscape wide-scale.

Eden-Monaro residents are all too familiar with bushfires which burnt through areas which had recently experienced planned burns or bushfires.

The skills and machines of loggers are certainly valuable in fighting bushfires and are greatly appreciated by the community. However, we believe that there are other ways to maintain and grow this skill-base than to continue an environmentally damaging and economically marginal native forest industry.

Yes definitely. Wellmanaged plantations are the way of the future.

They are the biggest timber industry employer in the electorate. Indeed, subsidies and other privileges for the native forest sector actually hold back the profitability and the expansion of the plantation sector. We do not support the clearing of existing woodland, grassland or forest however for the establishment of plantations.

3.

Eden-Monaro by-election a chance for forest industry The impending Eden-Monaro byelection will be go to the candidate who delivers the strongest and most positive growth plan for forest industries.

That observation by Australian Forest Products Association CEO Ross Hampton could not have made the situation in south east New South Wales clearer when it comes to the July 4 by-election.

Rarely has an electorate copped the belting Eden-Monaro has heading into a by-election.

Crippling drought. Devastating fires.

CoVid-19.

It’s a trifecta that shouldn’t be visited on any population, but it has, and not just the voters of Eden-Monaro.

But this election gives those voters a grand opportunity to demonstrate who they think has handled the trauma they have faced best.

It will be a multi layered election, with State, Federal and local issues all playing an important part.

Much is at stake. The needs of the timber industry, tourism, and farming will be much to the fore.

If history is anything to go by, Labor should hold onto the seat. No government has won a seat from an opposition at a by-election in more than 100 years.

But Eden-Monaro is an odd seat in many ways.

In Federal elections Eden-Monaro has traditionally gone to the party of government until Dr Mike Kelly — who held it for Labor under Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard’s prime ministership — bucked

the trend and won it back for the ALP in the 2016 election.

But Dr Kelly, whose retirement only a little over a year after being re-elected, held the seat on a margin of 0.9 per cent, after a 2.1 per cent swing to the Coalition during last year’s federal election.

What does that mean? That, as always, will be for the voters to sort out on July 4.

The Green Triangle on the other hand seems, apart from some short-term irritations, to be a region to be celebrated.

The region is now home to 334,000 hectares of soft and hardwood plantations, equating to 17 per cent of the nation’s plantations, employing a workforce of 7000 people contributing $1.5 billion annually in output.

That is certainly something to be celebrated.

INDEPENDENT & AUSTRALIAN OWNED

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Australian Forests & Timber News June 2020

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Green Triangle

From little things big things grow Key Points

Green Triangle is home to • 334,000 hectares of soft and

hardwood plantations.

The Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub plans to plant an additional 200 million trees over the next decade.

The Hub is one of nine established nationwide as part of the Federal Government’s Growing a Better Australia policy

• •

W

HEN visionary foresters trialled the planting of pinus radiata in the Green Triangle back in the mid-1870s little did they know they were about to unlock the foundations for Australia’s biggest plantation sector.

This planting illustrated the region had the rare ingredients of the right climate, high rainfall and topography aided by some willing manpower to support a productive and lucrative forest farming enterprise.

Fast forward 150 years and the Green Triangle is now home to 334,000 hectares of soft and hardwood planta-

tions, equating to 17 per cent of the nation’s plantations, employing a workforce of 7000 people contributing $1.5 billion annually in output.

This is an industry that is recognised globally for its world best clean and green wood fibre products.

Using the visionary tenacity of the region’s forefathers, a new generation of foresters has plans to unlock new investment, trialling new innovations and capitalizing on its broad skill base to build new capacity in the sector, creating sustainable industries for generations more to come.

The Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub, a unique collective of companies representing a cross section of the industry both large and small companies, endeavours to plant an additional 200 million trees over the next decade equating to $1 billion worth of new investment.

This is just one of the objectives earmarked in the Hub’s bold Strategic Plan which plans to generate 3.6 million cubic metres of additional fibre output, with a commitment to domesticfirst, higher value products.

The Hub is one of nine established nationwide as part of the Federal Government’s Growing a Better Australia policy, which commits to planting one billion new trees over the next 10 years, meeting growing domestic demand and to act as a further lever to deal with the challenges of climate change.

The Hub’s vision aims to deliver one fifth of the trees in this ambitious national plan, generating employment for future generations in the Green Triangle whilst assisting government to develop future-thinking policy which will support future investment in the forestry sector.

The Hub’s visionary strategic plan commits to further capital investment in local processing and manufacturing to generate greater utili-

sation of the entire tree, and production of higher value product equating to a 10 per cent increase in output.

This is supported by improvement in workforce productivity through investment in processes and upskilling, supported by a commitment to engage the next generation of foresters by promoting the sector at a school level, to identify skills for the future.

The catalyst to achieving this plan is access to water and land; two challenging mediums which is at the forefront of the workplan of the Hub’s newly appointed executive general manager Liz McKinnon.

Understanding these and other inhibitors will take focus over the next year in an effort to develop and work towards a long-term vision to create sustainable investment opportunities, creating long term jobs for future generations.

To learn more about the Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub visit www.gtfih.com.au or follow them on Facebook.

Courtney Pink, Regional • Forester with SFM Asset

Management which operates group forest management schemes under the Forest Stewardship Council and the PEFC/Responsible Wood in the Green Triangle and across Australia.

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21/02/2020 2:43:51 PM

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Green Triangle

• Fennell Forestry management team Barry and Wendy Fennell.

Forestry a family affair for Fennells T HE Green Triangle timber industry has been has not been immune to rigours of a nervous international market for wood chips and the CoVid-19 pandemic.

For companies such as Mount Gambier’s Fennell Forestry it has always been a case of getting on with the job of harvesting and haulage.

Fennell Forestry, a familyowned business, has been in the game since 1991.

Its successful history is built upon the Green Triangle’s thriving forest industry - established by Graham and Val Fennell and Ronnie Nilsson as G&R Logging on the outskirts of Mount Gambier.

The business operates 25 pieces of forestry equipment from excavators to chippers and harvesters.

It harvests pine trees for OneFortyOne Plantations, mainly for sawmills in the The business started with Green Triangle region for the one contract with Forestry domestic housing market, SA, a couple of semi-trailers and blue gums for Australian and a workforce of 10 people.

Bluegum Plantations for exThen in 1997 the company port through Portland to Chiput in a tender to CSR Softna and Japan for high-value woods and secured a contract paper making and rayon for with them to haul softwoods. clothing.

Fennells doubled in size in The company, which em1998 and has grown progresploys about 70 staff, is still sively since then. largely managed by members Rebranded as Fennell Forof the Fennell family. estry in 2013, it runs 14 BWendy Fennell, its mandoubles and operates a douaging director, has been inble shift, 24-hours-a-day. volved with the business for

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6

23 years. She became a director in ’97 and manages the business alongside her parents and brother Barry.

It’s a winning formula with Fennell winning the award for Logistics Excellence at last year’s Green Triangle Timber Industry Awards.

Wendy’s work has also been recognised, being named Business Woman of the Year in 2015.

But late 2019 and 2020 has seen the Green Triangle face up to some problems.

While the softwood sector has been travelling well, the blue gum sector is facing difficulties at present.

“The hardwood sector – hardwood blue gum,

chips and logs – has been struggling for the past 12 months now with inconsistent shipping demand, and now we are currently facing a two-month shut down,” Wendy said.

“That’s $70 million in capital parked up, and about 147 employees stood down.

“Demand globally, whether from China or Japan, isn’t there,” she said.

“Last year the issue wasn’t demand, it was price.”

The problems were CoVid-19 related, but the virus has increased the impact.

“There were issues pre-covid,’’ Wendy said.

The troubles may be shortterm, with the industry ex-

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NEW SOUTH WALES 14 Wembley Place, Bathurst New South Wales, 2795 Jake Graham 0417 725 092

NEW ZEALAND STH 28 Paterson Street, Invercargill New Zealand, 9810 Brett McIntyre 0272 014 149

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VICTORIA-GIPPSLAND 9 Rovan Place, Bairnsdale Victoria, 3875 Mike Cooper 0409 459 870

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Green Triangle Mount Gambier develops leading edge forestry research

R

pecting that by next year demand will eventually outstrip supply, but that’s little comfort for those going through the pain now.

During her years in Fennell Forestry, Wendy has seen quite a lot of changes in the industry. Technological advancements and changes in rules and regulations have all contributed to the transformation of the industry though the company’s philosophy and ethics have largely remained the same.

Almost every single piece of equipment that is involved in forestry has evolved in one way or another.

Fennell originally began with manual blunt force; they just used chainsaws and cut the trees down, sawed all the large trees.

The company then moved to mechanical harvesting with the implementation of harvesters. Other technologies have been heavily involved, from the harvesters that cut the logs to the kind of trucks used.

And then something like the coronavirus pandemic comes along and queers the pitch a little, although Fennells has been luckier than some “We’ve managed pretty well,’’ Wendy said.

“We implemented the procedures and work environment that we needed to.

“Cross border traffic has been managed really well,” she said.

“The way it has had an impact is demand and market driven.”

“That is the other big concern.’’

Fennell Forestry continues to ensure it has the proper infrastructure and personnel to support the growth. The company has its own workshop, an operations manager helping support both the logging and transport side of the business, a full time operator trainer and a training room for classroom sessions, as well as a large parts warehouse with plenty of inventory.

emote sensing measurement of trees, drones to identify koala populations and automated forest fire detection methods are just some of the notable research projects positioning the Green Triangle as a leader in forest industry innovation.

For the past two years Forest Research Mount Gambier at the University of South Australia (UniSA), supported by industry and research partners, have been leading research in these trailblazing projects which are transforming the way the forest sector does business.

Funded by the National Institute for Forest Products Innovation (NIFPI) with support from the South Australian and Tasmanian State Governments and industry, the forestry research initiative is helping to future-proof the industry while creating new jobs.

Dr Jim O’Hehir, a forester with more than three decades of experience in the Green Triangle, is managing the NIFPI projects on behalf of UniSA, which have been driven and guided by the needs of industry.

“From worker safety, plantation resource assessment and biosecurity, our program is broad and bold and has an overall focus on transform-

ing the industry, making it more sustainable for future generations,” he said.

“All of our projects have been designed and influenced by the needs of industry, creating new innovations to solve problems, provide efficiency gains, improve workforce safety and reduce industry risk.

“Above all, this work is designed to support and grow the sector, creating new techniques and work practices that will build the Green Triangle’s growing profile as a global forestry leader.”

Current work includes the use of artificial intelligence in mill work site vests to assess when a staff member has come too close to machinery.

Both visual and sound sensors are used to protect the staff member from the risk of injury.

Working with two saw milling companies, prototypes have been developed using AI learning systems with researchers currently learning how to manage low-light and dusty environments which are usually present in a milling workspace and can impact the technology sensors.

Another project includes using drone technology to identify koalas in blue gum plantations. Researchers are using the unmanned aerial vehicles aided by multi spec-

tral sensors and real time processing systems to more efficiently and safely find koalas. This technology will improve sustainable harvesting operations but also be useful after a bushfire event to rescue injured wildlife.

Fire towers have long been a prominent asset in protecting the Green Triangle community during the summer fire season, however their future may be replaced or supported by new fire detection methods being trialled

by NIFPI. For example, cube satellite constellations have the ability to detect a fire within 10 minutes and make notifications within 20 minutes. This technology may be aided in the future by cameras on fire towers whilst investigation continues into alternative suppression scenarios including firefighting resources to formulate a combined modelling system.

Dr O’Hehir said the dedicated research team was implementing cutting-edge technology in each of the projects which had the power to completely transform how the sector operated.

“These are really exciting projects which will reshape the industry. We are attracting some amazing minds to help future-proof the forestry and milling sector,” he said.

NEW ZEALAND NTH 41 Lee Martin Road, Hamilton New Zealand, 3283 Jason Donaldson 0274 488 693

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7

Mills update BRIEFS Silviculture boost SILVICULTURE in New Zealand got a boost with a support subsidy package from the Ministry of Social Development which will assist this sector to secure a workforce to meet the 2020 planting season labour requirements.

Border closures as part of the NZ CoViD-19 elimination strategy have meant the sector couldn’t rely on seasonal workers from the Pacific Islands, as it has done in in the past. It means there are now jobs in the Silviculture/forestry sector for New Zealanders that need jobs.

The subsidy will assist contractors to employ “Kiwi Locals” and support sustainability in the sector.

Log shipping SWIRE Bulk, the bulk division of The China Navigation Company, has taken delivery of its new, log-fitted bulk carrier into service. MV Singan is traded worldwide with a strong focus on the log trade in the Pacific and South Atlantic. MV Singan embarked on her maiden voyage at the end of April for Busan. Log carriage requires a high level of structural stability, which MV Singan offers.

Indigenous voice To give a voice to Indigenous Peoples on the continued management and preservation of the world’s forests, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has established the FSC Indigenous Foundation.

The Foundation is an extension of FSC’s commitment to working with Indigenous Peoples to find solutions for the sustainable management of forests. It is a strategic and operative unit established to develop creative and innovative solutions to support Indigenous communities and enable them to build and guide the sustainable management of their land.

8

Aussie mills prepared for tough times M ILLS across Australia are facing difficult times as the CoVid-19-fed downturn in the building industry develops, but they are prepared.

Up to 43,000 new homes will not be built in the next 12 months as a result of COVID-19 according to new economic modelling released this week by the Master Builders Association.

Australia’s largest sawmilling company AKD Softwoods has temporarily stopped production at four mills due to the predicted decrease in demand for building products.

More than 800 workers have taken leave in a bid to prevent an oversupply of timber products as the effects of CoVid-19 hit the housing construction market.

The four mills are at Colac and Yarram mills in Victoria, Tumut in New South Wales and the Caboolture mill in Queensland.

The company’s chief executive Shane Vicary said demand for new housing had fallen off the edge of a cliff.

“We’re facing a calamitous reduction in demand and we’re calling on the state and Federal governments to put in place a housing construction stimulus,” he said.

David Oliver EGM Sales, Marketing & Corporate Affairs at Timberlink said the company had adopted a CoVid-19 plan very early involving social distancing, sanitation, and so far, no staff member had diagnosed with the virus.

“We are operating effectively following all government

• Fenning Timber's Bairnsdale mill is still operating with self-distancing in place. guidelines in all of our mill locations.”

Australia’s Timberlink mills in Tarpeena in South Australia had Bell Bay in Tasmania had continued to operate however its Zealand mills had been closed down for four weeks early on in the pandemic and they were now back in operation.

At no stage had staff been laid off.

“We have been managing production in line with market demand and at the same time we have been continuing with our expansion and building work at Tarpeena.’’

Australian Sustainable Hardwoods (ASH) in Heyfield, in Victoria’s Central Gippsland, reports that its timber manufacturing business is performing very well.

The Managing Director, Vince Hurley, said building had continued unabated despite the CoVid-19 virus.

“We have good operations and sales,” he said.

“There have been CoVid-19 costs because of additional cleaning.”

Mr Hurley said the business

was aware that a slowdown in housing statistics was coming and was prepared.

“ASH is manufacturing in a very diverse range of markets, so not so reliant on housing starts,” he said.

Mr Hurley said ASH would experience a slowdown, but not to the extent “we will have to change our business significantly”.

Leonard Fenning, owner of Fenning Timber in Bairnsdale, in Victoria’s East Gippsland, said sales were down dramatically due to the CoVid-19 virus and the resulting slowing in the building market.

“It’s a large concern how long it will be down,” he said.

“It has allowed us to get some stock on the ground, but that has drained the business.”

Mr Fenning said one of the other big disadvantages of the virus was the lack of personal contact in doing business.

“We can talk on Zoom, but there is no face-to-face contact, which you need in forestry. You don’t know whether the person you are dealing

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2020

with really understands,” he said.

Mr Fenning said none of its 40 employees had been laid off, and the company’s wholesale outlet in Clayton South in Melbourne was still operating and the mill was operating with self-distance in place.

In Tasmania, the harvesting, haulage, processing and export of forestry product is continuing despite some significant impacts and challenges from the CoVid-19 pandemic.

Private forestry Tasmania said that two southern processing facilities remained closed, both companies citing CoVid-19 as at least partially responsible for the closures.

“Two other processing facilities are reporting reduced production due to the impact of CoVid-19 restrictions. Paper production is down due to reduction in advertising.

However domestic hardwood timber sales are holding, with the Sydney market particularly confident,” a spokeswoman said.

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Round table

Emphasising forestry as an opportunity, not a threat

N

ationally, the native timber industry is under attack from various fronts. The industry’s future is on the line and is being blamed, usually incorrectly, for many of the ills facing native fauna across the country.

Bushfires and habitat loss are hot topics. But does the native timber have a place in the future?

Many say yes, and that much depends on its retention. But their arguments face the risk of being drowned out by shrill protest.

In this Round Table three experts in the field discuss the role the native timber industry can have in the future management of the environment as a whole both now and into the future.

Q & A Panel

Q

Vic Jurskis

Peter Rutherford

General Manager Wood Products Victoria

Former NSW Forestry Comission Officer

BSc (Forestry)

hat role can the native forestry industry have in the W management of wildlife, bushfires and climate change?

Dr Alastair Woodard It is enormously exasperating, for those of us all who work in the forest and wood product sector, that there is not strong public and government support for the greater use of such a beautiful, renewable, and sustainable material as timber. As a structural engineer, and a passionate advocate for sustainable building and life cycle assessment, I know technically how environmentally positive the use of wood products are, compared to alternative materials in terms of embodied impact of manufacture, CO2 emissions, carbon storage and end of life impact – wood products win hands down. As a consumer, I love the fact that my house is framed out of structural softwood and lined with beautiful hardwood timber floors doors and windows.

While I sit in one of my favourite timber chairs I often ponder how magical it is to actually have nature all around me, within my home, and know that with sustainable forestry, all of those trees that have provided those wood products have been replanted to

10

Dr Alastair Woodard

grow again. It’s so frustrating that consumers and building professionals absolutely love building timber products, but they are being bombarded with messages that cutting down a tree is bad. It’s the critical consumer issue for native forestry, because native forests are public resources, and environmental-political footballs, and often logic and fact appear to be bypassed in political decision making. None of us today still buy into the 70’s ‘conservationera’ principle of ‘lock it up and leave it’. We are frustrated because we all clearly understand and appreciate the benefits of forests, and active forest management, in improving biodiversity and wildlife outcomes, managing rejuvenating bushfire - rather than devastating wildfire as seen in the recent Black Summer, and assisting to mitigate against climate change. How then do we get broader public appreciation of this message?

Vic Jurskis The industry had a leading role in managing wildlife and bushfires.

With its decline, loss of

access and resources in the bush have contributed to increasing ferals, weeds and megafires and lost biodiversity. But industry has no role in managing climate. Temperatures are not correlated with steadily rising emissions, no matter how much climate scientists truncate and adjust historical records.

I was optimistic that use of renewable resources produced by solar energy, employing rural people, and maintaining healthy, safe and diverse landscapes would eventually triumph. I was wrong.

Unfortunately foresters seem to have embraced green pseudoscience in the forlorn hope of selling carbon capture by young growing trees. Also, it defies logic and science that the IFA continues to support our failed National Forest Policy Statement and forest practices based on the Wilderness Myth.

History makes it crystal clear that lock it up and let it burn in conservation’s name is a recipe for disaster. Furthermore, growing millions of new trees is an environmental hazard, rather than a benefit, in a mismanaged landscape. Look at Kangaroo Island. While

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2020

ever the IFA and Industry promote our supposed world’s best practices, chronic eucalypt decline, pestilence, loss of biodiversity and megafires will increase.

Reserves, exclusion zones, buffers and filter strips are powderkegs of 3-dimensionally continuous fuels and wicks for explosive firestorms.

The open, grassy habitats of our truly endangered wildlife are being choked out by scrub. In NSW it is illegal to burn often enough to maintain healthy and safe landscapes. The regulations promote dangerous fuel loads and structures as well as irruptive native species such as psyllids, bellbirds, koalas, mistletoes, cherries, tea tree and pittosporum, not to mention s exotics such as blackberries, lantana and privet.

Commercial thinning and mild burning of dense young forests would speed restoration of a resilient, healthy, safe and diverse landscape at no cost to the taxpayer. Unfortunately, whether Red, Blue or Green, Government policies are informed by Professors with wilderness between their ears.

Peter Rutherford The native forest industry provides a road and trail network that allows forests to be readily managed, whether for timber production or conservation. The network provides a base for fire mitigation (fuel reduction), firefighting, tourism access, predator control and other forest management works.

The network allows for harvesting and regeneration of a small fraction of Australia’s largest organic production system.

Over one hundred years of harvesting has shown, with appropriate tree retention and other protections, we can have timber and protect biodiversity, water quality and other values. The last fire season has clearly shown that failure to manage forest fuel levels in the broad landscape and resultant megafires are a massive threat to biodiversity and fire affected communities.

The harvesting of native forests provide a high carbon storage and low carbon cost building and decorative materials, compared to steel, aluminium and plastics.

www.timberbiz.com.au

Q

Round table ow important will the native timber industry be in assisting H Australia out of the economic downturn following COVID-19?

Dr Alastair Woodard Interestingly, the current CoVid-19 crisis and the recent devastating Black Summer wildfires could, if actively pursued and promoted, assist the timber industry in getting its messages heard, and building a more recognisable appreciation by the public of the importance of active forest management, and the benefits of a sustainable and renewable, local timber production sector. The current global CoVid-19 pandemic will, without a doubt, dramatically change how every country operates in the future. One clear major issue already highlighted, is the past massive reliance on global trade, at the expensive of local manufacture.

Health,

Q

food, agricultural, electronic, or construction products – it doesn’t mater what sector you look at, Australia now relies heavily on imports. Construction is clearly a key and essential Australian industry. Many families stuck in their homes during the current social distancing lockdowns, particularly those with young children, will now realise their dwelling is far too small, and that they need to renovate, build or move. A major surge in residential, and commercial building would dramatically assist the economy in the recovery from this CoV19 depression. Timber as the preeminent, and most environmentally friendly, building material will be critical in this renewal. Whilst import-

ed timber is an important component of our sector, future resource security measures will require more locally produced resource. Australia needs more local timber products and local industry jobs in forestry, sawmilling, further manufacturing (flooring, windows, doors, cladding, decking, landscaping products, fencing), timber merchandising, frame & truss, right through to the end user builder.

Hopefully, this message will be understood by the Victorian Andrews’ Government in particular, and action needs to be taken by the national forests and wood products sector to see that the Government reverses this illogical decision to pursue a cessation in native forest harvesting in

Victoria for supply of local sustainable and certified hardwood products.

Vic Jurskis Not as important as it could and should be.

Along with our truly endangered flora and fauna, the native timber industry seems to heading for extinction consequent to government policies and red and green tape with perverse socioeconomic and environmental outcomes.

Peter Rutherford As most of the sawlog and a portion of the pulpwood value adding is done in Australia, particularly in regional areas, the majority of revenue generated stays in Australia and is critical

to sustaining the social and economic structure in remote communities.

CoVid-1919 has emphasised the importance of maintenance of the native forest industry to these communities.

The latest available statistics show the importance of forestry, fishing and farming to the Bega Valley Shire in south east NSW. Between 2011 and 2016, total employment fell by 2,7 percent or 365 jobs. Forestry, fishing and farming fell 1.9 percent or 20 jobs. Of most concern, employment in accommodation and food services, closely allied to tourism and touted as a replacement for native forest industry jobs fell by 124 jobs or 8.1 percent.

hat measures can be used to emphasise forestry as an W opportunity, not a threat, in progressing opportunities for the forestry industry in Australia?

Dr Alastair Woodard The recent Black Summer wildfires also offer an opportunity for the public to better appreciate the benefits of active forest management practices, and the role that the forestry industry can, and does, provide in Australia. The 2019/20 fires were unprecedented in that they have burnt so widely nationally, they engulfed so many communities, and burnt so uncontrollably through so many remote forest areas. Even city dwellers, have experienced their impact as a result of the fire’s smoke that choked cities for weeks, or through being trapped at regional holiday destinations. The public without a doubt recognises the absolute heroics of the frontline firefighters nationally in trying to defend people, property and communities, and this should include the enormous contribution that forest industry workers played in this process. The timber production sector has a significant collective level of unique and important skills, expertise, and knowledge within its hu-

www.timberbiz.com.au

man resources; and the equipment that it utilises provides substantial mechanised resource that can assist rapidly in first attack responses.

But reality is, it should never get to a position of wildfire. Much of Australia’s land area ecologically needs fire to regenerate, reduce noxious weeds, promote biodiversity, and regenerate native vegetation and trees.

We know this from tens of thousands of years of indigenous burning activities. It is well known by professional foresters globally that a key element of successful bushfire mitigation requires regular fuel reduction.

This can include both prescribed burning and mechanical reduction.

The latter can be undertaken by the wood production sector to provide protective buffers around regional communities or key infrastructure, and the wood fibre removed utilised to meet the local consumer demand for renewable and sustainable timber products. A winwin for the community and the forest industry – protection, and environmentally friendly wood products.

Vic Jurskis What about simple promotion of the truth, rather than political spin, as a basis for assessing management options?

Ecosystems need people – landscapes must be managed as they were for tens of thousands of years by the world’s most durable culture, through periods of extreme climate change. An acrimonious debate about management of forests in Victoria, culminating in the announced demise of native forestry, is a case in point.

Both sides of the debate have neglected our ecological history and promoted unsustainable management options.

We’ve had a succession of megafires since Aboriginal management was first disrupted by smallpox before European settlement. Neither colonial style forestry management, nor locking up the country in reserves, are sensible options.

Both sides seem to agree that there should be areas reserved from logging where ecosystems can function naturally, and that old growth forests have special val-

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2020

ues. It seems to me that the challenge is to develop unnaturally dense young forests created by successive megafires into naturally- functioning old forests. This can only be done by restoring mild burning across the landscape. Practically, it will require maintenance or re-establishment of good access, and thinning to facilitate and speed the process so that a sufficient proportion of the landscape can be treated to restore health and safety.

At the moment, there are no naturally-functioning old forests, so there doesn’t need to be a debate about reservation versus multiple use.

Industry should be proposing modified practices and thinning specifications to facilitate the restoration process rather than to optimise wood production. The ultimate goal should be a specified number/basal area of big old trees in as short as possible a time, rather than a final crop.

The real problem comes back to our NFPS, RFAs and best practices based on the wilderness myth. For example, prescriptions aimed to pro-

mote fallen timber, aka coarse woody debris, as a supposed ecological asset, rather than healthy and safe ecosystems, result in ridiculous and perverse outcomes such as ‘ecological thinning’ to waste in river red gum ecosystems. https://quadrant.org. a u /o p i n i o n /d o o m e d planet/2020/05/the-truthabout-giant-trees-andmegafires/ Peter Rutherford When responding to activists claims that forest industries are a threat to biodiversity, water supply or some other alleged issue, too often, the collective industry response is focussed on the jobs and growth perspective.

Anti-forestry activists have perfected the art of telling their story with pictures and a few words to embellish their view. As an industry, we must continue to base our response on the facts and at the same time, become better story tellers, to engage more effectively with the broader community.

11

Insurance

• The fires on Kangaroo Island hit plantation timber stock heavily.

Fire losses will impact plantation insurance Key Points

This season’s losses will • have a profound impact on

the plantation insurance market in Australia.

This will almost certainly translate to significant increases in premium rates.

Expect a more detailed review of your insurance coverage requirements at renewal.

• •

P

LANTATION owners should be ready for changes in their insurance after the 2019/20 season’s losses.

Much has been written about the unprecedented nature, extent and impact John van der Vegt of the 2019/20 fire season. National Head of Agriculture at One thing that is clear is that AgriRisk, A Gallagher company

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this season’s losses will have a profound impact on the plantation insurance market in Australia.

The estimated 150,000 hectares of plantations destroyed by the fires easily exceeds the plantation areas destroyed by the Ash Wednesday, ACT Forests and Black Saturday events.

Of the plantations destroyed, approximately 80,000 hectares were insured and claims on these plantations are expected to exceed $200 million against an industry-wide premium pool of approximately $15‒$20m.

Insurers will now be analysing their plantation insurance portfolios to determine if and how they can generate a profit for their stakeholders in the future.

In the past insurers have relied heavily on historical loss information to determine the premiums they need to charge but, with an increased likelihood of both more frequent and more severe fire weather conditions, historical losses are no longer a good benchmark.

The problem insurers now face is how to incorporate climate change into their existing rating models to ensure their premium rates are adequate.

Some 95% of the plantation insurance market in Australia is underwritten by three local specialist insurers and it’s highly likely we will see a fundamental shift in their underwriting approach to plantation insurance risks.

This will almost certainly translate to significant increases in premium rates, reductions in available capacity and a tightening of terms and conditions. In insurance terms this is referred to as a hardening market cycle and as a purchaser you need to consider

modifying your normal purchasing strategy.

However don’t lose sight of the overall strategy which is to structure your cover to ensure it responds appropriately to both a single catastrophic fire event and a season of losses that includes a catastrophic fire event.

The most important factors are: Make sure your sums insured per hectare are adequate.

Remember that all plantation insurance policies deduct salvage from any standing timber loss, so make sure you take this into account when setting your sums insured per hectare ‒ especially on older stands where salvage is expected. Seek professional advice if you are unsure on how to determine appropriate sums insured per hectare.

If you are nominating a fire limit of liability, make sure it’s adequate.

If you own a single plantation or plantations that could be impacted by the same fire event you should insure the total value of your plantation/s. However, most large, geographically spread plantation estates will nominate a limit of liability which reduces the premium in exchange for reducing the insurer’s total liability. This recognises the fact that the whole estate won’t be impacted by a single or multiple fire events in the same season.

Owners generally set the limit of liability based on their own probable maximum loss scenarios and often use historical fire events as “worst case” scenarios.

This season’s losses will force many to recalibrate their view of what a “worst case” scenario looks like in terms of areas destroyed. As a con-

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2020

sequence many owners will be looking to increase their fire limit of liability. The bottom line is be conservative and make sure the limit is adequate.

To deliver the best outcomes in a hard market cycle plantation insurance specialists suggest: 1. Make sure you secure quotes from at least two insurers. Each insurer’s appetite will be different following this season’s losses.

2. Review each of the insured perils (fire, hail, windstorm, earthquake etc) in light of the age of the trees – how critical are they and how much cover do you really need?

3. Review each of the additional benefits (fire fighting, removal of debris, re-establishment, infrastructure etc) in the same way.

4. Review both the type and level of excess and consider their impact on the premium.

Last season’s losses will have a fundamental impact on the local plantation insurance market. A hardening market will involve significant increases in premium rates, reductions in available capacity and a tightening of terms and conditions.

Expect a more detailed review of your coverage requirements at this renewal.

Start the process early to structure your cover to respond appropriately to catastrophic losses.

For more information visit the Gallagher Australia News and Insights web page: blog. ajg.com.au and scroll to ‘Know what to expect in current insurance market conditions’, 12 March 2020, for a summary and link to the full report. www.timberbiz.com.au

THE NEW FL95

STEEP-SLOPE SPECIALIST

Intimidate any steep slope with this specialist – the new Waratah FL95.Boasting Boastinganan extreme Intimidate any steep slope with this specialist – the new Waratah FL95. extreme downslope tilt angle, auto tension saw, extra-large cutting and grapple capacities, and weight in in thethe downslope tilt angle, auto tension saw, extra-large cutting and grapple capacities, and weight right place for maximum carrier stability, it will help you get more work done faster. Plus, its optional right placesaw for box maximum carrier you stability, help you or getout more work done faster. retractable is just where need it it will when felling, of the way when shovel logging.

With the FL95, you’ll see challenging work dominated from a new angle.

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Harvester heads

Tigercat attachments praised for durability and performance ing at-the-stump harvesting, roadside processing and debarking.

The 570 harvesting head is We’re taking a closer look optimal for superior feeding, James Baker and the Tigercat L855C with 5185 felling head. at the 5185 fixed felling head delimbing, measuring and used for roadside process- has proved to be ahead of its and 570 harvesting head. debarking. ing. The 570 has recently class in both durability and The 570 is available in Tigercat 570 harvesting head proved itself beneficial in performance” Jeffrey says. three levels of control and “The key features that The 570 is most productive debarking eucalyptus. reporting.

Jeffrey Fielding from contribute to the excellent working with trees 15-50 cm The 5185 fixed felling head (6-20 in) in diameter in soft- Fielding Logging provided performance is that it is a is well-suited to falling a wood and hardwood stands. some feedback on the 570 tidy, solid unit that does not range of tree diameters struggle to do the work. The Although best suited to the harvesting head model.

“We decided to purchase saw is brilliant, particularly IGERCAT harvest- Tigercat H845 series, the ing heads are built 570 is designed to work with the Tigercat 570 harvesting the saw limit control - and to match the high- the H822, and H855 carriers, head as we were familiar the full Optimizer measurperformance capabilities or a 20-25 tonne forestry ex- with and pleased with the ing sequence is fast and acof Tigercat track and wheel cavator. With optional hy- performance of the earlier curate” Jeffrey adds.

The 570 harvesting head is carriers and are well suited draulically timed processor Tigercat 575 model. With no to a variety of jobs includ- knives, the 570 can also be down-time issues, the 570 optimal for superior feed-

Key Points

•

•

• •

T

ing, delimbing, measuring and debarking, especially in sub-optimal stem form conditions. Available in three levels of control and reporting including full optimizer and StanForD reporting capability and Geo Mapping, the D5 system handles multiple jobs with multiple operators, and allows for customizing menus and settings, right down to joystick button functions.

Touching the length or di-

Unprecedented fires impact plantation Insurers There are fundamental changes ahead for plantation insurance.

With our 30 years of industry experience and unrivalled access to insurers, we can help you navigate this changing market.

Contact us to discuss your options and how we can assist.

John: 0413 526 370 jvdvegt@agririsk.com.au Deidre: 0413 526 374 dmccallum@agririsk.com.au

www.agririsk.com.au

Cover is subject to the Policy terms and conditions. You should consider if the insurance is suitable for you and read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Financial Services Guide (FSG) before making a decision to acquire insurance. These are available at www.ajg.com.au. REF2719-0520-3.1 14

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2020

www.timberbiz.com.au

Harvester heads ameter log symbols immediately direct you to the calibration setting screens. Indicator icons link to relevant setting screens. Production windows link directly to PRI & KTR production reports and bucking instructions.

The main diagnostics screen is a map of the system. Simply touching a controller icon takes you directly to where you need to be.

Tigercat 5185 fixed felling head The 5185 is a versatile fixed wrist bar saw head. It effectively fells and controls oversized timber and can perform other duties instand such as topping, removing large limbs and shovel logging. The 5185 is a great asset when felling and handling oversize trees and high value hardwood.

Owned by Mechanised Logging and working on the north West coast of Tasmania is a Tigercat 5185 fixed felling head fitted to a Tigercat L855C tracked feller buncher. This machine combination is well-suited to the task of high production tree falling, particular-

ly on steep terrain.

On our recent visit to observe this machine in operation it was working on a plantation site clear falling pine ranging in sizes up to 900mm in diameter. With 9000 hours of operation so far this attachment continues to be very productive and is in very good condition.

We asked James Baker, who has operated this machine for the past two and a half years to provide some feedback on the performance of the attachment.

“The Tigercat 5185 fixed felling head is well-suited to falling a range of tree diameters and has the ability to place trees away from boundaries with ease”.

“In addition to falling trees this attachment can also be used to place and remove cording. Using the right or twin fork side of the grab arm it can be used to dig which is very useful for preparing tracks for both initial forest access and to assist with tree extraction.

It can also be used to move large obstacles and load trucks. This attachment is suitable for both plantation and native forest applications. The optional auto-adjust chain tensioner fitted to

• The Tigercat 570 harvesting head in action. this unit is also a great feature”, James explains.

Rod Wilson, Territory Manager from Onetrak adds “The 5185 is regularly used to remove large limbs and head off trees with ease.

Combined with the versatility of the Tigercat L855C levelling feller buncher this set up is particularly effective on steep terrain with high production rates being

maintained in steep situations”.

Tigercat Power Clam Grapples In addition to a wide range of felling and harvesting heads Tigercat recently released a series of power clam grapples. The range is sized for load capacities of 0,8 m², 0,9 m² and 1,1 m².

Tigercat power clam grapples feature durable boxed

style jaws fabricated from high strength steel using fatigue resistant welded construction. All tine tips are made from abrasion resistant steel and can be replaced. The Power Clam grapples are optimally matched to the Tigercat 875, 880D, and 890 tracked carriers, and comes factory fitted and ready to go straight to work.

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NEW CAT 521B TRACK FELLER BUNCHERS FOR SALE We have 2 new Cat 521B Track Feller Bunchers, each available for a special price of $395,000 + GST. Cat track harvesters feature a robust undercarriage that utilises proven components, customised for demanding forestry conditions.

The unique boom design provides industry-leading lift capacity throughout the full reach range, a benefit when working with large timber.

This model has just the right horsepower, track size and hydraulic configurations to fit your application needs.

To get more info and machine details please contact: Stu Bell Equipment Sales – New, Used and Rental South East Victoria Mick Hardy Equipment Sales – New, Used and Rental North West Tasmania

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Terms and conditions: Prices exclude GST. Includes a three-year powertrain and hydraulic warranty. Other terms and conditions may apply. © 2020 Caterpillar. All Rights Reserved. CAT, CATERPILLAR, “Lets Do The Work.™”, their respective logos, “Caterpillar Yellow”, the “Modern Hex” trade dress as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission.

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Australian Forests & Timber News June 2020

20/05/2020 3:26:18 PM

15

TRACTA_JCF62995_AU_SWING MACHINE_AFTN_FR

OUTRUN™ THEM ALL. GET MORE DONE, MORE EFFICIENTLY. The John Deere G-Series Forestry Swing Machine will redefine your expectations about what a swing machine can accomplish.

With eight models rated from 28 to 48 tonnes, all featuring robust undercarriage and mainframe, upsized swing bearings, reliable John Deere engines and superior hydraulics, their capabilities are industry-leading. And so is the operator comfort.

The spacious cab boasts plenty of legroom and is isolation mounted to reduce noise and vibration, significantly reducing fatigue. Plus attention to ergonomics provides precise fingertip control with less movement or effort. There are even creature comforts like climate control and a heated/cooled seat.

Find success in the forest with a John Deere G-Series Forestry Swing Machine.

JohnDeere.com.au/Outrun

Harvester heads

John Deere getting into the swing Purpose-built forestry swing machines making their mark Key Points

Designed as purpose-built • forestry swing machines.

Eight models rated from 28 • to 48 tonne.

Creature comforts include • fatigue-beating amenities such as efficient climate control, a heated/cooled seat and ergonomic controls.

A

USTRALIAN forestry customers now have the full offering of John Deere Forestry Swing Machines with several hitting the woods over the past few months configured as Harvesters, Processors and Log Loaders.

In addition to these configurations, these machines are designed as purpose-built forestry swing machines to also cover Road Building and Shovel Logging.

Designed for specific applications these swing machines are equipped with the safety features and operator protective structures to meet global OH&S standards and keep your operators safe and comfortable every hour they are in the cabin.

These dedicated forestry machines also feature robust undercarriage and mainframe, upsized swing bearings, reliable John Deere engines and a front or boom to meet the specific application you are handling. Not to mention the superior hydraulics that make these machines come together, as industry leading products.

Eight models rated from 28 18

to 48 tonne operating weight with processor, harvester and roadbuilder configurations designated in the model number by “54” and offered with hooked/excavator booms, either side entry or rear entry cabins.

Then there’s the “56” models specific with straight booms for log loading, shoveling, and processing with elevated rear entry cabs. Style of the boom either excavator style and hooked (54 Series) or straight and log loader booms (56 Series) dictates the application applicable to the machine model.

Whether you need a log loader, shovel logger, road builder, processor/ harvester or a versatile “combo” machine, G-Series Swing Machines will help you get more done, more efficiently. The visionary spacious cab boasts plenty of legroom. Isolation mounted to reduce noise and vibration while smoothing the ride in rough terrain, substantially reducing fatigue.

Ergonomically correct shortthrow pilot levers provide smooth, precise fingertip control with less movement or effort.

Creature comforts include fatigue-beating amenities such as efficient climate control, a heated/cooled seat and ergonomic controls, plus, there’s plenty of room inside the cab to stow your personal items.

Two cab options are significantly more comfortable. The low Side-entry cab is 25-percent larger than the

previous model. Elevated Rear-entry cab, now standard on all 56 series models (optional on 54 series), features windows in the floor and injection moulded polycarbonate windows, for superb visibility to the tracks and working area.

In the log-loader rear-entry cab, floor-mounted windows and the cab forward riser option expand views to the tracks and working area for log-loading applications.

Countless hours of virtualreality studies and fieldtesting with loggers resulted in these superb all-around visibility changes. 32mm thick polycarbonate is the norm for harvesters and processors and all cabs are certified to global forestry industry standards, no compromises to safety of your operator.

The Cab-forward design improves visibility to the right. A staircase at the rear of the machine eases cab entry and exit, for more stable footing where and when you need it. A new handrail is significantly larger than on previous models, for secure three-point contact.

Low side-entry cab and elevated rear-entry cab are interchangeable on any style/ series of machine.

LED lights are standard for when you need to extend your workday beyond daylight. The 14-light LED package plus service and access lights provide outstanding all-around illumination.

Productive performance

driven by the John Deere Powerful PowerTechTM Plus 9L diesel engine on the 3154G/3156G and 3754G/3756G offering 30-percent more horsepower at low rpm than previous models. The 2154G/2156G and 2654G/2656G are fitted with the efficient John Deere 6.8L PowerTech Plus engine.

Hydraulic reversing variable-speed fan runs only as needed, conserving power and fuel. The standard reversing feature automatically reverses airflow to eject debris from the cooler cores, decreasing the frequency of cooler maintenance. Nextsize-up main hydraulic pump improves multifunctioning, fuel economy, and component durability. All machines have exceptional hydraulic oil cooling capacity.

On all models the hinged A/C condenser swings out and the engine-compartment screen can be quickly removed, easing cleanout of debris. Fuel-shutoff valve eliminates leaks, for fast fuel filter changes with less mess.

Plus, a pre-cleaner for the engine air intake extends filter life, further reducing maintenance time. Conveniently located filters, fluid-fill locations, and grease points help ease daily checks and preventative maintenance.

All models have a large plastic counterweight fuel tank with easy fuel sump drain access.

Three productivity modes allow the operator to adjust the machine to the applica-

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2020

tion. High Productivity Mode delivers more power and faster hydraulic response. Power Mode delivers a balance of power, speed, and fuel economy mode for normal operation. Economy Mode limits the top speed and helps save fuel.

Because time is money loggers always need more uptime. Remote diagnostics come standard on all John Deere Swing Machines via JDLink™. This enables fast, accurate remote diagnostics and rapid service response with the right part the first time. JDLink also provides you with visibility to machine telematics to help you manage the performance of your fleet.

Now available as an option on all John Deere forestry equipment TimberMaticTM Maps and TimberManagerTM are proven jobsite-mapping tools designed for full-tree and cut-to-length logging operations. TimberMatic Maps enables enhanced visibility, allowing operators to review production values as well as see and create points of interest that can be shared in real time with other onsite team members.

Staff not on the jobsite can also access any of this data through TimberManager, to optimize tasks and increase efficiency.

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

Harvester heads

Southstar’s QB4400 hit the market Key Points

New Zealand and Australia.

Quadco recently began proThe QB3500 (formally the duction of the QB4400 after KF750) and QB2500 (KF 550) acquiring the product from will be going into production Rosin Developments in Aussoon. tralia who had been manuPriority is to initiate facturing and marketing the production with the larger product through Komatsu QB4400 first.

Forest as the KF800.

The QB4400 is suitable for Dean O’Connor MD for 30 Tonne plus base carriers.

Southstar NZ and Australasia said there are a family of OUTHSTAR Equip- three well proven fixed fellment in New Zea- ing heads which have been land, a division of the acquired from Rosin DevelQuadco group are pleased opments.

The smaller QB3500 (forto be able to now offer the well proven Quadco QB4400 mally the KF750) and QB2500 fixed felling head within (KF 550) will be going into

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production in due course.

O’Connor said our priority was to initiate production with the larger QB4400 first as this is where the most demand was being derived but the other two products would soon also be underway.

The QB4400 is suitable for 30 Tonne plus base carriers and a mounting adaptor can be manufactured to suit most brands and models.

O’Connor states that while the fixed heads have been around for many years in the hardwood industry, especially in Australia, they are a relatively new initiative with-

in the Pine industry. Results from the fixed heads already working in pine plantations have proven significant reductions in stem breakage as has been previously reported.

The QB4400 is a heavy-duty brute designed and built to handle the larger stems in this part of the world. Features include substantial steel fabrications with large pins and bushings, three high torque-rotate motors and a large purpose built hardened slew bearing. The control valve is located in the head making for a relatively simple installation process on most

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2020

base carriers. A separate stand-alone user-friendly control system is also part of the package.

The Quadco group who acquired Southstar back in 2016 offer a full range of attachments including the well-respected Quadco disc saws, the full range of proven Southstar processor and harvester products along with fixed and directional felling heads.

Contact Dean OConnor at Southstar NZ on + 64 21 842413 or your preferred equipment dealer for further information and pricing.

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Harvester heads Looking Back 2019

Two new harvester heads The masters of diversity Key Points

New H212 is a lightweight, • agile harvesting and processing head.

New H415HD is a heavyduty harvesting head.

Both heads provide the productivity and durability needed to work in tough woods.

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HEN it comes to harvester heads, diversity is key.

Woods vary. Mill requirements vary, and the purpose of that harvester head is to perform as a reliable workhorse day-in and day-out.

Two new harvester heads from Waratah help represent that spectrum. On the one hand, the new H212 is a lightweight, agile harvesting and processing head. On the other hand, the new H415HD is a heavy-duty harvesting head with new features and options to suit customer feedback and rugged application needs. The H212, the company’s smallest head, is designed for 8-16 metric ton tracked carriers or 16-18 metric ton wheeled carriers, while the H415HD was built primarily for 20-25 metric ton wheeled carriers.

“We build harvesting heads for a variety of woods,” said Brent Fisher, product marketing manager for Waratah. “The nimble Waratah H212 is built to perform in dense stands, and the new H415HD provides unprecedented tree-processing performance, especially in large timber.”

Productivity matters Even though the small but mighty H212 varies drastically from the heavy-duty H415HD, both heads serve their unique purposes by providing the productivity and durability needed to work in tough woods.

The H212 provides en20

hanced productivity for early thinning operations. The multi-purpose head can handle mixed hardwood and softwood stands as well as multitree harvesting, processing or debarking applications.

Likewise, standard features of the H415HD include an HD tilt frame with thicker steel plate, expander pins for upper tilt cylinder, feed roller arms, and lower delimbing knives – to improve pin durability and frame longevity. Additionally, HD feed motor and hose guards help improve durability. In addition to being featured on the H415HD, most of the new options can be ordered one-byone for the H415 and H415X. They are also compatible with older H415 harvester heads and can be purchased through spare parts sales.

“We’ll continue to offer the H415 and H415X models, and the new H415HD will be an additional option for our customers looking for that heavy-duty head, especially for wheeled applications,” said Fisher. “They provide the durability our customers have come to expect with the 400 Series line of exceptional Waratah heads.”

For additional productivity, the H212 features the new and highly efficient SuperCut 100S saw unit with improved auto tensioning and easier servicing, which can fell and process trees up to 520 mm (20.5 in.) in diameter. The delimb arms, which are designed to provide premium delimbing, complement the feeding power and grip of the drive arms on large or crooked stems. Likewise, the processing arm option,

with an extended upper and lower knife offset, enables picking stems from the ground or piles to reduce processing time.

On the H415HD, expander pins for feed roller arms and lower delimbing knives make quick work of a variety of jobs while HD feed motor guards and feed motor hose guards help improve hose durability.

Loggers can choose straight hoses or hoses that run through the junction box.

For increased productivity, the H212’s wide roller and delimb arm opening allow for fast grabbing of standing trees and evenly processing to the smallest top size.

The H212’s two-roller-design permits drive arms to float and easily follow crooked or straight stems while also achieving superior debarking when fitted with debarking options. Also, a long length measuring arm together with twin diameter measuring sensors provide measuring accuracy in all tree species.

Durability is essential To increase durability across the range, the frame on the H415HD as well as the H415 and H415X have been strengthened at several locations based on customer feedback – providing more durability and increased uptime. The H415HD’s minimum weight is 1373 kg (3,026 lb.), which is 43 kg (94 lb.) more than the standard H415.

On the smaller side, the H212 is both durable and nimble. With the ability to nimbly weave through the stand, the H212 is ideal for first thinnings in dense stands. The durable, narrow head design

provides excellent visibility even when knives and rollers are open, which helps increase agility in small diameter dense stands. The saw box also provides good visibility for aiming felling cuts as well as pivot position for efficient cutting.

Likewise, to lengthen the service life of the saw bar and alleviate interference in some applications, the H415HD’s saw position was changed to provide more room between the saw bar and stem. All three configurations of the H415 heads now feature the possibility for a wider saw bar and improved saw chain tensioning to reduce chain loss, bar wear and promote more operational productivity.

The new H212’s knife geometry naturally draws the log into the head and provides superior delimbing from 30 mm to 360 mm (1.18 in. to 14.17 in.). That feed geometry helps hold the log when knives are opened during feeding.

The H415HD’s lower saw box height (30 mm / 1 in.) creates lower stump heights and more wood recovery.

This is complemented by an improved lower delimbing knife profile for larger stem sizes.

“We use customer feedback to deliver what our customers need,” said Fisher.

“The H212 is our compact little giant in the forest.

The H415HD extends durability and provides another configuration to suit customer needs and bolster uptime within the size class of 400 Series model Waratah heads.”

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2020

VICFORESTS has completed the key first consultation phase of a revision of its harvesting methods and practices to enhance threatened species protection. The consultative process has benefitted from input from major stakeholders, including industry, environment groups and Government.

More than 100 stakeholder organisations were directly contacted by VicForests.

The extensive consultation is part of VicForests goal of attaining the Forest Stewardship Council Controlled Wood standard by 2020.

VicForests is proposing to increase the use of a variable retention harvesting method and to markedly decrease the use of clear-fall harvesting and regeneration burning methods to enhance biodiversity outcomes.

Variable harvesting retention involves lighter harvesting that can see up to 80% of a forest stand retained within a coupe.

Further, the regeneration of harvested forest may be achieved by re-seeding without burning or, where appropriate, using low intensity or limited burning.

2015 SALARY GROWTH in agribusinesses is lagging badly behind other industries, according to a new report released by agribusiness recruiters, Agricultural Appointments.

The 2015 Salary and Trend Report shows that six out of seven agribusiness roles surveyed have grown at a slower rate than average wages over the past 20 years – in some cases, substantially slower.

The report, based on Agricultural Appointments’ remuneration records since 1995, shows Farm Managers and Product Managers have fared the worst.

In some cases their wages have grown at less than a third of the rate of average wages.

2010 PLANT Health Australia (PHA), the national coordinating body for plant health in Australia working in partnership with Government, industry, researchers and others to improve biosecurity policy and practice, has just celebrated a decade of being a driving force in its field.

Since its establishment in April 2000, PHA and its 46 members (including A3P) have made significant progress towards a more effective national plant health management system.

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Harvester heads

SATCO’s first unit still in operations after 40,000 hours on the job Key Points

SATCO’s first unit was built • in 1999 and is still working

today.

The company currently employs 42 people, manufactures around 96 attachments.

SATCO has a unique ‘hose through centre’ connection to the base machine.

• •

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ATCO’S 3 Series large capacity processors have been designed around the robust and successful With one chassis option SATCO can offer three different 3 Roller Processor configurations. There is the SAT318, SAT320 and the SAT323.

Within those three different models there are further options to customise and refine the SATCO 3 Series Processor to suit any application even further.

Further options within all three of the ‹Basic Models› include a hardwood kit, alpine

or thumbnail softwood rollers, find end, colour marking and bottom delimb.

The SAT318 Main Saw has a 36” saw bar with the option of a ¾” or 404 chain. The SAT320 and SAT323 Main Saw has a 40” saw bar with a ¾” chain. Saw limiter and auto chain tensioning is standard for all 3 Series Medium Capacity Processors.

The Top Saw is a SuperCut SC100 unit with a 404 chain.

It is standard on all 3 Series Medium Capacity Processors and is known to the industry for its self adjusting feature meaning more time in the seat for the operator.

All SATCO 3 Series Harvesting & Processing Heads have been designed with robust and long service-life features.

SATCO has a unique ‘hose through centre’ connection to the base machine which

• SATCO's New Zealand's factory workforce. allows the hoses to travel through the centre line of the attaching pins.

This prevents the hoses over–bending causing premature failure and protects the hoses from damage, especially in tree felling applications.

The SAT630 has been proven in all parts of the world.

This very versatile unit enables operators to fall, bunch, stack and shovel whole stems. The 360° continuous rotation allows falling in any possible direction in relation to the base machine.

The first unit was built in 1999 and is still working today with more than 40,000 hours of loyal service proving itself to be the most reliable and efficient saw grapple in the world today.

SATCO has units extensively servicing New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Brazil, Chile, Asia, Africa and Canada.

SATCO began life as Steel and Track Engineering and began in 1990 modifying forestry equipment for the local market in New Zealand.

The first attachment was

built in 1995 and in 2006 SATCO took over Steel and Track.

Managing Director/Owner Warwick Batley worked at Waratah General Engineering when they began in the early 80’s and Technical Manager Jimmy O’Callahan spent five years with Waratah as Field service and product support and three years field service with the AFM. The company currently employs 42 people, manufactures around 96 attachments and has dealers in various countries around the world.

CO N TAC T D E A N O CO N N O R p. +6 4 21 8 42 413 e. doconnor@quadco.com

S O U T H S T A R E Q U I P M E N T. C O M

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New Zealand

Komatsu 951 breaks into NZ market N EW Zealand has been well entrenched with track-based machines for their thinnings but with the more recent developments in Scandinavia, especially with larger machines and bigger heads, NZ contractors are reevaluating their options.

So, it’s refreshing when someone steps outside their comfort zone and tries something completely new, both to them and much of the industry.

Rotorua-based contractor, Conan Hemsworth, is one of those people.

When his clear-fell contract with Hancock in Kinleith Forest finished a little over a year ago, Conan could easily have throttled back and relied on his two remaining crews with Port Blakely to sustain the CMH Contracting operation. He decided to give something else a go. Production thinning… with a difference. Using a wheeled harvester instead of a tracked base. Wheeled harvesters have become a hot topic among thinning crews, with a handful operating around the country in place of tracked machines. There are good arguments for and against both options, and it just comes down to whatever suits a contractor’s circumstances, the forest owner’s objectives and the working environment.

A wheeled harvester made sense for Conan Hemsworth when he decided to pitch for a thinning job with Timberlands in Kaingaroa Forest that he heard about when his Kinleith contract wound up. He’s not new to thinning.

Conan’s early thinning expe-

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quality of what I leave behind. Low impact on ground soils and no root plate damage. Conan needed to do more research, especially rience was as manual fall and on which wheeled harvester trim and then as an operator would best suit his plans.

Eventually he whittled it of a forwarder and compact tracked harvester. Drawing down to one of the prodon that background, Conan ucts from Komatsu Forest,

a go with a wheeled harvester I probably need to go with something bigger, with a bit more strength to it,” says Conan. That decision was confirmed with a trip to Australia to see Komatsu wheeled harvesters in action, although Conan would alter his views on machine

based on the Log Max 7000 that has been upgraded by Komatsu Forest since it purchased the specialist attachment company a few years back. It’s a good sized attachment, able to cope with larger trees typically found on forest edges, as well as the smaller ones under the canopy.

“We won’t be doing wood anywhere near that size here, but it was good to see the same machine and head we’ve got now, handling trees that big. I thought, if it could do that, it could handle what we want to do. “We then went and had a look at another one in T3 with smaller wood, about 15 or 16 years old, probably more comparable to the wood we’ve got here. Our trees are around 12-to-13 years, but it’s more about height in Kaingaroa, where production thinning takes place when they reach 18 metres.”

Komatsu 931 in Kaingaroa Forest NZ

proposed an entirely new approach in Kaingaroa, which fitted in with the thinking of the team at Timberlands.

They, too, were interested in experimenting with wheeled harvesters to production-thin their burgeoning estate.

Timberlands were a little bit nervous at first, but they were looking to have a contractor out there trialling a wheel harvester and I wanted to give it a go.

“The reason I went for wheels is partly environmental, but also the standard of

Six months on from the arrival of his own 951/S172 combo, now working in tandem with a brand new Kowhich pioneered wheeled size once he understood matsu 875 forwarder, Conan is happy with the decision. harvesters in Scandinavia them better “I went over there to The plan was then to purback in the Valmet days. Importantly, the Komatsu For- see if they could actually chase another if the initial est NZ operation is based on cope with this work, spe- trial period went well. It his doorstep in Rotorua and cifically the heads that the did, so the second phase there’s solid back-up from factory supplies with the was enacted. The existing Australia, where wheeled machines.” In Australia, Ko- forwarder can service two harvesters are popular in matsu 951 harvesters used harvesters, which meant Cothinnings, which means in production thinning op- nan only needed to invest parts/back-up are only a erations mostly run heads in a companion for the 951. made by Komatsu because And this time he went with short flight away.

Conan settled on a Ko- the Swedish engineers de- his original gut feeling and matsu 951 six-wheeler. “Ini- sign them to perform in uni- ordered the slightly smaller tially, I was looking at the son. The head chosen by Co- 931. That machine, complete smaller one, the 931, but I nan to match his new 951 is with a smaller head, landed thought if I’m going to have the Komatsu S172, which is in February.

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Log handling

• An L 580 LogHandler XPower on the job in the Livrabois log yard.

Liebherr carrying the load in France L ivrabois, based in Arlanc, has been operating in the timber industry since 1986 and has established itself as the leading producer of sawn timber pallets for the construction and packaging industries.

In 2013, Livrabois and its now 60-strong workforce became part of the French Gallien bois Holding, which processes wood at two other production sites in France.

Huge amounts of timber are trucked into the sawmill in Arlanc.

The logs are cut, dried and processed into wooden pal-

lets on several production lines.

Livrabois produces around 80,000 m3 of lumber annually. Sawdust and wood chips are produced from the byproducts of the sawn timber production. The main tasks of a timber handling machine at Livrabois include loading and unloading of trucks, loading of the debarking and sorting system as well as handling and transporting round timber with high stacking. For this purpose, the French company tested an L 580 LogHandler XPower at the log yard

in Arlanc. This LogHandler has been developed especially for the requirements of the timber industry.

The Liebherr demonstration machine performed extremely well and impressed Gallien, Managing Director of Livrabois, and in February last year the company added an L 580 LogHandler XPower, exhaust emission stage IV/Tier 4f, to its fleet.

The deciding factor in the purchase of the Liebherr wheel loader was the high degree of machine stability.

The positioning of components within the ma-

chines in conjunction with the enhanced ballast on the LogHandler produces a perfectly balanced machine that works safely and stably in all operations. When combined with the high degree of manoeuvrability of the Liebherr wheel loader, efficient work is ensured even in confined spaces.

The special lift arm gives the machine a long reach and enable it to easily manipulate the load at height.

For use in Arlanc, the L 580 LogHandler XPower® has been equipped with a 3.6 m² heart-shaped grapple. The

grapple can be rotated 360° and swivelled forwards and backwards. In addition, the numerous protection devices, such as the guard for the windscreen, the hydraulically adjustable log pusher which prevents driving over tree trunks, and the rear ram guard with additional protection all ensure the best working conditions.

The machine moves around 1200 cubic metres of wood per day, and the wheel loader requires on average only 16.2 litres of diesel per operating hour despite the rigorous operating conditions.

Trimble Forestry - Delivering the Connected Forest Logistics systems and services for timber haulage operations Trimble Forestry is one of the world’s largest providers of forestry logistics solutions in the world with demonstrable solutions for increasing productivity and maximising supply efficiency from timber harvesting.

Trimble Forestry Logistics has been delivering over 50 million tonne annually to facilities all over the world, including in Australasia. Trimble Forestry’s Wood Supply Execution system (WSX) manages the planning and execution of the woodflow process for log harvest and haulage operations.

In Australasia - Trimble Forestry Logistics is providing central dispatch services to a number of large forestry companies and haulage companies. This includes consortiums of haulage contractors that operate under a range of logistics models including Harvest and Haul, as well as comprehensive central dispatch services.

Central Dispatch Management Systems allow contractors to plan, control, and manage operations in the following ways: Controlling uplift and delivery options, Providing a comprehensive web reporting platform with real time visibility of operating metrics, Mobile application for truck driver or loader operator on in-cab device, Paperless E-ticket solution that provides traceability for all users, integrates with their enterprise solutions and has a comprehensive reporting suite, Integrated In-cab Technology System (ICTS) and Chain of Responsibility support

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Trimble Forestry offers land, forest, fibre and mill management solutions that improve productivity and enhance operations for internationally recognized integrated forest product companies, forest land owners, timberland investment, conservation and government departments.

The Connected Forest portfolio manages the full raw materials lifecycle of planning, planting, growing, thinning, harvesting, transporting and manufacturing. WSX is a key component of the Connected Forest portfolio.

For further information: E: forestrysales@trimble.com PH: + 64 7 348 0308

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2020

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Silviculture BRIEFS Trucking concerns Trucking industry leaders say they are still concerned over the new National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s chain of responsibility laws.

The laws were introduced 18 months ago and to date no fines have been issued.

The laws mean anyone receiving or loading any vehicle 4.5 tonnes could be found liable for any safety breaches, even if they don’t own the vehicle.

Individuals can be fined up to $50,000 and companies $500,000.

The Victorian Farmers Federation says it is a positive sign no fines have been issued, but the VFF says it is concerned in the event of a test case.

The VFF’s concerns are that those loading or receiving a truck onto their property are not necessarily mechanics.

Charity doubts A TASMANIAN senator wants an activist foundation’s charity status revoked following a string of forestry protests which she says has cost the taxpayer.

Liberal Senator Claire Chandler said the Bob Brown Foundation’s online funding page which seeks tax-deductible donations for its activism, should be the “final straw” for its charitable status. Senator Chandler said the “latest blatant workplace invasion” and associated fundraising should cause the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commissioner to revoke the foundations’ charitable status.

New industry body THE Tasmanian forest products industry has formed a new peak body, the Tasmanian Forest Products Association to represent its interests and concerns to the community and with Local, State and Federal governments. The TFPA’s membership includes all the major growers and processors who are part of Tasmania’s sustainable forest products industry, in native forestry and plantation, softwood and hardwood.

Every seedling counts N EW digital mapping tools help to maximise the survival and productivity of plantations by analysing 100% of each stand, including weed and vitality maps, without the need for terrestrial sampling.

Monitoring and managing seedling survival is one of the most important tasks to ensure the maximum productivity and, ultimately, the profitability of any forest plantation. The traditional method of extrapolating terrestrial samples is known not to be very precise, especially when seedling inventories really boil down to a question of “0” or “1”. Overlooking a major gap in a newly established plantation or a significant weed patch outcompeting your seedlings, can result in a significant loss of yield and profits many years down the road.

SKYLAB, a tech start-up from Germany, has developed a new mapping tool driven by smart algorithms and machine learning to find and count all seedlings in any given stand and derive detailed density grid maps showing the survival rate for each 400m² grid cell.

A growing number of plantation managers in Europe and in Latin America agree that digital seedling survival, vitality and weed mapping is an efficient way of ensuring the maximum growth potential of a plantation at its outset. For example, Australian Bluegum has applied

this new technology for their entire seedling programme in the Green Triangle after a series of trial runs with control plots on the ground to test the accuracies.

Seedling Density Maps

Seedlings are identified and differentiated from surrounding weed, harvest residues and other ground features. The measured live seedling density is displayed in a grid map over the entire stand.

Weed Maps In addition, the presence and density of weeds can be mapped at the same level of detail. This is extremely helpful to determine if weeds are a problem in any particular stand in the first place and, if they are, focus any weed management actions on areas that are most affected.

Vitality Maps By analysing the crown size and the colour reflectance of seedlings, detailed maps show the variations in vitality and vigour across the stand.

Image quality and detection accuracy The accuracy of digital seedling detection depends both on the software tools applied and the quality of the images. These should have a good resolution – usually 3 to 5cm - to provide enough information on the seedlings.

Image resolution is mostly a function of flight altitude and sensor quality. No multispec-

tral cameras are required.

In fact, SKYLAB has developed its software to work with regular off-the-shelf DJI drones, such as the Mavic Pro 2, to make data acquisition as simple as possible. For larger areas, fixed-wing drones or even planes can be used to capture the data.

If the image acquisition is done right, accuracies of 95% can routinely be achieved. As the database of reference and training data is constantly growing, the machine learning algorithm draws on an ever more extensive training library and constantly improves its performance over time – a certain network effect is achieved.

Time and cost savings “Our customers from around the world are particularly happy about the savings they achieve. No more terrestrial sampling means time and cost savings right there. In addition, a lot of time can be saved in the planning and execution of remedial action like replanting, weeding or fertilisation.

This in turn saves resources by focusing your actions on those areas that are in most need of attention.” says SKYLAB CEO Albrecht von Ruffer.

A growing number of companies in Europe, Oceania and Latin America rely on this German technology for optimising seedling survival in their plantations – mostly Eucalyptus, Pine or Spruce, but with some also using

it in Poplar and other less widely-planted species.

Digital Timber Volume Mapping Digital mapping has other applications beyond seedling survival. Using aerial images or Lidar data, 3D maps can be used to derive canopy or tree height models and calculate the precise timber volume. The tree height model is a very powerful tool for understanding and visualising variations in heights and canopy coverage or gaps across entire stands. So terrestrial sampling can be done more representatively and efficiently - fewer samples in more representative locations.

SKYLAB’s Digital Forester, a highly specialised artificial neural network tool, establishes dynamic relations between the terrestrial sample information and the 3D maps to derive precise volumes and provide this in high resolution grid maps.

The shorter term savings come from fewer and more representative samples. After a year or so of modeling, samples can be forgone altogether for stands of the same class. More importantly, more accurate data and a better understanding of the detailed growth dynamics in within and across stands can be used to optimise rotation cycles and thinning and harvesting operations to maximise the productivity and, ultimately, the profitability of plantation operations.

Applications open APPLICATIONS have opened for 2021 Ngā Karahipi Uru Rākau – Forestry Scholarships, which will support more Māori and women to pursue careers in forestry science.

Eight scholarship recipients will receive $8000 per year for four years to help with tuition and living costs while studying forestry science degrees at the University of Canterbury.

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Clockwise, from top: A Skylab seedling density map, weed mapping, tree height model and volume grid mapping and seed • vitatlity mapping.

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Experience the Progress.

Find your Liebherr-contact

Liebherr Wheel Loaders L 550 XPowerÂŽ L 580 XPowerÂŽ for Industrial Applications Fuel savings of up to 30 % due to Liebherr-XPower driveline with Liebherr-Power-Efficiency (LPE) Maximum durability due to the subdivision of the drive force between hydrostatic and mechanical driveline Optional industrial lift arm with high torque in the upper lifting range for high handling capacity

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Biofuels

Critical Australia backs biofuels industry

B

IOENERGY is a broad term given to renewable energy made available from materials derived from biological sources ranging from algae to municipal wate. Biomass is any organic material which has stored sunlight in the form of chemical energy. Biomass may include wood, wood waste, straw, other crop residues, manure, sugarcane, and many other by-products from a variety of agricultural, municipal and food production processes.

Examples of biomass and their uses for bioenergy: Wood and wood processing residues—burned to heat buildings, to produce process

waste —burned to generate electricity in power plants or converted to biogas in landfills Animal manure and human sewage—converted to biogas, which can be burned as a fuel Biofuel, is fuel derived from biological sources. In its broader sense it includes biomass, the biological material used as a biofuel, as well as Angelo Perry Dabala the social, economic, scienCEO, Renewable.bio tific and technical fields associated with using biologiheat in industry, and to gen- cal sources for energy.

The word bioenergy tends erate electricity Agricultural crops and to be favoured in Europe covwaste materials—burned as ering all types and inputs and a fuel or converted to liquid conversions to energy, whilst the term biofuel is more biofuels Food, refuse, and wood widely used in the America’s

to define a similar grouping.

Part of this interchangeability of terms comes from both North and South America’s development and supprt of a liquid biofuels industry based on food crops (corn, sugar etc), referred to as 1st generation biofuels.

In simple terms, biomass has a number of ways it can be converted to energy, the main being directly, compressed and gasified. It’s most simple form is directly, burnt in an open fire or boiler to generate heat. This is by far the most widely used form of bioenergy as has been done for 10’s of thousands of years.

Secondly, it can then be processed or compressed in to

pellets and briquettes which is a multi billion $ market internationally although relatively small in Australia.

Thirdly and gaining a lot of attention in Australia is gasification where biomass is converted into a gas and used directly or turned into a liquid, a biofuel. There has been a lot of development in this area focusing on not using agricultural food crops and using wood, refuse and waste, this is referred to as 2nd generation biofuels.

It is critical that Australia supports and develops a liquid biofuels industry especially for use in transport and aviation. There are a number of encouraging projects and

Promoting your products through webinars and podcasts While CORONA-19 has closed many workplaces and face-to-face communications, it’s also opened new channels for Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) to reach to development, design and construction professionals who specify wood and wood products.

The first five WoodSolutions weekly webinars have reached more than 2000 people, while the podcasts have had 17,000+ listeners.

With local and international speakers, Q&A sessions and topics ranging from costing and engineering to project design, the webinars and podcasts are a cost-effective way to reach key audiences.

Watch or listen today at woodsolutions.com.au.

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Biofuels

initiatives requiring sometimes complex technical solutions, but this development is an essential value add for Australia’s bioresources.

To give the bioenergy and biofuels global market some dimension, it is estimated that by 2024 that global biofuels markets collectively will have a value of US$153B. How bioenergy is directly relevant to the Australian forestry industry has been the area of my focus and interest for the last 5 years and I would like to outline what is possible in the short to medium term 5-10 years for the forestry industry. There are business opportunities for the forestry industry in bioenergy right now.

Australia currently has approximately 2M hectares of commercial forests whilst

Australia’s total forestry industry produces around 3-5M tons of wood residue each year. This is material that is already being processed or moving in a supply chain at some point and not stranded or isolated as a resource. As a source of bioenergy, this residue has tremendous value economically in both regional and international markets. I believe that with the right stimulus from government this residue can be converted in to 1000’s of jobs and $100’s of millions of $ for regional and rural communities in the next 5 years.

In the short term this can be achieved by working directly with pulp and paper wood chip supply chains. In the medium term, mallee and agricultural residues (straw etc) are a valuable resource to support community based bioenergy production in regional areas.

One of the most important points to this article and it’s title is it’s reference to ‘modern’ bioenergy. The ‘modern’ refers to bioenergy

being produced in a new way and separating it from bioenergy historically.

Modern bioenergy requires a focus on sustainability, protecting the environment and precious resources. In 2018, the International Energy Agency (IEA) stated: “Bioenergy is already making a substantial contribution to supplying global energy demand, and can make an even larger contribution, providing greenhouse gas savings and other environmental benefits, as well as contributing to energy security, improving trade balances, providing opportunities for social and economic development in rural communities, and helping with the management of wastes, so improving resource management. Estimates indicate that bioenergy could sustainably contribute between 25% and 33% to the future global primary energy supply in 2050.

“

Bioenergy is the only renewable source that can replace fossil fuels in all energy markets – in the production of heat, electricity, and fuels for transport Globally, Australia’s forestry industry has one of the most respected reputations in respect to sustainability.

It is one of the world’s largest and most sustainable bioenergy resources.

The interest in developing bioenergy in Australia has gained considerable momentum in the last 10 years and I believe the Australian forestry industry is ready to support it.

Neuson Forest

Distributed by Scandinavian Forestry The advantages offered by Neuson harvesters: А safety-tested cabin (FOPS, ROPS, OPS certified) А very tight tail swing (almost zero tail swing) А separate hydraulic pumps for head, crane and chassis А separate hydraulic system for harvester head А parallel cranes, especially constructed for the forestry area А endlessly rotating upper carriage, very compact build machines perfect for thinning applications

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Australian Forests & Timber News June 2020

TR AU S

www.neuson-forest.at

Official Australian Stockist for Neuson Forest: Scandinavian Forestry & Engineering Pty Ltd 02 6947 4505 196-200, Snowy Mountains Highway, Tumut NSW 2720 Australia

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А reinforced undercarriage for forestry use А levelling system А low fuel consumption А ideal access to service platform

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Grinders

BRIEFS Skilled people A NEW initiative between the New Zealand Government and the forestry and woodprocessing sector aims to attract skilled people into the industry.

The Action Plan will initially cover the forest-growing industry, including nursery operations and the planting, maintenance management and harvesting of commercial forests, as well as some parts of the primary woodprocessing industry, specifically sawmilling and wood treatment.

It is estimated the forestry and wood-processing sector will need another 5000 workers by 2025.

Free Seminar

Yellow monster chewing it all up Key Points

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Four interchangeable rotors give this horizontal grinder the versatility.

Improved user interface allows operators to adjust and save multiple groups of feed speeds, pressures, and automated control systems.

Speed sensors added to the feed system for a more continuous and efficient pace of grinding.

• •

T

HE CBI Magnum Force 6400C Horizontal Grinder is an extreme-duty machine engineered for resilience and high production when grinding contaminated demolition debris, railroad ties, whole trees, pallets, storm debris, shingles, logs, mulch, slash, and stumps.

Built from a fully welded and line bored hog box, this yellow monster thrives more than any other horizontal grinder when processing high amounts of tough material.

The revolutionary new “cassette style” clam shell design allows end-users to completely swap out rotors faster than any other grinder in its class. Go from grinding to chipping in half the time as before, and know you can accept jobs with various material demands.

Four interchangeable rotors give this horizontal grinder the versatility needed to stay on top of changing markets.

Enhancing the 6400T’s industry leading design, this horizontal grinder supports either a CAT C27 1050hp T4 engine or CAT C32 1200hp T4 engine by relying on the larger, more durable, shaft and bearings assembly. The design of the CBI offset helix rotor minimizes energy loss from each strike and distributes material evenly across the rotor, efficiently out producing the competition.

The new and improved user interface allows operators to adjust and save multiple groups of feed speeds, pres-

sures, and automated control systems to guarantee the most efficient performance across a wide range of materials. A brand new feature called T-link (Terex Telematics System) comes standard on all of our grinders. T-Link allows owners to remotely monitor detailed reports of operating data, machine status, alarms, and other key metrics. This system provides the customer with a customizable online dashboard which displays a full range of data and can also be configured to send email and text notifications when certain events occur.

The hydraulic filter rack is strategically located to be fully accessible at ground level, with a sloped design to help shed materials which build up in the field. All of the valve decks have stainless steel guarding to protect the unit while tracking through overgrown areas.

To top it off, we’ve moved the hydraulic tank higher on

the unit and increased capacity to ease strain on the pumps.

Speed sensors have been added to the feed system for a more continuous and efficient pace of grinding, especially when using CBI IntelliGrind. Access to the outer face of the outside hammers is now as simple as opening the hog box. The upper profile change of the box leaves the hammer fully exposed for maintenance at the “crotch” of where the top feed roll arm rests.

Supported 24/7 by a dashboard of updated reports, technical phone support, and CBI’s Field Service Engineers, there’s no guesswork when it comes to keeping this machine operating at top performance.

All together, no other horizontal grinder in its weight class combines to meet the versatility, production rates, or low cost of ownership like the CBI Magnum Force 6400C.

THE Urban Wood Network (UWN), in partnership with the International Woodworking Fair (IWF), will present a free seminar, “The Urban Wood Movement: Expanding from Coast to Coast,” to highlight opportunities for woodworkers to leverage the unique local appeal and environmental benefits of using urban wood. This 90-minute session is scheduled on August 26 at 1 p.m.

This will be the third consecutive edition of the biennial industrial woodworking show to feature a seminar devoted to urban wood utilization. IWF, North America’s largest gathering of woodworking professionals and suppliers, runs August 25-28 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

New harvester head PONSSE has released a powerful new harvester head for processing eucalyptus trees.

The new H8HD Euca harvester head has been designed as a response to customer needs, and it further strengthens Ponsse’s strategy to be the leading global manufacturer of harvester heads.

The new harvester head has been designed for the Ponsse Bear harvester, but it is the “ideal” solution for track-based machines.

Harvester upgrade FENDT has upgraded its forage harvester. The new Fendt Katana 650 is optionally equipped with a Cleanfix reversible fan which draws in no more air than is needed. This releases or saves reserve capacity according to the work and power requirements, which significantly increases the Fendt Katana’s overall efficiency.

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Australian Forests & Timber News June 2020

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Mill profile

• Ian Robinson, General Manager, SA Pine

SA Pine cashing in with no risk Keith Smiley

minutes from Adelaide’s hustle and bustle. The saw mill is OME like to gamble, close to the Kuitpo Forest Rewhile others call it serve, established in 1898, as risk but a productive part of a 12,000 hectare forest green mill, close to a for- estate.

Vineyards close by cater to est, with a healthy dry mill nearby; and streamlined dis- day trippers in search of restribution, is profit in anyone’s pite from the city of churches and its burbs. The fertile pocket.

In a scenic and hilly region slopes are perfect for bushcalled South Mount Lofty walking, biking, camping Ranges, a stone’s throw from and outdoor events but it is McLaren Vale in South Aus- also a wonderful resource for tralia, Kuitpo Saw Mills is 45 logs, ably felled and trimmed

S

by Forestry South Australia.

The company began as Powell Timber, a dry miller, which became CSR before it went under the SA Sawmilling umbrella in the 1960s.

Later it was reformed as SA Pine, a privately owned company created in 2012 when Garry Tucker, owner of Recut Industries, joined forces with Greg Boulton, co-owner of SA Sawmilling Pty Ltd, with Ian Robinson, as SA Pine’s general manager and third

partner. SA Pine consists of a saw mill based at Kuitpo and a drymill and treatment facility at Monarto in the Murray Lands.

“Kuitpo is purely a saw mill. We entered a licence with Forestry SA to harvest the logs and to deliver to our Kuitpo green mill. We debark, then cut the logs in the saw mill into green sawn end sections, ready for transport to our dry mill at Monarto, said Ian Robinson.

Both facilities are designed to handle the volume of material based on the volume allowance granted by Forestry SA. “Our licence is for 75,000 cubic metres per year, as part of a sustainable forestry renewable resource. Fortunately we were not affected by fires last summer but we would like more volume but we can’t source it elsewhere Continued to Page 30

renewable.bio Connecting Australian Forestry to Energy Demand Biomass Procurement Acquiring biomass across Australia including fire affected timber Bioenergy Solutions Maximizing value from agricultural and forestry resources Supply Chain Development Bioenergy solutions for regional bioresources Carbon Sequestration Integrating bioenergy and carbon sequestration markets

Expressions of Interest required for Biomass Supply Contact by Email: eoi@renewable.bio

www.renewable.bio www.timberbiz.com.au

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2020

29

Mill profile SA Pine cashing in with no risk Continued from 29

because of the transport costs.”

It is a large operation in its own right, a good resource targeting the treated market instead of the untreated structured sector, basically, ‘value adding’. Most of their timber goes into Adelaide.

The mainstay of Monarto’s output is in treated structural, decking, untreated framing, sleepers and timber at case grade.

Their timber is holding up some of the best roofs around Australia. The company also sell bark, shavings, sawdust and woodchips.

“We distribute through ITI Australia, a national organisation, which sources socially and environmentally sustainable products, certified in forest stewardship and other endorsements. We are perfectly set up for our region to distribute through them,” said Ian. Ian Robinson has spent a good portion of his life involved in timber of one kind or another. Starting out as management ac-

30

countant with Auspine, he was asked to become the General Manager at SA Pine, after SA Sawmilling had closed their doors.

“I left school in 1976 and worked for Cowells Timber, a retail merchant, which was later bought by Auspine.

Ian is the contented type; at ease with a one and a half hour ride each way from his Adelaide home to his Monarto base, and always ready for a new challenge. Happy to be surrounded by farmlands, trees and crops in a normal working week, he loves the smell of gumtrees and the pine wafting through the hills. It keeps him calm; laid back even; able to exercise his sense of humour at any time. He plays golf on a handicap of seventeen and enjoys following motor sports, and looks towards a retirement in five to 10 years but wants to ‘make this company the best it can be’.

• The Kuitpo mill.

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2020

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Sell your used equipment, advertise your tender, offer your real estate or find your next employee.

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

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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.

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• 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