Australian Forests & Timber - June 2019

JUNE 2019

Incorporating AUSTRALIAN FOREST LOGGER & SAWMILLER

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New Minister looking to help the forestry industry – Inside

The next work phase for Colin McCulloch – Page 12

Critical new tool for controlled burns – Page 16

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In the news

First female Agriculture Minister looking forward to helping forestry industry grow Senator Jonathon Duniam from Tasmania is the new assistant minister for Forestry and Fisheries

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t’s back to business for Australia’s forestry industry following the Coalition’s surprise election win last month, with industry leaders simply keen to get on with the job.

However, the industry will have a new minister with Nationals deputy leader Bridget McKenzie from central Victoria becoming the country’s first female agriculture minister, replacing David Littleproud.

Liberal Senator Jonathon Duniam from Tasmania has been appointed assistant minister for Forestry and Fisheries.

Former Agriculture Minister David Littleproud will take over responsibility for water resources, drought, rural finance, natural disaster www.timberbiz.com.au

and emergency management.

His former assistant minister Tasmanian Liberal senator Richard Colbeck will move to Aged Care, Youth and Sport.

Senator McKenzie said she was “absolutely honoured to be appointed as Minister for Agriculture and was looking forward to working with “such a fantastic industry and helping it grow to become a $100 billion sector”.

Australian Forest Products Association CEO Ross Hampton said the new Cabinet demonstrated a mix of seasoned Ministers as well as promotions for some talented backbenchers.

Continued on Page 4

■■ Agriculture Minister, Bridget McKenzie

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In the news Incorporating AUSTRALIAN FOREST LOGGER & SAWMILLER

First female Agriculture Minister looking forward to helping forestry industry grow

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JUNE 2019 Issue 4 Vol. 28 Established 1991 News Bushfires Head-Lines Steep Slope Logging Log Loaders WoodTECH Sawmill Profile

Continued from Page 3 3-13 14-17 26-28 29-32 36-38 40 41

Page 1 Photo: New cloud-based image platform FireLens will help fire agencies improve information sharing during planned burning and fire suppression events.

Read more on page 16.

Publisher and Chief Executive: Hartley Higgins General Manager: Robyn Haworth Editor: John Hudswell j.hudswell@ryanmediapl.com.au (08) 7127 6370 Advertising and Classifieds: Gavin de Almeida g.dealmeida@ryanmediapl.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9517 Production: Peter Frezzini & NEM Creative Team Subscriptions: subs@forestsandtimber.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9532 Subcription rates One-year (8 editions) $55 Two-years (16 editions) $95 Accounts: Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9514

Strong advocates “We are delighted to welcome to these vital roles our first female Minister for Agriculture in Senator McKenzie and new outer Minister Senator Duniam,’’ he said.

“Both have been vocal champions of forest industries over the years and we are confident they will be strong advocates for the tens of thousands of regional Australians who make a living from growing, harvesting, replanting, hauling, sawmilling and pulp and paper making, not to mention the tens of thousands more who use our timber in house framing and furniture making for example.

“We are confident Senator McKenzie and Senator Duniam will hit the ground running thanks to the strong work done over the last few years by David Littleproud and Richard Colbeck.’’

Mr Hampton said that the Coalition had made significant announcements during the election campaign that would help the industry move into a new era of growth.

He said the key to this was focusing on the Regional Forest Industry Hubs which have been announced by the Government and working closely with farmers to add some trees to their primary production.

The Coalition also promised the $500 million Plantation Development Concessional Loans Scheme, development of farm forestry and indigenous forestry strategies, the rollout of at least two more National Institute for Forest Products Innovation nodes in Western Australia and NSW and laws to prevent trespass into agricultural and forestry workplaces.

The Coalition had also made commitments to no more lockups of native forests currently available for sustainable harvest and regeneration and the delivery of rolling 20-year RFAs.

Honouring commitments South Australian Timber Processors chief executive David Quill said his association had every faith in the commitments made by the Federal Government that things will go ahead for the benefit of Australian industry.

Victorian Association of Forest Industries CEO Tim Johnston agrees.

Getting on with the job “I think it’s fair to say we can all now get on with the job given that the federal election campaign is over,’’ he said.

“Indeed, with the recent state election only six months ago and fixed four year terms at the state level, we now know what the political landscape is for the next three years.

“However, what does it mean to the Victorian timber and forestry industry landscape?

“For one, we look forward to a Regional Forestry Hub announcement for Gippsland soon,’’ Mr Johnston said.

“To date five hubs have been funded across the nation – including the Green Triangle - and the federal government has already identified that Gippsland will be home to a hub as well in 2020. Three words: Make it happen.’’

Mr Johnston said that with a re-elected Morrison Government, The National Forest Industries Plan – Growing a better Australia - A Billion Trees for Jobs and Growth, will provide

■■ Assistant Agriculture Minister, Jonathan Duniam

the big picture national vision and policy agenda for Australia’ industry.

“It supports our vital industry and includes the goal to plant one billion trees over the next ten years,’’ he said. The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) has welcomed Federal Labor’s new shadow ministry which included the appointment of Joel Fitzgibbon to the agriculture portfolio and Mark Butler remaining with climate change and energy. “AFPA has a good working relationship with Joel Fitzgibbon and it’s pleasing to see him reappointed to the agriculture portfolio. Likewise, we welcome Mark Butler’s reappointment in the climate change and energy portfolios,” AFPA CEO Ross Hampton said.

Postal Address: 630 Regency Road, Broadview South Australia 5083 Phone: (08) 8369 9555 Fax: (08) 8369 9501 Melbourne Office: Suite 2262, 442 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn VIC 3122 Phone: (03) 9810 3262 Website www.timberbiz.com.au Printed by Lane Print, Adelaide, SA Conditions The opinions expressed in Australian Forests & Timber News are not necessarily the opinions of or endorsed by the editor or publisher unless otherwise stated. All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher.

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All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic, or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher.

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MEDIA

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his (June) is my final edition as editor of Australian Forests & Timber News, bringing to an end 14 years in the role.

Bruce Mitchell (formerly Rural Press and The Advertiser) is the new appointee. <b.mitchell@ryanmediapl.com.au> In closing off I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the multitude of people who have helped make my time working for and with those in the industry so enjoyable and meaningful. This industry richly deserves to be regarded as one of the best --- it is, after all, renewable and sustainable!

I take this opportunity to urge everyone to get behind their respective associations and organisations to ensure the future success of forestry and all its associated work.

I thank you for the privilege of allowing me to be part of this superb industry.

John Hudswell

INDEPENDENT & AUSTRALIAN OWNED

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Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

In the news

Tougher sanctions sought on workplace “invaders”

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united push will be made to have forestry harvesting operations included in the reelected Liberal Government’s proposed farm invasions laws.

The Federal Government has already promised tougher sanctions for animal activists.

Attorney General Christian Porter announced before the May Federal election that a new law would be introduced to deal with the threat he said was posed by animal activist groups such as Aussie Farms, which publishes an interactive map with the locations of hundreds of rural properties across the country, including livestock farms, meatworks and dairies.

It has pledged to create a new offence with up to 12 months’ jail time for those who

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use a carriage service, such as the internet, to disclose personal information and incite others to trespass on farmland and livestock facilities.

The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) and Australian Forest Contractors Association (AFCA) are leading the push to include locations in which forestry harvesting is in progress, in any policy development designed to allow rural Australians to conduct themselves safely and lawfully in agricultural worksites.

“The activist attacks on farms across Australia in April were a major infringement on the rights of farmers and seriously compromised their ability to operate safely,’’ AFPA CEO, Ross Hampton said.

“While this spate of attacks

brought the issue to the centre of national debate, sadly this sort of invasion activity is not new in forest industries.’’

Forest Conservation Victoria has been protesting over what it alleges is the illegal logging of the threatened Tree Geebung being carried out at Ballantynes Saddle near Mt Baw Baw. A conservationist was suspended 25m up in a tree on a platform tied to machinery preventing logging for 12 days.

“Like other parts of agriculture, invasions into our worksites bring great risks of accidents for protestors and workers,’’ Mr Hampton said.

“No one disputes the right of others to protest, but it is wrong to invade worksites to make a political point.’’

AFCA general manager,

■■ AFPA CEO, Ross Hampton

■■ AFCA general manager, Stacey Gardiner

Stacey Gardiner, said that for decades forest workplaces had been subject to interference from activists.

“In March, protestors in the Gippsland prevented a forestry contractor from accessing equipment needed to fight bushfires in the region.

There have also been disruptions earlier in the year in Tasmania. This sort of activity is

completely unreasonable and deserves attention,’’ she said.

“Our native forest and timber industries are some of Australia’s most renewable industries. Our methods of careful harvest and regeneration ensures future generations will have access to timber resources, which truly are, the ultimate renewable,” Ms Gardiner said.

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 5

In the news

How to harvest trees sustainably

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ustainable forestry works — at least for sub-tropical forest streams and the small creatures that live in them.

That was the conclusion of a five-member research team that examined the effects of selective tree harvesting on the waterways of sub-tropical forests in northern NSW. “By using best management practice to selectively harvest trees, we can maintain the ecological integrity of forest streams,” said one of the researchers, ecologist Dr Rob Rolls, a Research Fellow with the University of New England’s Aquatic Ecology and Restoration Research Centre (AERRC).

“The ecological benefits of selective tree harvesting have long been demonstrated in temperate forests, and our study extended those

findings to the sub-tropical frequently reported impacts of well understood compared to unprotected timber harvesting. those of intensive harvesting. forests of northern NSW.” Combined with selective Harvesting Best ManageForestry Corporation of NSW was a funding and re- ment Practices (BMPs) have tree harvesting, Dr Rolls said, search partner in the project been adopted globally to BMPs yielded good results for and the research reinforced minimise these effects. BMPs the northern NSW streams.

Data from three streams in the effectiveness of the organi- include constructing bridges logged catchments were sation’s sustainable harassessed by the study vesting practices. team, and compared Forestry and for“Our study is a clear streams in adjacent est products contribute guide for stream-friendly with catchments that were $2.4 billion annually to not harvested. the NSW economy, but harvesting in Australia’s In two of the three historically there have valuable sub-tropical catchments where sebeen ecological costs lective harvesting was associated with some forests” undertaken using BMPs outdated forestry industo protect environmentry practices.

Where intensive tree har- and causeways to reduce traf- tal features, there were brief vesting is done without using fic in sensitive areas, putting increases in stream flow, and measures to protect streams, seasonal restrictions on har- sediment increased in one substantial impacts occur in vesting and wet weather re- stream, but the effects only vulnerable aquatic ecosys- strictions on high-disturbance lasted up to one year from hartems. Increased runoff of wa- activities like log felling, and vesting.

Selective harvesting had ter and inputs of sediment, leaving riparian buffer zones. and an influx of organic mat- Yet the effects of harvesting no effects on the types and ter (such as plant litter and BMPs on aquatic ecosystems amount of plant litter, or on branches) from felled trees are have until now been much less the abundance or diversity of

aquatic invertebrates, compared to streams in unlogged catchments.

“We now have robust evidence robust that best management practices for selective harvesting are effective for preserving stream ecosystem health draining harvested forests,” Dr Rolls said.

“We have to be careful about drawing the same conclusions for other climates and forest types, but our study is a clear guide for stream-friendly harvesting in Australia’s valuable sub-tropical forests.”

The study team included another UNE ecologist, Dr Andrew Boulton; Dr Kate Smolders and Professor Fran Sheldon of Griffith University; and Dr Ashley Webb of NSW Primary Industries.

Dr Rob Rolls.

Stream sampling.

Forest clearing.

KIPT appointment is part of transition process

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■■ Keith Lamb and John Sergeant at the MacGIll Plantation.

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eith Lamb has been appointed KIPT’s new Managing Director. This appointment is part of a long-planned transition as KIPT anticipates moving into port construction, forestry production and export operations.

Current MD John Sergeant will remain in an executive capacity and will continue as a director while Mr Lamb takes overall responsibility for the next phase in the company’s transition to profitable and sustainable operations.

KIPT chair Paul McKenzie said Mr Sergeant had piloted the growth of the company from a sub-scale timberland owner, with a mixed collection of stranded assets, to a sustain-

able producer of quality timber, poised to deliver a significant infrastructure project.

“During that time, KIPT’s market capitalisation has grown from $3 million to about $120 million. We thank John for his stewardship of the company and we are glad that he will continue to assist in the next stages of the company’s development.”

He said Mr Lamb was one of the most respected forestry professionals in Australia, “with a history of deploying institutional capital to create value for forest owners, and with a genuine commitment to the role that forestry can play in building resilient and prosperous regional communities”.

“He is the right person, at the right time and we are proud to have him as the new leader of the business.”

Mr Lamb was Director of Operations and Portfolio Manager for New Forests Asset Management from 2005 until 2017, with responsibility for $2.5 billion in timberland and related agricultural and industrial assets, including the blue gums on Kangaroo Island later bought by KIPT. Mr Sergeant would continue to be involved in the current development approval process, enabling Mr Lamb to focus on the company’s medium to long term growth.

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

In the news

Green Triangle Timber Industry Awards: Time to celebrate industry heroes

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fter the outstanding success of the inaugural Green Triangle Timber Industry Awards last year, the committee is pleased to announce that next month the awards will begin again for 2019.

The first process in this campaign has been to secure sponsors and the return has been equally rewarding with most signing up again to be part of this industry event that stands to applaud its skilled workforce and business champions.

More than 500 people were on hand last year to celebrate as Reid Logging picked up the top award, along with the prize for harvesting excellence, with employee Adam Sealey taking out the individual forest operations crown.

This multi-generational logging company was toasted as the supreme winner of

the inaugural Green Triangle Timber Industry Awards at The Barn in Mount Gambier.

Another outstanding commendation was Leonie Stapleton from Timberlink who was honoured with a lifetime contribution award, recognising her long-term commitment and involvement in an industry that has historically been male dominated.

Leonie was seen as quite unique, in terms of her contribution and legacy. She played a consistent and important role in the development of the region’s export woodchip trade, the radical disruptor of the 1980s and 1990s. The export woodchip trade is the market that accelerated the region’s thinning programs, creating the forest structure that generates today’s reliable and uniform supply of larger high-quality saw log. It was the enabler for much of the timber man-

ufacturing activity we see in Mount Gambier today.

The call for nominations will start on 17 June and this will go through for eight weeks with an online form to complete across a number of categories, but this is a relatively efficient step by step process. By majority the categories themselves have remained the same with a few name changes to clarify some sectors of the industry that could have been missed out last year. The information pertaining to nominations and relevant categories has been updated and ready to go. Nominations will close on August 16 and then judging will begin.

The nominees and winners will be celebrated at a formal dinner held at The Barn, Mount Gambier, Friday 1 November with a guest list expected to easily meet capacity of 500, with come-

Key Dates 17 June Nominations Open

dian and radio and TV entertainer Merrick Watts as the master of ceremonies. He is best known for performing stand-up comedy and radio works as part of the comedy duo Merrick and Rosso with Tim Ross.

“We were very proud of the efforts of our industry last year to get this event up and going and to have support from our sponsors who serve our forestry industry across the Green Triangle so enthusiastic to be part of the campaign. We know there will be even greater energy and support for nominations this year now that this sector has seen how the event can provide a platform for celebration,” said Adrian Flowers, Chair of GTTIA Committee.

The industry continues to underpin some 8,500 regional jobs and provides a valuable foundation for businesses and investors.

16 August Nominations Close September Judging Process 1 November Green Triangle Timber Industry Awards For more information visit the website www.gttia.com or contact Prue Younger, Event Manager 0064 (21) 2765484 or info@gttia.com www.facebook.com/GTTIA2018

■■ Adrian Flowers: “platform for celebration”

Awards help push boundaries of forestry knowledge Applications are now open for this year’s NZIF Foundation awards and scholarships.

Awards totalling $39,500 encourage and support forestry-related education, training and research through the provision of grants, scholarships and prizes; promoting the acquisition, development and dissemination of forestry-related knowledge and information and other activities.

The awards open for application are: Two Future Forest Scholarships for post graduate research of up to $10,000 each The New Zealand Redwood Company Scholarship of $5000 for an undergraduate scholarship at the University of Canterbury School Forestry Chavasse Travel Award of up to $3500 to assist a mid-career person to travel overseas or to bring an overseas person to NZ Jon Dey memorial award of up to

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$3500 to assist research projects in the areas of work study or new technology aimed at improving forest engineering and harvest productivity Otago Southland Award of up to $3000 to assist a project of relevance to forestry in the Otago/Southland region Mary Sutherland Scholarship of $1000 for a polytechnic student University Undergraduate Scholarship of $1000 Frank Hutchinson Postgraduate scholarship of $1000 Student poster prizes at NZIF Conference (1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes of $800, $500 and $200) Applications must be received by the Foundation administrator by 5pm on 17 July.

Awards will be announced at the joint conference of the NZ Institute of Forestry and Institute of Foresters of Australia dinner being held in Christchurch in August.

2019 NOMINATIONS OPEN Key Dates 2019 Get involved, nominate today and step up.

Check out our website for nomination category criteria and details www.gttia.com

17 June

Nominations Open

16 August

Nominations Close

September

Judging Process

1 November GREEN TRIANGLE TIMBER INDUSTRY AWARDS

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 7

In the news

Unique entity playing crucial role to further private forestry

By Philip Hopkins

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enny Wells has worked in all aspects of Tasmanian forestry for more than 30 years, so it’s no surprise she’s now running a body that acts as a guide and catalyst for the industry’s biggest sector – private forestry.

Appointed chief executive officer of Private Forests Tasmania (PFT) last year, she has played roles in forestry planning, policy, regulation and management since the late 1980s.

Penny was part of the team that negotiated the original Regional Forest Agreement for Tasmania in 1997, led the negotiations to extend the RFA in 2017 and worked with industry to develop the 2017 forest industry growth strategy.

As a former joint owner of a small family sawmill that processed special timber species, she also has first-hand experience of private forestry.

That private forestry sector, which Penny now plays a major role in, produced 74% of Tasmania’s forest production in 2017-18.

“Private forestry used to be much less than 50 per cent, and 97 per cent of that is from plantations,” she said in an in8

terview with Australian Forests & Timber News.

– a government-established entity directed specifically to help the private forestry sector,” said Penny.

range of things - develop planning tools, assist with communication of forestry Proportions changing benefits, provide information to growers, particularly pre“The proportion of planA facilitator commercial information. The tation to native forest has changed. It’s mainly planta“We are not a government aim is not to compete with the private sector.” tions now, but There is a funding that’s not to say partnership between we won’t get more government and inprivate native fordustry. PFT receives est growers haran annual appropriavesting timber in tion from governthe future. That ment each year and depends on market money from private conditions and the growers through a objectives of land legislated levy sysowners.” tem. The income At 1,104,000 from the private sechectares, the pritor is directly linked vate forest estate to activity; the levy makes up 33% of is based on a fee perTasmania’s forest “We now have a sustainable harvested. area. The native uncontested supply of products hectare Penny said the forest component (841,000 ha) from private forests in Tassie that annual income for Forests Tasmakes up 25% of is growing. That’s important and Private mania was about $2 the state’s native million, with nearly forest, while prisignificant for the industry” $250,000 from invate plantations dustry levies. “That (264,000 ha) comprise 87% of the state’s planta- business enterprise - we don’t proportion will change detion area. buy and sell timber – but are a pending on activity,” she said.

PFT’s role is to enable pri- facilitator. We have an objecCertification vate forestry to grow. It is an tive of facilitating and expandindependent statutory author- ing development of the private Importantly, all large priity – essentially a government forests resource in Tasmania. vate industrial plantations entity that operates as an inde“We work with private for- now had certification of one pendent authority with a pri- est growers – at the industrial or both Responsible Wood or vate board. scale and the individual farm FSC certifications. “That has “We are unique in Australia forestry scale. We do a whole influenced market conditions

■■ Penny Wells, CEO Private Forests Tasmania

positively. We now have a sustainable uncontested supply of products from private forests in Tassie that is growing.

That’s important and significant for the industry,” she said.

Structural and ownership changes over the past decade have created more owners of the larger industrial estate, which is now managed by different management companies. “That has provided a more competitive environment in Tasmania,” she said.

Market conditions had improved. “We are seeing increases in tonnage prices and new markets are opening up.

It’s a different landscape for private growers to consider,” said Penny.

While output had been mainly exported in the past, “that equation is evolving – the effort is also going into domestic markets”.

Value adding For example, plantation hardwoods traditionally were mainly exported for wood-

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

In the news

chip pulp and paper market.

“We are seeing that changing with new markets opening to more value-added engineering wood products,” she said.

“New markets opening up in oriented strand board for container flooring and those sort of things – engineered wood. It’s not all woodchip these days, but chips are still dominant in the export market.”

The level of innovation has been increasing, with industry and government both investing in innovation more explicitly. The new National Institute for Forest Products Innovation has a partnership between industry and the Tasmanian and Australian governments. The University of Tasmania has two entities working with forestry – the Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood, and the Training Centre for Forest Value, which both partner with industry on a range of projects.

Closer ties Penny said forest growers were forging closer ties with stakeholders.

“There are a number of agreements that different individual forest entities have entered into with environment groups and other members of the community,” she said.

“These have diminished the level of contest that used to happen in the boardrooms of companies. The initiatives taken by individual companies has diminished that. All that combined has greatly lowered the level of sovereign risk www.timberbiz.com.au

“There is room. Some industrial plantation growers are definitely interested in joint ventures on private land.

I doubt we will see the large buy-up of farms that has happened with some of the past expansions in the plantation estate. There is still turnover in the existing plantation estate; changes of ownership within plantation estate are occurring as a matter of course.”

However, individual companies were unlikely to buy up additional private land in the future in any significant way.

“Joint ventures are a possibility and individual farmers can Room and make decisions to opportunity grow timber to contribute to overall proNative forests on ductivity,” she said. private land covered Penny sees agroa range of productive eucalyptus species, “The key area is farm forestry, forestry as a key growth opportunity. while hardwood planplantations, shelter belts “There are multiple tation species were benefits from plantmainly blue gum and and small woodlots in the ing trees. A shelter shining gum, with Piagricultural estate” belt can be designed nus radiata dominating in a practical way the softwood plantato give the benefits tion sector.

Penny said the key area of shelter and the timber re“Not all farms want to plant trees. There is plenty of room, was farm forestry, plantations, source,” she said. but it’s not unlimited; we do shelter belts and small woodMultiple benefits not want to see plantations lots in the agricultural estate. marching across the landscape “We are working with land“You get the benefit of sellat the expense of communities owners and private growers ing the timber when it is haror other primary production,” on providing information and vested, but in the life cycle of tools to help farmers decide that shelter belt there is the she said.

“Nevertheless, there is still the best use of their land,” she increased benefit to producroom and opportunity, particu- said. tivity. For every hectare you in private forestry. All those things have contributed to a more positive environment to grow trees in Tasmania on private land.”

Penny said native forest private growers were still getting over the effects of the managed investment schemes, where many people lost a lot of money. “We will see that change in the future,” she said, as the world’s need for fibre over the next decade or two would quadruple.

“It’s inevitable that markets will evolve and change. Forest products will be a more attractive option for private native forest owners,” Penny said.

larly where trees can enhance the productivity of other crops and grazing land. That’s a key objective under legislation to expand and develop the private resource.”

plant, there is more than a hectare of benefit. The increased sheltering effect increases the kilos on the meat of sheep and cattle, and crop productivity.”

PFT has just completed a three-year agroforestry project.

“We are translating the outcomes of that into planning tools, information products, field days highlighting the benefits, scientific papers, and fact sheets on the website,” said Penny.

“We are building on the outcomes of that project into our information products. We will continue to add to that program. That project has been completed, but we will be investing in to the agroforestry program into the future.”

Penny said the recent fires had had a big impact on a number of individual private landowners and growers.

However of the 1 million hectares of forests on private land, the total area of private forest burnt was 35,000 ha.

“Not all of that is in production forest. Some are native forests growing on people’s farms that are not suitable for forestry. The biggest impact was to individual farmers in the Central Highlands. A significant portion was being managed for production,” she said.

Overall, the fires were a big hit for individual landowners, but accounted for 2 per cent of production on private land. “While that represents a ‘blip’, Tasmania is still well and truly open for business,” said Penny.

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 9

In the news

Nine months of frustration for forestry workers Industry needs Victorian Government assurances that planned changes don’t further reduce access to timber resources and create severe long-term impacts on regional businesses.

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he Victorian Government’s announcement of the amended Allocation Order (AO) and Timber Release Plan (TRP) came nine months after the due date….

“That’s nine months that contractors, sawmillers and workers in the native timber industry have endured frustration and been subjected to extreme personal and financial pressures,” said Tim Johnston, Chief Executive Officer of the state-wide industry organisation, Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI).

Then, to cap it all off the new AO reduced the total harvestable area in State forests by 5,000 hectares.

“This includes a reduction of 20,000 hectares of Mountain Ash forest, partially offset by an

increase of 15,000 hectares in mixed species areas. The implications of these changes are not currently clear, but this raises questions about the ongoing capacity to meet future contracts and the species mix that can be sourced from State forests. Further reductions in timber supply from state forests only serves to undermine already vulnerable businesses. This is simply not acceptable,” said Tim. He said that while the State Government was undertaking reviews of the Regional Forest Agreements and broader forest management legislation, industry needed assurances that these planned changes would not further reduce access to timber resources and create severe long-term impacts on regional businesses.

“The overdue TRP announcement is a short-term fix for a long-term issue,” he said.

When asked whether he saw the government decision as «Green appeasement», he

replied: “The Victorian Government is currently undertaking a substantial research program to assess and map State forests.

However, the new amendments to the AO appear to pre-empt any findings from this program, raising serious questions about whether they are based on sound evidence or are a political decision.

“VAFI’s position is that forest management policy should be based on robust and up to date information that covers the entire landscape of public forests, not just State forests allocated for harvesting,” he said.

Responding to a question on the plantation development (promised two years ago) now being rolled out and the huge time factor before the first harvest, he said: “Plantation management is a highly specialised field and the government should be in discussion with existing industry operators as site and species selection is crucial.

These new plantations will need

considerable management expertise.

“If the new trees do successfully establish, the government’s 550 hectares simply replaces what had already been under plantation.

“Victoria has an existing hardwood estate of 196,300 hectares so this will not be at all sufficient to meet the growing demand for high quality fibre resource.

“In the past 11 years the direct economic contribution of hardwood plantation and pulpwood production to the Victorian state economy has multiplied by 14, from $21 million per annum in 2006/7 to $302 million per annum in 2016/17.

“This is because private plantation owners and managers have the skill and expertise to seek investment and funding opportunities and capitalise on their investment,” Tim said.

“We urge the government to work collaboratively with industry experts, understand

■■ Tim Johnston VAFI CEO

the complexities involved, and support private enterprise in helping deliver additional fibre resource.

The final question put to the CEO was has the Victorian Government given any credence to the Federal establishment of hubs?

“VAFI has not received any indications to date from the State Government on their position on the Regional Forestry Hubs.

“We encourage them to support this initiative,” Tim said.

Great time promised for all at The G!

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ith the iconic MCG booked, the entertainment organised, and the date confirmed, the VAFI 2019 Annual Dinner will be one to remember… MCG, 15 November from 6pm.

Thanks have been extended to sponsors to date, Australian Paper (Gold Sponsor) VicForests (Bronze Sponsor) PF Olsen Australia and Paragon Media and look forward to announcing future sponsors of the event. If you’re interested in sponsoring (VAFI has some great initiatives like the use of the MCG scoreboard, table sponsors or award sponsors), contact Jillian Roscoe at the VAFI office to discuss options An important aspect of the night is the awards ceremony. This is one event where industry can come together and pay tribute to individuals and businesses who contribute greatly to our industry.

Research shows that employees respond to appre10

ciation expressed through recognition of their work as it confirms their value to others. When employees feel they are valued through recognition, productivity rises. While still several months away, we ask that you start considering those in your organisation you would like to nominate.

The categories are: The Economy Award- granted to a VAFI member (business or individual) judged to have the greatest performance around: Significant innovative approaches that resulted in increased productivity, new products or access to new markets.

The initiative is focused on industry development and aligned with VAFI’s goal of growing the Victorian timber and forestry industry.

The Community Award- granted to a VAFI member (business or individual) judged to have the

greatest performance around: Significant contribution to the social and cultural wellbeing of the local community (or communities).

Initiative adding to the positive reputation of the industry as an important member of regional and/or metropolitan communities.

The initiative is aligned with VAFI’s goal of providing ongoing social and cultural contribution to Victorian communities.

The Sustainability Award- judged to have the greatest performance in: Undertaking significant improvement in business, health and safety or environmental sustainability during the previous 12 months.

The initiative is aligned with VAFI’s sustainability goal of continuous improvement in business and environmental performance within the industry.

The MC for the night is Warwick Merry.

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

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Industry Profile

■■ Colin McCulloch at Arbre Hub

Colin readies himself for the next work phase From potholing to contracting to advocacy to educator and back to the field Colin McCulloch started in back in 1972

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fter a long and fruitful time as an industry advocate of sorts, Colin McCulloch has decided to move on and spend the later part of his career in management with new entity, Midway Tasmania. We decided to catch up with Col and look back for a bit on his industry participation and achievements.

First machine?

I started out in my parents business, McCulloch Logging Pty Ltd in 1972. My first “machine” was a wheelbarrow and shovel, potholing Charlies Rd for the sawlog trucks taking logs from the east coast around Triabunna through to Hobart.

I guess I rose up through the ranks slowly, as one does when working for your father, and gained a lot of experience across all facets of harvest and haul for the next 23 years until Dad’s retirement in 1994.

First client?

I started as a stand-alone business in 1994, as a cable logging business situated in the Florentine Valley, south west Tasmania. We were contracting to Derwent Forestry Company at the time as the entity that took on the harvest and haul from the original ANM concession.

AFCA? With the formation of a new industry advocacy group for logging contractors nation12

ally, I was accepted as the first chairman of the Australian Forest Contractors Association. With a new Board and CEO Col Shipard on board, we set about our duty of gaining more relevance for our members in the national wood supply chain through promoting the professionalism that exists in the numerous family orientated businesses around Australia, the massive contributions they make to their rural and remote communities and the important role they play in supplying the wood for the national offtake every year.

I could go on, but.

AUSTimber?

Industry was about to lose the AUSTimber program back in say 2006. As a Board, we set about reviving the concept and adding to AFCA’s national role and relevance by taking on the AusTimber brand and relocating the show to Mt Gambier. The successes of AUSTimber 2008 and 2012, due to the efforts of Col Shipard and David Quill, were testament to AFCA’s ability to unite industry as well as promote Australia’s Forestry professionalism globally as one of only three major industry expositions around the world back then. The franchise continues to be a success and one of our proudest achievements as a group.

Arbre Forest Industries Training and Careers Hub? My business, and long as-

sociation with friend and business partner, Ken Padgett, didn’t survive the GFC and subsequent industry annihilation in Tasmania. With my departure, I had to resign my role with AFCA as Chair, and basically ponder where to from here. After a brief stint as AFCA CEO, I approached long-time industry achiever and AFCA icon, Kevin Morgan for a job. To cut a bit of a story short, we both saw a need to create a mechanism to bring new operators into his business, so I asked if we could clean out his old office and create a little internal training facility. Kevin thought that was a good idea, but on reflection decided to second me out to see if it had appeal for all industry in Tasmania.

That worked well, we corralled our industry leaders into a room, thrashed the ideas into a concept, formed the Arbre Board, and took the concept to reality for all industry to be involved.

The Arbre Hub now has solid programs for new entrants for job seekers and students alike, with what I would think being the Hub’s greatest achievement to date being two industry focused programs delivered into schools around Tasmania, one being the very successful Cadet Forester Program, as well as delivering the final touches to Arbre’s Next Generation Operator program.

Through the next phase of skills development and recognition, especially as a support

mechanism for AFPA’s nation drive on safety and skills, Tasmania is well placed through the Arbre Hub to respond and meet the demands of a modern forest industry here as well as playing a part nationally through constant enquiries on how to set up similar hubs around Australia.

■■ Colin McCulloch addressing AFCA

■■ Colin McCulloch (during AUSTimber 2012)

Midway Tasmania?

Forestry giant, Midway Limited have had a presence in Tasmania for around a year now, under the guidance of CEO Tony Price, and State manager Clint Webb. This has been seen as a strong strategic move for Midway, as the resource rich Tasmania looks to businesses with a broad range of markets and options to help recover from the demise of Gunns Limited.

In closing, who has had the most influence on you?

Obviously my Mum and Dad, but when I needed advice that was sound, and a friend when in need, none other than Col Shipard.

■■ Kevin Morgan

Greatest achievement in Forestry?

Been a few I guess, but the stand out is being involved the formation of AFCA,s Loggers Hall of Fame, and I think being part of a team that has created and successfully put our industry into education as a viable option for a multi-faceted career through Cadet Forester and Next Gen operator is up there.

■■ Col Shipard

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

Industry Profile ■■ Peh Boo

Growing the next generation of trees, buildings and families

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hen people talk about someone who’s come a long way Peh Boo could be that person. A refugee from Burma, now working at OneFortyOne’s nursery at Glencoe. For Peh Boo it’s not just the opportunity to work with nature, outside in the fresh air, doing a good day’s work. It’s the chance to be free and build a life for him and his family.

Peh Boo sees it as a great place to work. And it’s easy to see why when you’re at the nursery on a sunny day in

May. Set on over 90ha and surrounded by gum trees, for over 35 years the Glencoe nursery has grown the millions of pine trees used to replant the region’s forests.

This year the nursery team has grown nearly 8 million trees to be replanted across OneFortyOne’s and other Green Triangle forests during winter. In approximately 32 years-time, by 2053, these trees will be harvested and turned into timber used to build the houses of the future.

And yet the nursery is more

than just the start of the renewable forestry cycle; it does more than create jobs for people in the forestry supply chain – forestry, harvesting and mill workers, log truck drivers and everyone in between – it has also played an important role helping refugees comfortably settle into the Green Triangle region.

For Peh Boo working at the Nursery for the past 10 years has given him more than just a job. It has given him the opportunity to learn new skills, a new language, a new way of life and

to feel like he and his family truly belong in this region.

“I came to Australia when I was 33 with my parents. I had spent 25 years living in a refugee camp in Burma.

“I had to learn English. I had to get a job. Living in a refugee camp all that time meant I didn’t have skills needed for working, so I had to learn,” he said.

Peh Boo came to Australia in 2009 and has worked at OneFortyOne’s nursery every year since then during the planting season. Like many of

the other refugee workers at the nursery, this regular seasonal employment has enabled him to create a bright future in the Green Triangle and feel part of the community.

After 10 years in Mt Gambier, Pee Boh knows that working outdoors at the nursery is not always sunny May days, and there are plenty of rain filled winter days to come, but he doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he is happy to be part of the nursery team.

His reason is simple, “Here, I am free.”

More staff on board for seedling dispatch Seven staff have been welcomed at Tumut’s Blowering Nursery to assist with Forestry Corporation of NSW’s annual pine seedling dispatch. This brings the local nursery workforce to 17 who manage a critical step in the forestry cycle.

Forestry Corporation’s Plantation Improvement Manager Phil Green said the new recruits would be grading, packing and loading seedlings bound for state-owned pine plantations around NSW until the middle of September.

“Over the May-September period each member of the Blowering Nursery team will handle almost 600,000 seedlings as the team sorts through the nine million cells sown,” Mr Green said.

“Their work is essential to make sure that only those seedlings that meet our standards are dispatched for planting.

“Blowering Nursery is Forestry Corporation’s largest production nursery, and we expect to get around 7.4 million seedlings out the gate to our plantations during the winter planting period.

“Across the state we need more than nine million seedlings for this year’s softwood planting program. In addition to the crop at Blowering, we’ve produced 0.6 million seedlings from our nursery in Grafton and we are drawing the rest of our supply from private nurseries under contract.

“From here on in, we’ll be working on the substantive task of distributing the seedlings to plantations near Bathurst, Lithgow, Oberon, Tumbarumba, Bombala, Orange, Walcha and Tumut, where they will be hand planted over an area equivalent of about 8,000 football fields.”

Forestry Corporation of NSW manages over 200,000 hectares of pine plantations which produce enough timber to build 25 per cent of houses constructed in Australia each year.

These seedlings will re-establish the state-owned pine plantations that were harvested over the past year, so these plantations can continue to supply local industry and the community with timber into the future.

LiDAR to play critical role in future forestry operations

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ictoria’s largest ever acquisition of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data across 1.35 million hectares of Victorian public forests will provide important information for supporting decisionmaking during the RFA and forest modernisation process.

Mapping the location and density of high-conservation value forests, such as ecologically mature forests and rainforest, with the assistance of the LiDAR measurements provides the foundation for long-term monitoring programs and management strategies. It also helps us to manage threatened and endangered species, according to the Department of www.timberbiz.com.au

Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP).

Identification and precise description of mature forests for the existing RFAs was carried out 20 years ago using aerial photographs and information about forest growth. Mapping quality was variable and since that time there has been no comprehensive mapping of Victoria’s mature forests.

DELWP commissioned a comprehensive airborne LiDAR measurement program of Victoria’s forests. Their team will collaborate with researchers at the University of Melbourne to model and map the State’s forests to identify areas that are likely to contain high conservation values.

“Data derived from LiDAR measurements, verified by on-the-ground surveys will allow us to create models that can be used to produce detailed, accurate forest maps,” said Tom Hill, Team Lead of the Forest Values Assessments.

Focussing on public forests, it will identify areas with: rainforests; cool temperate mixed forests; giant trees; multi-aged stands; areas with old-growth trees which have suffered recent disturbance; and old-growth stands, where the influence of past disturbances is now negligible.

This work is seen as an important step in informing the Forest Modernisation Program with best-practice science.

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 13

Bushfires

Bushfire outlook: Burning large areas in a mosaic pattern is crucial

By Philip Hopkins

A

fter the Black Saturday inferno, veteran firefighter Ewan Waller remembers well the nauseating sight and feeling: walking over the charred remains of countless birds. “Such high intensity fires are so destructive of all values, particularly conservation values. Just the death of millions of birds and animals, insects, micro-biology – the whole works. It’s just so damaging. The loss of carbon is immense, destruction of soil structure – anyway you look at it,” he said.

“Geomorphologists said after the (earlier) Alpine fires – the high intensity fires plus storm events did physical damage to the streams and catchments that will take centuries to recover. There is little evidence it had happened before.”

One estimate of the megafire that burnt 2.5 million hectares - 60 per cent – of the Kosciusko National Park in 2003-04 was 370 million birds, mammals and reptiles killed over 60 days.

In the ‘Canberra Times’ four years later, retired CSIRO scientist Noeline Franklin said for every hectare burnt, 19 birds, four mammals and 178 reptiles were killed. She said it would take up to 100 years to recover the number of animals lost.

Ewan, Victoria’s former Chief Fire Officer with more than 40 years’ experience as a forester, was reflecting on the bushfire issue in an interview with Australian Forests & Timber News. Now a consultant, he is living at the fam14

ily home near Dargo in East Gippsland. His most recent job was as the reviewer for the New South Wales Regional Forest Agreements.

Ewan praised Victoria’s firefighting. “Forest Fire Management Victoria is doing a really good job on suppression”,” he said, but the biggest issue was burning - fuel management, ecological management. Common sense says managing fuel loads will reduce the fire danger.

Insufficient research

warning the public. You have to go through such a process, but part of the solution – Tasmania is going this way – is to have a select group that lead and do their burning. It’s recognised as specialist task.”

Burning large areas in a mosaic pattern is crucial.

“The unit area now is too small, particularly in the back country. It’s got to be

the science to show which areas are going to cause the most problems, and they are going to concentrate on those. That’s good science and effective and it’s been shown to be effective, protecting life and property,” he said.

“But if we are honest in Victoria, we are going to have big fires in the back country that threaten livelihoods and doing a lot of conservation, timber value and watershed damage. The impact on water is big, probably outweighing everything.”

“There’s just not enough research going into the damage Mosaic system of the big fires,” offers more he said. What hope are the benefits of fuel manageLightning ment? The biodistrikes have to versity benefits, be put out, not impacts or nonleft to burn out impacts?

“We “naturally”. need that type of “Otherwise they research ongo“This burning will not necessarily do a lot of daming, continually, age. When they stop the run of a large fire but and openly and start to run, idehonestly reportally they run will lessen the intensity and the ed.” into a mosaic of impact” Ewan said burnt areas. No with planned doubt the mosaic burns, the lightapproach won’t ing pattern was so critical tens of thousands of hec- stop them, but it will slow – the time of the year and tares. Burn lightly and reg- it and reduce spotting,” he managing the intensity of ularly and later in the sea- said. the burn. “We should burn son,” he said. “This burning “The purest say, ‘We at night and far more into will not necessarily stop the have to burn 70-80 per cent’ winter, and selectively – run of a large fire but will to stop fire. Ideally with the real mosaic burning. Ide- lessen the intensity and the mosaic, we have 30-40 per ally, there should be a mix impact.” cent burnt. That’s all you Government policy since need; it helps with suppresof burnt and unburnt, and a mix over time, with repeat- the Black Saturday Royal sion, it (the fire) runs into Commission had concen- a patch that’s burnt. It also ed burning,” he said.

“You can do it now with trated on burns closer to means there are refuges aircraft, coming back every settlements. “They are do- – fire does not run into arthree years or so, but we ing the close-in burning, eas burnt – where animals have tied ourselves in knots and the risk-based strategy can get into and have some with tolerable fire intervals, is also good. They now have chance of getting away and

repopulating other areas.

Science says that doesn’t happen, but common sense says it does.”

Leadership must also be good and make people confident in what they are doing. “There are so many reasons not to burn – it’s too hot, dry, windy, whatever. You must realise sometimes you have to push on, they (firefighters) must be backed by the government and the community,” said Ewan.

“These people are doing something extremely risky on behalf of the community and on behalf of the government. Only two per cent of burns get away, they are really well managed.”

A preventative burn at Lancefield got out of control. “People were upset and attacked, the media went berserk. Mistakes were made, but the way they turned on these people (the firefighters) was disgusting. Why would you do the job if you are going to be knocked around?” he said.

The ‘risk adverse’ mentality meant that many important decisions were not signed off locally, but in Melbourne. “Some oversight is needed, but that‘s the burn controller’s job.

There may some oversight from government on a broad scale, but not on burns.

They must back local people - that means it’s highly political,” he said. Burning needed to be done across the board, both in national parks and private bush.

Ewan said it was misguided not to burn a patch of forest because it was unusual or special. It was often not practical and the patch was unlikely to be harmed, as it was adapted to

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

Bushfires

■■ Ewan Waller - Dargo High Plains

fire. “Secondly, if you don’t do the burn, you’re at risk of losing it all in the bushfire,” he said. Several years ago, two thirds of Wilsons Promontory burnt. “It was too hot and intense, and now you have two thirds of same-age forest, which is what you don’t want,” he said.

Wrong way Ewan said the precautionary principle, ‘Don’t burn’, should be ‘Burn more’.

“They’ve got it around the wrong way,” he said.

Ewan said nominating a specific large area to be burnt annually was a “great lever”.

“Everybody from top to bottom knows it - 200,00ha to be burnt, or what it may be.

From a leadership point of view, it’s great to push it,” he said.

Post-Black Saturday, the process was hijacked by misinformation, such as burning took place in the Mallee to meet the targets. “That was not the intent – that was wrong, it was not happening. It was a ‘throw away’ line,” he said, although some burning was done well in the Mallee.

Ewan said burning should take place in patches of 30,000ha and bigger. “A block size of 300-6000 ha, that’s piddling – you are not going to do anything with that,” he said. “It’s all about the culture of burning; it should be captured in the idea of ‘living with fire’. We are living in Victoria, if not the worst, one of the worst bushfire-prone areas in the world.”

If it gets hotter due to global warming, the drying out “will probably get worse”. “You need to manage for that. Having people in the bush who know what they are doing - how to work a bulldozer properly - that’s really important,” he said.

Ewan said the writing by early European settlers and scientists – for example, Gippsland’s Alfred Howitt www.timberbiz.com.au

and historian Bill Gammage - showed that Aboriginal burning was so important for forest health, to provide ‘green’ patches for animals and cleared bush to see enemies. “Elders trailed fire all day, but it was strictly controlled,” he said.

Ewan said to formulate fair and reasonable bushfire fighting policy, it was necessary to talk to all political groups, including the Greens. “Some may not be fair, but others are. You must keep avenues open,” he said.

It should be a long-term running program. Each year do a section here, a section there. Thinning is a big part of it. “ Ewan said this was now the approach in America. The forests there were grossly and unnaturally overstocked.

strikes across eastern Victoria this year were picked up professionally and quickly, except for ones in really difficult country. “Even in really dry conditions, they were still successful – it’s a real credit to them,” he said.

“They are building capac-

Under-used option Ewan said good developments included more skilled contractors being active in the field. “It’s come through the national burning program. People are realising it’s too big for the agencies; you need specialised people to plan and do the burn for them,” he said.

He praised the mechanical thinning trials as a “big, under-used option”. The trials in a variety of forest types will assess whether mechanical thinning of fuel loads is an effective way of protecting forests and communities where planned burning is undesirable.

“Ideally, they should make the forest park-like, leaving old trees so it can be like how the forest may have looked pre-European.

It reduces the likelihood of a crown fire and makes it safer to burn off – burning grass rather than shrubs. Makes so much sense,” he said.

Ewan said if the back country was not burnt, it was crucial to do a good burn at the interface between private and public, between the bush and the public. “The bush can be thinned a long way back - it can be done commercially – and should be regularly burnt, with short rotations of three to five years, and 5-10 kilometres back,” he said.

“That should be right across where settlements and communities meet the bush.

“It’s got to be tens of thousands of hectares. Burn lightly and regularly and later in the season”

“The whole structure of the forest has been damaged by lack of fire, then the wrong type of fire,” he said, as the recent California fires had shown. “The US is right on to it now.”

Ewan said in Victoria Forest Fire Management was doing a really good job on suppression. Multiple lightning

ity in people, particularly young people, who can fight fires. The project fire fighters learn great skills in fourwheel drive and chainsaw use in the bush and generally they are well lead,” he said.

Know your patch “A cohort of very good firefighters from a couple

of decades now have fought big fires and done a lot of burning. I would like to see more of those skilled people retained and more people – workers, technicians, scientists - in the bush, and not going to meetings. They should intimately know their patch.”

Ewan said technicians should have TAFE qualifications, and be good on roading, supervising crews and firefighting. “There is also a really critical need for scientists with strong land management credentials stationed out in the bush and giving the broader landscape management review,” he said.

“They should be learning hands-on, hard-nosed land management before they go into policy decisions, otherwise you get people making policy decisions who have not had experience, and that doesn’t work.”

Ewan said many agencies, including catchment management authorities, believed there must be greater investment to get more people into the bush.

“They must face the bush, not the regional centre or Melbourne. The perception is, they spend too much time looking at computers and driving to meetings. They are ‘facing the wrong way’,” he said.

Ewan said forest fire management was very complex.

“Burning is difficult, risky, stressful, the environment is dynamic. Hopefully the rewritten RFA will give strong practical direction to this critical component of forest management. We need a visionary long-term policy,” he said.

“We cannot be risk adverse even though this will be difficult for the politicians and the department and the workers doing the burning. The Government and the community must be fully supported and encouraged especially when something goes wrong.”

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 15

Bushfires

■■ Photos courtesy RMIT University

Image sharing platform a critical new tool for planned burns

N

ew cloud-based image platform FireLens will help fire agencies improve information sharing during planned burning and fire suppression events. Fire agencies will now have access to near real time information and intelligence through images and video that will help management of burns, staff training and reporting.

The platform is being developed by RMIT and DELWP and will provide centralised storage for content that can be used in operations,

16

firefighter training and media communications to the public.

RMIT project lead Dr Seth Keen said a coordinated image management approach would provide staff in a range of roles at Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) and the Country Fire Authority (CFA) with content at their fingertips, assisting with planning through to response and recovery activities.

“This visual information supports planned burning and emergency response operations as well as playing a vi-

tal role in training and public awareness,” he said.

The team are currently working on the design of an ‘SMS Capture’ feature which will draw on current mobile media practices to crowdsource information from the field.

An ‘Incident Image Board’ will then bring together a feed of images accessible via mobile and desktop browser, enabling firefighters to continually monitor a burn with visual information in parallel with radio communications.

Keen said the system will

eventually integrate a range of image collection technologies including from aircraft, drones, professional media equipment, GoPros, tablets and smartphones.

FFMVic Regional Manager Nick Ryan said as well as supporting firefighters, incident control management and communications staff, FireLens would enable communication teams to pass on critical information to the public more quickly, efficiently and accurately.

“The information we get via FireLens will assist us to

deliver timely communication to the public via social media channels, monitor operations and enhance training and education,” he said.

The first FireLens prototype is currently being developed in Victoria with the CFA and FFMVic and their partner agencies Parks Victoria, VicForests and Melbourne Water.

The project has recently received funding from the State funded ‘Safer Together’ program, which focuses on supporting innovative approaches towards improving planned burning safety.

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

Bushfires

Timber recovery after Tingha fires

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orestry Corporation of NSW recently started salvage-harvesting of its burnt pine plantations at Mount Topper State Forest, a short distance north of the Tingha township and one of the many properties affected by the devastating fires earlier this year.

While the entire 400ha Mount Topper State Forest was burnt, damage to mature pine plantation was limited to around 300ha of the remaining mature pine plantation thanks to recent harvesting operations.

Forestry Corporation’s Northern Softwoods Regional Manager Jason Molkentin reflects that, while the State’s plantation has suffered extensive damage, there is a bigger picture.

“At Forestry Corporation, we are conscious that many properties were impacted far more than the losses we’ve sustained,” Mr Molkentin said.

“I’m also proud of the contribution of our staff, who worked with landholders and other agencies to protect life ■■ Matt and Clare Angrave.

and property while the fire raged.”

Locals and visitors should be aware that as harvesting is underway at Mount Topper State Forest, log trucks will be operating on local roads and access to the forest will be restricted. Please heed signs and be aware of the increased risk of falling trees in burnt forest areas.

There is potential to recover a significant part of the value of burnt trees, provided the salvage operation is undertaken in a timely manner.

“Dead trees can readily deteriorate due to insect attack and decay, making logs potentially unsaleable,” Mr Molkentin said.

“There is a window of opportunity over the next few months to complete our salvage operations, so we need to move quickly.

“We’re working closely with our customers and contractors in the region to salvage as much burnt wood as possible.”

While Forestry Corporation’s immediate focus is on salvaging burnt timber, the

organisation will soon turn its attention to remediating the plantation and ensuring its long-term viability.

The community can direct any questions on the salvage operation to Forestry Corporation’s Grafton Office on 02 6640 1660.

Last year, Forestry Corporation’s Softwood Plantations Division harvested close to two million cubic metres of sawlogs and 1.4 million tonnes of pulp logs, which is a sizeable proportion of the State’s timber needs.

Matt joins the KIPT team Matt Angrave, who has been working on a nine-month contract as a fire prevention officer with a government agency on Kangaroo Island, has joined the Kangaroo Island Plantation Timbers forestry services team for three months over winter.

The opportunity to work with KIPT over those three months gives Matt and his wife Clare the chance to stay employed on Kangaroo Island.

“Last winter I had two months of no work so the opportunity to work with KIPT this winter is fantastic,” Matt said.

KIPT’s Director – Operations, Graham Holdaway said employing skilled young people like Matt was one the company could not pass up.

“Some fire officers over here only get a nine-month contract from September to May. That’s pretty tough on them and their families, so this can be a win-win for everyone. We get an experienced employee to boost our team, and these workers get all-year round employment. It also helps to keep skilled people on the Island.”

PF Olsen, which is KIPT’s forest management contractor on Kangaroo Island, has also boosted its resources, appoint experienced senior forester Dave Malone in April. Mr Malone has vast experience in NZ forestry.

Information.

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When you need to know, you need IndustryEdge

T 03 5229 2470 www.industryedge.com.au Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 17

Guest Columnist

How to draw economic benefits from an environmentally friendly production

By Joachim Nachmansohn

W

e all care about the environment today. The issue is not if, but how, this concern should be embodied in the management practices of the industry. Therefore, I would like to present an approach that actually is profitable for the producer, and not just another regulatory burden.

Terms like organic production, chemical free and lowered environmental impact, are truly modern buzz words.

The question that remains though, is what the terms actually mean.

As an expert with countless hours of studies in environmental sciences, both from my education, as well as from my career, I know what it takes to

protect the environment. And I have a lot of experience of talking about just that with different people.

What I have come to realize is, that more often than not, people address the question from an ideological point of view. The problem with this is that it doesn’t really help. Because the environment doesn’t care about abstract concepts.

This is an important lesson when dealing with reality; only the concrete counts.

It’s not relevant if a forestry venture is called organic or conventional. Only one thing matters for the environment: the actual consequence of a practice or measure!

People seem to forget that we are comparing different practices with one another.

Not labels.

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Let’s take the example of plant nutrition and fertilizers.

All trees have a well-defined need for plant nutrients, and fertilizers are the means by which we provide them. However, a big issue with fertilizer management in forestry, is that big one-time per season applications easily can cause a temporary excess of nutrients that the trees cannot utilize. This is an important cause for nutrient leaching, which in turn can lead to soil and ground water pollution, and then to eutrophication.

However, this is a matter of wisely consuming limited resources with care, and supplying them in accordance with the ability of the system to utilize them. Basically, it’s not different from any other system in which we want to achieve a goal in the most efficient way. For instance, if you heat up a house on full effect, while keeping a full draught through the house, the heat will be wasted, and the resource use will put strain on the environment. Or if you keep the water tap constantly open, even when you’re not using the water, would be another example of the same principle.

What I’m trying to say is that when we focus on being as concrete as possible in managing the environment, we will realize that to be financially conservative, and not wasting resources, basically is the same thing as being environmentally friendly.

In a nutshell that is exactly what demand-driven fertilization is all about; to give the trees what they need, i.e. the plant nutrients

when they need it, i.e. when they are ‘hungry’, which means more in sync with the demand over the season in correct doses, i.e. in portions that matches the assimilation capacity of the trees if these three points are implemented, you will achieve the following: Maximal resource-use efficiency, i.e. maximum wood production per unit of fertilizer No excessive applications, i.e. lowered fertilizer-use and therefore lower in-put costs Virtually all plant nutrients end up within the trees, i.e. virtually no nutrient leaching, and therefore no adverse environmental impact Now, there are different aspects to forestry, all the way from nurseries, to bare-ground plantations, to long-term wood production of different qualities, and within different frameworks allowing for different approaches and technology. But when applying concrete fertilizer practices, they should always be based on these principles.

When performed properly it becomes evident that you will draw economic benefits from being environmentally friendly, as these two aspects go hand in hand. There’s still much to be done on this front in the forestry industry. And I have realized that the best incentive for forestry companies to improve their environmental care, is to show them of the economic benefits. Helping forestry companies lower these costs is one of my important service offer to them. Based on my knowledge of actual cases in reality, I can tell you with certainty; there’s a lot of money to be saved here.

THE AUTHOR: Joachim Nachmansohn is an international fertilizer and soil & water management expert. Educated in Sweden with two separate masters degrees in both agriculture and soil and water management he laid a very solid foundation for his in depth research and immersion in plant nutrition, which now covers all big plant production niches such as forestry, agriculture and horticulture.

His unique specialty is Demand-Driven Fertilization, which was founded on Wallenberg Prize awarded discoveries and then was passed along to him by great innovators and scholars. Through this lineage he is the primary and officially authorized representative and keeper of this gamechanging concept.

Through his company Nachmansohn Consulting & Co he now, among other things, spreads unique clarity on the topic of plant nutrition, works with helping plant producers to optimize production, consults fertilizer producers and distributors, as well as contributes with expertise to different institutes.

He is a published columnist and article writer all over the Anglo-American world and beyond, he holds lectures and educations internationally, and not the least is an appreciated inspirational public speaker and takes on international speaking engagements, in which he shares his insights, thoughtfulness and wit.

Joachim can be reached at consulting@ joachimnachmansohn.com or visit www.joachimnachmansohn.com.

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

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Distributorship

■■ Newly appointed John Deere dealer RDO Equipment plans to offer the brand’s full line of construction and forestry machines.

RDO bringing new John Deere machines and harvest management software to forestry sector

J

ohn Deere Construction and Forestry Equipment customers can look forward to an expanded range, a dedicated Australian parts hub and, soon, an all-new forestry fleet management software system, according to Mark Kuhn, General Manager Sales for RDO Equipment Australia.

RDO is the new John Deere Construction and Forestry dealer for all states apart from Western Australia. Mark says John Deere’s TimberManager and TimberMaps fleet management software will be best in class, allowing for simple mapping of production data over several logging sites for both cut-to-length and treelength operations.

“The program is already available for wheeled and tracked harvesters and forwarders and will be rolled out across the rest of the John Deere forestry equipment

range over the foreseeable future,” he says.

RDO will sell John Deere’s full construction and forestry range, including swing machines which have been absent from the Australian market for the past few years.

“The range of John Deere G Series swing machine, which will come to Australia for the first time, will deliver everything customers expect from John Deere forestry equipment – uptime, reliability, fuel efficiency, durability.

We’re proud to say customers can walk into a dealership right now and order a swing machine in the form of either harvester, processor or log loader. Our doors are open and we’re ready to go.”

RDO currently has eight dealerships and has plans to fast track several new dealer locations over the next three years. The company is working with John Deere to en-

sure most of its technicians are capstone trained, which means they have completed extensive, high level training with John Deere. In addition, fast parts supply is assured with the launch of a new John Deere regional distribution centre in Melbourne.

Mark says he and the RDO team are excited to start working closely with customers to help them make the most of opportunities in the market.

“Right now there’s good export opportunity in hardwood chip and softwood round log, and we expect the market will sit at this pretty sound level for another two to three years,” he says. “It’s an exciting time in forestry and we’re really looking forward to building quality partnerships with our customers, whether they have one or two machines or a whole fleet.

“We’ve made a serious commitment to this market

and we have big plans to increase our market share quite considerably over the next few years.”

In a similar vein, John Deere General Manager Forestry Asia Pacific & Africa Simon Shackleton says the brand is excited to be partnering with RDO to deliver a strong customer experience in Australia “John Deere is a premium brand in the market and RDO is really on board and ready to drive growth in market share through its willingness to invest in facilities, people and training plus supporting dealerships to stock the full range, right across the board. It’s exciting to work with a dealer which is fully focused on John Deere Construction and Forestry products,” he says.

About RDO RDO was established in the US in 1968 by Ron Of-

futt, then a 26-year-old potato farmer, in Casselton, North Dakota. More than 50 years later, RDO Equipment has more than 80 locations in the United States, and partnerships in Africa, Australia, Mexico, Russia, and Ukraine. It is the world’s largest John Deere dealer.

The company became the John Deere Forestry and Construction Equipment distributor for all Australian states apart from WA, on 1 May 2019 and will support customers from eight branch locations.

RDO came to Australia in 2012 when it acquired a 50 percent interest in Vanderfield, a 14-store John Deere agricultural equipment dealer based in Toowoomba. In 2015 it made a further investment in Vermeer Australia. RDO is now also the world’s largest Vermeer dealer.

AFGRI - Deere partnership further enhanced “Exceptional relationship spanning 56 years” The long-standing partnership between AFGRI and John Deere has been further cemented through the appointment of AFGRI Equipment by John Deere to distribute its construction and forestry equipment in the territory.

According to Patrick Roux, Chairman of the Board of AFGRI Australia, this is thanks to the exceptional relationship that AFGRI has established with John Deere, spanning 56 years.

“The success we’ve enjoyed with the John Deere agricultural range in Western Australia, combined with our outstanding service levels and ethos, as well as excellent customer relationships and our extensive retail network in Australia, encouraged John Deere to approach us to manage its construction and forestry equipment retail network in the region.”

Effective 1 May 2019, AFGRI Equipment is a fullyfledged John Deere construction and forestry equipment dealer in Western Australia.

20

It will initially operate across five strategically placed branches in the state, namely Geraldton, Albany, Esperance, Boyup Brook and Perth.

Roux added he was confident that AFGRI Equipment’s deep retail knowledge and experience in the agricultural sector could easily be transferred to the construction and forestry space.

“We have become the ‘go to’ company for many Australian farmers, and we’re truly delighted to extend our services to local construction and forestry companies, we are sure we will earn this same reputation.”

According to Roux, this deal marks a new phase of growth and investment for AFGRI Equipment through diversification into these additional sectors.

“Western Australia is experiencing a good level of infrastructure development and construction activity, which AFGRI Equipment is eager to tap into to increase market share.

“We will endeavour to look after the construc-

■■ A John Deere 1910E Forwarder with an AFGRI service ute in WA’s South West. tion and forestry customers to the best of our ability, backed by our strong track record and a proven commitment to Western Australia. We aim to bring the same passion we have for the agricultural sector to the construction and forestry equipment ranges.” www. afgri.com.au. +61 86 274 2400

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

Milestone

Scania’s V8: fabulous at fifty

I

n the late 1960’s, Scania’s engineers stunned the world with a 14-litre V8 diesel so powerful that many self-acclaimed experts found it unimaginable: “350hp – is this for real?”

Their consternation was not unreasonable since longdistance trucks at that time typically had 250hp at their disposal.

But Scania was definitely on the right track; the V8 was the obvious response to improved roads and the growing need for increased transport efficiency. Today, Scania offers Euro 6 V8s ranging from 520 to 730hp – and they are more popular than ever.

Scania’s V8 engines have, of course, been further developed and renewed several times over the years. But the basic concept – eight cylinders arranged in V shape and power outputs well above most of the competition – is the same. Why this success and all the love?

“There are many factors involved, I would say it is a blend of rational factors

spiced with quite a lot of emotion,” said Alexander Vlaskamp, Senior Vice President, Scania Trucks.

“But, as always in our cost-focused industry, love and affection alone are insufficient if it were not for the fact that Scania V8s also are extremely productive.”

Customers all over the world have experienced the robustness, the fuel efficiency and the sheer power that Scania’s V8s are delivering, generation after generation and year after year. Fifty years is practically an eternity in engine development and unsurprisingly present-day Scania V8s only share the basic design and the modular principle with the first generation.

More power, less fuel The core, the engine block itself, is a good example: the first 14.2-litre version from 1969 weighed 334kg. Thanks to improved materials and technology, the 16.4-litre version of today is equal in weight, despite being bigger, almost twice as powerful and equipped with many more

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22

advanced and demanding auxiliary systems.

Although the basic engine characteristics and the typical sound are still intact, not only the power output but also many aspects connected to power delivery have improved over the years. The first V8 needed 1500 rpm to deliver 1245 Nm while today’s champion, the 730, delivers 3500 Nm already from 1000 rpm, an amazing improvement. This also epitomises the most striking difference between the different generations, the fuel consumption.

Today’s low rev with high torque-engines only use two thirds of the revs that the engines craved in the 1970s, although modern-day engines offer much higher average speeds and Euro 6-level exhaust emissions.

Back then, emission control was more or less unheard of. It was not until 1990 that Euro 1 saw the light of day and became mandatory from 1993. Now in 2019, the actual emission standard is Euro 6d (from September 2019 in Europe) and a Euro 7 regula-

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Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

Milestone tion is due to arrive in the not per crankshaft rotation, thus be neglected. So yes, I think giving a smooth and steady it is clear that they will evenso distant future. tually replace the combusWhen Euro 1 was intro- power delivery.

The way these multi-cyl- tion engine. duced, NOx levels of 8.0 were permitted. Today, the inder engines work also exDifficult to replace level is 0.46 and in practice plains the legendary sound.

Scania’s engines outperform In its latest iteration, Sca“But in the kind of transnia’s engineers have ensured port work that V8 engines the legal requirements.

That a V8 has eight cylin- (by modifications in the are used for – such as haulders is obvious, but what is manifolds) that the typical ing timber from forests or the point in arranging them V8 “rumble” is slightly more night-time transports of in two banks of four cylin- prominent again. heavy windmill equipment or What about the future of on the vast routes in Russia ders each with a 90-degree angle in between and or Australia – they are connect all the rods to difficult to replace with the same crankshaft? the electric solutions Why not use an inline 8 “Customers all over the that are available today. or a large inline 6, with more efficient and world have experienced Until the equivalent cylinder lower priced batteries displacement? the robustness, the fuel and a better charging inare in place, efficiency and the sheer frastructure Legendary sound I believe that the V8 will power that Scania’s V8s continue to reign”.

One reason is that a Scania’s V8’s has alV8 engine, in general, are delivering” ways been higher priced is shorter and often also than “normal” powerlower and therefore trains, not least because easier to install under a they deliver more procab than an inline engine of the same capacity. And a internal combustion engines ductivity and uptime. Over shorter crankshaft is sturdier such as Scania’s V8s, are the years, the V8 business than the longer one needed in they the dinosaurs of today, has meant a lot for Scabound to become extinct? nia also from a commercial an inline 6.

Multicylinder engines can Or is there a life and a task viewpoint.

“They have always been in principle deliver more awaiting them also in the at the upper end of the value power than engines with coming decade?

“The answer has a lot to do proposition, but Scania cusfewer cylinders; it is not a coincidence that so many with which perspective and tomers are willing to pay for performance and luxury cars time horizon you apply,” said the robustness and the sheer are sporting V8s. In the type Vlaskamp. “Eventually, we power,” said Vlaskamp.

“From a true Total Operof four-stroke V8 engines at Scania believe that nearly Scania produces, a cylinder all trucks will be electrified, ating Economy-perspective, fires at every 90-degree rota- one way or another. Electric when you add productivity tion of the crank shaft. Two motors have many charactercylinders will therefore fire istics and benefits that cannot Continued on Page 24

D vercargill 810 014 149

www.timberbiz.com.au

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 23

Milestone

Time to celebrate!

Scania’s V8: fabulous at 50 Continued from Page 23

and increased earnings for the haulier to the calculation, Scania’s V8 always proves its value. Our V8 customers keep coming back and their vehicles are attractive on the used truck market, both for second and third owners.”

During the autumn of 2018, Scania experienced a highly unwelcome situation when disturbances at a supplier halted V8 production for several months. It was not until early 2019 that the situation stabilised again with normal production capacity.

“It was an awkward situation,” said Vlaskamp. “We had to contact loyal customers and notify them about severe delays. And at the same time many customers were ready to order new V8 trucks, orders we could not accept and confirm. I cannot express how grateful we in the Scania family are over the patience and loyalty our customers showed us during those dire months.”

The latest V8 edition was introduced in 2017, and was 24

immediately recognised for its impressive fuel performance.

The new range, which is available at 520, 580 and 650 horsepower, offers fuel savings of 7-10% for customers that have vehicles with high combined truck and trailer

trucks that substantially increase the CO2-per-tonne km performance.

“There are simply no realistic alternatives around today, and all our Euro 5 and 6 V8s can run on HVO and the 580 can also run on up to 100 percent biodiesel

“In the kind of transport work that V8 engines are used for – such as hauling timber from forests or night-time transports of heavy windmill equipment or on the vast routes in Russia or Australia – they are difficult to replace with the electric solutions that are available today” weights, and/or need higher average speeds. It is fair to say that the new V8 generation was Scania’s response, from a sustainability perspective, to demands and the trend towards heavier and longer

such as FAME/RME,” said Vlaskamp.

“Trucks capable of hauling heavy goods over long distances still depend on internal combustion engines.”

The latest 520, 580 and

650hp engines form a quartet together with the top-of-theline 730hp version, each of them capable of providing customers with maximum performance on the road.

When paired with suitable axles and the right gearboxes for each application, these engines are ready to take on almost any challenge straight ‘out of the box’. They can actually haul up to 250-tonnes with the standard, singleplate dry clutch.

Will Scania with all this praise for the engine concept continue to develop this specific platform? Would that be viable, given a future imprinted with electrification and the potential end of the fossil era?

“We never disclose our future plans, but if one asks our customers, it is pretty clear what they want – they want the power and the efficiency that our extremely productive V8 engines deliver,” said Vlaskamp.

“Bear in mind, a fuel efficient V8 is the best option for many applications also from a sustainability perspective.”

Scania has launched a special range of watches to mark the 50th anniversary of the V8 engine. The three different watches have been developed by Scania R&D designers, and those who wear them can expect to have a roaring time as the watches are inspired by details from the V8 truck.

The watches were designed from scratch, making it possible for the design team to style them after features of the real trucks.

“We could decide completely what details and design elements from the V8 trucks we wanted to highlight to get the proper V8 look and feel,” said Jesper Höglin, Product Manager at Branding Products.

The new models have taken over a year to design and develop. During the conceptual phase, Antonio Cantos, Senior Graphic Designer and Fredrik Rudenstam, Team Leader Visual & Graphic Design at Scania’s R&D department sketched out and built models, applied details and produced a whole new design language.

“When we developed the V8 merchandise products, we wanted to emphasise the heritage and what the V8 represents today: power and precision. The V8 is a source of great pride to Scania and to those who drive it,” said Rudenstam.

“We have a refined exterior and powerful interior.

Precision outside, power inside. Features that normally don’t fit together, but in the V8 they do. You get the power you need for a certain moment, combined with precision.”

The watch cases are designed with elements and angles taken from the V8 truck and its engine.

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

TIMBERRITE™ H-16

NEXT-LEVEL PRODUCTIVITY.

Out here, when you’re working, you’re earning. That’s why serious loggers rely on Waratah to stay productive.

Our heads not only last longer and perform better, but also deliver a remarkably low overall cost-to-run. And when you put a Waratah head to work, the whole Waratah team goes to work for you - from our unmatched field support committed to getting you up and running and keeping you there, to our advanced research group charged with making the best heads in the business even better. There’s a Waratah head to fit your application and carrier. So get one, and get to work.

See your local dealer.

Waratah Forestry Equipment Brendon Satchwell +61 438 445 550 www.waratah.com

Head-Line News

Reliability, accuracy and productivity the keys to Waratah success

W

aratah. It’s a name that has become synonymous with forestry, and it’s no wonder!

With a penchant for research, design and a well-proven manufacturing system, Waratah has been at the forefront of the harvester head field for some time, and provides a full range of harvesting attachment and controller solutions for both tracked and wheeled harvesters.

There is a comprehensive range of Waratah attachments to meet all the demands of the Australian market. Waratah harvester heads are renowned for their productivity, reliability and especially accuracy.

The Waratah 200 Series harvesters balance productivity 26

with accuracy. They are proven in softwood and debarking applications.

The Waratah 400 Series harvesters balance production with precision and have been proven in mixed stand and multi-tree harvesting applications.

These 200 & 400 series of Waratah attachments can be fitted to both wheeled and small tracked harvesters.

The Waratah 600-Series harvesters balance toughness with precision proven in hardwood and softwood applications.

At every step of the process Waratah delivers success.

Waratah TimberRite H16 Control System With the introduction of the

new TimberRite H16 control system operators have more control of their harvesting and processing heads. With increased precision when measuring and cutting timber one of the most notable features of the TimberRite H16 system is the ability to configure settings to exact application needs, improving the performance of the attachment productivity and measuring accuracy. The user-friendly platform makes it easier to check work and repair statistics and machine production data supporting StanForD 2010. The TimberRite H16 system allows data to interchange with virtually any professional system in the forestry industry. The H16

system is even more beneficial when used with the wireless Waratah mate data transferring app providing daily data connectivity with Forest owners. The TimberRite H16 system now offers a simplified diagnostic input and output test with built in diagnostic troubleshooting assistance, additionally the system also now allows for remote display access for further troubleshooting.

Waratah Product Continuous Improvement The TimberRite H16 Controller system offers Simplicity and Power, Highest Quality hardware, Harvester wiring updated, New soft-

ware scripts, Preselect or Optimisation, Diagnostics 200/400/600 Series, Data transfer methods, Work and Repair statistics, Remote Data access and control.

Heavier ¾ Auto Tension Chain Saw units - Waratah has revised the saw unit assembly (including the saw unit, swing arm, and bar holder assembly) and the cylinder mounts for the standard ¾ auto-tension units. The cylinder mounts and bar holder assembly have been substantially strengthened to lengthen the life and durability of this critical set of components.

Upgraded 360 Rotate electrical - The slip ring assembly has been redesigned. Slip

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

Head-Line News

rings conduct current and electrical signals from a fixed to a rotating structure, via stationary brushes contacting rotating metal rings. Multiple rings along the rotating axis give multiple circuits. Each brush set is now enclosed in a separate cassette, meaning the brushes cannot jump onto a neighboring ring. There are four brushes per set (compared with two in the old design) for better contact.

Main Pin and Bush Inserts â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Factory fitted kits include improved main pins; hardened press-in bushes for the main frame; and new nylon spaces to fit around the bushes. These components are more wear-resistant and, in the case of the bushes, reducing rebuilding costs & times.

Converter Cradle and dog bone adaptor - The converter pin configuration provides customers the option to include a continuous rotation top with top-hat bushes that www.timberbiz.com.au

can be set-up with either sidehosing (the standard dogbone link) or through-hosing (the cradle link).

600 Series Through hosing Cradles - Waratah has three through-hose cradle options available for its 600-series harvester heads: the small 310 mm cradle, the medium 330 mm cradle, and the large 430 mm cradle. Through-hosing cradle links are options for heads using 360-degree rotator tops, in place of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;dogboneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; links and pins. They improve hose routing and protection.

600 series bottom delimb valves - To reduce failures related to high pressure forces, Waratah has redesigned lower delimbing control for the 616C, 618C, 622B and 623C harvester heads. A new proportional control valve gives the operator greater control of the lower delimbing function, and in conjunction with a new pressure relief valve reduces

pressure spikes experienced in the hydraulic circuit.

Improved Measuring arm design - The old length sensor has been replaced with a contactless sensor. This results in a more robust design for length measuring, with no requirement for shaft couplings. The new design also locates the length sensor more securely. The cable routing has been changed on the to reduce the risk of cable damage. The 616C, 618C, and 622B measuring arms also have a lower profile, which reduces the risk of stems contacting the end (hub) cap.

Paint marking Large and Small end - Waratah has now added the build options across many of its new harvester and processor products to run both large and small end diameter paint marking systems together. This now offers customers the ability to mark logs for crew iden-

tification as well as still provide small end diameter paint marking for effectively being able to identify log grades in the field or at the landing.

Continuous Harvester rotation with Coppice spray This year we see the addition of the stump spray fluid delivery to the harvester or processor through the continuous rotation system. Previously this feature was not available, and the attachment was limited to the 320-degree swivel system.

Waratah Helpdesk Support Waratah recently implemented the new customer helpdesk for providing an oncall product support centre, this concept has proven valuable working with Waratah products from operators, field technicians and workshop installers. This year we will see a continued growth and offering from the Waratah helpdesk with additional resources and

further utilization of support tools such remote display access for the TimberRite H16 Computer systems.

Waratah partners with Oregon products Waratah has partnered with Oregon products as its preferred supplier of Range of Harvester bar and chain systems in the forest. Waratah now stocks a complete range of Oregon products for all harvesters and processors in the region.

Waratah Grapples and grapple saws The large uptake of Waratah grapples and grapple saws in 2018 has seen Waratah deliver further investment it is stocking and support of the entire range of Waratah grapples offered into the Australian market. Today Waratah offers a wide range of bunching and select log grapples for every application possible.

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 27

Head-Line News

Komatsu Forest tests larger prototype C164 Head

K

omatsu Forest AB Sweden has developed a new, larger prototype head as a superior match for the Komatsu 951 carrier. Today, Komatsu 951s are predominately fitted with the C144 attachment which weighs 1400kgs and designed to handle rough trees with a unique four roller feed system and five knives coupled with a patented accurate and reliable measuring system.

The 951/C144 combination has proven to be a real winner in Australia with 12 units in the field and with the oldest now being operated for over 5,000 hours in second thinnings. According to Brett Jones (Komatsu Forest Australia Managing Direc-

tor), the C144 has performed well beyond expectations and the design concept has been well accepted by Australian contractors.

Many markets have demanded a larger Komatsu head for the 951 so it could reach its full potential.

These demands led to Komatsu Forest AB Sweden developing a larger head; the C164 which is built on the same concept as the C144 i.e. 4 feed rollers but weighing an extra 200+ kgs. They built three prototypes and sent them to the three major markets who requested the larger head i.e. Sweden, Germany and Australia.

Brett says the focus for this product will be from 2nd thin-

nings to clear fall up to a stem size of approximately 1.5 cubic metres, while the C164 is quite capable of handling a larger stem. It is Komatsu Forest’s belief that rubber tyre harvesters shouldn’t be over sold into the Australian market, they have a limit when it comes to the larger especially rough trees.

In Komatsu Forest Australia negotiated a trial with Paul Rosin to test the new prototype C164 as he had had very positive experience with the C144. In addition, Paul’s vast experience with designing, manufacturing and working harvesting heads made him the ideal choice for this trial.

As a follow-up, two Swedish engineers made a visit

just after the start up. After completing a series of small upgrades along with some fine tuning, the C164 was found to perform in another league compared to the everimpressive little brother being the C144. The general belief is that the C164 will be a big winner in the future.

Paul Harrison (Komatsu Forest Product Support Manager) said that having watched the head working in both mature clearfall and second thinings it is clear that the designers have focussed on being able to utilise all of the C164’s operating range; delimbing from 40mm small end through 600mm + diameter trees.

“We did test it and the 951 on a tree with a 72cm butt in

the clearfall trial which it did process without hesitation; but we were confident that we had almost found the limit of the 951/C164 combination in terms of machine longevity.”

The delimbing results in T2 were excellent and the active hydraulics in the soft clamp control meant that, in larger wood, a steady diet of 500550mm diameter trees is right on the money for this “head for all occasions”.

While the initial results met and exceeded expectations the Komatsu C164 will continue these trials for another 12 months to ensure its durability and the specifications being finalised before entering full production, according to Brett.

Key performance specifications:

Weight Delimb Knives Feed Rollers Feed Motors Feed Force Feed Speed

28

C144 C164 1400kg 1620kg 5 5 4 4 780cc 934cc 29.6kN 35.4kN 0 - 5.0m/sec 0 - 5.0m/sec

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

Steep Slope Logging

■■ The felling unit is a Komatsu XT460L.

Taking the stress out of steep slope work

R

esearch, innovation, safety, pride. These words immediately spring to mind when you mention Rotorua-based EMS (Electrical and Machinery Services).

Formed back in 1995 under the watchful eye of Chris Hancock with a small team of technicians who specialised in electric over hydraulic systems, EMS has since earned a reputation as one of the real innovators in designing and constructing specialised forestry equipment.

“We have developed many products over the years ranging from innovative forestry guarding options for hydraulic excavators through to our speciality cable logging systems like the Harvestline and Tractionline winch systems for which we are very well known,” said Chris.

“We have a dedicated engineering and design team utilising the latest 3D modelling www.timberbiz.com.au

software along with a dedicated electronics team who take care of software development and programming of our various control systems.

“Our fully equipped fabrication shop has a professional team of qualified tradesman who take pride in the products they produce. Additionally, a team of fully qualified technicians and a well-stocked parts store along with a competent administration team complete the package providing well respected after sales support of the EMS products,” he said.

The Harvestline Mobile Excavator Yarder System has been available in New Zealand for almost 20 years. The first unit to come from EMS’s current factory was commissioned in September 2002.

The early versions were not mechanically interlocked and did not run carriages or grapples but simply had Butt Rigging and chokers. “For these two reasons they were not

very energy efficient and the cycle times were not fast at all,” Chris added.

“As the system developed we introduced a variable tension controlled mechanical interlock system which completely changed the efficiency of the units, then followed the introduction of a motorised grapple carriage with wireless control and on-board camera.

Dramatic change “The productivity of the units changed dramatically; the grapple and camera almost eliminated the need for people on the ground and the associated costs and H&S risks.

“Demand for the product has steadily increased over the last few years and this year we will manufacture 15 units either as complete units for New Zealand and Australia or in kit form for the USA and Canada, all of these units will be equipped with the Hawkeye grapple carriages that we

also manufacture.

“The Tractionline is a more recent product for us.

“The use of winch assisted equipment to reduce H&S risk and improve productivity on steep slopes has been tried and developed here for the last 6-10 years.

“We were initially reluctant to enter this market as our initial perception was that there was too greater risk still to personnel and we had simply moved the risk from a hand cutter to a machine operator.

“Given that we already had experience building winching equipment for the logging industry -- and following a lot of pressure from customers -- we started our research and development in early 2013,” said Chris.

2-line system The design, development and certification process was intense and resulted in the 2 line system used today. The first prototype

did not go in to service until August 2014.

Chris said there have been many improvements and changes over the last five years and the current unit is the Tractionline MK3 that features 500 metres of line capacity per winch, grooved drums for consistent rope spooling and a Windows based control system with cameras giving the tethered machine operator views of both the winch drums and the bucket engagement in the ground on the remotely controlled winch machine. Mapping systems can also be loaded on to Windows system if required.

“We have continued to improve tension control and expand the safety systems that operate within the control system.

“To date we have manufactured 104 systems,” he said EMS started exporting these units in a kit set form in mid2015 and the first unit to the Continued on Page 30

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 29

Steep Slope Logging

■■ GMT Logging Harvestline mounted on PC300LC-8

Taking the stress out of steep slope work Continued from Page 29

USA was delivered and commissioned in August of 2015.

“Since then we have exported systems to the USA, Canada, Australia and Chile -- 58 Tractionline systems and 13 Harvestline systems in total have been exported.

Continuing to evolve “The Tractionline, Harvestline and the Hawkeye grapple carriages continue to evolve and the expanding use of computer control systems, cameras and wireless technology improves productivity and reduces human input.”

Chris believes that the tethering technology will soon move to extraction processes as well as the current fell and bunch systems.

“This may, in time, reduce the number of cable yarding systems required around the world. However, environmental concerns will still need to be paramount as we develop different uses for this equipment,” he said.

The latest development for EMS is a deal with Ko30

matsu Forest to supply the systems in Australia.

“My relationship with Komatsu Forest extends back 15 years and we have always worked closely with them developing new products and modifying their excavator range to suit forestry requirements,” he said.

Komatsu Forest Australia partnership “The decision to partner

with Komatsu Forest in Australia for the representation of our Tractionline and Harvestline equipment was made following a number of discussions with Brett Jones (Manager) and bearing in mind a number of factors, our long standing relationship combined with the fact that I believe they provide the clients with great sales, parts and service support, they were also eager to embrace this new technology and offer

their clients the latest solutions to some of the more difficult challenges in steep slope harvesting, all of these factors made reaching an agreement very easy.”

Chris added that, given that the highest percentage of timber harvested in Australia was carried out on flat ground to moderate slopes, he was realistic about the volumes of this equipment that will be sold in Australia.

“However, I am encouraged by the interest to date and with Komatsu Forest providing the sales and support this should give clients confidence going forward,” he said.

Today, EMS employs more the 46 workers and is well respected as an innovative, quality manufacturer and supplier of specialist forestry equipment to the forest industry.

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

Steep Slope Logging

Timbermax winch systems now available in Australia

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imbermax TractionWinch systems make timber easier to access in the most demanding steep-slope operations. It provides better safety, increased productivity and less soil disturbance.

The winch systems are compatible with all carriers making the installation as cost-efficient as possible.

Timbermax is a Canadian company that has gained international success through its robust, powerful and reliable system. The business is based on finding new and innovative ways to improve forestry practises. They are also making a strong commitment to providing their users with www.timberbiz.com.au

the training and support to get the maximum benefits out of the products and return home safely at the end of the shift.

The winch systems come in two configurations; a one machine system where the winch is installed on the steep slope machine and the cable is attached to an anchoring point or a two machine system where the winch is installed on a carrier (excavator, dozer or Timbermax ELEVATOR) or a suitable anchoring machine.

Onetrak has been appointed as the national dealer for Timbermax – a welcome addition to Onetrak’s product range and its forestry flagship brand Tigercat.

Joint effort to overcome ‘steep’ learning curve Networking is an investment in business development and a recently published paper on tensile force monitoring in steep slope harvesting jointly written by Canada’s FPInnovations’ steep slope initiative (SSI) scientists and researchers at an Italian university exemplifies that golden rule.

The seed for collaboration was planted at the Forestry Mechanization (FORMEC) conference, held annually in Europe. Initial discussions at the conference began in 2015 and ultimately resulted in the publication of a research paper in the Croatian Journal of Forest Engineering last year titled, Tensile Force Monitoring on Large Winch-Assist Forwarders Operating in British Columbia, co-authored

by University of Padova PhD candidate, Omar Mologni, FPInnovations’ Peter Dyson and Dzhamal Amishev, and Italian scientists Andrea Rosario Proto, Giuseppe Zimbalatti,

Raffaele Cavalli, and Stefano Grigolato.

“Networking opportunities at FORMEC were pivotal in getting this joint project under way,” said SSI researcher, Dzhamal Amishev. “This research is part of a collaborative process that will make steep slope harvesting safer for workers around the world.”

The paper summarizes that the forest industry around the world is facing common challenges in accessing wood fibre on steep terrain.

Fully mechanized harvesting systems based on specialized machines, such as winchassist forwarders, have been developed for improving harvesting success on steep grounds.

The research team found that the use of cables for supporting the machine traction required a closer look. Only a few studies have analysed the cable tensile forces of winchassist forwarders during real operations, and none focused

on large machines typically used in North America.

Key outcomes of the study include the improved understanding of tensile forces reached during winch-assist operations of large-scale forwarders in British Columbia.

The trails, slope, travel direction, and distance of the machines from the anchor, were statistically significant and able to account for 49 % of tensile force variability. However, in the same conditions, the operator settings accounted for 77 % of the tensile force variability, suggesting the human factor is the main variable of cable tensile force behaviour during winch-assist operations.

FPInnovations hosted Mologni, from Padua, Italy, for three months and organised the logistics of field visits in the B.C. Interior.

FPInnovations is currently working on a subsequent collaborative journal publication with faculty members of the University of Padova.

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 31

Steep Slope Logging

Neuson machines aimed to tame terrain Compact design ensures high maneuverability

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ustrian-based Neuson Forest machines have been specially developed for forestry and can be utilized for thinning and clear cut especially in challenging terrains.

With more than 20 years of experience in this area Neuson has turned its machine into one of the most capable and efficient solutions of the fullymechanized wood-harvesting.

All Neuson Forest forestry machines are tracked harvester of 9-25 tons. Inaccessible, steep and swampy areas are its territory.

“We produce machines that are the most powerful and economical solutions for fully mechanized wood-harvesting,” the company boasts.

From thinning to clear cut, Neuson machines can be used universally. The separate hydraulic systems for the machine, crane and harvester head are optimally coordinated with the engine and permit fuel-efficient work at the highest level of performance.

Neuson Forest tracked machines are equipped with forest parallel cranes - the powerful parallel crane that was developed specifically for forestry applications is designed for hard use and enables the 32

driver to work quickly (1015% more output compared to a standard excavator boom!).

Quality will win you over All Neuson forest harvesters are built to last for many years of service. They guarantee the highest level of operating reliability and dependability and have a high resale value thanks to the use of quality components from renowned manufacturers.

Their compact design ensures high maneuverability and an excellent turn radius.

The tight tail swing allows the harvester to be driven on narrow skid trails and the 360° continuously rotating superstructure allows the driver to work in any direction. The cabin is safety-tested, ergonomic and very comfortable.

Thanks to their big ground clearance, all of the harvesters can easily get by tree stumps, stones and boulders. Neuson also emphasizes longevity when it comes to service and trained dealers.

Tumut-based Scandivian Forestry is the Australian agent/distributor for Neuson.

High hoist power The crane‘s high hoist power and range are enabled

through parallel cranes, especially constructed for the forestry area. Performance and the long-armed parallel crane have to be geared to each other perfectly. Only this can ensure a good working-efficiency, especially under very difficult conditions throughout and at maximum crane reach. With a wide selection of cranelengths and -types as well as harvest aggregates and controls of different suppliers in various different sizes, almost every customer requirement can be fulfilled.

The hydraulics Two separate hydraulic systems of machine and aggregate enable a fast and efficient operation at maximum engine power. The optimum supply is even guaranteed at highest workloads. The harvester head is powered by a separate hydraulic pump with 90 kW capacity. This raises the machine‘s capacity considerably.

The big cooler of the hydraulic system prevents an overheating of the machine, even at extreme ambient temperatures.

Clearance Through the high chassis clearance of the machine, obstacles like tree stumps,

stones or rocks can be vanquished without a problem.

A bolstered Tracked chassis, double-guided castors, a massive powertrain as well as an optimized machine transmission serve as optimum power conduction and lead to an enormous traction.

For the various operating conditions as well as for extreme situations, fitting chains are available, which are perfectly adjusted to the ground. From extra-wide chains for processing in wet areas, to rubber chains for ground- and root-protecting deployments, the customer can individually choose the required tracks.

Nothing is too steep In steep slopes the wheat is separated from the chaff!

Neuson Forest is a specialist for the most difficult part of the path. “Our machines perform efficiently and reliably when others reach their limit,” the company says.

The entire superstructure can be kept level while operating with full lifting and pivot power with slope compensation of +25° forwards and +/- 15° sideways. The optional leveler blade im-

proves the harvester’s stability on steep slopes, allowing it to easily harvest trees even at long reach.

“Compact, agile and extremely capable of climbing steep slopes, you can expect our machines to perform safely and reliably while sitting comfortably in a safety-tested cabin with an endlessly rotating upper carriage.”

Thinning applications Due to their compact design, the endless rotatability of the upper carriage (360°) and the tight tail swing, Neuson Forest harvesters can work in tight spots and also remove trees behind the machine without difficulty and without leaving a skid trail or turning. These machines are extremely maneuverable due to their small width (starting from 2.15m).

All machines have perfect all-round visibility.

A powerful forest crane with a range of 10-14m increases the productivity of the machines.

Due to their special design and the options that they provide, the machines adapt very well to any terrain and that facilitates efficient work even under rough conditions.

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

OUR MACHINES ARE WORKING SUCCESSFULLY IN ALL CONTINENTS

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

The advantages offered by Neuson harvesters:

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 IA

• • • •

safety-tested cabin (FOPS, ROPS, OPS certified) very tight tail swing (almost zero tail swing) separate hydraulic pumps for head, crane and chassis separate hydraulic system for harvester head parallel cranes, especially constructed for the forestry area endlessly rotating upper carriage, very compact build machines perfect for thinning applications reinforced undercarriage for forestry use levelling system low fuel consumption ideal access to service platform

AU ST R

• • • • • •

Mulchers ■■ A close-up of the Tigercat 480B mulcher.

Tigercat 480B Mulcher launch in Victoria

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he newest addition to Tigercat’s machine offering, the Tigercat 480B Mulcher, was launched in Australia in May with infield demonstrations in Trawalla, a 30 minute drive from Ballarat in Victoria.

A group of local customers including mulcher contractors and forestry contractors joined representatives from Onetrak (the official Tigercat dealer in Australia) to learn more about the new machine and see it working on-site.

Tigercat’s Australian Product Support team were also in attendance together with factory representative Rob Pentesco, Product Manager and Head of Engineering for Tigercat’s 700 and 400 series machines.

Contractors had the opportunity to view the machine working and got the chance to have a closer look at the ma-

chine during a presentation by environment but the visibil- economy and direct as much Rob Pentesco and Glen Mar- ity from the cab is great. The power as possible, no matter machine is fitted with three what size carrier, to the atley from Tigercat.

“Tigercat always puts a lot cameras that can be monitored tachment. We are always makof resources into supporting simultaneously with a split ing sure the robustness of the their machines and having fac- screen making it very safe to carrier meets our customers’ tory representatives on ground operate. The ergonomic elec- expectations. Tough, Reliable, for new machine releases is tronic joystick steering is very Productive is Tigercat’s phianother testament to their adaptable and makes the ma- losophy and we always aim to achieve those goals.” commitment to the AusThe 480B is equipped tralian customers,” said with an efficient, high David Hazell, Onetrak capacity cooling system MD. “We are always making with a variable speed “We have had the sure the robustness of fan and automatic reTigercat 480B mulcher versing cycle, a dedifitted with the 4061 the carrier meets our attachment pump mulching head operatcustomers’ expectations” cated and an efficient closed ing here on a stump loop track drive sysgrinding site for a few tem. Inside the cab, the days now and we are all very impressed with its perfor- chine easy and smooth to op- operator has ergonomic electronic joysticks and excellent mance. It’s a very challenging erate.”

According to mulcher car- sightlines. LED lighting now environment that really puts the machine to the test, and it rier product manager Rob comes standard along with handles these conditions very Pentesco, “We are continually double grouser track shoe on trying to improve efficiencies the Tier 4 final carrier. well.

“This demo has show“It is obviously a very dusty in order to achieve better fuel

■■ The Tigercat 4061 mulching head.

34

■■ The Tigercat mulcher working on a stump grinding site outside Ballarat in Victoria

cased the machine working on a stump grinding site, but this machine is also ideal for vegetation mulching, clearing regrowth, right of way clearing for powerlines, land subdivision and fire breaks,” said David.

The 480B mulcher is Tigercat’s largest machine in its category with 407 kW (546 hp).

Other machines in the line-up include a smaller tracked 470 mulcher and two rubber tyred mulchers; the M718E and the M726E. The Onetrak team has just completed factory run product training for this model with the sales and aftersales teams ready to support these machines. If you would like to learn more about this machine or have an interest in a demonstration please contact Onetrak on 1300 727 520 or visit www.onetrak.com.au.

■■ Rob Pentesco and Glen Marley from Tigercat gave an insightful presentation of the engineering and features of the machine build.

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

Innovative Tigercat hooked crane for improved clearance of load gate

www.tigercat.com

RemoteLogTM telematics system Spacious cab with front and rear cameras

8,5 m reach 195 kN lift 55 kN-m slew torque

High capacity Tigercat FG43 grapple

Standard 400 L fuel tank Tigercat FPT Tier 2 engine @ 308 peak hp

Low-wideÂŽ bunk with 6,25 m2 - 7,5 m2 area Excellent service access with tilting cab

Factory fitted fire suppression system

Strong and stable centre section with standard 4 year/8 000 hour warranty

Durable Tigercat bogie axles Front and rear

UNMATCHED PRODUCTIVITY. UNMATCHED RELIABILITY.

www.onetrak.com.au

The Tigercat 1075C forwarder delivers unmatched productivity and reliability.

Innovations like low-wideÂŽ and the hooked crane set Tigercat apart from the crowd.

Careful engineering along with bulletproof construction ensure Tigercat forwarders are the best choice for the toughest conditions.

Contact Onetrak today to learn more.

Log Loaders

CAT® M series medium wheel loaders for wood handling applications Caterpillar history in logging goes back over 100 years

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ogger’s focus is high-quality, strong, sustainably produced wood that must be first-class material for many purposes, from interior design products to sawn timbers to designer furniture.

The manufacture of wood products is extensive and has long traditions which includes Cat® equipment.

Forestry operators have extensive knowledge of the industry and rely on modern technology to process 36

high-quality raw materials.

In order to produce products tailored to customers’ requirements, Loggers need reliable equipment; that’s where Caterpillar’s experience and long tradition of serving the mill yard and pulp industry with dedicated equipment comes in.

Caterpillar has been involved in the forestry industry going back to its formation in 1925.

In fact, our history in logging goes back even further

– over 100 years – to the time of Caterpillar’s founders. In the late 1800s, Daniel Best made steam tractors and wagons that hauled large logs out of the forests of California and the Pacific Northwest.

Today is a new generation in logging, one that trusts traditional methods supplemented by advanced technologies. Caterpillar’s purpose-built line of medium wheel loaders is a generation that redefines what

it means to be a successful logger.

The new Cat M-Series wheel loaders can deliver what you need and expect: the ability to work in tough applications, innovations that enhance production, increased operator safety, serviceability, fuel efficiency, and long-lasting machine durability.

Medium wheel loaders overview includes: Cat Connect Link technolo-

gies link wirelessly connect you to your equipment giving you access to essential information you need to know to run your business.

Product Link™/Visionlink® is deeply integrated into your machine to take the guesswork out of equipment management.

Work Tools Logging forks, mill yard forks, pallet forks, grapples, high dump buckets, and large capacity buckets are available to any application on your site

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

Log Loaders

Linkage And Hydraulic Options Specifically configured linkage/hydraulic systems for increased load control in log handling applications.

Cab, Comfortable, quiet cab with excellent visibility means lower operator fatigue, better performance, and enhanced safety.

Acertâ&#x201E;˘ engine, hydraulics, transmission, and ride control Deep system integration leads to increased productivity and lower fuel consumption, resulting in fewer emissions without interrupting machine performance â&#x20AC;&#x201C; making it seamless to you.

Easy service Electrical and hydraulic service centers provide grouped ground level access to numerous features, enhancing safety and convenience for operators and service technicians while reducing service time.

Counterweights Specific www.timberbiz.com.au

mill yard counterweights available fork improved stability.

Mill yard applications demand the additional performance the forestry package provides. To handle heavy loads, the package increases the hydraulic tilt and lift capacity by increasing cylinder diameters while maintaining machine balance by increasing counterweight. The end result is a purpose-built machine, ideally suited for mill yard applications with wide range of work tools, customizable additional options, sustainable productivity, fuel efficiency, ease of serviceability and ergonomics and operator comfort.

Additional optional features customized options designed for mill yard applications cooling system are: Optional variable pitch fan helps clean cooler cores from backside.

More airflow in the reverse direction expels any debris build-up in cooling cores Oil-to-oil axle cooling systems provide capability to dissipate heat generated in high energy applications Air System.

Optional turbine engine precleaner extends filter element life and helps provide clean air to the engine in high debris applications by ejecting sawdust and similar material guarding.

Two front windshield guard options and a full cab glass guard available.

Power train guard prevents build-up and damage to components such as engine or transmission.

Spark arrestor compliant to section 6.4.2 of EN 1834-2 Cat Advanced Cabin Filtration (ACF).

Optional Cat ACF precleaner for extreme dust ap-

plications Cab Pressurization Monitoring.

Pressurization monitoring unit available to monitor cab pressure in order to warn you of any dust entry, Visual and audible alarms, adjustable between 20 Pa and 160 Pa and available as a field retrofit kit.

Worktool options: Fusion Quick Coupler (QC) The Fusion coupler system provides performance virtually identical to pin-on, with all the flexibility of a quick coupler system.

Grapple Forks The sorting grapple forks and unloading grapple forks are ideal for unloading and stacking timber.

Log And Lumber Forks Ideal for loading and unloading lumber, logs, and palletized material.

Universal QC

Change attachments in seconds. Compatible with a wide range of Cat and third party attachments.

Multi-purpose buckets A unique four-way action can load, bulldoze, clamp, and clean up debris.

Woodchip Buckets Extra capacity, loading characteristics, and visibility windows make this bucket style perfect for handling bulk material.

Pallet Forks Handle a wide range of baled, bundled material.

Tines adjust to fit the load, with good visibility in any position.

High Dump Buckets Fuel-saving design earns you more with every pass.

Loads easily, dumps at height for feeding mills and hoppers.

For more information please contact your Caterpillar local dealer representative.

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 37

Log Loaders

Laying all the forks out on the table!

C

atÂŽ Wheel Loaders are an integral component of mining, construction and industrial fleets. They perform are variety of task moving materials and providing support for other machinery and work crews.

By installing log handling forks, operators of limber and paper mills are able to utilize the mobility and efficiency of wheel loaders. There are four typical designs of log handling forks utilized in millyards today, Grapple Forks, Millyard Forks, Log & Lumber Forks and Logging Forks.

The most popular style of log handling forks in use worldwide are Grapple Forks.

These forks are ideal for handling Saw Logs and Veneer Cants. There are two variants in design, Unloading Grapple and Sorting Grapple. These logs enable wheel loaders to effectively unload log trucks delivering wood from the bush, stack logs into inventory, reclaim wood and feed

38

the mill. The design of each is optimized for mainly performing the task illuminated in the grappleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name but will be good at performing the other tasks too. Using Unloading Grapple Forks, the wheel loader operator tilts open the fork down over top the logs on the log truck trailer and crowds or rolls the logs into the grapple as he closes the top clamp; similar to the way a crane would use a grapple.

Unloading Grapple Forks have a shorter tine length facilitating this action by the operator to grasp a full load of log each pass or cycle maximizing efficiency. Sorting Grapple Forks have a slightly longer tines to enable the wheel loader operator to pick a single log if needed. When reclaiming logs from inventory, the wheel loader operator will slide the tines flat along the ground and roll the logs into the body of the grapple while closing the top clamp when a full load is accomplished. A Kicker or

hydraulic ejector arm is optional if needed. The main reason this design is ideal for saw, veneer and plywood mills is the logs suffer much less damage when rolling into the grapple compared to other log fork designs.

Very sturdy The next most popular log fork design is Millyard Forks.

These are typically very sturdy and will easily last the life of the machine if the wear resistant metal is replaced on time. Similar to Grapple Forks, the tines are fixed to the carriage of the forks.

However, the carriage is typically more square to the tines.

Wheel Loader operators can use the brute force of the machine to load logs into the fork, enabling high productivity. These forks have a wider tine profile for stability and are much more suited to mills that consume varying lengths of logs. The forkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top clamp typically bypasses the tines providing a tight grip on the logs. A variation in design for utility pole manufacturers uses thin tines with roller tips minimizing damage pos-

sibility to the poles. To increase the versatility of the machine even more, Cat offers a bucket with pockets for the fork tines to slide into so the wheel loader can perform some chip/shaving/saw dust clean up without uncoupling from the fork. Wheel Loaders will unload trucks, stack logs in inventory, reclaim and feed the mill using these forks.

Log & Lumber Forks are available in two design styles; no top clamp and semi-millyard top clamp. These forks are ideal for moving palletized stacks of boards from the saw mill to the kiln or from the kiln to the planer.

The design is similar to pallet forks but much more sturdy.

Mills can choose 1220, 1524, 1830, 2134 or 2440 mm tine lengths to suit their operation and the size of machine they are using. These forks are not ideal for handling logs but do okay in limited not production situations especially if the fork has a top clamp.

Many operation customize the carriage based on the particulars of the operation.

Log & Lumber Forks enable wheel loaders to operate ef-

ficiently in the yard moving palletized stacks of boards.

For the larger units Logging Forks or Tropical Logging Forks are the least common design but can be very effective depending the mill operational needs. Commonly these forks are fitted to larger sized machines like the Cat 980M, 988K and even 990K but Cat offers them for all wheel loader sizes down to 950M. The carriage is similar to Millyard Forks but wider. Logging Forks are designed with two top clamps that close to the tip of the tine. In the bush, tree harvesters will use these forks to move native logs to a landing and even load log trucks with a wheel loader. In mills consuming uniform large diameter logs these forks prove to be extremely effective and enable excellent machine efficiency. A Cat 988K or 990K can unload a log truck in a single pass in seconds.

These machines are highly productive feeding the mills logs from inventory too.

Contact your local dealer for Cat forestry wheel loaders, logging forks, service and support to keep you running.

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

WoodTECH

Practical focus to international sawmilling series WooodTECH 11-12 September Rotorua, 17-18 September Melbourne

M

ark the dates into your diary – if you’re a local sawmiller. Two years ago – over two weeks – the WoodTECH conference series run by the Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA) achieved a record turnout of sawmilling companies. They were drawn from throughout Australia and New Zealand.

More than 400 delegates from all major sawmilling companies in the region, in addition to leading technology providers from throughout Australasia, North America and Europe, converged on Melbourne and Rotorua.

Two years later, in September 2019, WoodTECH 2019 will again be attracting scanning, sawing, saw and mill maintenance technology specialists, innovators and leading practitioners from around the world into Australasia.

The two-day independent program will again provide New Zealand and Australian sawmills with a unique opportunity to learn about the very latest in technologies and operating practices from around the globe.

40

“This will be achieved through a series of tailored presentations, practical workshops and on-site exhibitions that have been set up with the industry,” says FIEA Director, Brent Apthorp.

“It’s expected again to be the largest gathering of sawmilling expertise yet seen in this part of the world”.

“What makes the 2019 event stand out is the series of workshops that have been set up for local mills” says Brent.

“Following on from the success of the 2017 event, a series of practical troubleshooting workshops have been designed for a much wider cross section of sawmill production and operational staff. They’re going to provide a unique insight into how sawmills can extract the best performance out of their saws, machine centers and sawing operations.”

Workshops of between 60-90 minutes are being given on; primary breakdown and machine alignment and maintenance techniques to improve machine reliability, real-time quality control, condition monitoring, saw and guide

alignment and troubleshooting saw guides. In addition to the workshops, presentations throughout the two days in each country have also been geared towards sawmill production staff.

A series of presentations on technology advancements with robotics and automation in the saw shop, some of the new equipment and operating practices drawn from throughout Europe, North America and Australasia together with tips and tools from respected saw doctors will be of real benefit to those working in the saw-shop... on sawing machine centres, new non-contact, real-time saw temperature monitoring systems will be outlined by leading tech providers out of North America.

Saw performance monitoring systems can accurately measure, in real time, the performance of the saw when in the cut for both circular and band saws. This provides real-time feedback of saw performance data to the user which can be used within the mill to evaluate the effect of varying sawing parameters.

“Based on feedback

from the major sawmilling event in 2017 and more recent discussions with local mills, we’ve rejigged the two-yearly tech update in both countries. The change in focus is to encourage sawmill teams – management, mill production, sawdoctors and maintenance staff – to take advantage of the line-up of world class international specialists being brought into the region,” said Brent.

“This will ensure that teams can collectively put the practical learnings into practice once back on site.”

For a full appreciation of what’s happening in September, check out the listing of all major equipment and technology suppliers to the sawmilling industry involved in either presenting or exhibiting. At this stage these include; USNR, USA/ Canada, ScanMeg, Canada, Optimil Machinery, Canada, LMI Technologies, Sweden, Nicholson Manufacturing, Canada, JoeScan, USA, EWD/Linck, Germany, IWT-Moldrup Asia Pacific, Singapore, TS Manufacturing, Canada, SiCam Systems, Canada, GCAR Design, Canada, Lewis Controls, USA,

Taqtile, Singapore, TimberSmart, NZ, Timberlink, Australia, Precision Machinery, Canada, Williams & White, Canada, Simonds International, USA, Winsaw Mill Services, NZ, Holtec, NZ, KeyKnife, Braford Industries, Australia, Andritz, NZ, ILS, NZ, Pacific Sawmill Engineering, NZ, Supply Services, NZ, High Duty Plastics, NZ, Modern Engineering, Australia, Thode Knife & Saw, NZ, Tui Technology, NZ, Checkmate Precision Cutting Tools, NZ, Saito, NZ, HewSaw, Australia, Stinger World, Australia, Automation & Electronics, NZ, AKE Sales Tech, Australia, Accurate Group, Australia, Indufor Asia Pacific, NZ, The Lean Hub, NZ, Fagus Grecon, Germany, Prodetec/Firefly, Australia and Phoenix Sawmill Supply, Australia.

Registrations to both events in the series are now open and can be accessed via the event website, www. woodtech.events. Details of the programs for both countries likewise can be viewed on line. The series runs in Rotorua on 11-12 September and then again in Melbourne on 17-18 September 2019.

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

Sawmill Profile

■■ View from the edger chamber at Whiteheads Saw Mill

Whiteheads Timber South Australia

Sawmill’s silver anniversary Company sees a ‘solid future’ in sawmilling

By Keith Smiley

W

hiteheads Timber strategy turns a single site into a multi-branched enterprise, with timber outlets in Mount Gambier, Portland, Ballarat and Edenhope. The mill has notched up 25 years in Mt Gambier and to celebrate this silver anniversary they cut a large cake and reminisced on where it all began.

The family started cutting trees 50 years ago but after the Ash Wednesday Fires in 1983, brothers Darryl and Ken Whitehead decided to set up a spot mill to recover and process log from the fireaffected plantations.

In 1993, the Whitehead Timber Sales purchased a 30

acre site in Mount Gambier and set about building a permanent sawmill. Their father, Keith, completed the earthworks, developing the mill for commencement in 1994.

Since then, the business has mushroomed and broadened to include products for structural, rural, landscaping and for specialised timber product.

Whitehead’s general manager, Colin Wooldridge, was appointed to manage the business and to continue development in new technology to product range. With a background in plastics, precious metals, construction, pulp and paper, Colin moved from Adelaide to Mt Gambier and was employed two years ago by the Whiteheads.

“I want to continue to develop technology we are using, building volume and range, which is an evolutionary process. We have an important stake in our part of the Green Triangle,” said Colin.

The Green Triangle comprises south western Victoria and south east South Australia, covering 5.3 million hectares of forests as well as agriculture, dairying and wine growing, primarily consisting of radiata pine, the largest plantation in Australia.

The company sees a ‘solid future’ in sawmilling and has no plans to divest its interest.

“Our log comes from 100% plantation timber, which involves planting, harvesting and re-planting.

“We have a reputation for being dependable and for consistent quality,” says Colin.

Back in 1994 the company began its quest by installing a Cooper Overhead Scragg Mill, a Salem three-saw edger and a Brewer multi-rip saw and placing a small kiln and dry mill at their Yahl site for drying and moulding. Their game plan was to re-invest with upgrades and improvements, thus framing a pattern of innovation.

The sawmill today has two main saw lines, re-saw facilities, kilns, a dry mill and a CCA treatment plant, processing over 120,000 tonnes of logs per annum.

Whiteheads Timber employ over eighty well-trained

personnel in Mount Gambier alone, and are poised for further expansion when the business model is right.

They were also a finalist in the Business Excellence Award last year for their sawing and retail side of the business.

Colin Wooldridge is an optimist and says wood runs through his veins - so to speak. “My father was a boat builder and it’s a hobby of mine, too. I’m building a Canadian designed canoe by using old construction techniques, with copper wire stitching, so it’s a welcome distraction for me.”

Happy silver anniversary to Whiteheads Timber as they strive towards a golden future.

■■ Darryl and Ken Whitehead sampling the cake after 25 years of service www.timberbiz.com.au

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 41

Classifieds

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

CLEARANCE Milling & Processing Machinery

Reduced PRices

Dimpter 204 Optimising line

complete with in-feed and out-feed.

$18,500+GST

Tilt Hoist pack destripper

with multi Bundle infeed and strip conveyor -very good unit.

Tigercat M726 Mulcher.

Tigercat 610E Skidder

$330,000 +GST

$POA

Dressta TD20M Dozer.

Komatsu XT450L-2

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$235,000 +GST

$245,000 +GST

NEW Tigercat 1075C Forwarder. $POA.

10HP board multirip saw $8,000+GST

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Linde 2.5t diesel forklift

Perkins motor, Dual wheels side shift.

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Austral Timber Group Valmet 895

$340,000 +GST

reaches around 4,000 emails every week.

Daily Timber News provides value for advertisers and an opportunity to build your brand in this niche market, or to sell off any second hand equipment.

40kw Hydraulic hob resaw $22,000+GST Valmet 895 Forwarder

$32,000+GST

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Contact: Ken Baker 0438 643 992 or ken.baker@dynagroup.com.au

Hyundai R250LC-9HC + Waratah HTH616C. $499,000 + GST

Call (08) 8369 9517 or email: g.dealmeida @ryanmediapl. com.au

subscribe to

Timberking TK722

Tigercat LH855C

$95,000 +GST

$420,000 +GST

John Deere 748G

Timbco TN475E

$60,000 +GST

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Red Gum Sawdust

Komatsu PC350LL

$115,000 +GST

$220,000 +GST

Bio Fuel, cow lanes, calf bedding, horse stables/arena’s etc.

$15 /m3 plus GST

Discounts for orders over 1000/m3

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aftdigitaledition.com.au 42

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Suitable for:

Can be screened if required at additional cost.

Coarse sawdust as it has been crosscut.

John Deere 748H

DAILY timber news

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Todd Gelletly 0427 185 105 toddgelletly@bigpond.com

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www.linxaustraliagroup.com.au

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 www.timberbiz.com.au

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

Classifieds

Ride tall TWIN FORESTRY T440 & T480 — SERIOUS TIRES FOR SERIOUS FORESTERS

You are better than ever at forestry. We are better than ever at forestry tires.

The new Twin Forestry series from Trelleborg is our ultimate tribute to the business and the people who make it. Expect even better traction, stability and accessibility thanks to exclusive new tread designs, improved resistance properties and better-than-ever track compatibility.

And as always, wherever you are we are there to support you.

Ride Tall with Trelleborg Twin Forestry. www.trelleborg.com/wheels

URGENT SALE – CAT FELLER BUNCHER 541b with HOT SAW The Cat®541 Series 2 Track Feller Buncher. Features smoother hydraulic performance. Better fuel economy. A more comfortable operator station and better visibility. This is a full tail swing machine, designed for high production clear cut, as well as clear or select cut in rough terrain. A Hot Saw (HF201B) is also included with this machine! Cat® Felling Heads are designed to cut and bunch a wide variety of tree species in almost any application. A continuous spinning high speed saw disc maximizes inertia providing excellent cutting performance. They offer increased production over bar saw and shear type felling heads. The right combination of felling head and track Feller Buncher model optimizes cutting and bunching capability and increases production.

This machine is 2012 model and only has 250 hours on the clock, it comes with a Caterpillar 12 month standard warranty plus fully serviced by Cat technicians and ready to work!

If you are interested in this machine, and would like to know more, please don't hesitate to contact your local Cat dealer.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY www.timberbiz.com.au

Visit www.timberbiz.com.au

Australian Forests & Timber News June 2019 43

EMS Tractionline Komatsu PC300LC-8

Tethering

Following on from a long association with EMS in New Zealand, Komatsu Forest has become the exclusive dealer for the EMS Tractionline and Harvestline in Australia.

The EMS Tractionline has become the global market leader in tethering with over 100 units in the field, predominately located in USA and NZ. The latest model MK 3 continues the EMS concept with a number of current and new features; • Capable of tethering wheeled and tracked machines • New power transmission system • Windows based control system • Rope capacity of 500 metres • Market leading twin line system with 5:1 safety factor on all components Mounted on the popular Komatsu PC300LC-8, Komatsu Forest will provide the technical and spare parts support in Australia.

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