Australian Forests & Timber - September 2021

SEPTEMBER 2021

DOING FINE IN TASSIE Fight for the Regional Forestry Agreements

30 YEARS OF SERVICE 1991-2021

NEW FORESTRY MODEL FOR TIWI ISLANDS

Zero Tail Swing TL 755D

Queensland industry input into a national WHS Standard

INDUSTRY LED DEVELOPMENT Recognising safe practices and performance.

An Industry Reference Group (IRG) is providing input into the WHS

Commitment to work health and safety

Standard and criteria as part of the national ForestFit Certification program that is in development. The IRG consists of key Queensland representatives operating in the State native forests.

In Queensland, the ForestFit Certification pilot will be used to test the WHS Standard and assurance process with a diversity of local forest businesses operating in State native forests.

The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) are partnering with the Australian Forest Contractors Association (AFCA) to work with the Queensland industry to develop and deliver WHS standard and tools in association with the national ForestFit Certification program.

www.forestfit.com.au

In the news

Labor failings costing timber families in East Gippsland F

ailure to act by the Andrews Labor Government is costing Gippsland timber workers and their families according to local Nationals MPs. The Nationals Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien and Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Melina Bath have spoken out in support of local timber workers including those prevented from working by legal action surrounding the Alberton West timber coupes.

Mr O’Brien said the Andrews Labor Government promised 12 months ago to remove ambiguity in the Code of Practice for Timber Production that was allowing environment groups to

regularly take legal action to stop harvesting while court action is pending.

“We have heard from timber workers across the region that this is putting their industry, their jobs and their families at risk as the supply of timber is locked up.

“Melina and I met this week with Mark Maiden who is a Yarram-based contractor, and some of his crew, who have been prevented from harvesting the Flinders coupe at Alberton West by a legal injunction.

“If the Andrews Government was serious about protecting timber workers and their jobs, it would have acted to close these loopholes and ensure work can

Industry disappointment at cancellation of AUSTimber

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ustralia’s forest industries have expressed their disappointment that AUSTimber 2020/21 has been cancelled.

CEO of AFPA Ross Hampton and CEO of VFPA Deb Kerr said they understood how difficult the decision was for the organisers who had tried so hard to work around the COVID induced difficulties.

The event was spearheaded by the Australian Forest Contractors Association (AFCA) and scheduled for November in Gormandale, Victoria.

The four-yearly event, held over several days, usually attracts thousands of visitors to the region and is a fantastic way of showcasing the timber industry and its many innovations.

Organisers announced late last month that the compounding costs of deferring the show on two prior occasions combined with the continued uncertain outlook resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic had meant it was not finanwww.timberbiz.com.au

cially feasible or possible to reschedule the show again.

The organisers also announced that the AUSTimber Events Pty Ltd board had decided to appoint Worrells Solvency and Forensic Accountants to undertake a creditors voluntary winding up.

“This is one of the biggest events for Australia’s forest industries.

A lot of hard work has gone into the event to showcase what we do, so we feel for our colleagues at AFCA,” Mr Hampton said.

Ms Kerr said the timber industry, like many others, had taken a few big hits with the devastating 2019/20 bushfires and then, of course, the pandemic.

“This flagship event is not suited to a virtual format. The cancellation is sad but ultimately understandable,” she said.

“We thank the organisers for the hard work they’ve put in and hope that the gap in showcasing our industries can be filled in due course.”

continue in the forestry industry.”

Ms Bath said repeated legal action was threatening not only harvest jobs but also those of workers in mills and manufacturing and construction down the supply chain as timber supply dwindles.

“The Andrews Government really doesn’t care for our timber workers. It could have fixed this issue when it said so 12 months ago but has been dragging the chain and as such, we now have timber families being penalised by activist groups.

“In NSW the state government has legislated to minimise this sort of destructive legal action and has backed its timber industry, but the Labor Government here in Victoria is more interested in green votes in the city than country jobs.”

Mr Maiden, who employs a large crew across Gippsland, including 14 staff in Yarram, said the legal action was frustrating for all his workers.

“I just want to be able to work and put food on the ta-

The Nationals Member for Eastern Victoria Region, • Melina Bath, harvester Brendan Cullinan, Mark Maiden of

MJM Harvesting and Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien. ble for my family and those of my staff. It’s very frustrating to be locked out of our workplace.”

Meanwhile months after the State Government in Victoria said it would create a ‘state owned’ seedling nursery at Nowa Nowa, East Gippsland, the site continues to sit idle.

Ms Bath said that when Labor announced the nursery in November 2020 it spruiked the establishment would create 30 jobs.

“It appears Labor’s announcement was premature and based on spin, as the site had not even been secured prior to the announcement,” she said.

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In the news SEPTEMBER 2021 Issue 6 – Volume 30 Established 1991 News Special Report Profile Silviculture Software Mills

3 ― 10 6―9 14 19 26 ― 27 32 ― 36

Front Cover: Adam Fielding from Fielding Logging in the bush in North West Tasmania. Story: Page 16.

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4

Pandemic the kick in the pants we needed on forestry policy

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rowing up in a timber community as I did you know almost by osmosis what a significant contribution the timber industry makes to our Nation and its economy.

That might be because your uncle operates an engineering firm repairing and maintaining harvesting equipment, or because you grew up playing cricket with a mill hand and a saw doctor, or because your neighbour hauls woodchips to Portland. Whatever your experience, you get it.

These were my experiences growing up. Living in Mount Gambier in our nation’s Green Triangle, most conversations ran to forestry or the forest products industry.

That is why I was dismayed upon being elected in 2013 to learn that very little of the national conversation revolved around the industry or indeed its contribution to our national economy.

There was the usual and predictable spats between traditional combatants regarding the logging of old growth forests but it was as if the largest component of the industry, the plantation sector, didn’t exist.

And so, with the help of others, I established Parliamentary Friends of Forestry, a collection of colleagues from timber communities aimed at raising the sec-

MY VIEW Tony Pasin MP Member for Barker, South Australia

tor’s profile and depoliticising the policy agenda. It hasn’t been easy, but we’ve achieved a lot.

In particular, the archaic and toxic hyper partisan conflicts of the past were notably absent from the 2016 and 2019 Federal election campaigns. That new approach meant the sector could plan with confidence for its future irrespective of which major political party tasted victory on election night.

That being said, and I’m sure Deputy Chair Joel Fitzgibbon would agree, the Federal Government’s HomeBuilder Program has done more to raise the salience of the industry amongst decision makers in the last year than we’ve achieved together over the seven that preceded it.

Undoubtedly HomeBuilder has been the most successful program of its type in our Nation’s history and it has solidified in the minds of our nation’s decision makers the importance of the timber industry. It has gone from being an industry somewhat taken for granted to one regarded as a critical sovereign capacity.

Not a day goes by that I don’t have a colleague ask me about the shortage of structural timber, because Members of Parliament are fielding call from builders daily, frustrated by the lack of supply. If my colleagues didn’t get the importance of the industry before they do now and little wonder, with ABS data suggesting home starts rose last financial year a whopping 27.3%.

At the onset of the pandemic, a perfect storm was brewing. Inventories were run down, bushfires constrained supply and the response to HomeBuilder exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations.

Together these factors turned the national spotlight on the sobering reality that the industry and timber communities have known for some time, namely that we have failed to expand our forest estates to meet our future needs.

It is said you should never waste a crisis and so it is for the forestry sector today.

This crisis must be lever-

aged to drive home to policy makers the urgent need for action. Policy makers at every level, from one side of the political spectrum to the other, need to develop and support settings that will see us put more trees in the ground.

This is why the Federal Government has established eleven Forestry Hubs across our nation. These geographical nodes are intended to create zones in which policies sympathetic to the forest industry can be applied to incentivise plantings.

Whilst the establishment of these Hubs is a welcomed development, their creation has not arrested the decline in our national forest estate, more is needed.

HomeBuilder has done more than just drive employment outcomes in the midst of a global pandemic, it has also brought the timber industry to the forefront of the mind of every decision maker in the country.

We must take advantage of this renewed appreciation for the industry and demand a policy agenda that grows our national estate and puts more trees in the ground.

Covid-19 has stripped us of much and caused immeasurable economic harm and personal loss but it might be the kick in the pants our Nation needed on forestry policy, provided of course we don’t waste this crisis.

Bushfires followed by Covid – it was the last straw for AUSTimber

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he cancellation of this year’s AUSTimber event, while probably inevitable given the circumstances, is nonetheless disappointing in so many ways.

No one wins. From the event organisers to the exhibitors to the communities and businesses in East Gippsland, to the industry as a whole, everyone loses out.

The organisers most certainly facing an extremely difficult job.

Through no fault of their own, they were faced with the trauma of the Black Summer Bushfires fires and the quarantine and travel

restrictions imposed by Covid19.

These events led to the rescheduling of the event twice.

There was little room for the organisers to move.

The unpredictability became too much, not just for AUSTimber, but also for large-scale events across Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.

Then alarm bells started to sound for some AUSTimber exhibitors who expressed their own concerns and their intent to scale back their in-

volvement including cancelling live demonstrations.

A range of options was canvassed including the sale of AUSTimber to a group of major exhibitors, but that was unsuccessful.

The organisers were indeed facing a brick wall, on top of which was the very real concern for the health and wellbeing of all involved.

Forget lockdowns, forget travel bans, forget crowd numbers – there is a deadly pandemic still out there. On the day the event was cancelled New South Wales recorded 919 cases. That number keeps increasing.

Eventually the organisers

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

had to admit that “regrettably, having absorbed the costs associated with two prior deferrals of AUSTimber 2020/21, AEPL (AUSTimber Events Pty Ltd) is not in a financial position to meet the claims of exhibitors, partners, suppliers and ticketholders resulting from the cancellation of the event’’.

It can’t have been easy – any many people involved will be hurting - but it was probably inevitable.

To make a sad situation even worse, it seems that there won’t be another AUSTimber.

Sadly, it might just be that the days of the “big show” are over. www.timberbiz.com.au

In the news

Why trees are integral to this dairy farm’s future

AFCA general manager resigns

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ntegrating trees on farms is common sense, according to a North-West Tasmanian dairy farmer Matthew Gunningham.

Mr Gunningham’s farm is one of seven demonstration sites featuring landscapescale best practice of integration of shelterbelts and woodlots into the agricultural landscape.

The demonstration sites were funded by Private Forests Tasmania and the federal government through the Smart Farming Grant.

The PFT board, with Dairy Tasmania, visited Gunningham Farm to see the progress of the site.

Gunningham farm will include 17 hectares of Pinus radiata and 15 hectares of Eucalyptus nitens.

Mr Gunningham said planting trees had been a learning process and integral to ensuring biodiversity.

“As we have gone down the organic road, we’re thinking more along the lines of greater diversity in the pasture, and we’ve added more diversity into the farm ecosystem, generally,” Mr Gunningham said.

“It’s going to be really important going forward. The idea of just farming mono-

Stacey • Gardiner

culture, it doesn’t make sense; it doesn’t fit in with what nature does. We are trying to farm where paddocks all look the same and only one species in it – that just doesn’t make sense. I really like the idea of mixing it up and having some diversity.”

PFT chairman Evan Rolley said the demonstration site program wasn’t about just getting trees planted but also working with landowners to ensure the right trees are planted in the right place for the landowner’s benefit.

“The PFT board is a group of enthused, talented and optimistic Tasmanians who have expert knowledge in the forestry industry.

“What the PFT Board inspected at Gunningham’s is an example of the opportunities available to dairy farms to be a key part

Private Forests Tasmania chairman Evan Rolley with • Matthew Gunningham and PFT’s Stephen Clarke. of expanded commercial tree planting that, through thought and purpose, can be integrated with successful commercial dairy operations.”

Tasmania’s Resources Minister Guy Barnett said Tasmanians should be proud of the state’s worldleading and sustainable managed forestry sector.

“Australia’s current timber shortage and the challenges it faces for the building and construction industry high-

lights the importance of a sustainable and productive forestry sector in Tasmania,” he said.

“Three-quarters of all forestry production in Tasmania by volume now comes from private growers.

“In driving forward the work of PFT, we welcome the announcement that PFT chairman Evan Rolley has been appointed for a further two years and Jim Wilson has been appointed as a new PFT board member.”

IFA/AFG goes hybrid for National conference

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orest scientists, professionals and growers in lockdown need not fear about missing the IFA/AFG National Conference this year.

The Institute of Foresters of Australia and Australian Forest Growers (IFA/ AFG) has announced its National Conference in October will be delivered face-to-face and online in a hybrid model designed to increase accessibility for all interested attendees.

IFA/AFG President Bob Gordon said with such an exceptional conference program it was important no forest professional missed the opportunity to participate in this year’s event. www.timberbiz.com.au

“Just two months out from kicking off, the national conference already has over 260 registrations which has greatly surpassed our expectations and is a huge vote of confidence in the program,” Mr Gordon said.

“With such strong interest, it’s important no-one misses out on the opportunity to hear from some of the leading minds in our field, as well as to share knowledge with peers and colleagues about how we can work

together to make sure forests can continue to benefit Australia.

“While we still hope as many people as possible can join us in Launceston in person, we’re glad to be able to provide a participation option for those who are unable or unwilling to travel.

“We also hope the online accessibility provides something for those in lockdown to look forward to, and if you haven’t registered yet it’s not too late – just visit www.forestryconference.com.au,” Conference Convenor Jim Wilson said the IFA/ AFG was delighted to be able to offer participants an exceptional conference

program featuring 155 speakers from a diverse range of topic fields.

“The IFA/AFG received over 130 abstracts and expressions of interest from field foresters, researchers, students, farmers, communication and technology experts,” Mr Wilson said.

The IFA/AFG National Conference is taking place from 11-14 October 2021, at Country Club Tasmania in Launceston.

To register, visit the conference website: https:// www.forestryconference. com.au/ To view the conference program: https://www.forestryconference.com.au/ program/

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

Australian Forest Contractors Association general manager Stacey Gardiner has tendered her resignation after six-andhalf-years in the role.

“Stacey has made a significant contribution to AFCA during her time as GM, and she has led the organisation through significant change,” AFCA Chairman Adan Taylor said.

“Stacey was responsible for establishing AFCA’s first strategic plan, which gave AFCA a new focus and communicated clear commitments to our members and sponsors on how we would support and represent them throughout forestry and with governments.

“Her efforts in restructuring AFCA’s administration and service delivery functions have greatly streamlined the organisation, and she certainly leaves the organisation in a great position to move forward,’’ Mr Taylor said.

As general manager, Ms Gardiner collaborated with a range of stakeholders to deliver projects that promote and improve safety outcomes and create sustainable business outcomes for members and forest contracting businesses nationally. She has also represented AFCA and its members on various industry and government committees, showing her commitment to ensuring members have a strong voice.

“On behalf of the AFCA Board and the team, we thank Stacey for all her hard work and the commitment she brought to the role and wish her well for the future,” Mr Taylor said.

Ms Gardiner will finish up later this month, and AFCA has begtan recruitment to appoint a new general manager.

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Fight to save RFAs VFPA’s call on Major Event Review The Victorian Regional Forest Agreements have stood the test of time and support mature policy decisions that balance the RFAs environmental, social, economic (including timber harvesting), Indigenous, and cultural values.

Arising from the 2019-20 bushfires, the first-ever Major Event Review is underway.

The Victorian Forest Product Association has urged the Review Panel to maintain this balance through a principled approach to this review.

“Since 2000, the number and extent of bushfires have decimated the RFA values and has also destroyed thousands of hectares of privately owned plantation forests,” VFPA CEO Deb Kerr said.

“In terms of bushfires, we cannot control the weather, so the only thing we can control is the fuel load within our public forests.”

Ms Kerr said the scientific consensus was that it was essential to employ mechanical fuel reduction and low-intensity fires of a sufficient scale to reduce fuel loads.

Numerous Bushfire Royal Commissions had recognised this scientific consensus and called on the Victorian Government to ensure that a minimum of 5% of Victoria’s forests was subjected to controlled burns. The effect on fuel loads could last up to 20 years.

“However, at present less than 2% of Victoria is controlled burnt and most is rightly targeted at protecting communities and essential infrastructure,” Ms Kerr said. “None of the current Victorian programs will address the landscape scale reduction needed to protect our forests, meaning that it is just a matter of time before another catastrophic mega-fire will occur.

“Moreover, the Victorian Government’s decision to close Victoria’s native forestry industry ignores the role that responsible and sustainable forest management plays.”

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Timber NSW ‘blocked’ from court action against RFA T

he North East Regional Forest Agreement (NSW) is being challenged in the Federal Court, however the organisation and its members with the most to lose will not be represented in court.

Despite several attempts to see the necessary court documents Timber New South Wales will probably not be represented in court.

The challenge to the North East Regional Forest Agreement is being brought by the Environmental Defenders Office against the New South Wales and Federal governments.

If the EDO is successful the north coast of NSW will be subject to the provisions of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (Commonwealth) whilst a RFA is not in place.

As a result, any forest operation would have to consider the impact on any species listed in the EPBC Act and possibly an environmental impact assessment before approval could occur. It could also put all RFA agreements in Australia in jeopardy.

The EDO, acting on behalf of the North East Forest Alliance will argue that when the North East RFA was renewed, the Commonwealth did not have regard to endangered species, the state of old growth forests or the impacts of climate change, as the EDO will argue it was required to do.

NEFA is asking the Federal Court to declare that the North East RFA does not validly exempt native forest logging from federal biodiversity assessment and approval requirements.

Originally signed between the Commonwealth and New South Wales in 2000, it was renewed in 2018 for another 20 years with rolling extensions that could continue indefinitely.

The North East RFA covers logging in the coastal area between Sydney and the Queensland border. An RFA in conjunction with measures in the EPBC Act operates as a waiver of federal biodiversity law when un-

Foresters in New South Wales’ noth-east coast would have to undergo an environmental • impact assessment before approval for worth could occur. dertaking a forestry operation in native forests as the RFA requires State laws to have the same protections for biodiversity.

Sydney lawyer Stuart Coppock said he had searched the Federal Court Registry to find out. The Court will setting down the case management timetable on 3 Sep-

to achieve, would suggest Timber New South Wales, because of its membership, would be able to join the proceedings.

But until he saw the pleadings to make sure what is in them it was difficult to know what precise risks were involved in joining the proceedings. The North East RFA refers to ‘climate

The Commonwealth didn’t want to incur the costs of conducting a proper assessment tember.

Mr Coppock, who is also the Strategy and Legal Advisor for Timber New South Wales, said he needed to see the pleadings to determine if there was a case for Timber NSW joining the proceedings.

“I’ve tried every avenue I can,” he said. “Mr Coppock said he had gone to the highest levels to seek access to the pleadings without any success.

He said the case law, given what other environmental movements have been able

change’, reserves, heritage and cultural values, environmentally sustainable practices and NSW State laws. All current forestry procedures in NSW consider koalas, biodiversity issues and land management matters. The IFOA conditions and protocols in NSW is over 358 pages. So how the matter is pleaded is very relevant. There will be no doubt the need for expert opinions in the proceedings. This is an issue as there is forestry science and environmental science, and

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

the environmental NGO’s use the latter. This makes for a big difference in conclusions to do with forests.

EDO Chief Executive Officer David Morris said the challenge was against the Federal Government over its failure to assess how another 20-plus years of logging, against a background of a changing climate, will impact our forest ecosystems, endangered species and old growth forests.

“The Commonwealth didn’t want to incur the costs of conducting a proper assessment, waving through a 20-year extension of native forest logging without proper scrutiny,” he said.

“Under the current system, if a population of koalas is being threatened by a new development, the project needs to be assessed at the Federal level. But if the same population of koalas is being threatened by a logging project, it’s been rubber stamped on the basis of 20-year-old environmental assessments,” he said.

It is the first legal challenge to an RFA in New South Wales and is believed to have taken three years to prepare the case. www.timberbiz.com.au

Fight to save RFAs

RFAs a regular focal point for green activists Philip Hopkins

T

he Regional Forest Agreements have become a focal point for green activists, who have launched legal action through the High Court, the Federal Court and state courts in bids to close the native forest industry.

The RFAs, which are the foundation of Australia’s environmental and industry policy towards native forests, emerged about 30 years ago. They partly evolved out of a bureaucratic spat between the Commonwealth and the states over control of industry.

Logging trucks staked out Parliament in Canberra.

The Commonwealth produced a national forest policy statement in 1992 that aimed to create a long-term balance between forest conservation and industry where the states had decentralised control of the industry. Victoria had pioneered this balanced approach through the Land Conservation Council process.

The Commonwealth’s action was also inspired by the 1992 Rio Earth Conference and the subsequent 8

action by leading forestry nations, including Australia, who met in Montreal, Canada and drew up recommendations for sustainable forestry.

Out of these forces came the Keating Labor Government’s RFAs, described by the then head of the Victorian Association of Forest Industries, the late Graeme Gooding, as a “groundbreaking process”.

“Few if any countries around the world … attempted such a detailed national systematic analysis with a view to establishing a CAR (comprehensive, adequate and representative) forest reserve system,” he said.

The RFAs applied for 20 years, with five-yearly reviews, and aimed to provide certainty for industry, conservation and local communities. Apart from the CAR reserve system, they were to encourage job creation and growth in forest-based industries, including wood products, tourism and minerals. The aim was to manage all forests in an ecologically sustainable way.

The national reserve cri-

The national reserve criteria were to reserve 15 per cent of each forest type as existed before European arrival, 60 per cent or more of old-growth forest and at least 90 per cent of high-quality wilderness. teria were to reserve 15 per cent of each forest type as existed before European arrival, 60 per cent or more of old-growth forest and at least 90 per cent of highquality wilderness.

Between 1997 and 2000, RFAs were signed in all the states (Victoria five, NSW three, Tasmania and WA each one), with the exception of Queensland, where a deal aimed to transition from native forest to new hardwood plantations over 25 years.

The RFA process added about 2.5 million hectares to reserve systems, boosting the total area in conservation by about 39 per cent to more than 60 per cent of

public land. The old-growth forest reserved rose by 42 per cent to 2.83 million ha out of 4.22 million ha. Each RFA involved at least 50 assessment projects in disciplines ranging from biology and zoology to economic and sociology.

In most regions, industry was faced with a staged and sometimes substantial reduction in timber supply, with each receiving an estimated sustainable yield.

However, resource security and industry structural adjustment packages and other RFA funding aimed to foster investment in valueadding. The RFAs generally created a sense of optimism amongst business.

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

However, they have not lived up to expectations.

State governments have unilaterally added about three million hectares of native forest to reserves over the past 20 years. Fiveyearly reviews were rarely conducted. The volume of quality hardwood sawlogs harvested forest has declined dramatically, despite the stated intentions of the RFAs. The reasons vary across the states, but the primary drivers have been the impact of bushfires and state governments meeting environmentalists’ demands for more conservation reserves, justified partly by alleged threats to endangered species.

RFAs have since been renewed in Tasmania (2017), NSW and WA (both 2019), and rolled over in Victoria.

Under the original NSW RFA, a 2.3 million CAR reserve system was established in Eden and the North-East covering 63% and 74% respectively of public land. Of the 1.78m ha of old growth forest (1.2 million ha on public land), 86% in Eden and 92% in the North East were protected in reserves.

In the new NSW RFAs, which have been updated to account for the impact of the massive 2019-20 bushfires, about 310,000 cubic metres of quality saw logs and about 1 million cubic metres of non-high-quality logs are available annually.

However, the Environmental Defenders Office is challenging the NSW North East RFA (75% of the state’s hardwood supply) in the Federal Court.

Under Tasmania’s original RFA, a minimum of 300,000 cubic metres of high-quality sawlog and veneer log were available. Over the life of the RFA, the amount of native forest in Tasmania’s reserve estate has increased by around 800,000 hectares, but the new RFA does not specify the amount of available or reserved forest. More than one million hectares of identified oldwww.timberbiz.com.au

Fight to save RFAs

Contractors still in the forestry firing line Philip Hopkins

growth forest in Tasmania is permanently protected.

Now, permanent timber production zone land stands at a little over 800,000 hectares. Sustainable Timber Tasmania must make available at least 137,000 cubic metres of high-quality eucalypt sawlogs and veneer logs per annum.

The WA RFA was extended for another 20 years with an annual sustainable yield of at least 191,000 cubic metres of first and second grade jarrah and karri saw logs. Also included are up to 292,000m3 of other log volumes of jarrah, 164,000m3 of other volume karri, and 140,000m3 of all marri logs.

The RFA, which recognises the state’s CAR reserve system in the South-West region, is underpinned by the forest management plan 2014-2023, the framework for managing forests and plantations on public land in WA. Harvesting of oldgrowth forest ended in 2001.

The five RFAs in Victoria (1998-2000) increased reserves by 36.5 per cent, establishing a CAR system of 2.86 million hectares. However, since the RFAs were signed, 657,000ha of native forest has been added to conservation areas, raising the total area to more than 52% of public forest.

Over the same period, the total annual harvested timber volume (both sawlog and pulp log) in State forests has halved from about 2.2 million m3 in 2000-2001, to 1.2 million m3 in 2015-16.

The Victorian RFAs were rolled over as part of the plan to close the industry by 2030. The current annual sustainable yield, before cutbacks begin in 2024, is about 235,000m3.

In Queensland, the SouthEast Forest Agreement failed due to the poor quality of the hardwood plantations that were to take the place of native forest. Timber Queensland is pushing the State Government to revisit the sustainability of the native forest that was taken away from it at the time. www.timberbiz.com.au

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ction against VicForests through the courts initiated by environmental groups continues to cut a swathe through Victoria’s native forest industry, with logging contractors particularly in the firing line.

Brad Meyer, from Meyer Log Cartage in Romsey, just north of Melbourne, said his business had been targeted by the protests.

“We are losing coupes all the time,” he said. His company operates in Victoria’s Central Highlands - around Toolangi, Marysville and Alexandra.

Percy Hull, from NorthEast Logging in Alexandra, north-east of Melbourne, said the inability to harvest allocated coupes meant his business was not making any money.

A total of 160 coupes are affected as a result of injunctions. Mr Meyer said the loss of coupes was having a large impact on his business. “It’s a real bloody mess at the moment, stopping and starting all the time,” he said.

“Normally we would move into a coupe and work there for a while.

That’s how we make our money as a business, but when we are starting and stopping and moving around, it’s keeping us in work, but we are not actually making any money.”

The constant moving meant transport and fuel

• Brad Meyer

• Protest action underway in East Gippsland earlier this year We want to go about our business and not have to look over our shoulder all the time. costs were higher, as machinery had to be moved to coupes further away.

“I’ve been in the industry for 32 years and it’s never been as bad as it is at the moment,” he said.

In late June, the Andrews Government released a major overhaul of the Code of Practice for Timber Production for public comment. The review aims to provide certainty for the forest industry, the Conservation Regulator

and conservationists.

Mr Meyer said this would definitely help stop the protest action. “We want to go about our business and not have to look over our shoulder all the time,” he said.

Mr Hull said his business, having received winter work from VicForests, had hired extra staff, guaranteeing them winter employment. “We built a landing to make it workable in wet weather conditions - a week’s work at extra cost - then they shut us down due to an injunction on the coupe. To keep the new blokes we just put on, we have had to pay them all this time; we said we had work,” he said.

“They found us another coupe. We had to build another landing, which is another week’s work with no pay - double the work we have done, for nothing, plus having to pay our workers so we had fellows to work when we started up again. We are outlaying a lot of money for no return.”

The Shadow Minister for Forestry, Gary Blackwood, said the longer this dragged on, the more chance saw-

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

mill and forestry workers would be facing unpaid downtime.

“Sawmills are running out of logs as VicForests struggles to provide harvesting and haulage contractors and their workers with coupes. It should never have got to this and you would expect Minister D’Ambrosio would honour the recommendations of her own review instead of deliberately stalling by going out to environmental activists for more comment,” he said. “And once again their comment will be fabricated and not backed by genuine science. It is a disgrace.”

A VicForests spokesperson said the deferral of harvesting pending court decisions was challenging for its operations and created uncertainty for Victorian workers across the timber supply chain.

VicForests does not disclose figures relating to individual operations as agreements with contractors and customers are commercial in confidence.

9

In the news

New forestry model for Tiwi Islands

T

The project brings together the Tiwi Plantations Corporation (TPC), local community development specialists, commercial tropical forestry experts and researchers to create a new model of forestry for Tiwi.

Chairman of the Tiwi Plantations Corporation Kim Puruntatameri said the project would deliver new options for economic development and employment for the Tiwi community by supporting a shift away from Acacia -based products and lower-value bleach hard-

he Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA)’s latest collaboration is tipped to increase the export value of the Tiwi Islands forestry industry with the development of improved tree species and management practices over the next three years.

Project participants officially kicked off the threeyear, $4.6 million Maximising northern tropical forestry project during a live webinar event in early September.

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ment and employment on Indigenous-owned lands.

CRCNA Chair Sheriden Morris said the company is proud to support this initiative and to play a role in this transformative project.

Project participants • Forest and Wood Products Australian Limited as co-funder • The Trustee for Tiwi Plantations Corporation Trust • Plantation Management Partners • Northern Territory Government’s Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade • Charles Darwin University • University of Melbourne • Port Melville Impact summary • Research trials will occur within the Tiwi forestry plantation area that has exported 24 shipments of hardwood woodchip, and pine logs to 4 separate customers in China and Japan.

The project will continue to export woodchip for the duration of this project.

• Assessment of current E. pellita and hybrids trials on Melville Island indicate potential increase in productivity of close to 100%.

• Research will also provide the scientific basis for the second rotation planting

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wood kraft pulp, to Eucalyptus-based products like those used in higher-value speciality pulp markets for textiles and other bioeconomic products.

“This fundamental shift in the plantation production system will bolster the longterm viability of the Tiwi plantations and provide an integrated socio-economic model for the expansion of the planation forestry estate in the north,” he said.

“We’re already seeing productivity gains – close to 100% – in a network of small-scale paired trial sites previously planted on Melville Island.

“Based on these figures, this is expected to secure a multimillion export market in future years,” he said.

The Northern Territory

ritory’s economy to $40 billion by 2030, with a focus on growing industries, including agribusiness.

CRCNA Chair Sheriden Morris said the launch of this project during the Developing Northern Australia conference in Darwin, was a great opportunity to highlight the importance of northern forestry as an enabler of economic development for First Nations communities, “The team have co-designed this work to ensure opportunities for the local workforce to train and gain skills in all facets of the research work, meaning the benefit of this research investment will extend beyond the life of this project,” she said.

Ms Morris said training linkages will align with Charles Darwin University’s Indigenous Community Researcher Program through the Northern Institute.

TPC and the research team will not be wasting any time applying the science within a real-life, commercial setting, taking the data from the field to the lab and back to the field in an iterative, closed loop learning process. This will allow for outputs to be quickly turned into decision support tools to help guide best management practice and an ongoing exchange of informa-

info@forestrytools.com.au 02 9417 7751

L-R: Mark Ashley – Port Melville Pty Ltd; Andy Bubb – General Manager, Tiwi Plantations • Corporation Trust; Kim Puruntatameri – Chair, Tiwi Plantations Corporation; Sheriden Morris – CRCNA Chair

Minister for Agribusiness and Aquaculture, and Northern Australia and Trade, Nicole Manison, said the Territory Government is supportive of projects which help create long term local jobs.

“We want to increase investment in the Territory and create sustainable, long-term jobs for locals, particularly in Aboriginal communities. This is part of our target to grow the Ter-

tion between collaborators.

In addition to technical field work and trials, researchers and community development practitioners will work with Aboriginal and rural communities across Northern Australia to document best practice forestry plantation establishment practices and develop a Northern Forestry Industry Growth Model which will outline new options for economic develop-

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

within the Tiwi plantation area.

• This second rotation planting will require investment of over $100 million over 20 years, establish plant nurseries and planting programs that will provide approximately 35 ongoing Tiwi jobs, and provide full-time skilled work for up to 120 Tiwi people over the same period. The Tiwi are seeking third-party investment partners. www.timberbiz.com.au

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In the news Green Triangle awards postponed The Green Triangle Timber Industry Awards night scheduled for October has been transferred to early next year.

GTTIA chairman Adrian Flowers said the past 18 months had seen significant challenges due to the covid-19 health crisis.

He said with circumstances continuing to remain uncertain and with the health and safety of attendees in mind, the GTTIA committee had made the decision to postpone the awards evening.

Initially planned for October 29th the event will be rescheduled to early 2022 to allow the current situation to stabilise.

Mr Flowers said that the committee recognised that sponsors, attendees, and nominees from Victoria had been significantly impacted by current government-imposed restrictions.

“To continue forward and hold the event in their absence would undermine the event’s primary purpose to unite industry players and celebrate the outstanding achievements of award nominees and winners,” he said.

“We will now use this time to launch a new and exciting initiative for the GTTIA Awards celebrating finalists across the nine new award categories,” Mr Flowers said.

12

Amazon destruction proves that attitudes to forestry need to change I

t was disturbing to recently learn that the Amazon basin has switched from a carbon sink to a carbon source.

The Amazon is one of the planet’s largest carbon stores and is critical to the earth’s health, however deforestation is destroying the forests and out of control fires are releasing carbon faster than the rapidly shrinking rainforest can absorb it.

This is a disaster on a global scale and is an example of poor forestry practices, no care for the environment and poor management of a resource in high demand.

Forests are one of the world’s great natural resources, and when such a valuable resource is left unprotected, we will see the greed and recklessness that we are now seeing in the Amazon.

Timber has always been a staple in society and the importance of this resource should not be underestimated. Battles have been long fought over timber, townships were settled in places that were selected for their abundance of timber, people have a great affection for timber products and wood products form a part of our lives every day.

MY VIEW Nick Steel CEO, Tasmanian Forest Products Association

Imagine for a moment your life without forestry products. There are those uses that are obvious such as your house, flooring, kitchens, furniture, paper, cardboard, tissues, newspaper, nappies, sanitary products and paper towels.

Then there are the little more obscure uses like as an additive in some fast foods (yes you read that right, including cheese and breads), bath towels and fabrics (rayon is a by-product of the pulping process), toothpaste, nail polish and paints, medications, sunscreen and even table tennis balls and guitar picks

contain wood-based products.

In fact wood is such an amazing and flexible product with a wide myriad of uses that if it didn’t exist, we would have to invent it because we all use products made from it every day.

And the fact is we don’t just accidentally use forestry products, we actively seek them out.

Do you choose a paper or plastic bag for your shopping? Would you like the wooden dining table or a plastic one? Do you prefer cardboard packaging or plastic?

This all creates demand for forestry products because we want a better world, but if the source of these forestry products is not responsible and not sustainable, well then we create the situation that is unfolding in the Amazon right now.

And that is why attitudes need to change.

Unlike the Amazon, in which an area the size of Tasmania is clear felled every 84 days, in Tasmania we replant every tree that is harvested and we regenerate all native forests.

The numbers and the scale of Tasmanian forestry is there for all to see with more than 300,000 hectares

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

of plantation forests producing the bulk of the state’s forestry industry whilst over a million hectares or 91% of old growth is locked up and protected.

In Tasmania we are protecting our forest reserves for the health of the planet, and we are producing a renewable and biodegradable resource in a responsible and sustainable way. We are the envy of the world, because we have the best of both worlds.

We have vast areas of protected native forests, a thriving plantation sector and locally produced forestry products for housing, furniture and fibre.

Yet we are always an easy target for critics as the impact of harvesting is right there, accessible and plain for all to see. You only need a car and a phone to get out to a coupe and take photos of stumps and forest harvesting.

You might equally get a shock if you were to wander into an abattoir to see where your lamb chops come from, the process of obtaining the things we need is not always pretty to look at, of course ours is not behind closed doors which means it attracts more attention.

www.timberbiz.com.au

In the news

We cut down trees, we know that and you know that. But we also grow trees, millions of them every year and it is important that we talk about and understand that if attitudes are to change.

The fact is that in order to provide the timber we need to build houses and to supply fibre, trees will need to be cut down. Despite the massive leaps forward that the industry has made in recent decades we haven’t yet found a way to build you a home without cutting down trees.

So what’s it to be?

Forestry products are in record demand globally as they provide the solutions the world is seeking out such as renewability and carbon storage.

We are finding new ways to use wood fibre to provide a renewable and biodegradable solution to plastic waste.

The industry in Tasmania is sustainable. We replace every tree that is harvested and we are literally “growing” our plantation sector as well as finding more and better uses for our plantation timbers.

We have locked up and protected much of our high conservation forests and we

Password-design1

The industry in Tasmania is sustainable. We replace every tree that is harvested and we are literally ‘‘growing’’ our plantation sector as well as finding more and better uses for our plantation timbers.

Amazon and other parts of the world is wrong, there is no doubt.

Demand for responsibly sourced forestry products is good, it is renewable and providing the environmental solutions we need.

What is happening in sustainable forestry in Tasmania is world leading, and we are continually improving.

But for many this balance is not enough, they choose to live in denial about where the forestry products they demand come from and have made an industry of criticising our little corner of the world for doing it right.

The Amazon has 529 million hectares of forests (total land area 634 million).

Tasmania has just over 3.4 million hectares of forests (total land area 6.8 million).

The Amazon is emitting more carbon than it absorbs.

Tasmania has created a sustainable industry that is renewable and is a carbon are now recognised as be- store.

If you are demanding paing on the front line when it comes to solutions to tack- per, cardboard and wood over plastic, steel and conling climate change.

So, attitudes must change, crete, well then where are and our hardened critics you demanding it from? need to take a fresh look at Tasmania or the Amazon?

So next time you hear the Tasmanian industry to understand how much we someone say they don’t suphave changed and adapted port Tasmanian forestry, in line with community ex- maybe consider this, is that attitude part of the solution pectation.

What is happening in the or a part of the problem.

Colac agroforest project wins Landcare Award

V

ictorian farmer Andrew Stewart has won the prestigious Bob Hawke Landcare Award for his environmental work and sustainable agricultural achievements on his 230-hectare grazing and agroforestry property at Corangamite near Colac.

The award, which comes with a $50,000 prize, was presented by Agriculture Minister David Littleproud as part of the Landcare national conference, held online this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. www.timberbiz.com.au

Mr Stewart’s Yan Yan Gurt West Farm in southern Victoria is a remarkable example of how to successfully combine regenerative grazing and agroforestry.

Plantings of 50,000 trees and shrubs have increased woody vegetation across the farm from 3 per cent to 18 per cent, without impacting agricultural production.

Mr Littleproud said Mr Stewart’s commitment to delivering the Yan Yan Gurt Creek Catchment community revegetation program, which has restored nearly

18km of creek frontage and formed a wildlife corridor to connect several farms across the district, has been impressive.

“It is this combination of on-ground results and ability to bring the community together that truly demonstrates the Landcare ethos and makes Mr Stewart a worthy winner of this important award,” he said.

“It is also important to recognise our finalists – Mr Justin Kirby and Mr James Walker – who are both delivering outstanding contribu-

tions to farming and their respective communities.

All of our finalists showcase the true depth, dedication, and knowledge of the Landcare movement.

“These are the people who are defining the future of effective natural resource management across Australia’s natural environment, our farms and our communities.

“Their achievements are something that every Australian should be proud of.”

Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley congratu-

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

lated all Award winners and nominees, and said the awards highlighted the important role that Landcare plays in protecting our environment and biodiversity.

“Landcare is at the front line of caring for our environment in a very hands-on way,” Minister Ley said.

“As someone whose involvement with my local Landcare group stretches back over 20 years, I have seen the inspiration that comes from recognising the achievements of those who are nominated for Awards.”

13

In the news Profile

Timber Hubs, the ‘COVID Canoe’ project, and a return to Tassie After more than 25 years’ working in domestic and international forestry and agriculture sectors, the Tasmania Regional Forestry Hub’s new general manager will soon return to his home state where he hopes to make a tangible difference to the growth and standing of the local forest and forest products industry.

S

imon Talbot—who hails from six generations of Tasmanian farmers and foresters—will commence his new role in mid-September, following an interstate move from Victoria where he currently holds the position of Executive Director for the state’s largest land manager, Parks Victoria/DELWP. Here, Simon Talbot discusses his long-held vow to one day return to Tassie, his passion to make a difference in the state’s forest industry, his unpaid work as an unofficial Uber driver and his ‘COVID Canoe’ project.

Q. How long and in what capacity have you been involved in the forest industry?

A. I have always been connected to the land and involved in agriculture, forestry and food supply for over 25 years. My two large stints in forestry-related areas have been for Australian Paper

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Q. What drew you to apply for the Hub GM role?

A. When I left Tassie I vowed to come back and work in the area I feel most passionate about; for me it was always going to be food or forestry related. And to be blunt when I left the sector the reputation [of the industry in Tasmania] wasn’t the best, the good stories were not being told, the market was confused, and investment wasn’t coming.

Now I believe we are on the cusp of a golden age, for the industry— and Tasmania in general, and I want to help to showcase what is being achieved, to support innovation and new developments, a revitalised supply chain, help create a pipeline of talent and achieve the right pa(Paperlinx) for seven years and tient investment models.

Kraft Cadbury (Mondelez), also for Q. What do you hope to achieve in seven years.

I worked at Australia Paper both your new role?

A. The Hub’s Vision and Roadmap at its Burnie and Devonport operations and then in head office in is an excellent blueprint, developed Melbourne where I led strategic by the industry for the industry. corporate sales and supported sus- Therese [Taylor— Netowork Containable new product development venor] sent it to me and talked me (e.g. Reflex Recycled). This included through it—and I was in.

I want to help identify the practical forest certification systems, market education and new products (pass- ‘must-haves’ and drive hard to land them. I’m very passionate to talk at port and security papers).

Paperlink was also a leading glob- a grass roots level and understand al seller of forest products, and I individual company challenges and became involved in both the pro- opportunities. I have a very clear motion of the sector but also best business principle: every action practice supply chain analysis. The should either make the production latter enabled me to review SCA’s more profitable/sustainable and/ European operations as a part of a or produce a better product for the best practice exchange and I have consumer (build loyalty/brand and admired Sweden’s forest and timber ability to attract a price premium). sector performance ever since.

Q. You currently reside interstate.

I had the privilege of leading Kraft/Cadbury Tree Crop partner- What appeals to you about living in ships in Asia Pacific too. It was a Tasmania?

A. I was born, bred, and educated reeeaaallly tough gig working for the world’s largest chocolate and in Tasmania and always thought coffee company! This role involved I would return. It was travelling the identification of farmer cooper- through Asia away from family that atives and associated country part- made me realise how special a place nerships, development of supply Tasmania is.

In 2012 we purchased a farm near chain and productivity programs, investment models and ‘in country’ Sheffield and every opportunity we brand development (social licence). had we would bring the kids over and I worked extensively in Australia, reconnect. We have lots of family and Indonesia, Vietnam, Papua New friends in Tassie and I look forward to reconnecting and giving back.

Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Q. What opportunities has working in the industry provided you?

A. It’s always about the people you meet and their stories. Our industry is rich in both history and opportunity, and for me I was able to travel the world and see the best and sometimes, the worst operations. I was able to continuously learn, challenge peoples’ perceptions of forestry and also drive change within organisations and government for better support and recognition.

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

Q. On a weekend we’d find you…

A. Well, with four children I often feel like an unpaid Uber driver! But I do like to keep fit, cycle, hike and MTB, I get my energy on the farm spending time with cattle and vines.

I actually dabble in wood craft, and—thanks to Britton Timbers— during last year’s long Melbourne lockdown I made a ‘COVID Canoe’ out of Tas Oak and Celery Top and it actually floats, to the relief and surprise of Natalie, my wife. www.timberbiz.com.au

Awards

National Forestry Awards shared by four States T he 2021 National Forest Industry Awards were presented in Canberra at the start of the month, with awards going to Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia.

Sustainable Timber Tasmania’s Suzette Weeding won the Midway Woman in Forest Industries Award of Excellence.

Suzette has been a long-valued member of Australia’s forest industries, from her beginnings in forest practices and environmental management and having progressed into an established and inspiring executive.

Recently, Suzette was appointed as Chair of the Gottstein Trust, a national educational trust for the forest and forest wood products sector.

C3 Australia’s Hayley Filipovic won the Lonza Forest Industries Emerging Leader of the Year Award.

Hayley joined C3 Australia - part of LINX Cargo Care Group - as an Operations Manager in Portland, Victoria, in 2019 and in April 2020 assumed the role of Regional Manager – Green Triangle. Today Hayley oversees all C3 operations in the area which include in field chipping, haulage, log marshalling, and support services.

The NSW Forestry Corporation – Innovation in Health and Safety Award of Excellence went to AKD Softwoods’ National Health and Safety Manager Toni Kirkup.

Toni implemented a national Safety Interaction Program and ensured that all of AKD’s leaders were introduced to the process. She also initiated a process where employees provided statements and photos

about why safety was important to them and their families.

During the COVID pandemic in 2020 where Colac case number grew to 130, in a town of just 12,000, Toni provided leadership, not only to AKD, but in the wider community, including through the Keep Colac Safe campaign.

Wespine Industries won the ForestWorks Innovation in Training Award.

Wespine secured the award off the back of a massive training program focusing on the culture of the leadership team, supervisors and shopfloor employees undertaken over a four-year period with surveys conducted throughout.

And Forest Products Commission of WA’s Ben Sawyer won the Visy Innovation in Business Award.

Ben has been at FPC for 25 years and is the organisation’s Aboriginal Engagement Manager. He created ‘Sandalwood Dreaming’ as an innovative way to engage Traditional Owners and support Aboriginal businesses to build forestry capacity and seek out Aboriginal entrepreneurs within Aboriginal Communities to work out business opportunities.

The National Forest Industry Awards were organised by the Australian Forest Products Association.

• C3 Australia’s Hayley Filipovic.

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Sustainable Timber Tasmania’s • Suzette Weeding. www.timberbiz.com.au

Forest Products Commission of • WA’s Ben Sawyer.

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Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

15

Logging profile Push to bring states into Billion Trees Plan

Ross • Hampton Australia’s forest industries have welcomed the Federal Government’s commitment to drive progress on the Billion Trees Plan launched in 2018 through concerted collaboration with state and territory jurisdictions.

In an address to AFPA’s National Forest Industries Symposium, Federal Assistant Minister for Forestry, Senator Jonno Duniam, outlined his commitment to work more closely with state and territory governments to deliver the Commonwealth’s 2030 goal to grow Australia’s timber plantation estate by one billion trees.

“I intend to convene a meeting with my state and territory counterparts to get sign up to this goal, to find out exactly what it is, they are intending to do to achieve this goal,” he said.

“We’ve got nine years to achieve it, we will achieve it, I’m committed to that.”

Australian Forest Products Association CEO Ross Hampton welcomed Senator Duniam’s efforts to drive greater collaboration with the states and territories to achieve the Billion Trees Plan.

“Australia is currently experiencing significant production timber supply constraints as a result of the housing construction boom and a sharp decline in timber imports,” he said.

“If we don’t get more trees in the ground as soon as possible we can expect to see more frequent and severe timber supply constraints.

“As AFPA has often highlighted, historically all of Australia’s plantation expansion has occurred through federal-state government programs as a result of COAG-level efforts to be more self-sufficient in our housing timber needs,” Mr Hampton said.

16

Laurence and • Jeffrey Fielding

standing on the landing.

Tassie logger happy with life in State’s north-west L 845C Harvester and TH570 aurence Fielding area. believes things are “I like to go mainly Tiger- Harvesting Head, a Tigergoing pretty well for Cat apart from the excava- cat 1075B 8 Wheel Drive him in North Western Tas- tor and loading equipment,” Forwarder, a Hitachi ZX225USRL Excavator for mania.

Laurence said.

The family operation is alTo meet their production Restoration and Loading ready one year into its sec- targets Fielding Logging use and a LH822C harvester ond five-year contract with a range of Tigercat equip- fitted with Tigercat TH570 Harvesting Head utilised in Forico. ment which include “At this stage, that’s pretty Fielding Logging is cur- steep coupes.

The second team runs a good compared to a lot,” rently running one team Laurance said. with a Tigercat 845E Har- Tigercat 845E Harvester and “We got two crews with vester and TH570 Har- TH570 Harvesting Head, a each doing 75,000 tons.” vesting Head, a Tigercat Tigercat 845C Harvester and The timber is mainly export peeler logs and chip logs for the pulp and paper industry.

Fielding Logging is one of around 12 companies currently harvesting for Forico.

Laurence started in the industry with a logging truck in 1978.

In 1994 he bought out a logging company working for Associated Forest Holdings, then Rio Tinto and then Gunns.

Today, Laurence with Glenys and sons Adam and Jeffrey are running the operation.

As well, they have six on staff working as processors, fowarders and mechanics operating in Northwest Tasmania around the Guilford Jeffrey Fielding standing with harvester and head.

TH570 Harvesting Head, a Tigercat 1075C 8 Wheel Drive Forwarder, a Kobelco SK260LC-10 Excavator for Restoration and Loading, and a Tigercat L830 Harvester Feller Buncher - fitted with Tigercat 5702 disc saw fitted when needed.

The company also still has an original Tigercat 845B fitted with a Waratah head for spare but it mainly cuts firewood.

•

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

www.timberbiz.com.au

Carbon capture

Pilot project a commitment to carbon farming C arbon farming has positive environmental outcomes, while simultaneously boosting cashflow and creating more jobs in the forest and timber industries In July 2020, OneFortyOne started planting a pilot project on 126 hectares of a 344 hectare project at Tullich in Western Victoria. It’s a 25-year-plus commitment to carbon farming, where the carbon sequestered by the trees we plant will generate credits from the Emission Reduction Fund (ERF) for the next 15 years. This is just one way we can demonstrate how addressing climate change can go hand-in-hand with profitable business practices.

The Tullich project was a shortrotation blue gum plantation, which we’ve converted to longrotation radiata pine. The timber produced by the pines will store

carbon for 30 to 100 years, as opposed to the paper produced by the gumtrees, which stores carbon for an average of six years.

OFO’s chief forester Glen Rivers says the carbon is measured as a proportion of the biomass of the tree, and we will monitor the growth of the trees over the period of this project.

“The carbon sequestration over the project life is expected to be approximately 63,000 tonnes of CO2, which is enough to offset emissions from 13,500 cars each year,” he said

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18

OneFortyOne Research Manager Dr Danielle Wiseman with WeAct’s • Vivek Dugar.

That carbon is forecast to create an income of over $700,000 during the first 15 years of growth, after which the credits cease.

“We can earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) for every tonne of emissions stored through this project and sell the ACCUs to the Australian Government or other business to generate additional revenue.

“We were motivated to begin carbon farming for the environmental and business case benefits,” Glen said.

“We will manage this forest in exactly the same way as we do our

We were motivated to begin carbon farming for the environmental and business case benefits. other plantation areas. The extra revenue will help us get more trees in the ground, which in the coming years will also help to meet Australia’s growing need for timber.’’

OneFortyOne Research Manager • Dr Danielle Wiseman with WeAct’s Vivek Dugar.

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

www.timberbiz.com.au

Silviculture

Five million trees start their journey in Grafton M

ore than five million pine and eucalyptus seeds are being sown this year at Forestry Corporation of NSW’s Grafton nursery.

The program is providing a boost to local employment and continuing to rebuild NSW State forest plantations previously harvested or lost in the Black Summer bushfires.

Grafton nursery staff are currently planting around 130,000 seeds a day to supply the 2022 planting program, said Forestry Corporation Nursery Manager Kath French.

“Our softwoods program will see around four million cells of Southern Pine, Hoop Pine and Radiata Pine seeds sown, which will eventually be planted in areas such as Grafton, the north coast, Walcha and Bathurst,” Ms French said.

“We are also sowing hardwood seeds, which will ultimately see 1.1 million of these seedlings go out the gate in 2022.”

Ms French said the nursery is a crucial component of Forestry Corporation’s operations.

“Wood is the ultimate renewable resource – our forests are regrown or replanted to continue the forest cycle into the future,” Ms French said.

“We’ve dispatched more than 80 million seedlings from Grafton nursery over the last 25 years, which have ultimately helped build people’s homes and vital infrastructure.

“Each year we dispatch seedlings to be replanted in

our forests. We also supply a further 200,000 seedlings to private industry, including private forestry and revegetation/restoration organisations.”

Over the coming year, the crop will be carefully handweeded, fertilised, nurtured and watered to produce seedlings in time for planting over summer and autumn.

“Sowing and dispatching are our busiest times of the year, creating up to an extra 10 seasonal positions, which have traditionally been filled by local people.”

Forestry Corporation is the largest producer of plantation-grown radiata pine in Australia, managing more than 240,000 hectares of plantations around the state and producing more than 3.5 million tonnes of timber each year. This is enough to construct about a quarter of the houses built in Australia each year.

Control freak?

Blackbutt seedlings at Forestry • Corporation of NSW’s Grafton nursery.

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Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

19

I N T R O D U C I N G T H E T I G E R C AT

The new Tigercat H-series skidders have arrived.

220° Turnaround® seat with full drive controls 20% more cab space 19% more window area

Redesigned cab, easy serviceability and superior

Adjustable, heavy-duty air ride seat

productivity. Experience the H-series for yourself.

Climate controlled cup holder

Contact Onetrak today to find out more.

Dedicated storage locations Completely redesigned HVAC system Reinforced engine enclosure doors High-capacity dual cylinder grapples Full tractive effort at any engine speed

C A B S PA C E

WINDOW AREA

Harvesters

cally designed and has increased vision with the cabin following the boom as it moves. Outside the cab, superior traction and stability are achieved with both the 1270G and 1470G six-wheel models offering a balanced bogie in the front and rigid rear axle, while the 1270G eight-wheel model has balanced bogie axles front and rear. The eight-wheel configuration also results in reduced ground pressure on sensitive sites and improved traction for steep terrain.

Tracked Harvesters

John Deere harvesters a new era of excellence J

ohn Deere’s range of wheeled and tracked harvesters deliver ideal solutions for diverse harvesting applications and environments — from late thinnings to regeneration harvesting, larger trees, and demanding terrain and conditions.

John Deere Asia Pacific and Africa General Manager – Sales & Marketing Forestry, Simon Shackleton, said the harvester lineup was built to handle the unique demands of operating in harsh conditions across the globe.

“The John Deere harvester range covers almost any conditions for an operator in Australia or New Zealand, no matter how tough,” Mr Shackleton said.

“Deere not only offers both wheeled and tracked harvesters, but also a full range of harvester attachments to meet the demanding applications we have in the Oceania region. This means operators can choose a harvester carrier with the right attachment based on how challenging their operating environment is and matching the application and tree size.”

This level of adaptability is also reflected in the factoryinstalled control and moni22

Key Points n the wheeled • Iharvester range,

toring systems included on all machines, to ensure operators can easily integrate any attachment.

Mr Shackleton said one of the features that sets John Deere apart was its yearslong history of developing its own engines. John Deere has built off-road engines since 1900 and produced its five millionth engine worldwide in 2004.

“All harvesters are powered by the John Deere 6090, 9-litre PowerTech Plus engine, which offers operators superior reliability, excellent fuel economy and does not compromise on design for the application,” he said.

“Deere is one of the only OEMs that produces its own engine, and we have an unwavering focus on innovating our engine technology to meet environmental standards while providing the power, reliability and efficiency customers have come to expect.

operators can choose between three models, the 1270G six-wheel and eight-wheel models and the 1470G six-wheel option.

ohn Deere’s tracked • Jharvesters are designed to meet the needs of the toughest of terrain with both leveling and non-leveling, restricted tail swing or full counterweight models, and the right attachment for the application.

ree on any compatible • FJohn Deere forestry machinery are, TimberMaticTM Maps and TimberManagerTM and JDLink assist customers to operate more efficiently, profitability and sustainably while monitoring their machines remotely.

Wheeled Harvesters In the wheeled harvester range, operators can choose between three models, the 1270G six-wheel and eight-

wheel models and the 1470G six-wheel option.

The 1270G and 1470G models are bolstered by Intelligent Boom Control (IBC), technology of which John Deere has been industry-leading in its development and use. IBC increases accuracy and productivity by allowing the operator to control the harvester head, while the system directs the movements of the boom.

Designed for the unique work cycle of the harvester, the movement and operation of the boom automatically guides the attachment towards the tree to be harvested.

“John Deere introduced IBC on harvesters into Australia two years ago and it has proven to dramatically improve operation of the boom and attachment, resulting in increased productivity, reduced operator fatigue and fuel consumption,” Mr Shackleton said.

Productivity is further enhanced with Processing Power Control (PPC) which gives three levels of processing power based on tree size, and also reduces fuel consumption.

The leveling and rotating cabin is also a John Deere exclusive feature. The cab interior has been ergonomi-

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

John Deere’s offering of tracked harvesters are designed to meet the needs of the toughest of terrain with both leveling and non-leveling, restricted tail swing or full counterweight models, and the right attachment for the application.

“The tracked harvesters provide operators with reliable tractive effort, while the different track options enable excellent maneuverability in both flat and steep conditions,” Mr Shackleton said.

The tracked harvesters including the 859MH and 959MH, offer best in class leveling with the 26° forwarder, 7° backward and 14° side-to-side, as well as the 803MH, 853MH and 953MH non-leveling models. Operators also have the choice of either the 9.12m power boom or the 10.34m boom for additional reach, while Dual Swing Drives are standard with all models.

Precision Forestry Free on any compatible John Deere forestry machinery, TimberMaticTM Maps and TimberManagerTM and JDLink assist customers to operate more efficiently, profitability and sustainably while monitoring their machines remotely.

TimberMatic Maps is an onboard real-time, mapbased solution which shows the volume and location of production onsite and at the landings, while other features include geofencing, places and areas of interest.

Cloud-based TimberManager is an off-board solution enabling real-time information on machines and operations through a smart phone, tablet, or PC. www.timberbiz.com.au

ABOVE ATHE CUT REST ABOVE THE REST CONTACT + 64 21 842413 OR GO TO QUADCO.COM CONTACT + 64 21 842413 OR GO TO QUADCO.COM

Harvester Heads New Zealand Forester of the Year award The New Zealand Institute of Forestry has announced the winner of its prestigious 2021 Forester of the Year award.

In what has been an exceptionally volatile year for many, the forestry sector remains a significant contributor to the New Zealand economy.

NZIF President James Treadwell says the industry is working hard to benefit Aotearoa/New Zealand and New Zealanders, not only with significant returns to GDP but also to offer social benefits including carbon capture, recreation opportunities, clean water, biodiversity and general wellbeing.

“We’re fortunate with our high-calibre industry professionals who set the standards for others to aspire to,” he said.

“The NZIF relishes the opportunity to celebrate with ‘the best of the best’ and to proudly champion the recipients of NZIF’s awards.”

This year’s recipient, Paul Millen, was acknowledged for his diverse range of skills and experience, from hard graft and commitment at grass roots level to high level policy planning and execution and academic leadership.

The NZIF Forester of the Year is a highly coveted prize which rewards a person for their outstanding contribution to the forestry sector throughout the year. Paul is described as a visionary with the ability to bridge both academic and industry groups. He understands the science and can communicate this to people at all levels from professional foresters to tree enthusiasts. He has massive drive, energy, and capacity for work, and has made and will no doubt continue to make an outstanding contribution to the NZ forest industry.

The NZIF has also appointed a new Fellow, Murray Dudfield, particularly for his tireless work on rural fires over three decades.

24

Waratah’s unveils trio for the tough jobs Key Points he new heads are • Tavailable to in Europe,

W

aratah Forestry Equipment has released the new H425, H425HD and H425X – a trio of rugged harvester heads built for tough jobs.

With a powerful control valve and four roller feed arm geometry, each high-performance head is productive on wheeled or tracked carriers.

“These models are built for durability and performance,” said Brent Fisher, product marketing manager for Waratah. “Among other updates, new hose protection and servicing enhancements make these great heads even better.”

The standard H425 (1360 kg or 2,998 lb.), H425HD (1390 kg or 3,064 lb.) and hefty H425X (1426 kg or 3,143 lb.) each offer increased reliability with new feed motor hosing routings and new covers. For quick and easy servicing, each head features a new hinged valve cover and improved access to greasing points.

H425 Optimizing performance, productivity and delimbing, the H425 excels in large diameter regeneration harvesting. A powerful control valve and feed-roller arm geometry ensure a solid grip and agile harvester head control for all diameter classes.

For increased uptime and lower daily operating costs, the H425 offers improved hose routing from boom to harvester head and from the valve to feed motors, keeping hoses well protected from limbs and understory interference.

The H425 offers optional saw motor sizes, standard (narrow stem) or buttress (wide stem) saw frames for challenging applications, and processing knives for picking stems from the ground or bunch piles.

H425HD Built to work on the toughest jobs, the H425HD fea-

the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Africa, Asia, Brazil and Latin America.

ach high-performance • Ehead is productive on wheeled or tracked carriers.

aratah Forestry • WEquipment,

headquartered in Rotorua, New Zealand, has served the global forestry industry for 45 years.

extra feed motor component guarding, heavy-duty tilt frame, hose protection and increased drive arm durability for demanding applications in mixed stand harvesting. Its four roller feed arm geometry ensures rollers grip solidly in all diameters, improving responsiveness with unprecedented tree-processing performance – especially in large timber.

Purpose-built for tracked harvesters, the H425X offers options for many applications with multi-tree handling, an integrated top saw and processing knives for picking from piles or hardwood applications, and many feed wheel options to suit numerous applications.

“The H425, H425HD and H425X are reliable heads for heavy-duty applicaWaratah’s new H425, H425HD and H425X harvester heads. tions,” Fisher said. “With each new head generation, we’re providing our customtures a heavy-duty tilt frame, block and grease points are ers the solutions they need to maximize productivity feed motors and guarding to also easily accessible.

The H425HD offers op- and uptime.” provide even more durabilThe Waratah H425, ity. With a powerful control tional saw motor sizes, valve and a top saw option, standard (narrow stem) or H425HD and H425X are curthe high-performance head buttress (wide stem) saw rently available to customoffers great productivity, es- frames for challenging ap- ers in Europe, the United pecially for wheeled carrier plications, and processing States, Canada, Australia, knives for picking stems New Zealand, Russia, Afapplications.

For ease of maintenance, from the ground or bunch rica, Asia, Brazil and Latin America. the H425HD now has easy piles.

For more information filling of saw chain oil. LikeH425X about Waratah, please visit wise, daily maintenance The H425X features an ex- Waratah.com or contact can be performed without changing the position of the treme duty main saw box Sarah Larson at slarson@ harvester head. The valve with heavier steel plating, mindfirecomm.com.

•

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

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Forest Machinery

Komatsu Forest’s new intelligent transmissions I

n recent years large Forwarder development has been limited in many areas of the machine design.

Therefore, increasing the productivity of a large forwarder has been restricted by the actual machine size and the forestry conditions throughout the global markets. This left the Komatsu Forest engineers with the task of how to improve production within the same envelope while meeting the challenges of all the different markets.

To tackle the challenge Komatsu Forest AB spent several years in developing two new transmission options to meet the various demanding conditions from global markets. For the trialling process Australia was chosen as one of the testing grounds, and for the last few years an 895 with a “SpeedShift Transmission” completed over 3000 hours of testing in the Tumut re-

gion. A second machine was also introduced in early 2020 for testing with an “Extreme Transmission”, this machine was delivered into Colac region and has now clocked over 2,000 hours.

Both machines have performed well above everyone’s expectations.

These new transmissions are now available in the Komatsu 895.2 which still comes with the standard transmission but the two options of the “SpeedShift” or “Xtreme” transmissions will be an additional cost.

For the future deliveries in Australia, Komatsu Forest has decided to only import the two new transmission options with their introduction commencing in the 2nd half of this year. In the near future the SpeedShift Transmission will also be available in the smaller forwarder models.

“The main objective was to develop two 895 transmission systems that would cover the two extremes of a flat and steep terrain applications”, says Brett Jones Managing Director Komatsu Forest P/L. “And obviously improve the production in these two applications”, he added.

Speedshift Transmission: It was developed to operate in flatter terrain it can also manage steeper terrain if required by still having the same tractive effort as the standard 895 at 262 kN. The stepless speed shift feature allows the machine to travel throughout its entire speed range without having to stop to change from low to high range.

This infinite speed control of 0 – 22 km/h provides the best of both worlds, torque when required and ground speed when the terrain allows for a higher travel speed.

KOMATSU 895.2 TRANSMISSIONS Standard Transmission VL99

SpeedShift Transmission VL97

Xtreme Transmission VL125

Range Shift High/Low Gearbox Speed range 1: 0-7.5kph 2: 0-23kph

SpeedShift: The shift occurs “on the fly” Speed range: 0-22kph

Range Shift High/Low Gearbox for extreme conditions: Speed range 1: 0-10kph 2: 0-24kph

K895.2 Speed Shift

K895.2 Xtreme

JD 1910 G

Elephant King

23,600

24,400

22,200

22,900

Max Tractive Effort (kN)

262

307

230

240

Ratio Tractive Effort/ Weight

0.61

0.7

0.57

0.57

Theoretical Climb Ability Angle

37.8

44.8

34.7

34.8

Machine Weight (kg) 8x8

www.timberbiz.com.au

• Clearwater’s Komatsu 895 with Xtreme Transmission.

A new Komatsu 895.2 with SpeedShift Transmission was recently delivered to Tabeel Trading Pty Ltd at Mt Gambier and has clocked about 350 hours, so early days yet but it certainly got the “thumbs up from the operator.”

Apparently the SpeedShift Transmission has improved extraction speeds.

Xtreme Transmission: This was purely developed for severe applications ranging from a scarifier application to a steep terrain application of up to 35 degrees where a typical forwarder is limited to approximately 25 degrees.

The Xtreme transmission provides a great amount of drive torque at 307 kN, this makes it the most powerful forwarder on the market which makes it very suitable for steep terrain.

It’s important to note the differential/bogie system has also been upgraded including larger final drive reductions to handle the in-

creased torque all driven by a dual motor gearbox.

The first Komatsu 895 fitted with the Xtreme Transmission was delivered to Clearwater Transport & Logging P/L operating in the usual steep and wet conditions of the Otways early last year.

These were the prime conditions for which Mick Fenn purchased this unit but as not unexpected there were a few teething problems with the new concept.

These were sorted out by KF service team and now it’s exceeding expectations.

“Works extremely well,” says Mick, “much better than the standard 895,” he added.

This was confirmed by the operator who’s very impressed with the new 895 Extreme’s capabilities, stability and ground speed.

Similar to the Speedshift the extraction speed loaded and unloaded have improved dramatically for the steeper terrains.

• Tabeel’s new Komatsu 895.2 with SpeedShift.

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

25

Software BRIEFS New power option John Deere has added a 330-horsepower option for the 853M Tracked Feller Buncher and 853MH Tracked Harvester, equipped with the Dedicated Travel System.

The 10% increase in horsepower, combined with the optional Dedicated Travel System, allows for higher productivity, and enhanced overall machine efficiency.

Other key features found on the 853M and 853MH machines include a comfortable operator station with excellent visibility, ergonomically designed controls, and the fatigue-reducing Rapid Cycle System (RCS).

Support App A new smartphone app supported by the Victorian Government will be a onestop-shop for female truck drivers to give them the confidence and support they need on the road.

The $1.38 million Oz Truck App will provide 24/7 emergency support during breakdowns and crashes, as well as an online forum for drivers to provide peer support, health and wellbeing information, and petrol station, weighbridge and rest-stop finders.

The app was developed after research undertaken at Wodonga TAFE identified negative cultural perceptions of women in the freight and logistics industry.

Preferred supplier deal John Deere has announced a preferred supplier agreement with engcon, a global market leader in tiltrotators.

Tiltrotator models ranging from the EC204 up to the EC233 will be available through John Deere construction and compact construction equipment and Hitachi excavator dealers. These tiltrotator models match with the John Deere 26G through 345G and Hitachi ZX26 through ZX345 Excavator models. The engcon tiltrotator lineup will be available at John Deere and Hitachi excavator dealers in the United States and Canada.

26

Data intelligence drives innovation in forestry Lavonne Boutcher

D

igital technologies are fuelling the latest transformation within forestry, and data analytics, in particular, is giving foresters new insight to help them make better decisions that improve efficiency and performance.

“Data is driving the next wave of innovation,” says Doug Jones, Remsoft’s Senior Vice-President.

“As companies become more data efficient, not just capturing data but also mining it for insights using data analytics, they are learning more about their business – where and how to improve.

By finding these hidden opportunities for improvement you can innovate to stay ahead of the curve and be cost competitive.”

Better supply chain visibility While the complexity of forestry presents a multitude of management challenges, it also makes forestry operations an ideal fit for data analytics and planning optimization.

On any given day, forestry planners make critical decisions that impact both current operations and future

activities. Decisions made at one point in the supply chain often have ripple effects farther down. Having multiple decision variables to consider at each point makes it difficult to find the best path forward.

decisions based on data,” explains Jones.

Another challenge many planners face is a lack of visibility. Relying on manual processes and fragmented data makes planning cumbersome and time consuming. There are also blind spots that make it hard to see the road ahead. With a unified planning platform,

While the complexity of forestry presents a multitude of management challenges, it also makes forestry operations an ideal fit for data analytics and planning optimization.

With a central platform for operations management and planning optimization you can automate and add rigor to existing processes with data analytics. “Leveraging cloud technologies, optimization modeling and AI you can now use analytics to drive more confident

all your data is integrated, workflows are connected and routine processes can be automated to save time.

A leader in forest intelligence Remsoft has been helping forestry companies turn data into intelligence for 30 years. Their Remsoft

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

Operations cloud and Sales and Operations (S&OP) Optimization application work together as an end-to-end solution that gives planners decision support at every point in the supply chain.

Remsoft’s S&OP Optimization application allows planners to model the forest supply chain and balance important factors like timing, mill demand, haul costs, crews and equipment. By optimizing harvest and delivery schedules, you can assign the right crews and systems to the right harvest blocks at the right time to fulfill sales contracts, reduce costs and maximize revenue.

Remsoft Operations is a planning analytics application that provides insight and visibility into every aspect of operations for real time planning and scheduling. It also makes data and insight available anytime, anywhere in the cloud. You get a unified view of the forest supply chain and instant access to harvest, allocation and delivery information.

By centralizing data, you get a single source of truth, improving data access, quality www.timberbiz.com.au

Software and control. And with input from the S&OP model, the team can be confident they are always working with the best plan.

One of its newest features is a Transportation Scheduling module that allows planners to assign fleets to road-side inventory and create delivery schedules from the unit to the mill. With the ability to define both fleet capacity and the cycle times between units and destinations, planners can create schedules that show both the daily product volume expected at a mill and the number of days it will take a transportation fleet to complete a delivery assignment.

Reducing freight costs Wood transportation offers a clear example of how the combined benefits of Remsoft Operations and S&OP Optimization play out in the real world.

Transporting logs from the forest to the mill is known to be one of the biggest costs associated with producing lumber and pulp.

Therefore, anytime you can

Crew scheduling within • Remsoft Operations:

Planners can assign crews to harvest units and view the impact on the daily/ weekly schedules and on key metrics.

find efficiencies in freight and make better decisions about how to schedule and manage forest operations, you can reduce costs significantly.

Using the combined capabilities of Remsoft’s planning and optimization applications, you can allocate wood to the right destinations to minimize freight costs by running routines and optimization schedules to find out the best place to move the wood to maximize your margin and meet your contracts.

“If you have a complex supply chain with lots of options on where to send that wood, there are lots of choices. And what mathematical optimization will do is find the very best choice,” says Jones.

Seeing the future Intelligent analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are revolutionizing efficiency in almost every industrial sector, including forestry.

To help companies prepare for the next wave of opportunities, Remsoft has added AI capabilities within its technology. Remsoft Opera-

tions client are now able to use their operational data to train sophisticated AI models and make model-based predictions on planning drivers such as unit volume, productivity, costs, and harvest delay.

“There’s exciting potential for AI and ML to help foresters make better decisions

both in the long and near term,” says Jones. “What used to be futuristic possibility is now achievable – these capabilities are real and available today.”

To learn more about Remsoft forestry planning and analytics software and to request a demo, visit remsoft. com/get-started.

Agile Decision Support for Lifecycle Forestry Planning You make a lot of key decisions in a day.

Each one of them can help, or hurt, your productivity and bottom line. With Remsoft planning and analytics software, you can make every decision count and reduce your delivered wood costs.

Manage, measure, and visualize your operations with Remsoft Operations.

Improve strategic, tactical, sales and operations planning with purposebuilt optimization applications.

Remsoft.com

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Powered by Intelligence

Contact: Corinne Watson, GM Asia Pacific, NZ-Based, 021 518 478, corinne.watson@remsoft.com

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

27

Machinery Solutions for working on slopes Ponsse’s cut-to-length forest machines have proved to be excellent harvesting solutions, also on steep slopes. Environmentally friendly and safe harvesting solutions for slopes are in high demand, especially when harvesting takes place in areas with varying terrain and steepness.

“Our solutions are always based on our customers’ needs, and our forest machines designed for steep slopes are no exception.

“We test and develop them together with our customers in truly demanding conditions, for example, in China, Brazil, North America and in Central Europe,” says Marko Mattila, Sales, Service and Marketing Director at Ponsse.

“We have invested in the testing and research equipment required for the development of slope harvesting solutions at our Vieremä factory, and we have even built an artificial slope for testing and studying in detail how our products operate in slope conditions.”

Ponsse Synchrowinch is one of the most important optional equipment required for cut-to-length (CTL) forest machines when working on steep slopes.

It helps the forest machine remain highly productive in an environmentally friendly and safe way compared to alternative manual methods also in demanding conditions.

Working on slopes is no novelty globally but, as the environmentally friendly cut-to-length logging method is becoming more common, it will develop in a safer and more effective direction, minimising any damage to the terrain.

Ponsse’s solutions for working on slopes • Eight-wheeled harvesters and forwarders, combined with balanced bogies, offer tractive force, stability and comfort for the operator • Engines, brakes and tanks developed for slope conditions • PONSSE Synchrowinch and other options designed for working on slopes 28

Milestone machine for Ponsse

team with the 17,000th • The PonsseElk, built in mid-August.

T

he 17,000th Ponsse forest machine has rolled off the production line in Vieremä.

The milestone machine, a Ponsse Elk built in midAugust, will start its career in the sure hands of Kuusmoto Oy. “It is a special privilege to hand over the 17,000th Ponsse machine to the Finnish Kuusmoto Oy. I wish to thank Kuusmoto for their trust and fantastic cooperation as we continue our journey together,” says Sales, Service and Marketing Director Marko Mattila.

Founded in 2014 and hailing from Posio in Finland,

er midsize machine, a highly versatile size class. The Elk is an excellent choice when you need an economical but powerful workhorse Kuusmoto Oy currently em- for thinning-oriented harploys 17 people. They oper- vesting. Its compact design ate in seven municipalities makes the Elk very agile, its components, in Finnish Lapland. The while company has a total of nine shared with larger machines, make it a powerful Ponsse machines.

“We are happy to receive and durable tool with a firstthis excellent machine and rate load carrying capacity. its plaque. Our current plan The responsive engine, imis to put the birthday boy to pressive torque and sturdy work in Posio or Ranua. It loader make working comwill be a fine addition to our fortable, especially when fleet,” says Tomi Kuusela, the operator can enjoy the managing director of Kuus- most spacious cabin on the market, including ergomoto Oy. The Ponsse Elk is a small- nomic controls.

Taking on the slopes with class T igercat has raised the bar again with the introduction of the LSX870D shovel logger.

Based on the popular LX870D series track carrier platform, the machine is designed for extreme duty steep slope logging. With the choice of attachments including the new Tigercat BG13 grapple with a live heel boom or the SC08 shovel clam grapple, the LSX870D is suited to prebunching and shovel logging in challenging terrain.

The addition of the LSX870D to the Tigercat lineup provides a higher power, closed loop drive alternative to the LS855E. Where the LS855E provides higher swing speed and lower ground pressure, the LSX870D allows for improved multifunctioning

ability and quicker, more responsive travel speed.

The Tigercat FPT C87 engine supplies 245 kW (330 hp), which combined with the dedicated attachment pump, provides plenty of multi-functioning power.

Lift and reach capabilities for the LS855E and the LSX870D are identical.

Tigercat’s leveling track machines use innovative technologies and systems optimized for a wide range of steep slope applications including shovel logging,

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

Introduced into production in 2005, Ponsse has manufactured a total of 947 Ponsse Elk forwarders and delivered them to over 20 countries.

Ponsse’s 17,000th forest machine was built to completion at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, plagued by global challenges in component availability and delivery. The company’s operations and growth have continued with success in spite of the exceptional circumstances. The Ponsse way has always been to work together, which is a great boon in difficult times and operating environments.

felling and harvesting. Tigercat’s super-duty leveling undercarriage is longer and wider, providing exceptional stability on steep slopes.

The patented leveling design uses two massive hydraulic cylinders and heavy steel sections for a solution that is simple, robust and reliable. Unlike competing systems, the Tigercat leveling system leans into the hill when leveling to the side which further improves machine stability and operator comfort. www.timberbiz.com.au

Sensor technology made to measure for log trucks I

n recent years, leading companies in the forestry sector have been incorporating cuttingedge technologies in their supply chain, specifically in their fiber measurement processes.

Dr. Mauricio Acuna, from the University of the Sunshine Coast, has been investigating the performance of sensor technology in systems for automated measurements of truckloads.

These systems can scan full truckloads or measure logs on trucks using different sensors such as laser scanners, stereoscopic cameras, and RGB cameras, providing quick solid volume estimates and biometric information of the logs (e.g. length, diameter).

One of the systems studied

by Dr. Acuna, has been the LOGMETER developed by the Chilean company Woodtech (woodtechms.com).

As Dr. Acuna explains, this system has been deployed to the Surrey Hills chip mill owned by Forico in Tasmania.

“Several other units of the LOGMETER system have been deployed globally over the past 15 years, being one of the most mature, robust, and reliable truckloads scanning systems on the market. The Surrey Hills chip mill unit is the first one of this type in Australasia,” he said.

With a team of researchers of the University of the Sunshine Coast, he collected data from the LOGMETER deployed at the Surrey Hills chip mill early this year and they were able to confirm that “the level of accuracy of the solid volume predictions reported by the system, with errors that lied within 5% in comparison to manual and photogrammetric measurements”.

“The results from our trials have been also used to calibrate and validate the volumetric models, which will result in more accurate measurements and better solid volume predictions, and ultimately in better economic returns to Forico and the haulage contractors,” he said.

Dr. Acuna concludes that automated systems for the measurement of truckloads can save big money to Forest Growers and Processors, representing a big opportunity for the forest industry in Australia and New Zealand.

“Among other benefits, they allow a smooth and quick reception of trucks at mills, improve production planning and logistics, reduced log handling costs, log damage, and accidents, and provide better informa-

Technology BRIEFS Air tanker arriving A Large Air Tanker secured by the Palaszczuk Government will soon arrive in Queensland, in time for the next bushfire season.

The LAT will remain in Australia for the next four years as part of a landmark deal struck by the Palaszczuk Government in partnership with the Victorian Government.

PFT board

These systems can scan full truckloads or measure logs on • trucks providing quick solid volume estimates and biometric information of the logs.

tion of the forest resource,” he said.

“In conjunction with moisture control management, they can also reduce truck movements on road networks, with the consequent reduction in fuel consumption and GHG emissions (up to 20% according to our calculations).”

Dr. Acuna also suggests that the deployment of au-

tomated systems for the measurements of truckloads and transition from a trading system based on weight to one based on volume must be planned carefully by Forest Growers and Processors since they may represent a big organisational and cultural change to Haulage Contractors and other parties in the supply chain.

• caption here to explain what this graphic is about????

Jim Wilson has been appointed as a new Private Forests Tasmania board member. Mr Wilson is the Forico plantation operations and services manager and will represent industrial private forest growers on the board. He is a respected and innovative forestry leader with a strong background in rural industries and specialises in plantation forestry. Mr Wilson is the current chairman of the Institute of Foresters, member of the Tasmanian Game Council, director of the Tasmanian Agricultural Productivity Group and deputy chairman of the Tasmanian Meat Industry Council.

New Forest appointments New Forests, the global forestry investment manager, has announced two key appointments in sustainability and communications and the formation of the company’s new Impact & Advocacy business unit.

Jo Saleeba joins as Head of Sustainability, and Lauren Stewart joins as Head of Communications.

Agriculture visa Migrant workers could soon be brought to Australia under a dedicated agriculture visa with the new category to be established next month.

The Australian Agriculture visa will be available to workers across the agriculture (including meat processing), forestry and fisheries sectors and provide a basis for the ongoing growth of Australia’s primary industries as they strive to reach $100 billion in value by 2030.

The visa responds to workforce shortages in the agriculture and primary industry sectors.

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Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

29

Tyres Tigercat releases 880e logger Tigercat’s new 880 series logger is a multipurpose forestry carrier that can be configured for loading, shovel logging, or processing applications.

The 880E introduces several new features including an updated operator’s station and various grapple configurations to tailor the machine to your specific needs.

The 880E is powered by the Tigercat FPT N67 engine, producing 230 kW (308 hp). The F7-163 undercarriage is designed and built to withstand rigorous, full-time forest duty with exceptional stability for heavy timber applications.

The spacious cabin has a new heated operator’s seat. Controls are integrated into both sides of the joystick pods, eliminating the need for any bolt-on control pods. The optimally positioned controls and large machine control system touchscreen interface improve ergonomics and machine monitoring. The quiet interior helps the operator enjoy the auxiliary audio input port, Bluetooth audio and hands-free calling.

Additional new features include a standard equipped rearVIEW camera system, emergency stop button, and a key fob to turn on exterior lights remotely when entering the cab in the dark.

The 880E can be configured as a loader equipped with various power clam, butt-n-top and log grapple options. Equipped with a live heel boom system, the 880E is a highly capable shovel logger with excellent stability, tractive effort and swing torque. The carrier can also be configured as a high-capacity processor capable of running large harvesting heads in demanding duty cycles.

Some of the many advantages of the 880E over excavator conversions include better service access, higher cooling capacity, a better operating environment with superior sightlines, more robust undercarriage components and extremely efficient hydraulic circuits.

30

A winning combination In built environment, mid-sized utility tractors are the tools of choice for a variety of different maintenance works because of their agility and efficiency.

N

okian Hakkapeliitta TRI tire offers the winning combination of all-season efficiency, unsurpassed grip in varying winter conditions and excellent handling on the road.

Its versatility and wide size range have made it a popular choice from compact tractors to high-powered machines. Now, with the new 540/65R28 and 650/65R38 tire sizes, the

number of available sizes extends to 29.

The seasonal maintenance work in built environment is often very intense and carried out on a tight schedule. Nokian Tyres has made Nokian Hakkapeliitta TRI tractor tire range for this purpose – to tune up the level of

of different maintenance works because of their agility and efficiency. And when the winters are snowy and roads icy, the tires must be first rate.

Nokian Hakkapeliitta TRI tire profile has some unique features with many advantages. The unique way the Nokian Hakkapeliitta TRI tractor tire grips to the driving surface has clear advantages in the maintenance work carried out in built environment. The better power transfer, steering response, directional stability, braking efficiency and high load-bearing capacity reduce stress around the year by making the handling more predictable and driving more comfortable, staefficiency, safety and er- ble and safer. In addition, gonomics of tractor-based the tire’s long service life maintenance operations in and low rolling resistance widely varying conditions. help to save costs.

“As more and more utility Two new 65-series sizes tractors are equipped with In addition to three 65-sethe wide-profile 65-tires, we wanted to make the ex- ries tires already in produccellent properties of our tion, the new 540/65R28 and Nokian Hakkapeliitta TRI 650/65R38 tire sizes are taitractor tire available for lored for utility tractors.

“The powerful utility tracevery contractor,” says Tero Saari, Product Manager at tor lends itself to many Nokian Tyres. “That’s why kinds of work, and with a we have extended the size premium tire it can work range further to 65-series even more efficiently”, Tero Saari says. “These days, in 28” and 38”. more and more contracSafety, efficiency and control tors realize how the choice in varying conditions of tires can make a big difIn built environment, mid- ference in how smoothly a sized utility tractors are the working day in the tractor’s tools of choice for a variety cabin goes.”

Maximum performance and durability

C

lark Tracks Ltd, part of Nordic Traction Group, specialise in developing and manufacturing forest machine tracks to suit almost all skidders and Cut-to-Length forest machines.

Clark build tracks with maximised performance and durability. Throughout the comprehensive range of tracks, innovative features and metallurgical knowhow give long service life and the highest possible durability.

The Clark Tracks range starts with super tough all season, all terrain tracks, like Terra85 for smaller machines (Harvester and Forwarder to 14t payload)

and Terra95 and FX-track for heavier Machines (Large Harvester, 6WD Skidder and Forwarders up to 25t payload. Clark offer super aggressive climbing tracks, based on the Grouser High Traction model, these being CS for Harvesters and CX for Medium Forwarders up to 18t payload. At the opposite end of the performance spectrum, we offer UltraFlotation tracks, suited to soft ground, sensitive soils and brash mat operations.

TXL remains a best seller for such applications, with a profile that resembles

and excavator track pad and available up to 1000mm wide.

Clark Tracks are built with the best quality, boron steel available. The steels used and our in-house heat treatment result in tracks with exceptional hardness and toughness. The innovative Haggis-Link features special flanges to prevent link twisting, a common and rapid failure mechanism on older tracks along with a patented, Ovoid link pin.

The round part of the Ovoid maximises contact with the internal face of the C-Link, reducing pressure on the mating surfaces and decreasing the wear rate and thereby extending life and

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

increasing the period between track re-tensioning.

More reliable, longer life, less downtime. The Haggis link system achieves all these objectives.

Right now, Clark Tracks operates from three adjacent factories in Dumfries, Scotland. With more automation and more powerful heaters. The recently completed 3rd factory has enabled Clark to more than double their production capacity prior to 2020.

Clark partner with Randalls Equipment in Australia who stock a wide range of tracks to suit forwarders, harvesters and skidders of all brands. www.randalls. com.au www.timberbiz.com.au

Mill Technology

Mill makes its mark in sustainability K

aituna Sawmill opened its doors to the New Zealand Minister for Climate Change James Shaw and 50 guests as part of a Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards field day.

The sawmill’s 46 percent reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions over the past 10 years and its reduction of its carbon footprint by 934 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents per annum were just two of the sustainability achieve-

ments which led to it being named as the winner in the forestry category at this year’s awards.

The Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards are held every two years and attract entries from businesses and community organisations around the region.

Category winners share their knowledge and experience through a series of public field days. The Kaituna Sawmill event was the second in the series which

Key Points he Cawthron Marlborough • TEnvironment Awards are held every two years.

ategory winners share their • Cknowledge and experience

through a series of public field days.

Kaituna Sawmill event was • Tthehesecond in the series which runs through until November 2021.

runs through until November 2021.

Visitors to the field day listened to OneFortyOne Environmental Planner Kristie Paki Paki as she outlined the background to the sawmill’s award entry, beginning with the sawmill starting to measure emissions 10 years ago.

She described how a substantial $8 million investment in a Polytechnik biomass-fired energy centre in 2017 allows the sawmill to burn wet sawdust to generate energy to dry its timber products. Previously the sawmill spent more than half a million dollars per annum to buy waste oil to use as its fuel source. Using the Polytechnik enery centre has resulted in cost savings, increased producivity, and quality improvements, said Paki Paki.

Mr Shaw said that he was surprised to learn how much the sawmill spent on fuel (waste oil) before it bought its Polytechnik system and was very impressed by the efficiency of the whole sawmill operation.

32

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

“It’s really quite astonishing technology and there’s such a commitment to utilising every part of the resource during the process,” he said.

Mr Shaw also commended the use of waste on site.

“It’s tremendous waste capture and there is further potential and that’s really exciting because all that waste can be turned into value,” he said.

“Biochar has tremendous carbon capture potential.”

Visitors to the field day were positive about what they saw during their tour.

“I was really impressed with the health and safety on site and the efficiency of the operation,” says Forest and Land Use Advisor for Te Uru Rākau, Tamara Orr. Sustainability Manager for White Haven Wines Josh Barclay said that he didn’t expect the scale of the sawmill operation. “It demonstrates the process of continual improvement really well,” said Barclay.

Chair of the Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards Jo Grigg said that she was struck by how measuring its emissions was the starting point for the sawmill’s journey and hoped other businesses and organisations would be encouraged to do the same.

Awards judge Ket Bradshaw said Kaituna Sawmill’s continuous improvement and its genuine desire to reduce emissions was clear in its award entry.

“It stood out amongst other forestry entries because of the business’ reach and integration. Keep sharing your stories with neighbours and the public, it’s an important part of your licence to operate,” she said.

General Manager of Kaituna Sawmill Tracy Goss said that the sawmill staff numbers have gone up by 18 percent over the past six months and that it is firmly focused on helping to meet increased demand for timber products within the domestic market.

“The majority of our timber products remain within the South Island.

75 percent of our timber products remains within New Zealand,” he said.

“While we have a resource consent for half a million long tonne per annum we are currently only doing 150,000. Our chip and excess sawdust also represent real opportunities and we are always interested in collaborating to achieve value and reduce waste.”

Mr Shaw commended Goss and his team for their leadership.

“If we could transfer this around the rest of the industry and other industries we would be a long way down the path of reducing emissions,” he said.

“We know where we want to be and where we are now but we can’t quite figure out how to get between the two. Kaituna Sawmill and the team show us a pathway.” www.timberbiz.com.au

Mill Technology MILLWIDE SOFTWARE

Getting the most out of your scanner OPTIMISATION & CONTROL SOLUTIONS

O

ver many years now we have been installing laser 3D geometric scanning systems in all sorts of applications throughout the world and we also ways run into obstacles that affect the results so let’s take a look at some of the does and don’ts.

The first criteria is obtaining good scan data, so think of data density as a number of geometric points that a scanner collects in given area. In general, higher the density provides the optimizer a more complete image. Data density is crucial to identify wane in boards and if it’s not high enough steep angle wane can hide in the bind spots between the scan data points. Data is defined as points per millimeter or by the spacing between the data points in fractions of a millimeter both across and along the board or log.

In earlier years multipoint lasers were used with 25mm or more separation between lasers, however

ing depending on the application. Narrow chain races are preferred for transverse OPTIMISATION & CONTROL SOLUTIONS scanning whilst still ensuring there is enough strength in the transfer to maintain stability.

The introduction of visionbased grade scanning also introduces further complexities around data and scanner setup and design which is a separate topic on of its own.

In essence a quality scanner should provide reliabilithe scanner and we have ex- it comes to Optimiser ac- ty over many years provided perienced tools, steel pipes curacy all these other accu- the scanner is maintained.

This means theMt Maunga and even aluminum lad- racy errors add up.

Ph: +64 7 574 6223 4keeping Portside Drive, inCircle, cali-Arden, Nort So key factors that affectPh:sensors ders been left www.automationelec.com on the floor +1 704 200clean 2350 6 and Winners under a scan zone resulting accuracy are, board stabil- bration, maintaining the Ph: +64 7 574 6223 4 Portside Drive, Mt Maunganui, New Zealand chains and support strucity, Circle, scanner in large spikes of light been Ph: +1 704 200 2350 6 Winners Arden, Northcalibration, Carolina, USA detected and disrupting the scanner frame design (i.e., tures and checking cables no bent steel, vibrating or and connectors. Rememactual profile.

Board or log stability is warping due to temperature ber also not to weld in a also essential through the extremes delivers inaccura- scan zone without disconscan zone, any bounce or cies) also chain encoders er- necting and covering the jostle, roll will be inter- rors can introduce accuracy scanners or damage may preted in the geometry. issues.” Your never more ac- occur. Left unmaintained The resolution of modern curate than your worst com- any system will begin to see performance degradation scanners will often be small ponent”.

Obtain better data requires over time so it is important compared to added wear or mechanical error in your design consideration around to take care of your investsystem but remember when chain flights and chain spac- ment.

MILLWIDE SOFTWARE

in later years sheet of light lasers have provided higher resolution which is determined by the camera sensor resolution. Data density is actually scan speed which is the rate the scanner takes snapshots as the board or log travels through the scan zone. In board scanning you ideally want to scan all four faces of a board to find wane on leading and trailing edges. Almost all scanners nowadays use EtherNet for high-speed communications to the Optimiser.

Seeing the data is important so the site should ensure the scanning environment is suitable, free of obstacles that interfere with the scan zone and also no direct sunlight which reduces the ability of the camera to read the laser data due to light filtration.

Reflected light also affects

A quality scanner should provide reliability over many years provided the scanner is maintained.

www.automationele

MILLWIDE SOFTWARE OPTIMISATION & CONTROL SOLUTIONS

www.automationelec.com Ph: +64 7 574 6223 4 Portside Drive, Mt Maunganui, New Zealand Ph: +1 704 200 2350 6 Winners Circle, Arden, North Carolina, USA

www.timberbiz.com.au

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

33

Mill Technology

Smart investments - safer, more satisfied personnel

• A Transverse High Grader and Multi-Track Fence automates the grading, trimming, and sorting processes.

E

ven when a mill is not capacity-limited, equipment upgrades delivering the latest technologies can bring significant returns, and make the job safer and more satisfying for equipment operators. Waipapa Pine’s chain of successful mill upgrades is proof positive.

Waipapa Pine’s Kerikeri mill has been upgrading its processes to improve its bottom line, to increase efficiencies, and to move its staff to more challenging and

2020, included major upgrades to the board edger, and green chain/ trimline at the plant.

Prior to the latest upgrades there satisfying roles. This latest project were many roles within the mill that required very heavy, manual inputs succeeds on all fronts.

The Waipapa Pine mill in Kerik- from the team. The mill’s board edgwas manually fed, at 8-10 boards eri, New Zealand has been in op3/8/2021 7:53:22er PM eration processing Radiata Pine a minute. Clearing the slash decks into framing timber since 2012. In of rubbish from the board edger and 2017 the mill installed a USNR La- trim line were also hands-on manual sar2 scanning system to optimize processes. Thus mill management its carriage operation. The most decided to invest in new technology recent project, completed early in to improve these areas.

The new supply includes a Revolver Lug Loader fitted with a rotating overhead hold down assembly to facilitate dealing a variety of material thicknesses.The new supply includes a Revolver Lug Loader fitted with a rotating overhead hold down assembly to facilitate dealing a variety of material thicknesses.

SCAN NEW JS 50 WX HEAD

Focus on efficiencies

SIMPLY BETTER

“We are happy with the overall capacity of the mill, so this investment was about moving our focus into gaining efficiencies around this capacity,” said Grant Arnold, Waipapa Pine Operations Director. “We wanted to invest in technology that gives us every opportunity to maximize value return on the raw logs we process,” he said.

With this goal in mind, Waipapa management looked for improvements that could be made from both sawn recovery and grade recovery perspectives. They were also looking for an opportunity to dramatically change the type of work within the mill, from highly manual to far more automated, providing a safer workplace while increasing the skill level and satisfaction of mill personnel.

The mill’s decision The focus of the upgrades involved improving the functionality and level of optimization at the edger and trimmer stations. The mill’s goal was to provide enough speed/capacity to be able to run both green sawn and kiln dried, planed timber at the same time. This project would be the larg-

34

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

est completed on site over the last seven years, but it had to be completed with minimal mill downtime.

To provide this challenging solution, Waipapa looked to USNR. Waipapa management cited USNR’s high level of capability and focus on supporting the customer, so there was little interest in evaluating another supplier.

“Several years ago, we invested in USNR 3D log scanning on our carriage,” Mr Arnold said. “We saw massive improvements in all measures off the headrig, so it was a no brainer to remain with the USNR platform.”

The new BioVision Edger system provides dramatic improvements in value recovery by accurately detecting and classifying the defects, far more precise edging, and better grade solutions.The new BioVision Edger system provides dramatic improvements in value recovery by accurately detecting and classifying the defects, far more precise edging, and better grade solutions.

The new technology involved upgrades to the mill’s USNR 4TA36 edger that the mill bought used for this project, and was updated by USNR. This included adding a fourth shifting saw to the edger sawbox, and installing USNR’s state-of-the-art BioVision optimization system. The edger’s fourth saw accommodates the broad range of material widths the mill processes, ranging from 75mm to 300mm (3” to 12”).

The THG utilizes 4-sided scanning as well as an end-grain scanner to assist in locating the board’s pith. This provides highly accurate defect detection and grade solutions for both green and dry products.The THG utilizes 4-sided scanning as well as an end-grain scanner to assist in locating the board’s pith. This provides highly accurate defect detection and grade solutions for both green and dry products.

The BioVision system utilizes proprietary BioLuma 2900LVG sensors.

Its optimization platform takes advantage of Deep Learning technology for enhanced defect recognition and classification.

“The results we have seen are outstanding, across all key measures within the business,” Mr Arnold said.

“We’ve seen a 4.2% improvement in sawn recovery, an 8.3% improvement in grade recovery, and a 13% increase in output.

“We are experiencing some very uncertain times, with unpredictable long-term economic impact,” he said.

“This investment will provide us the opportunity to maximize efficiencies across our complete processing footprint, while being able to respond nimbly to any changing landscape we have in front of us.” www.timberbiz.com.au

Mill Technology

LIM now seamless with CPX T

rimble Forestry has announced that its widely used Log Information Management System (LIMS) now integrates seamlessly with the Connected Forest Xchange (CFX).

The integration allows load ticket information from LIMS to sync to the cloud-based CFX portal, which can be accessed from any device, any place.

With CFX’s flexibility, easy-to-view dashboards, and mobile accessibility, key operational data, such as electronic tickets, fibre source GPS coordinates, and detailed supply chain records can also be shared in near real-time, at the company’s discretion, with supply chain partners, such as harvesters, haulers, and scale sites.

“The level of data sharing enabled by our LIMS/ CFX integration is key to increasing efficiency within forestry supply chains,” said Kevin Toohill, General Manager of Trimble Forestry.

“Visibility and shared data increases timber security and facilitates real-time, data-based decision-making, as well as easier records reconciliation and faster payments.”

LIMS/CFX users can add electronic load ticketing using a mobile device with an added mobile subscription. The CFX mobile subscription allows haulers and scale site operators to use reference data, such as source, destination, and species, synced from LIMS/ CFX. The synched dropdown menus help reduce errors, greatly increase timber security and accountability, and make it much easier and faster to reconcile load tickets exchanged between harvest and delivery. The higher fidelity of tracking loads from forest to delivery allows compa-

Millwide. Worldwide.

AFT_2021-04_USNR-BioVision1.indd www.timberbiz.com.au

1

+1.360.225.8267

nies to better support certification requirements.

Every load that leaves the woods can be reconciled to a weight scale load coming in the gate.

The Log Inventory & Management System (LIMS) provides management control over all phases of timberland, woodland, yard, and mill operations. LIMS is an industry-standard forestry system for managing supplier contracts, contractor settlements, wood or fiber procurement, wood trading or sales, yard or mill inventory, consumption, and comprehensive reporting and planning.

LIMS provides users an easily configurable operational dashboard, reporting wizards, and analysis capabilities. With CFX integrated, LIMS users are able to facilitate the sharing of key operational data from throughout the supply chain in near real-time.

Trimble’s Forestry Division offers SaaS and enterprise software to improve

Visibility and shared data increases timber security and facilitates real-time, data-based decision-making the productivity and sustainability of the world’s most recognized integrated forest product companies, forest managers, conservation organizations, government departments, finished product manufacturers, and the partners that con-

nect the global forest supply chain. Trimble’s Connected Forest™ solutions manage the full raw materials lifecycle of planning, planting, growing, harvesting, transporting, and processing.

For more information, visit forestry.trimble.com.

usnr.com

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

3/8/2021 7:53:22 PM

35

Mill profile Looking Back 2020 The newly formed Victorian Forest Products Association will replace the Victorian Association of Forest Industries possibly within six months.

The VFPA announced its 23 foundation members and elected its Interim Governing Council in early September. The new Association will span Victoria’s forest industry value chain including plantations, native forestry operators, sawmills and pulp and paper making.

Harvesting millennia-aged pine in Tasmania

2016 MEMBERS OF the Australian Forest Contractors Association (AFCA) have become advocates of the FOLS Skills Verification Program, signing an agreement with ForestWorks to provide AFCA members and their operators with discounted FOLS fees.

AFCA Chairman Ian Reid said they were pleased to be working with ForestWorks to implement this significant development.

2011 THE AUSTRALIAN Timber Trainers Association (ATTA) members elected Board-member Tim Isaacs (Fitec Australia Inc) from Queensland as the association’s new president during the annual general meeting in Lakes Entrance. Isaacs takes over the role from outgoing president Rob Rule (Timber Training Creswick, VIC) who remains as an ex-officio advisor to the ATTA Board.

Charlie Waites (Southern Training Organisation, Eden) and David McElvenny (Workspace Training, NSW) continue in their respective roles of treasurer and secretary.

Greg Howard (Timber Training Tasmania) was newly-elected as vice president. Three new Board members elected were David Priem (Riverina TAFE, NSW), Andrew Nicholson (Great Southern Institute of Technology, WA) and Andy Cusack (Logging Investigation and Training Association, SA), together with the reelection of Bill Towie (Towie Timber Training, WA).

36

Keith Smiley

H

uon pine trees grow strong and last for millennia, lovingly felled and processed by Huon Sawmills.

They were sprouting about the time Alexander the Great tromped the world.

Tasmania’s huon trees grow slowly, maybe only a millimetre a year, yet the wait is worth it. Huon Sawmills is tucked behind thick walls of colossal trees and bushland in Strahan, west of Tasmania. It was once a veritable battleground for environmentalists, who fought successfully to stop the damming of the Franklin River. This led many to join its movement, and in doing so, embroiled local sawmillers, who had already proven they were good stewards of the forest. They had a licence to harvest these trees and to salvage what they could from the dammed rivers and lakes, formed after Lake Pedder was created.

At 92, and one of twelve children, Bern Bradshaw remembers the earlier days quite clearly. His dad employed thirty people to man the mill, using draught horses to pull the logs out of the bush, later motorising the operation by hitching a tractor to the mill.

The Bradshaws partnered the Morrisons to create Huon Pine Sawmill, with the Bradshaws logging renewal agreement in place with Forests Tasmania.

“Under World Heritage we had to show just cause. We had rights to the forest but we relinquished part of the entitlement to the government, who in turn allocated that to other mills, including our proprietary company, Bradshaw and Morrisons,” said Bern.

The Huon Pine company began in earnest by 1998 and is coming to an end, with Randal Morrison about to retire. “The guts of the agreement have expired, but we Bradshaws own the land and the mill on the property. It has served its purpose over the years. We have the exclusive permits, giving the holder about 3,000 acres of forest,” explained Bern.

Huon Pine harvested in a ‘proper manner, without waste, and under strict inspection by the forest authority.’ They also had to make their own roads. Bern is confident the industry will continue, despite the difficulties over the years, when they had to fight for their livelihood. “There are nine and a half million huons growing, making them a formidable resource.

“Because we log the forest according to demand, we leave the other varieties standing until there is a market for them,” said Bern. Selective logging might include celery top pine, myrtle, sassafras, leatherwood and waratah.

These ancient giants will brave any circumstance, while they are cared for with skill and respect, under the mastery of companies like Bradshaws. Bern Bradshaw has trained and encouraged his son Ian, who has the privilege of sawing these logs with a

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

meticulous eye. “Ian is a very intelligent being; wellread, and forgets nothing, while I remember everything,” he says with a smile.

Ian supervises the logging side and works the mill, especially a large bandsaw, 1.5 metres wide by 10 metres long.

Bradshaw and Morrison broadened their business by investing in Tasmanian Special Timbers, with a store front, integral to the tourist industry. The huon and King Billy pines can be fashioned into fine objects like musical instruments, boats, and furniture, from salvaged logs.

The nonagenarian is proud of their achievements, cut from a forest and collected from the ground.

He has some regrets after a lifetime of 16-hour days, seven days a week. “I left the family behind. Life is not for the money. I liked to see people live a life around me. I had a good father and father in law and I married a very capable woman, Margaret, who passed away. Today’s world is in the grip of evil,” Bern says with a familiar refrain. In calmer tones, Bern believes there is a viable future for Bradshaws, standing tall, alongside their magnificent timber. He strives for his community and as a member of the Masonic Lodge, ‘believes in a great architect of the universe and the whole spectrum of life.’

www.timberbiz.com.au

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

www.leesons.com.au 2014 Western Star 4800

1995 Volvo NL12 with Prentice loader

Engine Cummins ISX550 with 15,500 hours. Full service history available. Price is $50,000 including GST. Also selling 2004 Elphinstone trailers with EBS for $90,000 including GST. Total package is $140,000 including GST.

Loader has done 18,500 hours.

Ready to go to work.

Price $90,000 including GST.

1998 Kennedy B folding B double trailers

2013 Komatsu PC220 with C202E head

$75,000 including GST.

Engine and Hydraulics was modified to the same specification as PC270

by Komatsu. Hours are 13,500. $135,000 including GST.

2009 Kennedy Folding trailer $55,000 including GST.

2004 Kennedy A folding B Double trailers with EBS

1997 Kennedy B folding B Double trailers

$100,000 including GST.

$65,000 including GST.

LEESON’S LOGGING & CARTAGE PHONE 03 5199 2768 EMAIL ricky@leesons.com.au

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

FOR SALE

Get your digital edition today timberbiz.com.au/AFT/current

Onetrak 2018 Tigercat TH570 Harvesting head

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Surplus to requirements this versatile harvesting head is in as new condition, still covered by Tigercat factory support.

Only 3300hrs harvesting head comes with Tigercat D5 full Optimizing computer system with Geo-mapping, a paint marking system (not fitted), callipers, and with StanForD reporting technology capability.

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Cat 320 CU Harvester, SP processing head, Has been working but no longer required, Good working condition. $65,000

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REACHING OVER 6,500 EMAILS EVERY WEEK. ADVERTISE WITH DAILY TIMBER NEWS TODAY! CALL (08) 8369 9517 or EMAIL: g.dealmeida@ryanmediapl.com.au Tigercat E625C Skidder $135,000 + GST

Komatsu PC270LC-8 Harvester

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FOR SALE NEW Tigercat 632H Skidder

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Rotobec Forwarder Grapples From $5,700 + GST

Tigercat H860C Harvester $170,000 + GST

Komatsu WA500 Log Grab

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Loser, Dowell cut off machines Two Loser AA220 dowell cut off machines.

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38

$4000 each or $6500 for the two

Austral Timber Group

Contact: Ken Baker 0438 643 992 or ken.baker@dynagroup.com.au Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

www.timberbiz.com.au

NEW PRODUCT The new H219 for thinnings and small clearfell for tracked and wheeled carriers 15 to 25 ton.

Call Brendon for more information 0438 445 550

Waratah H219x

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Contact Waratah Foresty Equipment on 03 9747 4200 Terms and Conditions: * Free Road Freight applied to a single order that grapple has been order on, applies to both GR3010 and GR3020 purchase in the month of March. Other parts can be added to the order and will receive FIS road freight also. Limited stock, whilst stocks last. # To be eligible to receive 10% off your bar and chain order, order must be places order via our online portal - partscatalog.waratah.com

www.timberbiz.com.au

Australian Forests & Timber News September 2021

39

725D 745D 755D

Zero Tail Swing Komatsu Forest has expanded the TimberPro track range in Australia and New Zealand to include the new 'D' Series zero tail-swing levelling and non-levelling models.

They can be supplied with feller-buncher or harvester boom sets and feature many benefits for logging contractors: • New Larger Cab for operator comfort • Lohmann final drives for high tractive force • Market Leading levelling with 28 degrees forward / 24 degrees side • Cummins QSL 8.3 333hp Engine (Tier 3)

The Crawford history has led the way in forest track machines.

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