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A game-changer on the horizon New timberlands to bid into the federal emissions reduction fund
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I M B E R PROCESSORS, regional communities and consumers will benefit from the largest expansion of the State-owned timber plantation estate in decades, following the purchase of close to 7,000 hectares of pine plantations by Forestry Corporation of NSW. The newly-purchased estate adjoins State-owned pine plantations near the major timber processing hubs of Oberon, Tumut and Tumbarumba and will augment timber and pulpwood production over the short and long term. But, AFPA Chief Executive Officer Ross Hampton says while it certainly is good news see NSW Forest Corp investing and building its timberlands assets “ these are purchases of existing plantations”. Forestry Corporation of NSW already manages more than 220,000 hectares of
softwood plantations as part of the $1.92 billion softwood plantation industry. This property includes close to 7,000 hectares of pine plantation and plantable area, so this purchase is the equivalent of adding 13,000 football fields of pine plantations to the Stateowned estate. Mr Hampton said that while the industry would benefit from the professional and active ownership of Forest Corp, the broader forest products industry badly needed new greenfield sites as well. “We have been stalled in this regard for more than a decade. “Mills can’t get sufficient softwood in some places and Australia is missing out on value adding manufacturing opportunities as companies can’t invest as they cannot currently see a growing fibre supply. “The game-changer
may be the opportunity we hope will soon emerge for new timberlands to bid into the federal emissions reduction fund - a modest carbon payment potentially offsetting a small portion of the high costs of planting. The methodology to allow this is soon to be released. Industry is maintaining the pressure on the government to deal with the final details as soon as possible, “ said Mr Hampton. Timber is one of the most renewable products available and sustainable timber production underpins the booming housing construction and packaging industries. State-owned pine plantations currently produce enough structural lumber to construct a quarter of the homes built in Australia each year, as well as significant volumes of renewable pulpwood for paper and packaging.
This newly-purchased plantation will be sustainably managed in line with the neighbouring State forest plantations and will continue to produce a renewable supply of timber in perpetuity. Forestry Corporation of NSW Chairman James Millar said the purchase was made possible by substantial improvements in profitability and reduction in debt in recent years. “Our ability to make this investment was a direct result of the efforts of the forestry team over the past few years to improve our performance. This has enabled us to pay down debt and be in a position to invest in expansion. This is an exciting new acquisition close to our existing plantation resources and key timber processing hubs, so it will offer great synergies with our existing operations,” Mr Millar said. The South-West Slopes (of which Tumut is a hub)
Risk of job losses outweighs park push
INSIDE
ALMOST TWO-thirds of Victorians don’t believe that the proposed Great Forest National Park (GFNP) will generate enough jobs to cover those lost in the forest, fibre, and wood products industry if the park were to be established.
ritical shortage of C skilled people Page 6
Polling undertaken by JWS Research on behalf of the Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI) clearly showed the park push is flawed. Tim Johnston, VAFI’s Chief Executive Officer, said that in addition to doubts that any significant jobs
would be created by the proposed park, the polling also showed that more than half of Victorians don’t believe that it will generate any significant new tourism and accommodation opportunities at all.
What does the future hold for our woodchip industry Pages 8-13
Continued on page 4
¢ Ross Hampton.
currently produce more than a billion dollars worth of forest products a year – but there isplenty of room for expansion, according to Softwoods Working Group Chairman Peter Crowe “Australia is short of wood,” he told the Tumut & Adelong Times. “It’s been pretty much like that for the last 30 odd years, and if you look back historically we’re just asshort of timber now as we were after the Second World War when Australia basically ran out of wood. “We need to do something about it.” Former Mayor Trina Thomson believes the council has a key role to play in encouraging investment in the plantations.
Haggis on track to make a difference Page 24
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In the news
NZ prepares for ‘invasion’ of loggers Field tours pre- and post-event
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ARK THE middle of June into your diaries. HarvestTECH 2017 is running in Rotorua, New Zealand, on 20-21 June. The inaugural harvesting event ran two years ago with close to 450 meeting in Rotorua. The event SOLD OUT! It was the largest gathering of logging contractors, forestry managers, forest owners, harvest planners and equipment suppliers to the industry seen in New Zealand. Equipment suppliers, researchers, forestry companies and international contractors from throughout Australia, Canada, the US, Finland, Austria, Germany, Indonesia, and South Africa also flew into Rotorua to attend the event. The focus was on steep slope logging. The number of logging crews working on steeper terrain in the country had seen exponential growth. Of course, with growth came innovation. The move by forest owners and contractors to increase mechanization, the desire to increase productivity and the requirement to improve safety had led to significant advances in harvesting practices and equipment that was being used on this steeper country. New gear to work on steep slopes had been developed by some of the larger equipment suppliers. Much of the innovation, though, was coming from contractors working together with local engineering companies. The 2015 event run by the Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA) was able to showcase to the rest of the world, some of this new kiwi logging ingenuity in practice. Since 2015, opportunities to profile logging innovations for steeper slopes had been taken outside New Zealand. An International steep slope logging event ran in Vancouver, Canada, in 2016 with over 250 logging contractors from B.C. and other regions from the Pacific North West attending. www.timberbiz.com.au
Overwhelming demand has since led to another event being run on 20-21 April in Kelso, WA, USA. Two years on, logging steeper terrain will again be covered in Rotorua this year. Developments by local engineers, manufacturers and contractors over the last couple of years have been significant. “Steep slope logging though won’t be the only focus for the 2017 program,” says FIEA Director Brent Apthorp. New technologies and operating practices in small woodlot harvesting (particularly around some of the unique challenges being faced harvesting the increasing number of woodlots on steep and more remote sites), harvest planning, advances in the mechanisation and automation of harvesting operations and issues around attracting people and new skills into the industry have been built into HarvestTECH 2017. “Those attending this year will also get an insight into some truly innovative harvesting operations,” said Brent. “Feedback from the 2015 event told us that rather than contractors setting up their own site visits around the conference, field tours to local logging operations should be set up. At this stage, two one-day field tours have already been planned for HarvestTECH 2017 delegates.” A Future Forests Research Tour runs the day before the conference, Monday 19 June. Visits will be to a local logging contractor demonstrating innovative products and equipment recently developed by equipment manufacturers in conjunction with FFR and logging contractors. The second tour, the day after the conference, is the AB Equipment Harvesting Tour which runs on Thursday 22 June.
Hope for successful outcome for ASH AS THIS edition of Australasian Timber was being produced there was hope that the possible planned closure of Australian Sustainable Hardwoods' (ASH) Heyfield Mill could be averted. ASH is the main employer in Heyfield with over 250 workers. The row between ASH and the government is over future log supplies for the nationally and internationally recognised business. The ASH board on 8 March 2017 stated that as a sign of good faith the ASH board agreed in January to put a hold on the implementation of the forced closure procedures due to the Victorian government’s failure to supply the logs needed to maintain a viable business. "ASH had been attempting to discuss timber supply with the Andrews government for two years to no avail. On January 17 we were shocked at the offer from the government of less than half our current supply level. "ASH at that time of making the decision to hold off on closure, provided government with a road map to move this industry from the 1939 regrowth areas of
the forest through into plantation over the forward 20 to 25 years. "In January the government had sought a delay of four weeks and we agreed to provide five. The ASH board met on 7 March and considered a request to a further delay of seven days before implementation of the forced closure actions. ASH were advised that the government was close to a decision on being able to provide the necessary supply and conditions that could mean the mill would remain open and believed that the premier Daniel Andrews was personally committed to saving the jobs of the mill’s workers. However when the offer was received it was rejected by ASH as not sustainable and would see the business lose over $10.5m per year. Additional proposals were then put by ASH to the government but these were not accepted. Meanwhile more than 100 workers from the mill rallied in Melbourne (15 March) to try to save the company and their jobs. The ASH board scheduled an extraordinary board meeting on 16 March to decide the future of the mill.
STOP PRESS ASH told it workforce today (17 March) that the Heyfield mill will close in September next year and its green-mill will close in six months. Chief executive Vince Hurley said he had shown the Government its financials and modelling. “Having done the analysis we have no alternative but to close the mill, “he said.
Clinton Tilley director of ASH said that the Andrews government had been disingenuous in saying it would do whatever it could to save the jobs at Heyfield. “The owners will now explore options of relocating the manufacturing plant to Tasmania,” he added.
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April 2017
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In the news I n c o r p o r a t i n g A U S T R A L A S I A N F O R E S T L O G G E R & S AW M I L L E R
Bioenergy: the forgotten renewable
April 2017 Issue 2 Vol. 26 Established 1991 News
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Discussion Piece
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By Tony Pasin MP
Head-Lines
15
Federal Member for Barker
Harvesters
18-26
Haulage
28-30
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NYONE WHO’S been watching the national debate would know that energy security and affordability is a top issue, nowhere more so than in my home state of South Australia. The debate centres around a highly ideological argument regarding lowering emissions. For over a decade, Governments at both State and Federal level, here and abroad have focused their energy policy around the need to transition to a lower emissions future in the energy sector. Some Australian states have adopted unrealistic targets and have compromised both the security and affordability of our power supply. The debate around renewables is focused heavily (at least in South Australia) on wind and solar as the key renewable sources of energy.
What hasn’t yet been discussed in this debate is renewable bioenergy sourced from sustainably produced ‘wood waste’ such as, sawdust waste from saw mills or the branches of plantation trees that are not suitable for wood product manufacturing that are left on the ground to rot. Renewable bioenergy sourced from wood waste is a reliable renewable which can create both baseload and dispatchable power, but can also provide economic development and jobs in forestry, wood and paper product manufacturing in regional and rural areas. Renewable bioenergy sourced from wood waste is essentially “carbon neutral” over its life cycle because combustion of biomass releases the same amount of CO2 as was captured by the
plant during its growth. This is a natural part of the carbon cycle. Renewable bioenergy is part of making the most use from materials sourced during forest harvesting and the production of wood, paper or bio-based products (which store carbon long term). By contrast, fossil fuels release CO2 that has been locked up for millions of years. The current debate born from our energy security issues should, in theory, lead to energy policy reform. I hope that reforms will include investment in reliable baseload renewable bioenergy sourced from wood waste. Globally, renewable bioenergy from biomass including wood waste accounts for around 77% of renewable energy, which represents 13% of the world’s primary energy mix. The International Energy Agency estimates that bioenergy could provide 7.5% of world electricity generation by the year 2050, and heat from bioenergy could provide 15% of global final energy consumption in industry and
20% in the building sector. However, despite having the highest area of forest per capita of the developed nations, in 2015 bioenergy only contributed 9.1% of total renewable energy and 1.3% of total electricity generated in Australia (CEC 2015). In contrast, bioenergy contributes more than 24% of the total energy consumption in Finland, more than 22% in Sweden and more than 17% in Denmark (IEA). There are companies in Australia who manufacture renewable bio-pellets from wood waste, ship them to Japan, that are then used to co-fire existing nonrenewable (coal and gas) electricity generators. As they are renewable this reduces the carbon footprint. So much attention has been given to wind, solar and traditional forms of fossil fuels while very little has been given to the potential to add biomass to this mix. We need to reform our energy policy and I’ll be pushing for biomass to be part of that conversation.
Risk of job losses outweighs park push Continued from page 1
“These numbers show that opposition to the proposed park outweighs support in all instances where jobs are concerned. They are in direct contrast to the recent report into the proposed GFNP that claimed that for an investment of $45 million from government and private enterprise, it could create 760 full-time jobs,” he said. “Things come at a cost. The establishment of the proposed GFNP will cost thousands of jobs in the forest, fibre and wood products industry in Victoria. It will have devastating consequences for the industry, which in turn will have a direct impact socially and economically for all of Victoria. We have real jobs on the ground now, and the impact would be immediate.” “A recent Deloitte Access Economic Report Economic assessment of the native timber industry in the Central Highlands showed that $573 million in revenue was generated annually by industry in the region, resulting in the direct employment of 2,117 full time equivalent workers.
“People need to be aware that establishing a new national park has real consequences, and this will impact on the lives of thousands of Victorians. It will see regional communities that rely on the forest, fibre and wood products industry really struggling to survive. This polling showed that the impact would be especially felt in Gippsland, already under pressure from job losses, where 75% of residents do not believe new tourism jobs will be enough to offset any job loss from the closure of the local mill,”. Mr Johnston reiterated that industry is, and will continue to be, committed to working constructively with all stakeholders, including eNGOs and Governments to maintain the balance between environmental considerations and the sustainable forest, fibre and wood products industry in Victoria. “However, what we need to remember is that overall, the timber industry in Victoria is a $7 billion industry that employs 21,000 Victorians and supports another 40,000
Australian Forests & Timber News
to 50,000 local jobs, many of these in regional Victoria.” The report into the proposed GFNP claimed that it could deliver around $70 million annually and create 760 full-time jobs. This is not adequate to cover the loss the State would see from the devastating effect the park would have on the forest, fibre and wood products industry. “The numbers simply don’t add up,” said Mr Johnston. “This is backed up by a separate report commissioned by the Yarra Ranges Council, one of the main Local Government areas in the proposed park area, which shows that the resulting loss of employment from the ending of timber harvesting would have a particularly negative economic and social impact on the smaller towns within the LGA. “I stress that rushing to establish the proposed GFNP is not a good idea. This is something we need to have an informed debate about, and you can’t have that debate without acknowledging jobs losses. We need forestry, tourism, and any other small industries to ensure a
April 2017
¢ VAFI’s Chief Executive Officer Tim Johnston ... “park plan will have will have devastating consequences”.
resilient and vibrant future for these communities and all Victorians,” Mr Johnston said. It’s also worth noting that 94% of the State forest is already unavailable or unsuitable for excluded timber harvesting. Currently timber harvesting occurs in just 0.04% of the forest annually and harvested timber is replanted the following year. “We need forestry, tourism, and any other small industries to ensure a resilient and vibrant future for these communities and all Victorians,” Mr Johnston said. www.timberbiz.com.au
In the news
The power of the people (e) principles of front of our eyes for ecologically sustainable using more locally grown management.” This and processed wood out By Helen Murray is verbatim from the of a sensible, prudently RFAs. balanced, well-regulated National Coordinator, There it is in black and and monitored harvest Timber Communities Australia. white. Matters impacting and production system. HE TIMBER timber volume being made on people (d above) are Forest managers mostly industry supports available from state owned meant to be regarded all choose voluntary a large regional forest areas. with equal rigour to the certification too, under one workforce dispersed across The very straightforward environment. It’s not one of two or sometimes both Australia which is the four syllable word, or the other – it is both. internationally accepted backbone of many small ‘community’, gets bandied Timber communities will certification systems local communities. Timber around in Regional Forest certainly continue to make (FSC or PEFC/AFS). workers’ achievements Agreements and all manner governments accountable Voluntary certification is and interests largely go of government policies and for meeting their well embraced by industry. unnoticed. pronouncements. Mostly it obligations to the people This is simply terrific – to Until something comes is found nestled alongside they serve. provide reassurance for the along that draws media phrases like ‘social benefits’ The obligations under consumer wanting to do the attention to them. or ‘positive [community] the RFAs boils down to right thing and for those Soon into new year 2017 o u t c o m e s ’ . showing equal outside the timber industry the Heyfield community Timber workers respect for who wonder whether its in Gippsland, Victoria, and their The Heyfield people are bringing home to the valuable practices are up to scratch burst onto the headlines. families know people of each with the rest of the world politicians and others who ignore them, Ordinary people who shy the meaning region as for (affirmative). away from the limelight as of the word that their community will not accept their their valuable My closing thought is a rule – have stood up to ‘com mu n it y’. s u r r o u n d i n g that none of us can fail futures and their needs being ignored. fight for their livelihoods They don’t forests. to notice the push back which depend on the large need anyone I like to by citizens who feel their local hardwood mill at else to tell them what’s good simpler this all should think that some Australian needs have been too long Heyfield. Their drive and for them; and they have be. Under the state and politicians are finding their disregarded by the political unity of purpose is visible a deep commitment to a federal forestry charters’ or voice about this. We need to folk of the day. Witness this and powerful. long term sustainable forest Regional Forest Agreements encourage them. It’s clear in the USA, amongst other The people of Heyfield landscape. (RFAs) the community/ that the forestry policy affluent western democratic and surrounds made The Heyfield people are socio-economic impacts pendulum has swung too countries. The political excellent use of social bringing home to politicians must be a key consideration. far out of balance. People sands are shifting here too. media to get their message and others who ignore them, If you haven’t read of timber communities Modern Australia’s timber out. Impressively, they that their community will them for a while, as deserve very much better communities expect to be raised around $25,000 in not accept their futures and unimaginable as that is, from our multi layers of respected and expect to be quick time via an internet their needs being ignored. I can remind you that the governments. heard. fund raising site and a local Consulting the online purpose of an RFA, signed Such fantastic community member paid for Oxford dictionary confirms by the Commonwealth and opportunity is right in prime weekend newspaper the word community is the State as the parties to ad space to publish his defined as group of people the Agreements, is that it Tough, Professional Tools open letter to the Victorian living in the same place ‘establishes the framework Australia-wide delivery! Premier, Daniel Andrews. or having a characteristic for the management of the It’spowerful to see in common. People forests of the region. Parties Haglof Tree Calipers Cant & Peavey Hooks communities mobilising in are children, parents, are committed to ensuring Strong, lightweight Swedish this way. Industry bodies grandparents, neighbours, the Agreement is durable made aluminium tree calipers and local government have friends - going through and that the obligations 40cm-$165, 50cm-$170 Logrite Cant & Peavey hooks been strong voices, too. life’s delights, trials and and commitments that 65cm-$180, 80cm-$220 Light but very strong 102cm-$280 To lend national network tribulations in a place that it contains are delivered Made in USA 127cm-$310 support to the workers and they call home. to ensure effective 42” - $245, 60” - $300. family businesses from Local community always conservation, forest Log stand to suit - $85 Heyfield, as well as the other matters most to the people management and forest Spencer Logging Tapes Clinometers/Height Meters local districts impacted, who call it home. This goes industry outcomes.’ Tough US made TCA released a statement for every timber community The RFAs require logging tapes to the media (find it www. – whether linked into native Commonwealth and State 15m - $110, 25m - $130 tca.org.au) and wrote to or plantation forestry or to have “regard to studies 30m + diameter - $154 Premier Andrews. Another both. They are invested and projects carried out Suunto Tandem Nikon Diameter/Girth Tapes to put pen to paper was in their home, their in relation to all of the Compass/Clino Forestry Pro Large range of steel & fibreglass TCA Life Member Helen community, more than following matters relevant $320 $580 diameter tapes from $22 Hoppner, OAM, who lives all the scholars, experts, to the region: Also stock Haglof Vertex IV/ Tree Planting Equipment near Heyfield. She urged the politicians, bureaucrats, (a) environmental values, Laser & Haglof CI/ECII Premier to listen to reason commentators or lobbyists. including old growth, Pro-Pruner and recognise this is an They, more than anyone wilderness, endangered Swedish made environmentally sustainable else, want their community species, national estate Pottiputki tree planters industry and job losses must to be a good one – and values and world Models 45/55/63/75 be prevented. know what makes it a good heritage values; New Zealand made lopper Kidney trays, planting belts, TCA sincerely hopes that one - with a future for their (b) i ndigenous heritage designed for lift pruning spades & Hamilton planters jobs will not be lost. We are young, a viable means to values; of pine & eucalypts. not privy to the negotiations earn a living and a safe life (c) economic values of Up to 65mm cut - $260 Also Bahco, Felco & Barnel but at the time of writing for their elderly. forested areas and forest the mill’s future is still at People in timber industries; Over 1600 products at PO Box 870 Tel: 02 9417 7751 risk, with no announcement communities want a healthy (d) social values (including www.forestrytools.com.au Willoughby Fax: 02 9417 7426 NSW 2068 or call for our 2017 catalogue to the problem of enough environment too. community needs); and
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And they are the experts on how all this links up in their own community. They know what affects it. They know what benefits it. They know what harms it. They totally ‘get’ the positive impact of a healthy, long term sustainably managed forest sector on their community. They know that well-regulated forest activity [harvest and regeneration] in authorised areas, does not need to be at odds with good environmental stewardship of our natural landscape. It’s very interesting to think about how much
Australian Forests & Timber News
April 2017
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In the news
International Day of Forests
Australia’s forest industry continues to make a strong contribution to the national economy, particularly in regional Australia By Senator Anne Ruston Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Senator for South Australia
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HE AUSTRALIAN Government is pleased to be celebrating the 2017 International Day of Forests and its theme of “Forests and Energy”. I am personally excited about the future of the Australian forest industry - it is a sunrise industry and provides a raft of new and emerging opportunities. These include wood processing innovation, carbon farming, bio‑energy and a range of bio‑products that offer a renewable substitute to more emissions-intensive materials, such as steel and concrete. These exciting opportunities are founded on a rigorous forest management framework that supports the sustainable use of Australia’s forests. The Australian Government is committed to the principles of ecologically sustainable
forest management maintaining ecological processes; maintaining biological diversity and optimising for the full range of benefits forests can provide. A key framework for implementing sustainable management are the Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs). The RFAs are 20-year agreements between the Australian and State Governments that balance competing economic, social and environmental demands and provide resource security and investment confidence to industry. In any one year only 0.06% of Australia’s native forest area is harvested and the forest managers ensure both temporal and spatial separation of activities to create a mosaic of age classes and ecology across
the landscape to support biodiversity. Australia’s forest industry continues to make a strong contribution to the national economy, particularly in regional Australia. In 2014-15 the forest industry generated a record turnover of $22.2 billion from forest product manufacturing sales and service and provided employment for 69,000 people in forestry, harvesting and wood products manufacturing. The RFAs also provide for the protection of environmental values through a comprehensive, adequate and representative reserve system. When the RFAs were signed, between 1997 and 2001, more than 3.3 million hectares was added to the reserve estate, increasing the reserve system by 44% – a tremendous result for conservation. There is also a range of additional recreational and tourism job-creating opportunities that can be undertaken within our spectacular reserve system. For all these reasons, the Australian Government
is committed to the extension of the RFAs as the best mechanism for managing the productive use and conservation of Australia’s public native forests. The extension of the RFAs will ensure that robust, sustainable and adaptive forest management continues to be delivered. The extension will also assist in providing a stable business environment that encourages innovation and investment, which will allow the industry to thrive for generations to come. That is why I have been working with the State Governments to complete the RFA extension negotiations as a priority. In keeping with the theme of Forests and Energy, the Australian Government has re-introduced native forest wood waste into the Renewable Energy Target (RET) scheme. Biomass can function as a carbon neutral, base-load energy source. It is not dependent on sunny or windy days; it can produce sustainable, renewable and reliable energy, 24 hours a day. All carbon released in generating the electricity
was originally sequestered in the tree or plant – and sustainable management means the forests are replanted to sequester more carbon. Biomass-to-energy plants also reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. Its inclusion as an eligible energy source is another contribution to meeting the Renewable Energy Target (RET). The Australian Government is committed to working with industry to achieve its goals and looks forward to celebrating its future on the 2017 International Day of the Forests. Information on the Australian forest industry can be found on the Forestry page of the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture and Water Resources website: www. a g r i c u l t u r e . g o v. a u / forestry. Information on the International Day of Forests can be found on the Food and Agriculture Organization for the United Nations website: http:// www.fao.org/internationalday-of-forests/en/
Australia and New Zealand facing critical shortage of skilled people LABOUR SHORTAGES are limiting the forest contracting industry in Australia and also in New Zealand. NZ’s Forest Industry Contractors Association (FICA) president Ross Davis says a lack of good people with the right skills is now having a real impact in forest workplaces, but he turned down suggestions that importing skilled people was the answer. In Australia, Australia’s labour market appears to be completely disconnected from the domestic timber industry. Australian Forest Contractors Association Chairman Adan Taylor said this was brought home recently when placing an online job advertisement. “I found there wasn’t even a category for jobs in our industry on two of the most popular job sites,” he said. “This disconnection means that training providers, schools 6
and therefore young people don’t even consider the timber industry as a career option. “As a result, our recruitment is limited to hiring on attitude and training on the job. This is expensive and makes it very difficult in times of expansion (such as now). “As a result, we need to find a way to engage with parents and offer them an alternative to traditional trades in order to secure local, non-university based jobs for their children. In Australian forest harvesting crews, most roles have been mechanised due to the relatively low volumes harvested by cable. These machines are sophisticated, high-tech and come with a significant price tag,” said Adan. Ross Davis says the industry and government must re-look at how school-leavers are being prepared for real employment and should work together to improve
funding and access to technology skills training. “Our members have been working closely with some of the really practical technology institutes but we need more people with different skills from the past. Many more of our logging crews are using mechanised harvesters – providing a great workplace while at the same time making steep slope forest harvesting safer,” said Davis. He said the bigger challenges for employers in the forest are: • Students and their parents don’t yet understand that technology skills are now the key to getting good forestry jobs. “We need early risers and hard workers. For highly skilled young people, the jobs are there now to run multi-million dollar forest harvesting machines.” • “We don’t need so many lowskilled people, but the training must be based around practical
Australian Forests & Timber News
April 2017
¢ Adan Taylor.
operating skills. They need to be productive when running a large harvester with several on-board computer systems.” “Our industry is New Zealand’s third largest now. We’re poised for growth in both logs for export and to local sawmills. We really need smart skilled young people who are not afraid of hard work. The rewards are there for the right people,” says Davis. www.timberbiz.com.au
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Round Table
What does the future hold for Australia’s booming wood chip industry?
Major operators give their views
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USTRALIA’S WOOD chipping industry has performed extremely strongly over the past five years as exports have surged with major growth from China and to a lesser extent Japan. According to ABARES March/June 2016 data the reported value of woodchip exports reached record levels in 2015–16, increasing 15% from $953 million to $1.1 billion. All well and good, but what of the future? Australian Forests & Timber News decided to ask some of the major players in the business to join our “discussion piece” to help ascertain the industry strengths and just where it is heading.
Members of our expert panel are:
Tony Price Managing Director and CEO Midway Limited
Tony is currently Managing Director and CEO of Midway Ltd which is an integrated marketing and processing business with export operations in Geelong, Portland and Brisbane. Prior to joining Midway he held a number of senior management positions in the hardwood plantation sector and has also run his own consultancy business. Tony has around 30 years experience in all facets of the forest industry, but has a particular interest in harvesting, processing and marketing. Tony holds a Bachelor of Science (Forestry) from the Australian National University, a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management and has attended the International Executive Programme at INSEAD in France. 8
James Neville-Smith Executive Chairman Neville Smith Forest Products Pty Ltd NSFP SmartFibre Pty Ltd
Rob Scarlett Chief Operating Officer of Bunbury Fibre Exports and Bunbury Fibre Plantations
James is the Executive Chairman of both Smartfibre PTY LTD and Neville Smith Forest Products PTY LTD. He has been involved in the forest processing sector since 1995. The Neville Smith family involvement in the sector started in 1924. James has been involved in many strategic M&A transactions in the sector which has seen the family business grow to become Australia’s largest hardwood sawmill company before exiting the industry completely in 2006. James then led the family back into the Sector in 2010. James worked in the finance markets before joining the family forestry business. He is 46 years old and is married with 4 children. Australian Forests & Timber News
April 2017
Rob started his career in forestry in 2005 with Pentarch Forest Products before moving across to Mitsui Bussan Woodchip Oceania in 2008. In that time he has held a number of operational and management roles working across areas such as project development, M&A, sales and marketing and operations. Rob has worked on projects in Australia, New Zealand, South America, North America and South East Asia, and has held expatriate positions in Japan and New Zealand. Rob is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Bunbury Fibre Exports and Bunbury Fibre Plantations (both 100% Mitsui subsidiaries) and has been in this role since 2014. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and diplomas in Financial Markets and Chinese (Mandarin). www.timberbiz.com.au
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Round Table Question: Where do you see the future of existing markets and emerging markets? Do you see further consolidation from these countries or are there emerging as-yet untapped markets? Given hardwood chips dominate, with softwood chips and pellets remain relatively insignificant are there untapped opportunities for these products as well? Tony Price: I really see very little growth in the Japanese pulp market other than potentially displacing supply from other countries. The Chinese market is likely to remain strong with new Dissolving Pulp and BCTMP capacity still coming on line. The likely impact of additional BEKP market pulp supply from South America and the new OKI Mill in Sumatra may have an impact on Kraft pulp production in China, particularly as some pulp mills may shut and buy in pulp, but to what extent is unclear at this stage. On the matter of emerging yet untapped markets, India is a possibility, other markets include pellets and biomass chips. I think there is going to be increasing demand for softwood biomass chips and wood pellets for power production, given increasing pressure to close down coal fired power stations in Japan (also nuclear) and potentially China. James Neville-Smith: My expectation is that the two core markets of Japan
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and China will remain unchanged as the two powerhouse markets for the foreseeable future. I suspect the current trend of Japan moving sideways or slightly down vs China maintaining modest growth will continue. There will be developments into the biomass space, however, the extent to which this product specification emulates the current woodchip spec is yet to be clear. As far as I’m aware there are no traditional woodchip vessels being loaded for biomass out of Australia. There are, however, reputable groups making general enquiry for hardwood chips for Biomass, so I suspect in the future demand for biomass fibre will begin to chip away at the lower end of the woodchip spec/ price. The India story is yet to crystallise and I can’t see this changing in any material way over the next 5 years. Rob Scarlett: Japan is a mature stable market with a slight decline bias. Certain segments of this market (coated paper, newsprint) are under pressure as a result of structural changes in paper usage, while other market segments such as sanitary paper (ageing population) and packaging (internet shopping deliveries) are seeing growth based on socio economic trends. Overall, we see Japan remaining as a significant and stable buyer for the long term. We expect to see continued growth in
demand from China but with a slight slowdown in the pace of growth as new pulp projects come on line, particularly in Indonesia and South America, with the ability to export pulp to China. Global Mitsui has developed a strong HW woodchip import supply chain to the growing Indian market, supplied mainly from South Africa. Current pricing does not support imports from Australia, however, we are optimistic this market will continue to grow and present sales opportunities from Australia over the medium term, and in the short term absorb supply from South Africa that would otherwise have competed with Australian supply in North Asian markets. Korea and Taiwan are small, stable markets that generally purchase lower quality woodchips. A change in demand for FSC certified paper products may present increased opportunities, however, we are not forecasting significant growth in exports from Australia to these markets. Question: What is your five year forecast on the value of export woodchips? Do you envisage the same level of growth over the next five years? What factors (international/ domestic) do you see that may influence the growth or reduction in exports? Are there other countries (apart from China / Japan / New Zealand) that you believe may emerge as significant contributors to
Australian Forests & Timber News
the value of exports? Tony Price: Not year on year, I think we can expect to see ongoing, but modest growth through additional demand and replacement of other suppliers over the next 5 years. While a shortage of supply is predicted in the Asiapacific region in the next 5 years unless we can achieve price increases we will see the hardwood plantation estate decrease reducing the volume available for export in 5 years. The main issue is the economics of growing plantations based on the current export price. If stronger demand results in improved prices this will stimulate interest in growing trees. The Chinese and Japanese pulp producers are our major markets at the moment and are likely to continue to be. There is some possibility that India may develop as a market, although they are more likely to buy in market pulp. There is likely to be a strong demand for biomass from Japan, Korea and potentially China which could result in further demand for our product. Whether it will increase the valueremains to be seen. James Neville-Smith: The currency will largely drive the competitiveness of Australian woodchips which is of course difficult to predict. There are question marks over the sustainability of the South East Asian export volumes that have risen so dramatically over the
April 2017
past 10 years. There is also the issue of large scale pulp mill operations in Indonesia that will absorb large volumes of chips that would otherwise have been exported. The macro demand forecast looks reasonably positive due to stronger GDP growth in developing countries resulting in greater use of paper products across the board. The predicted paperless office is far from playing out and demand for paper in mature economies has declined but is plateauing at higher levels than what was previously predicted. The growth in dissolving pulping production particularly in China is bringing demand diversification into play which is also a positive story for woodchip demand globally. Development in Pulp production in South America over recent years has held the market pulp price down which has a flow on effect to woodchip prices. Putting currency aside the price of woodchips exported out of Australia has been in decline for at least a decade. The net result will see a significant reduction of plantation establishment unless the trend turns around. Rob Scarlett: From a volume perspective we expect to see continued increases in HW chip exports from Australia over the next few years, but not at the same rate of increase we have seen in recent times. With recent growth in volumes most major
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Round Table Mass Management Scheme allowing them to improve efficiency. We expect FSC certification to grow in importance as a competitive edge when exporting to Japan, particularly in the run up to the 2020 Olympics which is being targeted by FSC Japan as an event at which to increase brand awareness. Unfortunately the cost and complexity of maintaining certification is increasing, and we are encouraged to see progress being made on the draft National Standard and in areas such as the Controlled Wood Risk Assessment.
ports are now operating at or near capacity with limited opportunities to significantly increase volumes. Incremental increases may be seen from newly-developed or developing export projects (Tiwi Islands, Esperance, Kangaroo Island, Southern Tasmania). On the demand side we see no limits for the market to absorb increased output of HW woodchips from Australia assuming any increases are incremental. Question: Where do you see the domestic opportunities for improving our international competitiveness? From the forest to the mill and loading onto the ship, where do you see the likely major changes or opportunities that may impact on the competitiveness on woodchip exports? Is being awarded Forestry Stewardship Council certification a significant benefit? Do you work with forest contractors to assist them to improve their productivity to better reflect your requirements? Tony Price: Continually seeking to drive efficiencies throughout the supply chain. Harvest and haulage are major costs and we need to ensure we have the right scale of operations and that equipment is being fully utilised. i.e. the easiest way to reduce the unit cost of a piece of equipment is to work it harder (i.e. longer). www.timberbiz.com.au
We are also constantly looking to reduce costs through improved efficiency in our processing, chip storage and ship loading operations. FSC certification is necessary to do business with some customers. However, it does add significant cost and the market does not pay a premium for it. Wherever possible we are keen to work with our forest contractors to improve productivity, safety and quality performance and this should be to our mutual benefit.
to quantify, but in some markets it’s a necessity, so the supply chain has to absorb the cost. In the end the market pays for it one way or another. Rob Scarlett: Australian suppliers have been successful in improving compaction factor levels over recent years, increasing the efficiency of shipping and our overall competitiveness. We expect to see this trend continue as suppliers improve their knowledge, infrastructure and techniques. Locally
we are working with our plantation contractor base, which are principally small family run companies, to improve productivity along with safety and quality, in some cases financing the purchase of equipment to achieve these outcomes. In partnership with our transport contractor base we have improved processes and systems to come into line with the Chain of Responsibility standards, which has also assisted contractors in achieving accreditation under the Accredited
Question: Would the wood chip sector benefit from a significant ‘injection’ of research and development into the industry? What areas do you feel deserve particular attention that would make the industry more productive? Tony Price: Yes, the sector would definitely benefit from more research. Increasing the productivity of our plantation estate through improved genetics, pursuing ongoing innovation throughout the supply chain, but particularly in harvesting and transport. Exploring other end uses for our wood fibre i.e. biofuels, nanocellulose etc.
James Neville-Smith There is no doubt that stability throughout the supply chain will deliver the most efficient operations and best stumpage. In recent years spot purchases and the absence of long term sales contracts has heightened the risk premiums within the supply chain resulting in inefficiencies. This is no fault of the supply chain operators, it’s simple business. If I need to invest $2-3m in equipment and are only given a 12 month rolling contract, I’m going to charge a lot more than if I’m given security for 3-5 years. Improved shipping efficiencies in terms of vessel choice and compaction gains have assisted operators in recent times, but certification costs have, without doubt, added to the cost of doing business in this sector. The cost benefit is hard Australian Forests & Timber News
April 2017
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Round Table James Neville-Smith: There are always grounds for further research into fibre growth and optimization within the plantation sector. In terms of Pulp and Paper processing, until this country wakes up to the economic opportunity that is being passed by each year we export woodchips instead of pulp there is no point in investing funds in pulp production. I think the biomass space is still relatively unknown, and I’m sure there is a new industry in nanotechnology (using wood fibre) on the horizon that we should be investing in. Rob Scarlett: The post-MIS era has seen a significant reduction in research expenditure and we are supportive of a renewed focus in this area, including the development of Forest Research Australia. We believe a more collaborative and coordinated approach to research and development will lead to increased efficiency and improved outcomes. From our perspective we feel a focus
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on research into second and third rotation pulpwood plantation management (growth modelling, slash makeup and retention, nutrition, multi-stem harvest methods etc) would be beneficial given the current estate profile. Question: How have you broadcast your message to politicians to promote woodchips on both the domestic and international stage to promote acceptance and export opportunities? What areas do you feel our politicians (and their policies) could improve their efforts to promote a vibrant industry? Or, are there any politicians that are worth singling-out for their sustained and effective efforts? Do you feel there is sufficient public education to explain wood chipping and address concerns? If not, how do feel this topic should be tackled? Tony Price: Overall we haven’t been very successful in this instance, although we actively support the work by AFPA and FWPA.
They could provide assistance in promoting other forms of certification such as AFS (PEFC) with the importing countries I think they need to be more forthright in presenting the forest industry as a significant contributor to the Australian economy, particularly in regional areas, and espousing our environmental credentials, rather than responding to minority interest groups. The forest industry has the potential to be an important player in the emerging carbon economygiven wood’s ability to sequester carbon or be used as a carbon neutral energy source. We have strong support from our current Federal Minister Senator Anne Ruston and a number of other regional politicians. With all the political issues on the agenda it is difficult to attract attention, but AFPA is doing a good job. However, I think there’s little appreciation of what we do among the general public. Our industry does not have the necessary financial capacity to mount
Australian Forests & Timber News
a major education program and to be honest we are probably not uppermost in the public mind at the moment. I think the carbon debate is our best chance to convince the public of the benefits of sustainable forest management. Expanding our plantation base and sustainably managing our native forest has the potential create a significant carbon sink, whereas other industries such as mining, agriculture etc., can only seek to reduce their carbon footprint. James Neville-Smith: I think the FWPA has done a fabulous job promoting the renewability and highlighting the carbon benefits of using wood products in general. I would love to see the utilisation of a tree publicised to show the extent to which we as an industry seek to maximise the value of the entire tree. I believe the general public are more educated these days than ever when it comes to pragmatic sustainability and where forestry sits. I am optimistic
April 2017
about the future of the entire sector. Rob Scarlett: We actively support the work of FIFWA in promoting the industry at a government level. At a Local Government level we support the work of the WA Forest Communities Network who have been successful in promoting “Timber First” policies to local councils. Being an election year in Western Australia now is an opportune time to push the industry agenda and garner further support from all major parties. Ideally we would like to see more focus by the Federal Government on ways to support the continued growth of the forestry industry in Australia through a dedicated ministerial portfolio. The FWPA has prepared some fantastic promotional and educational programs and we would love to see a Federal Politician dedicated to raising the public profile and promote the clean, renewable, and sustainable benefits of our industry.
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Round Table Further Comments Tony Price: Midway Limited was established in Geelong, Victoria and has been involved in woodchip exports for over 30 years. Midway is a major woodchip processor and marketer, handling over 3 million green metric tonnes (GMT) of hardwood and softwood woodchips annually. Midway has export operations in Victoria and Queensland and manages a number of plantation projects in Victoria. James Neville-Smith SMARTFIBRE is situated on 2.5 ha which it owns, strategically located adjacent to the Bell Bay Port on the eastern bank of the Tamar River, approximately 45 km north of Launceston. The mill is located within the Bell Bay Major Industrial Zone and benefits from unlimited operating restrictions and is able to operate 24 hours per day. The SMARTFIBRE site consist of a log yard capable of storing 8000GMT(with expansion plans to double this storage capacity), of logs, a new heavy duty 96” Precision chipper run by new electrical systems including a new electric motor to replace the old diesel drive that has been in operation for 15yrs, to a concrete outside chip stockpile (OCS) which can hold 120,000gmt (with expansion plans of a further 30,000GMT capacity) of woodchips with a reclaim and a conveyor belt that can load out at 1000 GMT per hr (800tn on average)
which links directly to the Bell Bay Port infrastructure owned by TasPorts. SMARTFIBRE has operational permits, and chipping capacity to process 800,000 GMT per annum. Currently normal operations involve five shifts per week for ten (10) hours per day 10,000 per week and going forward the plant is capable of producing at least 16,000 GMT of chips per week with extended split or double shifts. Rob Scarlett: Mitsui Bussan Woodchip Oceania (MWO) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd. MWO has been involved in Australia’s
woodchip export industry for close to three decades. MWO is a major Australian woodchip exporter, shipping approximately 2.5 million green metric tonnes (GMT) of hardwood and softwood woodchips from Australia annually. MWO has investments in two plantation log processing and woodchip exporting businesses in Victoria and Western Australia, and investments in four plantation projects on the east and west coasts of Australia, totalling more than 27,000 hectares. MWO is involved in all stages of the value chain, from owning plantations, to managing harvesting and logistics, owning and
operating woodchip mills, managing port facilities, chartering woodchip carriers, and marketing to customers throughout Asia. Mitsui & Co. Ltd. (“Mitsui”) is one of the world’s most diversified trading, investment and services enterprises. In Australia Mitsui manages a diverse portfolio of businesses in industries including iron ore, coal, oil, gas, power generation, transportation, construction and mining machinery, chemicals, steel products, woodchips, salt, food, and financial services. Mitsui is a leading exporter of Australia’s key natural resources and agricultural commodities. On an equity
basis Mitsui and its group companies are the fourth largest exporter in Australia with approximately A$6.5 billion in total exports annually. Mitsui has global expertise in direct investment, finance, marketing and logistics, and often works in partnership with leading Australian and international companies. In the past 10 years Mitsui group companies have invested about A$15 billion in Australia. Its Australian operations are backed by a network of 138 offices in 65 countries. This global presence allows us to gather market intelligence from around the world, identify new business opportunities and create new trade flows.
Machine sales rise with woodchip export increase AUSTRALIA’S WOODCHIP production boost has also meant a boost in business for the “big iron” side of the business. One of the major manufacturers, Komatsu Forest (and its Peterson distributorship) have been heavily involved in the industry transition. Back in 2011 Komatsu Forest was awarded the Peterson franchise for Australia and New Zealand. This included, in- field chippers, grinders, and blower trailers. “The past six years in Australia
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has seen a significant increase in sales of blue gum woodchips for the export market, and this increase has resulted in us delivering 50 Peterson products in the same period,” said Brenton Yon, National Sales Manager, Komatsu Forest and Peterson. “These machines have included 33 In-Field chippers, 16 Grinders plus a Blower Trailer,” Brenton said. “To get a comparison on the scale of increase the woodchip exports have created, in the years 2000 to 2011, a total 25 Peterson
products were delivered,” he added. “To put a lighter side to this when we took on the franchise I made a deal with Mal Windrim (the Peterson Asia Pacific manager), that when we sold 50 units I would go on a camping and fishing trip with him. I had never done either and my idea of camping is staying in a four star motel or something equivalent. The fishing is another story as being patient is not really something that I am very good at. “I was very confident at the time that I would never have to honour
Australian Forests & Timber News
April 2017
the bet, based on the previous 11 year’s sales history and my age. “I now find that I am going camping much to the delight of many of the Peterson owners and my work colleagues. “We are delighted to represent Peterson, which has become a very important part of our business. The current trend in the woodchip business looks as if it will continue as we already have several orders in hand for delivery over the next six months,” Brenton said.
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In the news
Planting the seeds for AUSTimber2020
T
HE AUSTRALIAN Forest Contractors Association has formally commenced planning for AUSTimber2020 (to be held in March – April in Gippsland, Victoria), with the first AUSTimber2020 Planning Committee meeting held in February. The AUSTimber Planning Committee consists of key stakeholders representing Australian Paper, HVP, VicForests, both Latrobe City and Wellington Shire councils, the Victorian Association of Forest Industries as well as members of the AFCA board and team. The committee oversees planning of the event, the delivery of key tasks, develop marketing material and communications, and will guide the AUSTimber Coordinator with the work program in the lead up to 2020. AFCA’s General Manager, Stacey Gardiner said “the first meeting of the AUSTimber Planning Committee was about
revisiting AUSTimber2016 to provide a context to 2020 and then moving into ideas generation, with the identification of marketing and promotional opportunities, the AUSTimber2020 program and what the event may look like”. “The enthusiasm and ideas generated from the team as part of the first planning meeting was really exciting and their fabulous support has already set us in a direction to develop a program and deliver an event even bigger than AUSTimber2016,” she added. AUSTimber2020 expo and live demonstrations will again be held on the Flynn site, thanks to the ongoing support of HVP. Unlike 2016, 2020 will see all exhibitors on the one site which we expect will have capacity for around 120 sites. We are also working to have enough car parking available out on site as well. Work is now under way on a detailed site plan to map out the
possible exhibitor sites and we expect to offer a pre-sale to exhibitors in the coming 3 – 6 months. Marketing information is also in the pre-planning phase, with some exciting and unusual ideas generated in this space as part of the meeting along with consideration of the format and program for the week. “The AUSTimber team will seek feedback on a proposed program in the coming months, once we have confirmation that some of the ideas generated are likely to be possible, we do expect to see a few changes from the 2016 program, however,” said Stacey. “While we don’t want to give too much away just yet, it looks like we are set to have an AUSTimber2020 launch in the first half of 2018 in collaboration with a special timber milestone celebration in Gippsland,” she said. Further updates will be available as new information comes to hand and planning is progressed.
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Engaging and thoughtprovoking speaker NOEL PEARSON, Director of the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership, has been named as a Keynote speaker for the 2017 Institute of Foresters conference about tropical forestry to be held in Cairns from 1417 August. Noel is Director of the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership, an organisation promoting the economic and social development of Cape York in far north Queensland. “An engaging and thought-provoking speaker, Noel is sure to leave conferencegoers wanting more - and more will be provided,” said Dr Kevin Harding, Chair of the Conference Organising Committee. “Noel will be joined by Professor Sandra Harding, Vice Chancellor and President of James Cook University Australia. “An economic sociologist by training, Professor Harding has a keen interest in the global Tropics, northern Australia and economic development. “There are few countries in our region that have not been influenced by forestry leaders trained in Australia. “The conference location brings focus on Northern Australian development, particularly the role that forestry should play in development initiatives that are canvassed in the 2015 Northern Australia White Paper,” said Kevin.
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In the news
When it comes to difficult harvesting then Waratah can ‘head’ you in the right direction!
W
A R A T A H R E C E N T LY introduced a new extra-robust large tree directional felling head, the FL-95, which was purposedesigned for difficult harvesting conditions. It’s a heavy duty directional felling head that has been specifically designed for steep slope felling, handling oversize timber, late or final thinning and clear cuts, topping, storm damaged trees and high production shovel logging. It has a steep slope specific tilt design, a fully retractable saw box and an extra-large 158 cm (62 in) grapple opening. So, how has the head gone in the field? Albany-based forestry contractor Matt Leov (Total Harvesting) and his team put the newcomer through its paces ... and it has come up trumps! Here’s Matt’s responses in a quick Q&A session with Australian Forests & Timber News... AFTN: When the FL-95 came on the market what impressed you about it? Matt: The ability to handle large trees, its simple design, simple installation, tough construction, ability to fall, shovel and load trucks. AFTN: Timeline for the FL-95 (from hearing
Quick Look At The Key Aspects • A retractable saw box option for easier shovel logging and loading out. • Increased bar and chain protection when shovel logging. • A best-in-class chassis geometry for felling on extreme slopes. • A heavy duty chassis design for increased service life. • A 13 cm (5 in) grapple cylinder for increased clamping force. • A heavy duty ¾ main saw and 109cm (43 in) saw bar as standard. • Improvements for ease of maintenance and accessibility. ¢ (l-r) Matt Leov, Keith Righton, Paul Gracie, Matt Vanschayk.
about it to ordering it to commissioning)? Matt: Delivery within a week and final installation within another week. AFTN: What is it attached to? Matt: A CAT 336D2L purpose built by Total Harvesting themselves. AFTN: Ease of operation of new head (and maintenance)? Matt: Very easy to use, great saw clamp and adjustment assembly, low maintenance. Well thought out design. AFTN: Its real standout points (including accuracy etc)? Matt: Strong grapple. Very robust. Ability to handle large trees.
AFTN: Would you recommend this head? Matt: Yes. AFTN: When you first started using Waratah heads? Matt: In NZ in 2002. I hired a Waratah 626 then bought a 624. AFTN: The heads you have used (for specific purposes/timber etc)? Matt: 616B and C, blue gum (6x616Cs and 7x 616Bs) 618C Pine thinnings and blue gum (1x618C). Our 622B Pine (2x622Bs), 623C Pine and blue gum (2x623s), 624C Pine, FL85 Pine and FL95 Pine are all currently in use. It’s not just the machines
that impress Matt and his team, it’s also the Waratah crew. “They’re good. The technical support and backup is second to none,” he says in all seriousness. “Also, I think they should give me a free head since I have bought over 20 heads off them,” he adds with a wry smile. The Total Harvesting name is synonymous with
the forestry industry. The family owned and operated business (Matt and Sarah Leov) employs 45 staff and is currently working in both pine and blue gum. Total Harvesting has a strong commitment to the region, its employees and the timber industry, constantly striving to improve health and safety, value recovery to the forest owner.
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April 2017
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HARVESTERS
Komatsu Forest’s new formative harvester range Unique stability and operator comfort
T
ODAY KOMATSU Forest Pty Ltd has one of the most comprehensive new Harvester range to meet all the demands of the Australian market. This has been achieved over the last two years with the introduction of a new range of Komatsu wheel harvesters which includes the largest wheel harvester, the 951. During the same period the new, updated Komatsu XT Series 3 track machines were released and more recently Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd has released the Timberpro TL765C & TN765 tailswing purpose-built track feller-buncher, harvester; this is one of the largest purpose-built track machines on the market. In addition, Komatsu Forest has invested heavily in recent years to develop the Komatsu PC270-8 into a forest ready carrier for contracts that are price sensitive -- in other words it’s a forest budget carrier!
Komatsu wheel harvesters Komatsu Forest launched four brand new harvesters in 2015, the Komatsu 901, 911, 931, and 951 with the 931 and 951 being the most suitable for Australian conditions. These new models include everything from completely new designs, a new cab with a damping option, and eco-friendly Stage IV engine through a keyless system, a new hydraulic system with dual hydraulic circuits the like of which the market has never seen. The result is high production capacity and low fuel consumption per processed timber volume. The focus for KF was on the operator and every effort was made to maximize production from every possible angle. The new harvesters are built on the well-proven concept of a centrallyplaced crane and cab and a swing axle that together with the cab’s tilt cylinders offers unique stability and operator comfort.
¢ Netley’s XT460L/Komatsu 398 clearfell harvesting in the Oberon area.
Major new features: • The industry’s first remotecontrolled keyless system (300 metres) • Automatically logs into MaxiXplorer with the operator profile. • A new 3-pump hydraulic system, • Provides a unique interaction between the crane, the head functions, and the transmission. • The result is that the operator can use several crane and head • functions together with maximum hydraulic power. • Agco Stage IVTIER4 Final engines • TIER IIB option for Australia. • All models have new parallel cranes • High lifting power which are fast, effective, and easy to operate. • Choice of cranes with different reaches. • Heads suitable for 931 & 951 are S132, C144, S172 & C202E. The new harvester line up has a modern and functional design facilitating service and maintenance. Daily inspections can be carried out without having to open a hood.
¢ Cassiopeia’s Komatsu 951 working in the Tumbarumba region.
18
Komatsu XT Series 3 The Komatsu XT series is a well proven product in the Australian market with a population of over 430 units of all models. The introduction of the Series 3 models two years ago came with many improvements. Models include the XT430-3 , XT430L-3, XT445L-3 and the larger new XT460L-3.ranging in operating weight from 27,805 kg to 32,659 kg. Komatsu’s continued focus on improving operator productivity was considered very important, therefore the XT-3 has a totally new cab design. Cab changes include: • Sloped roofline that increases headroom and reduces debris build up. • Larger skylight, front & side windows with 90% greater viewing depth. • Brilliant white LED lights (11) deliver 2-3 times more illumination. • More spacious, quieter and pressurized interior. • Ergonomic seat and easy-to-reach controls. • Easier access to new storage areas including a lunch box and thermos. The XT-3 Series features the new IQAN-MD4 “1st in the Forest”
programmable digital control system. All former analog gauges and warning lights are now prominently displayed on the highly visible and durable 18 cm LED colour touchscreen. The system accommodates individual preference settings for multiple operators, records machine data and provides advanced diagnostic reports. The XT-3 series machines include the latest Komatsu undercarriage and hydraulic improvements for greater reliability and durability, including: • 1-2 additional bottom rollers improve track chain support and load distribution • Upgraded chain guide (rock guard) material extends service life • Track chain alignment has been optimized by utilizing: • A continuous straight-line chain guide profile • Lengthened chain guide profiles at the idlers and sprockets • Removable track roller guards for easier access on XT445L & XT460L • Hydraulic System: • Upgraded Implement Pump bearings provide longer service life • Lift capacity at full reach has increased by 37% on the XT460L-3 model The XT 3 Series machines are capable of handling many of the larger heads for tougher felling and harvesting operations in both hardwood and softwood. There are many variants fitted with KF, Waratah, Logmax, Quadco and Woodsman Forest attachments operating in Australia and New Zealand.
Timberpro TN/TL765C The Timberpro TL765C is a totally new machine design but it has a very long heritage starting back with the Timbco brand. Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd has had a long and
¢ Retreev’s TL765C/Komatsu 398 harvesting in the Shelley Forest, Victoria.
Australian Forests & Timber News
April 2017
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HARVESTERS
¢
Pope Logging’s XT430/Komatsu 378 debarking head in South East NSW.
strong relationship with Timbco and Timberpro dating back to 1992. Komatsu Forest believes this new tailswing levelling machine will have a strong demand in Australia and New Zealand. Timberpro were very fast to meet this challenge by completing the whole development project within two years with construction of the first prototype in Dec 2015. The Timberpro TL765C was released to the Australian market at “Austimber 2016” which drew much interest with quick orders resulting in five being delivered and several orders in hand. The first TL765C in Australia was delivered straight from the Austimber show to Clearwater Logging and was fitted with a Woodsman 750. The initial success here in Australia and in the USA / Canada markets has made availability a major issue for future sales in Australia due to this strong demand.
The Timberpro TL765C has provided an excellent base for a great variety of attachments with current examples such as; Komatsu 398/ C283, Woodsman 750, Waratah 624 &625 Harvesting Heads, Woodsman FH1350, KF 800 Directional Felling Head, Quadco 26B Disc Saw and Quadco 7320 Accumulating Shear. Some of the many features of the new TL 765C are: • Cummins QSL 9.0L Engine • Auto-Reversing Fan • Energy Recovering Hydrostatic Dual Motor Swing System • Energy Recovering Smart Valve • Dedicated Dual Hydrostatic Drive System • New Rexroth Drive Motors GFT 8190 (Tractive Effort :484 kN) • IQAN MD4 10” Touch Screen Control System • Excellent Serviceability
¢ K ettle’s PC270 fitted with Komatsu 378E(C202E) debarking in the Mt. Gambier region.
Komatsu PC270-8/C202E & PC300LC-8/PC400LC-8 Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd has been developing the Excavator range over many years. Whilst this design will always be evolving, the current product design is very stable and reliable. The earlier years of the design work mainly involved the PC220LC-8 but it was quickly realised that the higher horsepower of the, PC270-8 was the best option going forward for a budget harvester carrier, especially when the capital investment was not that much more than a PC220LC-8, it was quickly seen to be justified by the increased production. The features of this size carrier along with the larger models were carefully considered, reliability was the number focus followed closely by performance and the overall capital expense.
The key components for these Excavator carriers are: • Komatsu’s reputation for reliability and affordability • Upsizing to the PC270-8 further improved the reliability • The PC300LC-8 and PC400LC-8 have been very successful • Guarding Packages suitable for all applications • Including over-body and underbody of all different configurations • Purpose Built Forestry Cabins which are approved by the regulators • Load Sense Hydraulics that achieve the right output pressure • Dedicated Return & Case Filters • Aux cooler packages to suit very demanding applications • Schedule 160 boom piping, 30% greater than most competitors • Heavy Duty 600mm Double Bar or 600mm Single Bar Grousers
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April 2017
19
HARVESTERS
Customer input plays major part in getting things right Eight-wheeled forest machines allow harvesting on ever steeper slopes and more uneven terrain
T
HE FOUNDER of Ponsse company, forest machine contractor Einari Vidgrén always says “customers are the best experts; we have to listen to them”. It has been Ponsse’s main philosophy in product development all the way from the beginning of the company in 1970. Close relationships with contractors and machine operators and deep consideration of their needs and ideas ensure that the R&D efforts are targeted to the correct goals. This benefits both manufacturer and customer. Ponsse’s product range has never seen changes as drastic as it has in recent years. The intensive development phase started in 2009 when Ponsse launched the first eightwheeled harvester models. In 2015 Ponsse released a whole new machine model series, starting with the launch of
the Ponsse Scorpion and ScorpionKing harvesters in 2013. The development of the new model series was done on the basis of the feedback collected throughout the years. Along with new technologies and concepts, it is important to keep in mind the continuous improvement of the base technology – the things that keep the wheels rolling and trees falling all around the world, every day. “The new Ponsse model series focuses on improving durability, serviceability and ergonomics, producing significant results in terms of usability and productivity,” said Peter Randalls (Director, Randalls Equipment Company, authorised Australian distributor of Ponsse machines). The starting point for the development of the new model series was the idea of a forest machine that does not compromise on the usability,
productivity or serviceability of the machine. The frame of the machine is even more durable, and modifications to crane models have improved durability and the ease of use.
Comfort is key “The development of forest machines is strongly heading in a direction where the working comfort of the operator is key, alongside machine productivity,” said Peter. The operator’s working capacity has a direct impact
on the productivity of harvesting. An operator who is alert throughout the shift has an impact, not only on machine production, but also on the after-harvest track. The cabin, visibility, ergonomic controls, ease of maintenance and use, together with machine stability and control, are crucial factors when it comes to comfort. Regardless of machine intelligence and advanced technology, quality and production are always based on the operator. In recent years, machine stability has increased its role, as planted forests are located on steep slopes in many market areas. Thanks to its stability, eight-wheeled forest machines allow harvesting on ever steeper slopes and more uneven terrain. On the steepest slopes, winch solutions are also used, particularly in South America and Central Europe.
The Ponsse product range includes both six and eightwheel harvesters in all size categories from thinning to heavy duty regeneration felling. All Ponsse machine models are designed for a general size category in terms of their size and performance, whereby the work is not narrowly restricted to certain types of work sites due to the equipment. Versatile product solutions allow harvesting of both energy wood and industrial wood productively. All Ponsse harvester heads have multistemming as a standard feature. Ponsse is known for its rapid product development based on customer needs. It has always allocated its resources to where it can be the best in the world. In developing environmentally friendly, cut-to-length forest machines, Ponsse represents state-of-the-art.
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HARVESTERS
Ponsse hands over its 12,000th forest machine
F
EBRUARY 21 was a milestone day for Ponsse. It was on that day that the 12,000th Ponsse forest machine was handed over to the customer at Ponsse’s Vieremä factory. The Ponsse ScorpionKing was received by a French family company called Sarl NC Bois from Trémilly. “We have co-operated with NC Bois for a decade and I am very glad to be celebrating the 12,000th forest machine with our French customer. Last year was our best year of operations in France of all times, and our market share in France has developed positively. Furthermore, this milestone is for us as a Finnish company a great beginning to Finland’s centennial year,” said Jarmo Vidgrén, Ponsse’s sales and marketing director. At the moment, a new Ponsse service centre, which will be opened in the spring, is being built in Labouheyre in southern France. The service centre is a part of this year’s large investments in the service network and development and expansion of the production facilities. This year, new service centres will be completed in Ponsse’s subsidiaries in the UK, Uruguay and France. In France, Ponsse has three of
¢ Everyone marks the milestone at Ponsse’s Vieremä factory.
its own service centres and some authorised service partners. The subsidiary Ponssé S.A.S. has been responsible for Ponsse’s operations in France since 1996. Sarl NC Bois is a harvesting company established by two brothers, Nicolas and Mickael Cuny. The company started operating in 2007 with a used Ponsse HS16 harvester. In 2008, the brothers’ father Claude Cuny
joined in the business, and the following year, even a third brother, Billy Cuny, joined in. On an annual basis, Sarl NC Bois harvests and buys 50,000m³ of wood with net sales of over €2 million. “Being a family company is an important asset for us,” Nicolas and Michael Cuny say. The company can be described as a pioneer in machine acquisitions in France. In 2009, the company
acquired the first eight-wheel Ergo in France, and the Ponsse ScorpionKing harvester acquired in 2014 was one of the first in France. At the moment, NC Bois is logging with 10 Ponsse machines. In total, Ponsse has manufactured about 450 Ponsse Scorpion harvesters that came into production in 2014, and has delivered machines into 20 countries.
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April 2017
21
10/03/2017 11:18:36 AM
HARVESTERS
On ‘track’ to provide the best options for all occasions
¢ The new Tigercat H820D gives loggers new choice for a versatile limited tailswing harvester carrier.
Enhanced visibility with excellent sight lines to both the right and left sides of the cab
T
IGERCAT BUILDS a full range of harvesting solutions including track harvesters, wheeled harvesters, harvesting/ processing heads and control software. There is a Tigercat solution for most of the world’s at-the-stump harvesting and roadside processing applications. Tigercat’s purpose-built forestry track carriers offer significant performance and durability advantages over excavator conversions.
H820D limited tailswing track harvester Building on the highly successful 822D/L830D platform, Tigercat has introduced the new H820D harvester. It is powerful and capable, yet compact and nimble -- with a long reach 9.1 metre (30 ft) boom and limited tail-swing, minimizing ground disturbance and residual stand damage in thinning operations. The hydraulic system is optimized for maximum performance and fuel efficiency in harvesting applications. The H820D shares the ergonomic cab design with the 822D feller buncher. Narrower front posts and larger side windows enhance visibility with excellent sight lines to both the right and left sides of the cab. The skylight
has been replaced by a camera system providing the operator with a much wider field of view and eliminating visibility inhibiting elements like debris for year-round capability. The cab interior is quiet and instrumentation has been thoughtfully placed to optimize ergonomics. The electronic control system interface uses a highresolution, 180mm touch screen colour monitor. There are multiple mounting points for additional electronic devices like attachment or harvesting head monitors which can now be quickly and easily located to the operator’s preference. The engine compartment is easily accessed via the independent, poweroperated side platform and roof enclosures. Access to components and daily service points is excellent with available ground level fueling and easy access to the hydraulic filters, hydraulic oil fill pump, swing gearbox remote oil level tank, cooling system components and both sides of the engine. The Tigercat FPT N67 engine is available in Tier 2 or Tier 4 configurations. The N67 engine is equipped with a second generation common rail fuel injection system, allowing it to achieve top performance in terms of load response, maximum torque and top power with minimum
fuel consumption. Best of all, the N67 engine is fully supported by Tigercat and the Tigercat dealer network. For Tier 2 regions, the N67 on the H820D is rated at 205 kW (275 hp) at 2,100 rpm and delivers a peak of 210 kW (282 hp) at 2,000 rpm.
H845D and H855D track harvesters The H845 and H855D track harvesters are highly efficient, durable and reliable carriers suited to a wide range of harvesting and processing applications. The H855D is designed for high performance harvesting, atthe-stump processing and roadside processing duties in medium to large tree size operations. The H845D carrier has 25% less tailswing than the H855D and is well suited to plantations and natural stands and excels in smaller diameter timber. Both are again powered by the Tigercat FPT N67 engine and for Tier 2 regions are rated at 205 kW (275 hp) at 2,100 rpm and deliver peak output of 210 kW (282 hp) at 2,000 rpm. Both models are available with two-piece or telescopic ER boom systems. The
¢ A Tigercat LH855D performing roadside processing in Utah, USA.
22
patented ER boom system allows the machine operator to extend and retract the boom on a horizontal plane smoothly and quickly using a single joystick. The stick boom or “reach” joystick controls both the main and stick booms simultaneously, resulting in the attachment moving either away from or toward the operator. The main boom and tilt functions operate in the traditional manner to adjust the height and angle of the attachment. Key to this technology is reduced energy consumption. The ER system transfers energy back and forth between the main and the stick boom functions, reducing the total energy needed to move the boom system. This translates to reduced demands for power, pump flow and system cooling. Competing solutions do not offer the simplicity and fuel savings of Tigercat’s design. The engine and hydraulic systems are specifically designed to achieve maximum performance and minimum fuel consumption in harvesting and processing applications. High horsepower allows the carriers to maintain hydraulic flow as the pressure increases, maintaining quick feed speeds and significantly boosting productivity. A dedicated attachment pump supplies oil to the primary head functions, delivering
flow and pressure to match the demands of the head without interference from other machine functions and can be fully Load Sensed for maximum fuel efficiency. With a high performance valving and control system, the machine is optimized for harvester performance and fuel efficiency. Under high flow conditions like feed or saw operation, additional oil is supplied from the Pump 2 circuit’s main load sensing system. The LH820D, LH855D and LH845D all feature Tigercat’s patented leveling system, providing exceptional stability in steep slope applications and optimum weight transfer. It uses two massive hydraulic cylinders and heavy steel sections for a solution that is both simple and robust. Due to the unique geometry of the leveling system, the machine is well balanced on slopes. Regardless of the angle of the undercarriage in relation to the upper, the track pressure is even all the way along the bottom of the tracks as long as the upper is close to horizontal. This makes the machine feel very stable and predictable. In addition, the ramped undercarriage (both the front idler and the rear gearbox are set higher than the centreline of the undercarriage) allows the machines to easily drive up over rocks and stumps.
¢ The H845D processing pine.
Australian Forests & Timber News
April 2017
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HARVESTERS
The friendly giant, Logset’s 12H GTE Hybrid, heading for Australia
nts the world´s first hybrid harvester now in Australia!
ndly Giant – Logset 12H GTE Hybrid ¢ Hugh Gordon is taking the world’s first hybrid harvester, the Logset 12H GTE Hybrid, from Finland to Australia.
entally friendly
+ Electric motor
ngly strong
+ AGCO POWER 7,4 l engine
T
HE 12H GTE over 35 years’ experience Hybrid harvester of harvesting. It was a manufactured by great chance to get some Logset Oy in Finland, solid infield information. represents the newest The main points I got from technology in forest Gerhard were impressive Logset Oy Hännisentie 2 harvesting machinery. It production increases with isFi-66530 the Koivulahti world’s first hybrid www.logset.com lower fuel consumption and Finland harvester and is nicknamed a higher level of operator Tel. +358 10 286 3200 “the friendly giant” because comfort,” says Hugh info@logset.com it is environmentally Gordon, owner of LICO Pty friendly and powerful like Ltd. a giant. The harvest er During 2016 LICO has a hybrid system with became a Logset dealer and an electrical motor that the company bought its first offers torque and power Logset machine, a Logset boost to the AGCO Power 12F GT forwarder in late 7.4 l engine. To date this 2015. machine model has been “We’ve been very happy delivered into Europe, but with the 12F GT which has this year the first hybrid now clocked over 2 000 harvester will arrive in hours. We haven’t really Australia. needed any help with “We went over to Sweden it. When we bought the to look at a 12H GTE forwarder, it was a new Hybrid working with a product for both us and Logset TH75 head which for Logset. I’m a person was a great starting point who needs to see and feel for my trip. The owner the machine before I buy and operator Gerhard it, so that was my first trip Sjölander was very open to Finland. Getting to see about his experience with machines at the production his machine. Gerhard has level is a big bonus for me. www.timberbiz.com.au
Now it’s a similar story with the 12H GTE Hybrid with a second trip to the Logset factory,” Gordon said.
New harvesting head TH85 The first hybrid harvester being shipped to Australia will be equipped with a new Logset harvester head TH85 which was designed to complement the capacity of the 12H GTE Hybrid. Logset has just launched the product and both the head and the Hybrid are optimized for large size clear cut harvesting. The TH85 has three steel feeding rollers and synchronized feed circuit to ensure that the grip of the tree is optimal.
Australian Forests & Timber News
“Our business is based in Mount Gambier in South Australia, which is one of the biggest forest regions in the country. I believe that the TH85 is going to work well on the radiata pine, the most common tree species we have,” said Gordon. “We are also happy to take a new harvester head with Logset because of our earlier smooth experiences. If we don’t try something new, we’ll just never know.” As a Logset dealer Gordon is planning on selling the Logset 12H GTE Hybrid and 8H GTE harvesters, and the Logset 12F GT and 8F GT forwarders. “I think that these products will best suit the Australian market. If we are going to sell the products, we also need to know them well. That is also a reason why we wanted to get a Hybrid for our business. We need to be able to give fast and effective service to our customers, so firsthand experience and factory April 2017
support is, in my opinion, the best way to achieve this,” he said. LICO has built a service trailer to reduce service times on machines and they are also building up a stock of Logset spare parts.
Test driving the 12 H Hybrid & TH85 combo Already on the way to the forest for a test drive, Gordon is taking several pictures of his Hybrid harvester with the TH85 head. He even attaches a GoPro camera on the cabin before he jumps in himself. “This is like seeing your baby for the first time,” he quips. Gordon has three children of his own, of which the youngest, Harry, is only 10 months old. A fresh father of three must know the baby feeling he is talking about. When Gordon starts driving the hybrid he keeps
Continued on page 24
23
HARVESTERS
The friendly giant, Logset’s 12H GTE Hybrid, heading for Australia
¢ Logset’s dealer in Australia, Hugh Gordon, with the newly-launched harvester head Logset TH85. Continued from page 24
looking out for the rocks in the forest. Because of that he thinks he can’t get the most out of the experience until he is back home. The hybrid weighs from 24,500 kg and its wheels are 780/50-28,5. The machine is designed to go on several different types of land. “In Australia, the logging is different, since our trees are grown in straight lines.” What surprises Gordon is the quietness of the friendly giant. “You really can’t hear the engine working or getting strained at any time. It’s consistent. I’m looking forward to May when the Hybrid will arrive. It’s going to the front line in clear fall and thinning’s so
it won’t take long to gather some solid Australian infield numbers to pass on,” he said.
Birthday celebrations for Logset It all depends on how you say it ... a quarter of a century, two and a half decades, 25 years, 300 months or 9125 days (give or take a leap year or two). That longevity factor has come into play for forest machine manufacturer Logset which this year notches up the 25-year milestone. Logset was founded in 1992 by Gustav Frantzén, Seppo Koskinen and Kristian Stén, who acquired the forest machine business assets from Oy
¢ Hugh Gordon and Tapio Nikkanen, Chairman of the Board for Logset, shaking hands on Australia’s first hybrid harvester deal.
Logset 12H GTE Hybrid technical data
Dimensions
Own weight, kg from
24 500
Hybrid system, engine + electric motor Max. power at 2 000 rpm, kW Engine
Electric motor Harvester heads Norcar Ab. Today Logset is a mid-sized machine manufacturer and the company has always had a clear policy to invest in research and development.
380 (510 hp)
Max. torque at 1 500 rpm, Nm
2 000
Type
Agco Power 74 AWF
Stage
Tier IVF (4F)
Power at 1 900 rpm, kW
220
Power, hp
300
Torque, Nm
1 200
Fuel tank, l
500
DEF, l
40
Max. power at 2 100 rpm, kW
175 (240 hp)
Max. torque 1-2 100 rpm, Nm
800
Model options
TH75 or TH85
Last year (2016) Logset launched the world’s first hybrid harvester, the Logset 12H GTE. Although the company’s birthday is officially
in August, Logset will be starting to celebrate from June at Elmia Wood in Sweden. A special anniversary logo has also been launched.
Haggis on track to make a big difference CLARK TRACKS Ltd, based in Dumfries, Scotland manufactures a range of superior forest machine tracks to suit all terrains and all machine types and are available through Australian agent B.A.Viccars. With more than a quarter of a century of experience, Clark Tracks has built a solid business based on durable products and friendly customer service. The range of tracks offered, goes from high flotation through to aggressive tracks designed for maximising grip climbing ability. At the high-flotation end of the 24
range, Clark Tracks offers the TXL, TXCL and Flotation ranges of tracks. “The TXL is the most advanced high flotation tracks available, providing excellent soft ground capabilities, low soil compaction and disturbance and good traction, an area where other high flotation tracks get stuck,” says Brian Viccars. “At the other end of the track spectrum, for maximising traction, we offer our Grouzer track and two special variants; Climbing Special (CS) and Climbing-X (CX). These super-aggressive tracks assist
machine to operate on steep and challenging sites,” he said. Clark Tracks also builds the ultimate all-season, multiterrain range of tracks; Terra-85 and Terra-95. Terra-85 is suited to harvesters and forwarders up to 15t payload. Terra-95 is suited to larger harvesters and forwarders with 15t payloads or greater. Additionally, for Large Forwarders and 6 wheel skidders, Clark tracks offer the Forwarder-X (FX) tracks, a special variant of the Heavy Duty Terra-95 track. “All Clark Tracks are built in Scotland, using the best quality
Australian Forests & Timber News
April 2017
European steel and components to guarantee performance and long work life,” said Brian. And now, the Haggis UltraLink (track life extender) has been added to the vast array of specialist material. The Haggis Links are available as un upgrade to all 28mm Clark tracks, which ensure a maximum contact area, reduced contact pressure, protects the C-link from premature wear, the bearing surfaces are matches, there’s less maintenance and downtime as less re-tensioning and adjustments are required. www.timberbiz.com.au
Logset presents the world´s first hybrid harvester now in Australia!
The Friendly Giant – Logset 12H GTE Hybrid + Environmentally friendly
+ Electric motor
+ Astonishingly strong
+ AGCO POWER 7,4 l engine
LICO PTY LTD Hugh Gordon 8a 12 Allan Drive Mount Gambier South Australia 5290 Tel. 402034573 licohgt@bigpond.com
Logset Oy Hännisentie 2 Fi-66530 Koivulahti Finland Tel. +358 10 286 3200 info@logset.com
www.logset.com
HARVESTERS
New series harvesters boast more power and performance
E
CO LOG’S newest generation of 550, 560, 580 and 590 harvesters (the E-series), powered by Volvo Penta D8 engines (from 218hp to 320hp) are characterized by their high performance, reliability, fuel efficiency, and low emission levels in all types of terrain. “The Volvo Penta diesel engines are built to be versatile and have been developed to satisfy forestry applications with their low weight, compact designs, and easy installation, making them perfect to power the new Eco Log harvester generation,” says Johan Jaktman, principal of Scandinavian Forestry & Engineering, Australian distributor of Eco Log products. “It’s important to mention that Eco Log and MTU (Mercedes) remain partners. The reliability and efficiency of MTU engines, notably the 926 LA, have undoubtedly contributed to the success of Eco Log machines over the past years. Therefore, the existing D-series forwarder and 688 continue to be equipped with Mercedes Engines,” he added. The choice of Volvo Penta engines
for harvesters had been motivated by three main factors: Proximity, Flexibility and After-sales. i. As simple as it sounds, Volvo is a Swedish heritage and Eco Log, which is based in Söderhamn on Sweden’s east coast, has over the past few years highly focused on the value of using local components. Suppliers with a close geographic location enable both better support and closer partnership. ii. One and the same engine block can fulfill several standards, for example with either Stage IIIA or Stage IV-compliance. This smart flexibility contributes to the efficiency of Eco Log production by providing the ability to use the same base machine frames while simultaneously fulfilling the various emission requirements worldwide. iii. International sales have expanded over the past two years and Eco Log is now represented on four continents. A strong global network is required to guarantee maximum uptime, reliable service and peace of mind for Eco Log customers. “The new Eco Log 550, 560, 580 and 590 harvesters are dressed
with the latest Eco Log colors and will of course remain equipped with innovative pendulum arms. Their impressive ability to tilt 25° sideways and a pitch angle of 17° to the front or rear allows them to easily manoeuvre in hilly environments,” Johan said. Eco Log equips, as standard, the new 550, 560, 580 and 590 with five pumps; two for the transmission, two implement pumps (one for the crane and one to operate the harvester head) and one socalled “recirculation pump” which together with the new vertically oriented coolers optimizes the cooling capacity of the harvester where and/or whenever the machine operates. The Volvo Penta engine provides power to these pumps, running at a low rpm, and can easily handle all working conditions without overloading the engine. Among other new features, the cab is now able to rotate 350° further decreasing the frequency of machine movement versus competitors and thereby saving additional fuel costs even beyond those provided by the already efficient Volvo Penta engines.
Johan said it should be noted that the 570 had been removed from the harvester range to the benefit of the 550. This unique four wheeler is now powered by 218hp and is equipped with a larger crane (the Eco Log crane 250 [255 kN], previously installed on 570D). Scandinavian Forestry will soon take delivery of one of the new breed harvesters, the 590. “We’ve also got a 688 in stock at the moment,” says Johan. The final word on the work and worth of the Eco Log machines comes from Bruce Macfarlane (Mac Logging, Queensland)... “The Eco Log 688 replaced our Eco Log 580B Harvester in our Southern Pine thinnings operation in Beerburrum, Queensland last year. Our previous and current experience with Eco Log machines and the company made it easy for us to decide to stick with them. The Eco Log 688 features that particularly stood out for us to suit the area we are currently in is the eight wheel drive and the self levelling cab. We are looking to pair it up with the Eco Log 574E Forwarder later this year.”
¢ Eco Log’s 688 easily handles the workload at Mc Logging’s Queensland site.
26
Australian Forests & Timber News
April 2017
www.timberbiz.com.au
Meet the team beyond the ordinary! Eco Log gives you the ultimate in harvesters the Eco Log 590E and the Eco Log 688D Harvesters. Eco Log
688D
Meet the ultimate in harvesters the Eco Log 688D Harvester The Eco Log 688 is an 8 wheel-drive harvester, designed to minimize the ground pressure. The 688 has the same characteristics as any other of the Eco Log harvesters: • Stability • Remarkable visibility • Generously powerful, stingy in fuel • Standard double hydraulic pumps • Serviceability Indeed, the Eco Log 688 is actually designed to enable to work in steep conditions.
With its 320hp power plant, versatile boom configurations and exceptional clear view with the crane mounted on the cab – the 590E has been bred for high-productivity and ultimate reliability. See our other harvesters: the 550E, 560E and the 580E for the complete range.
The Eco Log 590E Harvester - never retreat! Contact Johan from Scandinavian Forestry on (02) 6947 4505 or 0408 614 503; or visit our website: www.scanforestry.com 196-200, Snowy Mountains Highway, Tumut NSW 2720
Eco Log
590E
®
HAULAGE
Scania cuts a dash through the logging industry Trialling a new specification of logging truck with the aim of safely carting 104-tonnes GVM without adversely impacting on the forestry tracks
S
cania is continuing to cut a swathe through the logging industry as more operators seek information on how they can reduce their operating costs. Scania’s specialist logging industry account manager, Paul Riddell, has been fielding enquiries from across Australia in recent months, as word of successes in the South Australian timber industry spreads through Victoria
and into New South Wales. “It seems logging industry folk have heard of the successes we are having with customers such as Tabeel Trading in South Australia,” he says. “We spent a lot of time refining the exact specification that would be suitable for logging as well as carting wood chip, and this has paid off for the customer. We have devised a specification that is best described as being ‘fit for
¢ Scania Tabeel on dirt road.
¢ Finnish Test Scania on the road
28
purpose in the Australian logging environment’. “Fuel economy has picked up significantly, and the trucks have been very reliable to date; one of the managers there said he had ‘forgotten they owned them’ as they have been consistently working dayafter-day. “Obviously the more days worked, the better the return on the investment in the trucks,” Paul says, “not to mention avoiding downtime for the work crew in the forest.” Tabeel Trading now has 9 Scania trucks in its fleet and will add 4 more when they arrive from Europe in April. Like the most recent batch of arrivals, the new trucks will be 620 hp V8 powered 16.0-litre units boasting 3000 Nm (2212 lb/ ft) of torque. Fuel efficiency for Tabeel Trading has risen from around 1.4 km per litre to between 1.7and 1.8-km/litre, providing significant running cost reductions. “The power and torque is very well suited to logging, and Scania has several decades of experience pulling logs out of the Arctic tundra, through winter as well as summer, so the product development has been undertaken to cope with really arduous conditions,” Paul says. “But in addition to the performance of the engine, the gearbox and axle ratios, plus the hub reduction and Scania Retarder all add up to a suite of features that match the working environment perfectly. It ticks all the boxes: performance, reliability, durability and economical operation. “When you have to move 1.2 million tonnes of wood chip and logs each year you need a tough reliable truck, and that’s just what we have built for the Tabeel Trading team,” Paul says. “This is also such a strong truck that it will be ideally suited to being converted to tipper and dog work once its life with Tabeel is over,” he says. Meanwhile in Finland, Scania has been trialling
Australian Forests & Timber News
¢ Scania Tabeel bdouble on road.
¢ Scania Tabeel driver Ashley Miller.
a new specification of logging truck with the aim of safely carting 104-tonnes GVM without adversely impacting on the forestry tracks, while at the same time reducing transport costs. The thinking is that larger loads mean more cargo per vehicle, therefore a reduction in transport costs and the number of transport movements on Finnish roads, as well as reduced environmental impacts. Powered by the Scania flagship V8, a 730 hp engine with 3500 Nm (2581 lb/ft) of torque, this is the heaviest timber truck on Europe’s roads. It is 33 metres long, has 13 axles and consists of a tractor unit, a semi trailer and a trailer. It is running a test route of 300 km between Ivalo and Rovaniemi in northern Finland. A section of the road includes a 2 km long up-hill section where the truck is really put to the test, with speeds sinking to 30 km/h at the steepest part.
April 2017
Haulage firm Ketosen Kuljetus OY owns the truck and business owner Risto Ketonen hopes that the heavy vehicle will lower fuel costs. “We chose Scania as tests have shown that Scania is best at heavy haulage in these conditions,” he says. “Tests such as these underscore just how wellsuited Scania trucks are for heavy-duty logging,” says Scania Australia’s Paul Riddell. “While the truck is tough on the outside it is comfortable, safe and spacious on the inside, giving the driver a very agreeable workplace, in an industry where traditionally conditions have been quite rugged. “I think that’s also part of the reason why so many logging operators have been won over. Their drivers love their Scanias and they look after them better, too,” he says.
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FA CT NE O W (L RY M IM O IT ED D I D O SC E FF L ER O ) U N T
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Onetrak 1300 727 520 • www.onetrak.com.au
HAULAGE
They may be ‘tyred’ but they’ve got plenty of life!
The alliance that makes a difference to operating costs
T
HERE ARE two names in the forestry and agricultural business that seem to have been around for quite a while and are also associated with success. They are Tyres4u and Alliance Tyres. Tyres4U, Australia’s leading independent tyre distributor, is now in its 27th year. The business has imported Alliance tyres for over 20 years, initially from Israel and for over five years also from their two new factories in India. The three factories gave Alliance the scale of economies to provide the latest high technology tyres from Israel, renowned for research and development, together with India’s lower costs to allow Alliance to offer competitively priced tyres for price conscious users. The Alliance Tyre Group, with annual sales of over A$700m, was purchased by Yokohama in 2016.
¢ Alliance 344 series tyres.
Tyres4U’s specialist Farm, Forestry & OTR national sales manager in Australia is Graham Jones. Alliance has a technical engineer in Australia, George Kesson assisting Graham with Alliance tyre training and after sales service for dealers, contractors and other users.
¢ Alliance 345 series tyres.
The best way to illustrate a product’s acceptance and trust is through the users. Following are a few comments from forest contractors around the world... Michel Poral, forestry services contractor Auvergne, France.
SKIMP ON SOMETHING ELSE. BUY QUALITY, BUY .
LO G S K E LS
CHIP BINS
DROP DECKS
Ever asked where your chassis rails, axles and suspension are made? It’s a question every buyer should ask. Rest assured, Barker Trailers is a major semi-trailer manufacturer that uses only quality components and Australian steel, as standard. For goodness sake, skimp on something else. Buy quality. Buy Barker. Call us today – 03 5427 9999.
barkertrailers.com.au 30
Australian Forests & Timber News
With over 42 years of experience, Michel owns a HSM 904Z skidder which runs on four Alliance F-345 tires, size 30.5-32 18 PR. Since purchasing the skidder, he has used it for over 4700 hours without any problems. “During all that time I’ve been using the Alliance tires, we had only one puncture. It is far better than any other tyre I ever used in my 42 year career. We also no longer need to use chains to get good traction in the mud. The F-345 tires just does the job without them” Lothar Kappus, Operator of a leading forestry business in Germany. The company is a modern forestry business with approval of RAL, Germany’s Institute for Quality Assurance and Certification. The company’s team of qualified young professionals works with special forestry tractors and forwarders to handle all kind of forestry terrain. All their machines are powered by environmentally friendly bio hydraulic oil. On their Welt Welte W115 Log Skidder the company uses Alliance 331 forestry tyres, size 600/6030.5. This 150bhp machine is also driven on roads up to 30kms to move between job sites. The tyres have now been in use for more than 14000 hours without any problem. The remaining tread depth of 13-15mm will provide
April 2017
more hours of service. Alliance’s forestry tyres are ranked among the top in extremely demanding forestry work.. This was well proven by the Alliance 344 Forestar, in the forests of Germany, where it was subject to heavy duty job in a log forwarder. The 870/45– 26.5 20PR tyres were used in tough forestry conditions on slopes with full load. Even after more than 800 hours in such tough conditions, the tires have suffered absolutely no damage on the sidewall or lugs. Thierry Dejana John Deere 810D ECOIII. This machine is fitted with four 16 ply rating tires with the size 600/50-22.5. They have seen more than 600 hours of tough forestry work on this JD Forwarder. The tires have more than 40 to 41 mm of tread depth still available. John Deere1110D ECOIII. This JD forwarder has completed more than 7651 hours of service. The set of four 20 ply rating tyres fitted in are 710/4526.5. The F-344 tyres have completed a gruelling 700 hours of work, with about 41 to 43 mm of tread still left, proving the toughness of the tires. The machine operators expressed satisfaction in the performance of the tyres, and were particularly pleased with the tyres’ traction, self-cleaning and stability factors. www.timberbiz.com.au
Classifieds
FOR SALE
CLEARANCE
Milling & Processing Machinery Anthon 1.8m wide belt sander
Very heavy duty, high production machine. $15,000+GST
Loser - Dowell cut off machine x 2
Forest Equipment Specialist
$3,500+GST Each
No. 220
Loser - Dowell rod sander Rhinbold offcut chipper Very good condition.
FOR
Sell your used equipment, advertise your tender, offer your real estate or find your next employee. For rates and deadlines call Michael Dolphin on (03) 9888 4834 or email: m.dolphin@ryanmediapl.com.au
TIGERCAT 635D Skidder $323,700 inc. GST
$4,000+GST $16,000+GST
with multi Bundle infeed and strip conveyor very good unit. $32,000+GST
2,237 hours with new spare tyre & rim
$270,000.00 +GST
Rex Planer
600x200, VG condition $35,000+GST
Hyundai R210LC-7 H/C $66,000 inc. GST
MK Impianti
RF continuous laminated timber press line, (came out of Door component factory), good sound condition $42,000+GST
Hitachi Zaxis 280L-3
$275,000 inc. GST
$165,000 inc. GST
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TRY OUR CLASSIFIEDS PAGES Caterpillar 320BLL
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BUNCHING GRAPPLES
If you are looking for a heavy-duty grapple that will sort, bunch and load all day, every day, then you need a Rotobec. Onetrak offers the complete range of Rotobec Bunching Grapples, Heavy-Duty Log Grapples and Multi-Stem Grapple Saws. Give us a call for more information.
(03) 9888 4834
New model Easy50 available now!
Different sizes of mills with optional feeding table and drum cleaner. Tractor, Diesel Power Pack or Electric Power Pack driven models.
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Australian Forests & Timber News
April 2017
Industry event calendar Employment postings 31
Export Chipping Solutions
Twin System:
All-In-One System:
6910/7900
5000H
Chipping Equipment The Innovative Solution for Flails & Chippers Peterson offers two very successful solutions for Pine and Eucalyptus Plantations in the southern hemisphere; the ‘All-in-One System’ and ‘Twin System’ for in-field chipping. Peterson is represented by Komatsu Forest in Australia and New Zealand which provides a strong combination in meeting the local requirements. Komatsu Forest offers chipping contractors real product support and expertise.
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Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd. 11/4 Avenue of Americas Newington NSW 2127 Australia T: +61 2 9647 3600 E: info.au@komatsuforest.com