SEPTEMBER 2014 Issue 6 Vol. 23 • P: (03) 9888 4834 • E: m.dolphin@ryanmediapl.com.au • www.timberbiz.com.au
¢ Salvage of logs during the feasibility study used divers and boats. The Hydrowood project will use an excavator located on a barge to salvage the logs with no men in the water.
Timber from deep in unique operation I
NNOVATIVE FOREST management company SFM Environmental Solutions has obtained funding for a major new project to recover specialty timbers underwater in Tasmania. Hydrowood is a highly innovative project that will utilise specialised equipment to recover standing timber underwater in lakes managed by Hydro Tasmania. It will provide access to a unique subset of Tasmanian’s highly valued special timbers. “As a Tasmanian company with extensive experience in forest management, harvesting and marketing, this project will allow
globe and with Tasmania’s unique indigenous timbers this project will allow furniture makers, sawmillers and craftsmen to access exciting new markets.” Funding for the $5 million project was approved by the Abbot Coalition Government under the Tasmanian Jobs and Growth Package. The project will create up to 20 full time positions in the construction phase with an additional 40 downstream positions as timber is extracted and processed. It has been estimated there are about 300 million trees worldwide submerged in dams constructed during the 1950s through to
We are working with William Adams to purchase a CAT forestry machine and fit a telescopic arm with a modified felling head that will enable us to work in water depths of up to 40m SFM to expand its current business while creating employment not only in the western region of Tasmania, but statewide,” said SFM General Manager, Darryn Crook. “The specialist equipment required to recover the timber will also be designed and developed in Tasmania.” “Recovered or salvaged timber is a growing niche industry across the
the 1970s for the creation of hydroelectric schemes and water storage. (Crockford, 2008). The dams where often flooded with little to no salvage operations being undertaken. “The Hydro dams in central and western Tasmania fit into this global trend with large tracts of land flooded. While salvage operations where undertaken in the periods prior to
In this issue... PAGE 3: BUSINESS LEADERS in Yarra Ranges and Murrindindi have joined forces to ensure green “anti-timber industry” propaganda is kept in check, following an ‘embarrassing’ front page article in the Alexandra Standard newspaper. PAGE 3: ONE OF the real champions of timber communities and the timber industry in the West
flooding in most instances this was incomplete due to time pressures. There remain large areas of forest submerged within the Hydro dams that are owned by Hydro Tasmania,” Darryn said. While this resource has previously been forgotten advances in technology have enabled systems to be developed to allow the timber to be reclaimed that is economically, socially and environmentally acceptable. “SFM is looking to construct a salvage excavator utilising the skills at William Adams. We are working with William Adams to purchase a CAT forestry machine and fit a telescopic arm with a modified felling head that will enable us to work in water depths of up to 40m. William Adams will fit out the excavator and modify it for underwater salvage operations. This includes fitting screens for the camera and sonar images, modifications to accommodate the telescopic arm, fitting controls for operation of the barge and ensuring hydraulic systems are compatible with a vegetable based hydraulic oil. William Adams will also be used to service all the equipment once operational on the water,” he said. Shipyards in Tasmania will be utilised for the construction of the motorised barge which the excavator will operate from and also barges for holding and transporting logs from the operation site to the landing area for processing. There
has decided to call it a day. Letisha Rakich, known to most as Tish, says that “after 30 years in the timber industry, it’s finally time for me to say goodbye”. PAGE 8: WITH SAFETY vest instead of surgical gown you probably won’t mistake Forest Nursery Manager Peter Moore for a medico, but hovered over the grafting table he wields the scalpel as deftly as a neurosurgeon.
is also the need to build a tug and several tender vessels. The project has a construction phase of 12 months with operations expected to commence on Lake Pieman in July 2015. Planning work is currently being undertaken using anecdotal evidence, aerial photography and GIS systems to identify potential areas to operate and these will be followed up by sonar scanning to produce a similar output to LiDAR for more accurate planning.
When operational the project will directly employ a crew of four people located on the west coast of Tasmania, plus the planning and administration of a further three people, while the construction phase will support the employment of over 20 people at various Tasmanian companies. SFM has identified enough potential resource to keep the operation going for more than 10 years. continued on page 4.