WoodWeek – 21 July 2021
Click to Subscribe - It's FREE! Greetings from your WoodWeek team. Down south the folks in the forest are delighted with their new digital radio systems The new solution providing valuable data and safety features, helping to locate workers wherever they are in the forest. It also provides a touch-free method for workers to exchange other essential job details including truck numbers, log quantities and crew ID numbers.Businesses are being reminded once again to make sure work is being done correctly, safely and to higher industry standards or risk seeing their workers injured or killed. A tragic forestry fatality on the East Coast could have been avoided if industry guidance had simply been followed, says WorkSafe. Two companies appeared in court in March this year with the sentencing decision released last week. Meanwhile drone seeding trials are looking good for planting more native trees faster. For the last three years native trees have been slowly planted by hand in the former pine forest in the Hunua Ranges. It is one of the biggest reforestation projects in New Zealand - and the drone method looks like it could be a gamechanger. In a recent trial, 5000 specially made 'seed pods', or seed bombs, were loaded into the drone and scattered over a test section. Sam Vye from Envico Technologies said the method was much better than planting by hand. A reminder to all of you to take advantage of early bird rates for our upcoming conferences:
This week we have for you:
Digital Radio System delights in Otago
City Forests in Otago have implemented a new digital radio system from Motorola Solutions and
communications partner Central Radio Services (CRS) to help their teams work more safely and efficiently
while complying with COVID-19 work requirements.
Initially deployed to replace an outdated analogue radio network, the system delivers many additional benefits.
Among them are contact-free communication and social distancing in the field, replacing the need for drivers
to exchange paper job dockets with a digital docketing system. The new solution incorporates MOTOTRBO
SLR5500 digital two-way radio repeaters across four sites with TRBOnet radio dispatch software providing
valuable data and safety features, helping to locate workers wherever they are in the forest.
The system also provides a touch-free method for workers to exchange other essential job details including
truck numbers, log quantities and crew ID numbers. All solutions are integrated and connected to a digital
network radio core provided by the Orion Network. Maintaining Safety and Connection Across a Vast Environment – City Forests manages more than 23,730 hectares of forest in the Otago region, growing more than seven million trees while maintaining high standards and certifications for sustainability. Ensuring safety and security for workers and recreational forest users throughout such an expansive area requires instant, dependable and secure communication. Forest Production Manager for City Forests, Guy Bonner, said his organisation has experienced many benefits by migrating to an advanced digital communication system. “Upgrading our network to digital not only enabled clearer voice communication, but provided us with other useful features like text messaging and GPS capability,” said City Forests’ Forest Production Manager, Guy Bonner. “Moving to a digital platform also gives us the option to plug in further capabilities to improve safety in the future,” Bonner said. Motorola Solutions Channel General Manager for Australia and New Zealand, Rhys Clare, said the evolution of digital radio technology is helping enterprises to increase collaboration and performance across their entire operations. “Enterprises have always depended on radio systems for clear and reliable voice communication, but now they are getting many more safety and productivity enhancing features,” Clare said. “Digital radio solutions are also extremely flexible, enabling organisations to adapt to rapidly changing situations. Even throughout a global pandemic, these solutions are helping organisations keep their operations running and their people safe,” Clare said. .jpg) Seed-dropping Drone: Future of Tree Planting Now
An ambitious local team hopes a drone dropping thousands of seeds over the Hūnua ranges could
provide a boost to native
reforestation efforts. If the trial works, the drone-testing team say New Zealand could be progressing on the
government's ambitious goal of 1 billion trees planted by 2028 years earlier than expected. For the last three years native trees have been slowly planted by hand in the former pine forest in the Hūnua Ranges. It is one of the biggest reforestation projects in New Zealand - and the drone method could be a game changer. In a trial, five thousand of the specially made 'seed pods', or seed bombs, were loaded into the drone at a time, then scattered over a one acre testing section from the air. Sam Vye from drone firm Envico Technologies said the method was much better than planting by hand. "The traditional methods of going around and planting a seedling every square metre is great but it's slow, and the New Zealand landscape is pretty steep terrain so any method that we can do by air that improves the speed, improves the efficiency and reduces the cost." Dropping seeds alone had little success - so the team adapted a popular method for encasing seeds in a ball of organic matter to help them germinate and get established, known as a seed bomb, and have called their version a 'seed pod'. "We were getting a really poor take, real poor germination so we came up with the idea of actually encapsulating the seed within an organic mixture and putting that into a pod." The seeds are mixed with water, clay and compost and compressed into a small ball shape. Each one weighs about two grams, is about the size of a lolly, and contains five to six different native seeds gathered from the area. Ten drone flights could spread 50,000 of the tiny parcels in just half an hour, Vye said. More >>. Source: RNZ WorkSafe: Forest Safety is Paramount
(WorkSafe) Health And Safety Paramount On Forestry Sites A tragic forestry fatality on the East
Coast could have been avoided if industry guidance had simply been followed, says WorkSafe.Businesses are being reminded once again to make sure work is being done correctly, safely and to higher industry standards or risk seeing their workers injured or killed. Two companies appeared in court on 24 March 2021 for sentencing following the incident with the sentencing decision being released on 16 July 2021. Earnslaw One Limited engaged Pakiri Logging Limited to assist with harvesting at West Ho forest in Tologa Bay. In February 2019, a breaker out worker for Pakiri Logging Limited was struck by a log being hauled out of the valley on a skyline cable. The victim died at the scene as a result of his injuries. A WorkSafe investigation found both parties had failed to ensure the dangerous work was being carried out safely. “Pakiri were not ensuring crew were following correct protocols while breaking out and harvesting work was taking place,” said WorkSafe’s Area Manager Danielle Henry. “Our investigation found that the parties’ workers were not abiding to recommended safe retreat distances. At the time of the incident, the victim was 18-20 metres away from the skyline cable when he should have been at least 45 metres away. “Audits commissioned by Earnslaw and Pakiri from May to September 2018 highlighted issues with the way in which a particular break out crew for Pakiri was operating. Despite issues identified in these audits being available to the companies months prior to the incident, the companies failed to take corrective action. “Had the two companies discussed the audit results as and when they were provided and taken action as a result of the issues identified then this tragic incident could have been avoided. “This highlights the importance of clear communication and the need to follow industry practice – especially in a high risk industry.” Pakiri Logging Limited was fined $468,000 and Earnslaw One Limited was fined $288,000 at the Gisborne District Court while the companies have been ordered to share in reparations to the families for a total of $238,000. Pakiri Logging Limited Pakiri Logging Limited was sentenced on Wednesday 24 March at the Gisborne District Court. > A fine of $468,000 was imposed. >Pakiri Logging Limited was sentenced under sections 36(1)(a), 48(1) and (2)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. > Being a PCBU, having a duty to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers who worked for the PCBU, while the workers were at work in the business or undertaking, did fail to comply with that duty and that failure exposed its break out workers, to a risk of death or serious injury, arising from breaking out activities. S 48(2)(c) carries a maximum penalty of $1,500,000. Earnslaw One Limited Earnslaw One Limited was sentenced on Wednesday 24 March at the Gisborne District Court. > A fine of $288,000 was imposed. > Earnslaw One Limited was sentenced under sections 36(1)(a), 48(1) and (2)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. > Being a PCBU, having a duty to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers who worked for the PCBU, while the workers were at work in the business or undertaking, did fail to comply with that duty and that failure exposed Pakiri Logging Limited break out workers, to a risk of death or serious injury, arising from breaking out activities. > S 48(2)(c) carries a maximum penalty of $1,500,000. Total reparations of $238,000 were ordered to be paid to the victim’s family. Source: Scoop & WorkSafe Carbon Match Market Update
NZUs pushed through to trade $46 on Carbon Match late last week - NZU
holders across the board
appear to have reduced selling interest. We see this as a temporary response to
a number of factors. In the
23 June auction, the majority of buyers failed to secure any volume at all.
Clearing at $41.70 - above prior
secondary market levels, some sellers who went before have expressed regret.
Meanwhile the market has steamed on, with buyers paying asking prices, and sellers pulling back or lifting their asking prices. This isn't simple greed - many have raised concerns that they may have sold "too low", with caution causing them to pull back from sales programs to reassess the market and its policy settings. Some natural sellers point to the strength of the log market, with many forest owners telling us they're not under pressure to sell NZUs right now anyway. And for those that are in the market to sell, the much higher carbon price has seen budgeted NZU volumes get scaled back in response. Another factor that contributes significantly to sentiment on both sides of the market are the proposals made in the April/May consultation on ETS settings. The final Climate Change Commission's report remained constant in its recommendation to lift the trigger price for the cost containment reserve (CCR) from $50 (now not far off current secondary market levels) to $70, as soon as practicable. We are yet to see regulation but few doubt the strength of this Government's conviction. To that end, two further ETS-related consultations on market governance and the industrial allocation are expected to commenced last Friday. So, what do the buyers do for now? In addition to whatever volumes are brought to market by private account holders, another 9.5 million units are scheduled to be auctioned by year end. There is also a pool of an additional 7 million units - the CCR - that becomes available if either the September or December auction clears at $50 or above. That pool does not roll over to next year. The $50 CCR could be a one-time opportunity. With next year's cost containment reserve expected to cost more, and therefore be less "containing", buyers are keen to be well covered. There's no clear backstop anymore. Penalties for non-compliance seem scary. But sellers don't face such urgency. In fact, it's almost the reverse. Higher prices + tougher penalties = slow down. Whoever you are, being an NZU holder shouldn't be an excuse for having no plan. The world can change and while the direction might feel clear enough to you now, stuff happens. $46 dollars hasn't been seen before and sellers, if you haven't already, you should agree a strategy and a plan, rather than simply counting your paper gains. The market has been moving fast. Will it get to your nirvana in a time frame that matters to you? Or will it get the speed wobbles? If you've an asking price in mind, put it up on Carbon Match and see what happens next. More from Carbon Match- China set to launch the world’s largest emissions- trading program. More >> Source: Carbon Match - open every weekday 10am-5pm. .jpg)
Malaysian Buyer: Farm to Forestry
Malaysian firm to convert Southland farm into forestry block - A
Malaysian company has
been given consent to buy a nearly 460ha sheep and beef farm in Western
Southland.The Overseas Investment Office gave the consent to the 100 per cent Malaysian- owned company Pine Plantations Private Ltd to buy the farm - near Tuatapere - from vendors Ayson and Karen Gill for $4 million. The consent states the company intends to develop about 330ha of the land into a commercial forest, principally in pine trees. Planting was intended to start in 2021-22, for the trees to be harvested in up to 30 years. A house and 12ha of land on the farm was not required and would be sold. "It's an alarming trend," said Federated Farmers Southland meat and wool chairman Dean Rabbidge, of Wyndham. He added that he was frustrated Government legislation allowed for overseas companies to buy farms. More >> John Deere: Connectivity Service now Standard
Starting today, John Deere customers will no longer need to renew their JDLink™ connectivity service
subscription and can enable their JDLink™ service on any compatible machine in their organisation at no
additional charge. Additionally, once customers enable JDLink™ connectivity, they can select to automatically activate all future JDLink™ compatible models, further streamlining fleet management. With this update to the JDLink service offering, it is easier than ever before for customers to maximize machine productivity and minimize downtime. NZIF Celebrate Mary Sutherland Book Release
A path through the trees: Mary Sutherland — forester, botanist & women’s
advocate, by
Vivien Edwards - The NZIF have just celebrated a new book on the life and
times of Mary
Sutherland, the first woman forestry graduate in the world. She was a foremost
New Zealand
forester, a pioneer akin in stature to Kate Shepherd. She was also an active
advocate for women’s
right to higher education. Her career began in Britain during the First World War, and she emigrated to New Zealand in 1923 where the fledgling State Forest Service employed her until forestry retrenched in the 1930s. With her forester’s skills, she moved into botany at the Dominion Museum, and farm forestry with the Department of Agriculture. Sutherland played an important role in New Zealand’s afforestation and in creating community awareness of the value of forestry. At the time her expertise was largely undervalued and the importance of her contribution overlooked. However, her career and life gently broke down barriers and prejudices towards professional women, and she was highly regarded by many of her male peers. A Path Through the Trees tells the professional and personal story of this remarkable woman. Vivien Edwards has drawn on reports, photographs and journals, as well as through interviews, to document this determined woman in an early era of forestry. Order from any good independent bookseller or purchase online at www.bookpublishing.co.nz/store. php Source: NZIF Smurfit Welcomed to Eastern BaySmurfit Welcomed to the Eastern Bay Business Community - With the welcome announcement in the past few months that Whakatane’s workers jobs would be saved by Smurfit, to invest in the Whakatāne Board Mill, the new employer has been welcomed by the Eastern Bay business community.GIS, the previous (and largest) employer in Whakatāne SIG had put their workers’ futures at risk of being permanently shutteredso the Smurfitt news was welcomed by not only the pulp and paper sector, but also by the broader community. Employing 213 staff and over 50 direct contractors this means many families will be sleeping better at night. Toi EDA General Manager, Karl Gradon, says that the flow on effects from this announcement are great news for the entire region, with a significant boost to local confidence, which is already strong. Not only will this retain some of the best skilled staff in the region, but it will also likely mean investment in the mill to bring it to the modern and global scale that most Smurfit factories are renowned for. Toi EDA looks forward to working alongside Smurfit to ensure that their investment is a success for the region and for the investors. Mr Gradon did however, express caution that while this is good news, there are still clouds on the horizon with the fibre processing sector. China has announced self-sufficiency in logs by 2035, which creates significant risk for the forestry sector. The majority of New Zealand logs are exported to developing countries in their raw form in anticipation of their domestic logs becoming available in just a few years. Toi EDA encourages the government to work on policy that incentivises investment in added value processing in New Zealand, rather than shipping the value creation offshore. Employing 46,000 staff globally, in 35 countries, Smurfit is claiming global leadership in fibre based, environmentally friendly, packaging under their “Better Planet Packaging” initiatives. The future is bright for the environmental outcomes as a result of this acquisition. Strong demand for alternatives to plastic packaging are driving significant growth for the company, according to their recent global results announcement. Source: Toi-EDA ‘All at sea’ or ... Just 'a bit of a backlog'?
‘All at sea’ off east coast for our logs or ... Just a bit of a backlog’?Wall of Wood: Armada of ships off Gisborne the biggest in a century wait to load at Eastland Port - Last week more than a dozen logging ships are anchored off Gisborne, a sight not seen since the heyday of coastal shipping a century ago. The armada of 30,000-tonne plus vessels in Poverty Bay/Tūranganui-a-Kiwa and further out to sea are part of what's been described as a forestry "gold rush". The port company's chief operating officer Andrew Gaddum said it was thought to be the biggest influx of ships since during World War I, when coastal shipping was at its peak. According to sources, it will take about a month to clear the backlog of ships which has built up as bulk freight has been knocked out of kilter by the coronavirus pandemic's impact on supply chains, logging companies ordering surplus capacity and some local factors at Eastland Port; wharf repairs during the day and, recently, bad weather. More >> Source: NZHerald .jpg) Feebate Scheme Targets more than Utes
(Marc Daalder for newsroom) Feebate won’t bankrupt farmers, but climate
change might -
It’s difficult to escape the feeling that some – not all – of those protesting
on Friday either don't see
climate change as a problem or see it as an issue that they should have no
role in helping to
address. Many farmers have argued in the past that the focus on biogenic methane
is overstated,
given carbon dioxide emissions from transport and industry are cumulative while
flat methane
emissions have a far smaller contribution to increasing warming. Now, some of these same farmers have turned on the Government's efforts to address those carbon dioxide emissions from transport. They feel as if they are being personally targeted and victimised. The "ute tax", some (not all) say, is just another example of the Government kicking farmers while they're down. Let's be clear: The feebate scheme doesn't single out utes, it singles out high- emitting vehicles. In fact, of 431 vehicle models analysed by Driven.co.nz, just 21 were subject to the maximum fee. Of these, just two were utes, including a Volkswagen ute that retails at $90,000. It is not inevitable that all utes must be high emitting. Alongside the electric utes likely to debut in the coming years, other countries have managed to import cleaner versions of the same cars than New Zealand has. The most efficient models in New Zealand, for example, have 21 percent higher emissions than their equivalents in the United Kingdom. Take Ford Rangers, New Zealand's most popular vehicle. All models sold in New Zealand would be subject to a fee, but the cleanest model sold in the United Kingdom sits in the zero-band, subject to neither fee nor rebate. It is, in fact, the historic lack of an emissions standard and clean vehicle incentives that has driven the unnecessary dirtying of New Zealand's fleet. We can also dispose of the fiction that the feebate scheme will lead to widespread bankruptcies among farmers and tradies. No ute bought today will be subject to a fee. Even when the fees come into effect at the start of next year, there will still be a market of fee-free used vehicles already in the country – a quick search of TradeMe shows nearly 900 Ford Rangers for sale on Monday afternoon, not to mention thousands of other models. What's the situation like for those who might want to buy a brand-new Ranger in 2022? They'll be subject to between $1090 and $4370 in fees. But the models in that higher bracket all retail for at least $51,000 new. Sure, buyers may have to lower their expectations, but no one is being forced to purchase a car they can't afford. Once the numbers are out in the open, it becomes clear that some (not all) of those opposed to the scheme are merely against the notion that they might have any role in preventing climate change whatsoever. More >> Source: newsroom Photo Credit: Stuff News (Ed: "At least they don't do this anymore ... or DO they?") Who Knew? From Ruatahuna to World Stage
Manawa Honey Wins Title For 'Best Tasting Honey In The World' - Winter in Ruatāhuna
is a bit bleak some days keeping the bees inside the hive, resting, waiting for the burst of new life
in the spring. On other days, looking out from our office, our valley mists shroud the mountains
around us. Reminding of who we are and where we come from. No grey skies for Manawa Honey
though, ‘cause it’s hard for us to believe but … We've Won the 10th Black Jar International Honey Tasting Contest - We recently were announced as the Winner of the 10th Black Jar International Honey Tasting Contest held in Asheville, USA. So, we're told we can claim that our honey is now the 'Best Tasting Honey in the World". This contest is the only international honey contest to focus solely on taste, and it has hundreds of entries each year from countries across the globe. Our Rewarewa Honey came consistently through multiple rounds of ‘black jar’ judging to take out the finals held in Asheville on 3 June 2021, to be named the Grand First Prize Winner. Our Tāwari and Pua-ā-Tāne Wild Forest Honeys also made the final – a great achievement to get three honeys to the finals of this contest. The black jar method of judging honey taste is an interesting one and is gaining in popularity. Find out more here about the contest, what motivated us to enter it, how the judging process works and other special features of this particular contest. Our win is a tribute to all of the team at Manawa Honey - from beekeepers to marketing and office support. Their efforts and skill developed over the years have now produced a world- winning honey. Jobs
Buy and Sell
... and finally some re-cycled humour ...
A: Lawyer's don't think they're funny, and no one else thinks they're jokes. “They use him to keep crowds back,” said young Sally. “No,” said Gillian, “he’s just for good luck.” “Nah,” said little Johnny, as he brought the argument to a close … “They use ‘em to find the fire hydrant.”  That's all for this week's wood news. We welcome comments and contributions on WoodWeek. For details on advertising for positions within the forest products industry or for products and services, either within the weekly newsletter or on this web page, please contact us.
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