WoodWeek – 2 October 2019
Click to Subscribe - It's FREE! Greetings from your WoodWeek news team. We’ve got plenty of good wood news for you today. Statistics NZ report this week that exports of untreated logs were down $51 million in August. “In each of the last two months, the total value of untreated log exports is down on the same month of the previous year, driven by lower prices,” they added.In forest estate news, Sumitomo Corp plans to spend about 25 billion yen ($231 million) on acquiring more pine forest in New Zealand, one of the Asia-Pacific region's major timber exporters, looking to double its acreage by 2021. We’ve also got a wordless story for you with our SNAPStat showing where the carbon is stored in New Zealand’s forests. Tigercat is releasing two track feller bunchers. They've been upgraded with several new features to promote increased productivity and improved operator comfort. John Deere is also excited to announce two new felling heads added to their line-up. The FS50/FR50 felling heads build upon the successful qualities of previous models for increased productivity, range and visibility. On Tuesday night last week, there was a special evening of celebration at Parliament marking the 100-year anniversary of the establishment of the NZ State Forest Service. The event, hosted by Minister Jones, was attended by around 120 guests, including the Rt Hon Winston Peters, Members of Parliament, both in Government and opposition, former Ministers of Forestry, forestry sector Chief Executives, and key members from the forestry industry including past Ministry of Forestry Director Generals. Forest industry historian, Paul Mahoney, spoke about the people aspect of forestry’s 100 years, mentioning George & Irene Murray, kauri logging contractors from 1919 in the Coromandel Ranges. He also celebrated the career of Jim Spiers, aged 96, who was honoured as the oldest Forest Service veteran attendee on the night. His career “from Dolly to Director” covered logging with Dolly the horse at Tapanui in 1941, to managing Kaingaroa Forest from 1966 through to being the inaugural Director of the Logging Industry Research Association until 1984. Jim told me personally that he was delighted to be invited and very much enjoyed meeting so many people that evening. Many of you will recall that Jim also spoke in June at our FIEA HarvestTECH Conference to launch his new book "When Forestry was Fun – The Evolution of a Forest Engineer".
This week we have for you:
Fruit exports strong, but logs fallExports of several commodities including crude oil, fruit, and dairy products increased in value in August 2019, but these rises were partly offset by a fall in log exports, Stats NZ said yesterday. In August 2019, the value of total goods exports rose $151 million (3.8 per cent) from August 2018 to $4.1 billion.The rise in exports was led by crude oil, up $58 million from August 2018. Exports of crude oil fluctuate from month to month and can mean large rises or falls in monthly values. Exports of fruit rose $57 million, with both gold kiwifruit and apples up on a year earlier. “Kiwifruit and apple exports have had strong export seasons to the end of August this year, with both values and quantities up on 2018,” international statistics manager Geraldine Duoba said. Exports of gold kiwifruit in the 2019 season to date (April – August) were 17 per cent higher in value and 13 per cent higher in quantity than in 2018. Exports of apples in the 2019 season to date (March – August) were 13 per cent higher in value and 6.9 per cent higher in quantity than in 2018. These rises were partly offset by falls in liquefied natural gas (down $73 million), and untreated logs (down $51 million). “In each of the last two months, the total value of untreated log exports is down on the same month of the previous year, driven by lower prices,” Ms Duoba said. “However, it is only in the last two months that quantities are also down compared to the same month in 2018.” Source: Stats NZ Terrestrial LiDAR and hyperspectral imagery solutions
Every year, over 250 resource managers, remote sensing, GIS and mapping specialists, inventory foresters and technology providers from throughout Australasia (and more recently SE Asia) meet up at the annual ForestTECH technology series. Since 2007, it’s the one event every year that’s run in both Australia and New Zealand focussing on this particular part of the forestry industry. Registrations are flowing in for this year’s technology series and it again is going to be a full house in both countries. Filling up rapidly are the practical half and one-day workshops that this year have been set up to run alongside the two-day conference and exhibitions. Four in total will be running for ForestTECH 2019 delegates, three in New Zealand and one in Australia. For two of them, numbers have been capped and for both, registrations are close to closing. This week we feature more details on two of the planned workshops. 1. Introduction to Mobile Terrestrial Lidar Solutions for Forestry This workshop runs the day after the two-day ForestTECH 2019 conference on the morning of Thursday 21 November. The Scion Geomatics team will be showing some of the latest technology that is coming onto the market allowing foresters to collect high spatial accuracy, 3D data of their own forests using portable, handheld devices. Robin Hartley and David Pont will be working alongside GreenValley International, a US company that specialises in advanced but easy to use aerial, terrestrial, and mobile laser scanning technologies. The workshop will introduce this technology, carry out a demonstration of data capture in a stand of trees on the Scion campus, and then run through the data processing, showing an alternative to traditional measurement techniques. This technology has all kinds of applications, from basic inventory to stockpile assessments. Workshop participants will be spending the morning learning about an emerging technology and get a feel for how this could be integrated into their own operation. This workshop is being limited to no more than 30 places and seats are being filled on a first in -first served basis. 2. Hyperspectral & Thermal Imagery (acquired by manned and unmanned aircraft and satellite systems) for forestry operations This half-day workshop runs the day before the two-day ForestTECH 2019 conference in Melbourne, on Tuesday 12 November. The hardware and software associated with hyperspectral imaging is now catching up with operational expectations. This workshop will provide an introduction and examples of how hyperspectral and thermal imagery can contribute to precision forestry. Workshop presentations will include: - Pushing hyperspectral hardware and software from research towards operational deployment in the Australian forestry sector, Dr Christine Stone, NSW DPI, - Hyperspectral imaging for forest health monitoring, Prof Pablo Zarco-Tejada, University of Melbourne, - Hyperspectral imaging from drones - available platforms & sensors, Associate Prof Arko Lucieer, University of Tasmania, - Hyperspectral imaging – requirements for calibration, correction and processing of the imagery, Dr Lola Suarez, University of Melbourne, - The need for hyperspectral imaging for nutrient assessments, Dr Mike Watt, Scion, NZ and - Current & future hyperspectral satellites, Prof Simon Jones, University of Melbourne. A planned group discussion has also been planned to confirm the industries R&D priorities with respect to the application of hyperspectral imaging. Details and registrations to the event and workshops can be made on the event website. .jpg) NZFS 100th anniversary celebrated
On Tuesday the 100-year anniversary of the establishment of the NZ State Forest Service was
marked, with a special evening of celebration at Parliament. The event, hosted by Minister Jones, was attended by around 120 guests, including the Rt. Hon Winston Peters, Members of Parliament, both in Government and opposition, former Ministers of Forestry, forestry sector Chief Executives, and key members from the forestry industry including past Ministry of Forestry Director Generals. New Zealand’s forestry heritage was well represented by a number of former New Zealand State Forest employees and/or their descendants who flew in from around New Zealand. “To have in one room such a wealth of forestry knowledge and so many people who had significantly contributed to the key milestones that define our forestry heritage, was incredibly special,” said Te Uru R?kau – Forestry New Zealand DDG Julie Collins. Paul Mahoney, a forestry historian who recently spoke at the HarvestTECH 2019 event in Rotorua, spoke about forestry’s past with three case studies including George & Irene Murray, kauri logging contractors in the Coromandel Ranges back in 1919 when the Forest Service started. Jim Spiers aged 96 who also spoke at the June harvesting event to launch his new book "When Forestry was Fun. The Evolution of a Forest Engineer" was honoured as the oldest Forest Service attendee on the night. His career “from Dolly to Director” covered logging with Dolly the horse at Tapanui in 1941, to managing Kaingaroa Forest from 1966 through to being the inaugural Director of the Logging Industry Research Association until 1984. The evening also included the presentation of three forestry awards - specifically developed for the 100-year celebrations – a Forestry Science Award; the Kaitiakitanga Aotearoa Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award. The winner of the Forestry Science Award was Bruce Manley, who received the award for his dedication to, and leadership within, forestry research, and his innovative work on carbon forestry. The Kaitiakitanga Aotearoa Award was presented to Guy Salmon for his commitment to the protection of forests, forest ecosystems and the connection of forests to people. The Lifetime Achievement in Forestry Award was presented to Peter Berg in recognition of the true champion of forestry that he is within New Zealand and the Commonwealth. To capture the essence of the past 100 years, a forestry timeline was created for display at the celebrations and as a special souvenir takeaway for guests. “We also re-enacted a photo originally taken in 1921 when the State Forest Service leadership team were in Wellington for their inaugural conference, with our present leadership team. The photo was taken on the Parliamentary library steps where the original pic was taken,” said Julie. The two photos were on display at the event. Pictured above (from left): Paul Mahoney, Forestry Historian; Jim Spiers (ex LIRA); Rt. Hon Winston Peters Tigercat supports C3’s Australian expansionC3 part of the LINX Cargo Care Group was founded as an on-wharf logistics business in New Zealand in the 1950’s. The business today is a modern, leading edge provider of product and handling solutions on wharf and beyond, employing over 1,400 people.C3 expanded its forestry operations to Australia in 2010 to assist with the marshalling of export logs from salvage harvest operations after Tropical Cyclone Yasi. Today the business is one of Australia’s largest forest products logistics providers offering both in-field chipping and cut-to-length harvest and haulage solutions, along with port-side log marshalling and container packing services. C3 operates across 23 locations in New Zealand and Australia including Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales. Trevor Els is the National Maintenance Manager and joined the company when his previous employer, Edenborn, were purchased by C3 in 2016. Trevor looks after procurement and maintenance Australia-wide. “C3’s sites across Australia used to work as independent entities but as the company grows, the focus is becoming more national and the sites work through a more aligned business model. Although we’re moving to a national focus, we’re very committed to continue to support the local communities in which we operate”. “It is a promising future for C3. Our WA entity has had its own transport business since inception, it continues to grow and we will see that across all sites in the future through LINX Cargo Care Group. C3’s harvest and haulage operation in Portland, Victoria have recently quadrupled the size of it’s transport fleet and is now running 16 trucks in total”. “Another exciting new project is our entry into softwood in Tamworth, New South Wales”. C3 purchased three Tigercat LH855E harvesters for this project. “The main reasons for purchasing Tigercat is due to the reliability of the machines and back-up support”. “For the past 8 years through my previous and current roles, I have been dealing with Tigercat and Onetrak, and the direct lines to the people I work with are excellent. Onetrak people are very committed to their customers and take huge responsibility in always providing the best support possible”. “In the last 18 months our relationship has grown a lot thanks to open and honest communication. We have started new operations in new locations and Onetrak have made sure they have provided the service back-up to match our commitments”. “We visited the Tigercat factory together with Glen Marley [Tigercat District Manager in Australia] and David Hazell from Onetrak earlier this year. The engineers took all of our feedback on-board and implemented improvements. Everything we have raised has been actioned”. “Tigercat have made a lot of improvements to pumps for fuel economy, operator seats and one of the most exciting product developments is the new design of the shear heads. The shear head design for the feller bunchers is quite outstanding”. “In general, Tigercat are long-lasting, robust and durable machines. The fuel economy is good and the reliability of the machines is definitely a key advantage. The technology, information and control you have access to is great”. “C3 hire a lot of millennial operators and provide on-site training. Young technologically skilled people today have learnt a lot what they know through interactive games of controlling a complete machine by a joystick, which is very similar to learning to drive a Tigercat, making it easy for them to learn”. “Tigercat just like Onetrak is a non-corporate family business. The engineers are very open minded, approachable and open to discuss new ideas, designs and modifications. We are like-minded when it comes to our customers as they really listen to understand our challenges locally and always help find a solution. Australian forestry is obviously a very different operation to the rest of the world”. “During the factory visit in Canada I was extremely impressed to learn that Ken MacDonald [owner of Tigercat] knows every person working in the Tigercat factories by name. The people who work for Tigercat are so passionate and they have a great culture. Their passion is reflected in the exceptional service they deliver”. Source: OneTrak SnapSTAT - Carbon stored in NZ forests Tigercat releases E-series 845 feller buncher
The new 845E and L845E track feller bunchers have been upgraded with several new features
to promote increased productivity and improved operator comfort.New 845E Feller buncher The next generation 845E and L845E track feller bunchers have been upgraded with the aim of increasing production capacity and improving operator comfort. Enhancements include a new operator’s cab, a larger main hydraulic pump and a longer reach ER boom system. Operator’s cab The cab has been redesigned to optimize ergonomics and reduce in-cab noise levels. Redesigned hinge geometry allows the front door to be closed with less effort. The new IQAN MD4 electronic control system interface includes an easy-to-use large colour touch screen for machine monitoring and function adjustment. The new skyVIEW and rearVIEW camera systems eliminate the need for a skylight while improving operator visibility. ER boom technology The 845E boom offers a longer 8,5 m (28 ft) reach and a tighter tuck for better performance in thinning applications. Tigercat’s unique energy-saving ER boom technology, along with the fuel- efficient N67 engine contributes to outstanding productivity and fuel efficiency. Attachments The 845E model can be equipped with a range of Tigercat felling heads including a bunching saw or shear for smaller diameter timber, or the single post 5702 felling saw for larger trees and mixed diameter stands. The larger hydraulic pump on the E-series 845 provides additional power and quicker functioning of the clamp and accumulator arms to maximize productivity in smaller diameter timber. In addition, the 845E can be equipped with the 5185 fixed felling saw for felling, bucking and shovel logging high value and oversize timber. More >> Forest purchases planned for NZSumitomo planning forest purchases - The growing need in emerging markets for building materials and fuel has spurred Japanese trading houses to expand their forestry operations. Sumitomo Corp plans to spend about 25 billion yen ($231 million) on acquiring more pine forest in New Zealand, one of the Asia-Pacific region's major timber exporters, looking to double its acreage by 2021.The group also will invest about 6 billion yen to expand a lumber mill in Russia's Far East run by Terneyles, a logging company in which Sumitomo holds a 49% stake. Terneyles manages 2.85 million hectares of forest in the region and exports building materials to East Asian markets. The most recent earnings report from Sumitomo Forestry NZ was in May 2018, when the local unit of the Japanese timber conglomerate, posted a record profit last year after buying the timber plantations of US forestry investor Hancock in 2016 to secure more supply for its wood processing plant. The timber company posted a profit of $48.9 million in the year ended Dec. 31, 2017, from a loss of $18.4 million a year earlier when its earnings were hurt by a $62 million reduction in the value of its plantations, according to its latest financial accounts. Sumitomo's 2016 accounts included nine months of contribution from Hancock's Tasman Pine Forests which it bought for $369 million. Sumitomo’s NZ forests were valued at about $310 million in 2017, up from $296 million in 2016 and just $24 million in 2015, its accounts showed. Sumitomo set up wood processor Nelson Pine Industries outside of Richmond, near Nelson, some three decades ago. The plant is one of the world’s largest single-site medium-density fibreboard (MDF) makers, most of which is exported under the GoldenEdge brand, and it also manufactures laminated veneer lumber (LVL). The company already had about 5,000 hectares of forest and the Hancock purchase gave it freehold interest in about 20,437 hectares of forest land and leasehold interest in about 155 hectares of forest land in the Nelson/Tasman region. The company's New Zealand unit didn't pay a dividend to its parent this year (2018), or last year, according to its accounts. They show the last dividend payment of $46.5 million was paid in the 2015 financial year. Sources: BusinessDesk and Nikkei Asia Review Aratu Forests launched
Aratu Forests Limited launches new brand - Aratu Forests Limited, one
of the largest forestry estates in the Gisborne District, launched its new brand
in Gisborne yesterday. The company is a significant contributor to the regional
economy, managing around 27,000 hectares of radiata pine plantation on
35,000 hectares of land, and the new brand is a key part of its future strategy
and direction.Aratu Forests Limited CEO Ian Brown said that the company’s philosophy, mission and core values are fully embedded in the new brand. “In launching Aratu Forests Limited, we have taken the opportunity to move to a brand that speaks to our pathway to long-term sustainability,” Mr Brown said. “Our brand demonstrates the important role that Aratu Forests Limited plays in the Gisborne economy and community and more broadly in New Zealand’s economic growth and development. “That’s also reflected in our new name – Aratu – which is a combination of the two M?ori words ‘ara’ which means path and ‘tu’ which means to stand. The name was developed to reflect the path we are on to pursue active improvement and manage for the long term, and the stand we are taking to protect and invest in our people, and act in an open and honest manner. “Our mission is to be recognised as the most responsible, effective and efficient forest manager on the East Coast. This is underpinned by our values, informing everything we do." “The new brand reflects not only the importance of our local heritage, but our contribution and our commitment to the communities where we operate. Our mission and values emphasise what people inside and outside our organisation can and should expect of us as we strive for excellence." “As society changes, we fundamentally believe it is up to us to make the case – more confidently and effectively – for the positive role that well-run and responsible forest companies, just like Aratu Forests Limited, play in today’s society.” The new brand was formally launched in Gisborne at a function last Thursday night. John Deere: New powerful FS50/FR50 felling heads
Today John Deere is excited to announce the addition of the FS50/FR50 Felling Heads to the
felling head line-up. The FS50/FR50 Felling Heads build upon the successful qualities of
previous models for increased productivity, range and visibility. The new felling heads are
compatible with the 800M- and 900M-Series Tracked Feller Bunchers and feature in 30-degree
and 310-degree wrist configurations respectively. “We are committed to producing high-quality, reliable equipment. Based off of customer feedback, we are excited to add the FS50/FR50 Felling Heads to our forestry equipment line-up for increased accumulating capacities, improved range of motion and excellent visibility,” said Jim O'Halloran, product marketing manager for John Deere Tracked Harvesters and Feller Bunchers. “These new models will make even the hardest tasks easier and more efficient for our customers." The FS50/FR50 features superior alignment of bunched timber to allow for optimal logging and harvesting. The new felling heads provide a taller horn that works together with the pocket and arms to collect larger, tighter bunches. The horn delivers excellent handling of tall trees, which improves skidder productivity during tree removal. Both models also include arm cylinders mounted high for impressive wear protection of the saw housing, and can easily hold up to 15 six-inch trees. The FR50 configuration maximizes versatility when positioning bunches in both plantation and thinning conditions due to the increased rotation. “I always try to work more efficient, smarter, more precise. Nothing else on the market holds the timber that this one holds,” said Thomas Johnson of Thomas Johnson Logging. “My production has [gone] up using this bunching head.” Additionally, the FS50/FR50 models provide excellent visibility to the cutting area and superior wear protection of saw housing. A full coverage option is available for both models, and for the FR50 model, sealed bushings in all clamp arm pivot joints are available. To learn more about the FS50/FR50 Felling Heads, as well as the full line of John Deere Forestry equipment, visit a local John Deere near or www.johndeere.com. Wood and spider web fibres equals high performanceNew material from wood fibre and spider silk - Achieving strength and extensibility at the same time has so far been a great challenge in material engineering: increasing strength has meant losing extensibility and vice versa. Now Aalto University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland researchers have succeeded in overcoming this challenge, inspired by nature.The researchers created a truly new bio-based material by gluing together wood cellulose fibers and the silk protein found in spider web threads. The result is a very firm and resilient material which could be used in the future as a possible replacement for plastic, as part of bio-based composites and in medical applications, surgical fibers, textile industry, and packaging. According to Aalto University Professor Markus Linder, nature offers great ingredients for developing new materials, such as firm and easily available cellulose and tough and flexible silk used in this research. The advantage with both of these materials is that, unlike plastic, they are biodegradable and do not damage nature the same way micro-plastic do. The unique material outperforms most of today’s synthetic and natural materials by providing high strength and stiffness, combined with increased toughness. More >> Source: SciTechDaily & VTT Finland Almost finally ... What is it with numbers?Our sheep numbers peaked at 70 million in 1982, or 22 sheep per New Zealander. Now there are only 27.3 million sheep, or 5.6 sheep per person, which is problematic because it’s going to get messy giving everyone .6 of a sheep.Want to read more? More >> Source: Newsroom Jobs
Buy and Sell
... and finally ... fun with words
"Lexophile" describes those who have a love for words, such as "you can tune
a piano, but you can't tuna fish", or "To write with a broken pencil is pointless."
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