Issue 114

6398

AFS/01-10-01 www.forestrystandard.org.au

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issue 114 | 01.03.10 | Page 1

Industry fires up at Royal Commission

This Issue • Unions adopt industry guideline on non compliant wood • Red gum recommendations flawed

Case strengthened for prescribed burnings, fuel reduction in forests

By JIM BOWDEN

IN one of the most detailed and researched documents delivered to the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission in Melbourne, the timber industry’s 10,000-word, 128-point statement presented last Wednesday has strengthened the case for prescribed burning and fuel reduction in forests.

In a witness statement presented to the commission on behalf of the national industry, Lisa Marty, deputy chief executive of the Victorian Association of Forest

promotes wood’s ability to store carbon • Nervousness about sale of state’s forest assets • TimTech wins big export order • Carpenters nail message about good wood

 Campaign

Prescribed burning will reduce the rate of bushfire spread.

Industries, said industry believed prescribed burning was one of the most cost and

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risk-effective measures mitigating wildfires.

for

Cont Page 2

issue 114 | 01.03.10 | Page 1

royal commission

Forest industry can play a direct role in fire prevention From Page 1

Representing the interests of the forest industries nationally at the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission

Victorian Association of Forest Industries Level 2, 2 Market Street Melbourne 3000 Tel: +61 3 9611 9000 Fax: +61 3 9611 9011 Email: info@vafi.org.au Web: www.vafi.org.au Page 2 | issue 114 | 01.03.10

“Broad area prescribed burning changes a number of fuel characteristics that will result in reduced rate of spread, reduced spotting, reduced flame heights, reduced fire intensity and increased ease of suppression for a period of time following the burn,” Ms Marty reported.

Lisa Marty represented VAFI and the National Association of Forest Industries at the commission which was established on February 16 last year to investigate the causes and responses to the Black Saturday bushfires that swept through parts of Victoria.

The commission delivered its interim report on August 17 last year and a final report is due in July.

Because the royal commission had invited VAFI alone to present on behalf of the national industry, Ian Ferguson, Professor Emeritus of forest and ecosystem science at the University of Melbourne, who had signalled a willingness to be a forest industry witness at the hearings, was not granted appearance.

The commission heard from industry that the weather, topography and fuel were key factors affecting fire behaviour.

Fuel levels which feed fire intensity were the only forest factor that could be managed to assist fire suppression efforts, in addition to ensuring adequate fire suppression capacity.

Both VAFI and NAFI believe that prescribed burns are designed to support fire suppression and reduce the risks to human safety, property and natural resources. Prescribed burning practices today are the result of significant research over more than 60 years. However, VAFI and NAFI recognise that despite this research, opinion about the merits of prescribed

Lisa Marty .. presenting the case for forest industry.

burning among Australian fire ecologists and to a lesser degree fire scientists, is not uniform.

The forest industry can play a direct role in bushfire prevention and suppression on private land and in plantations.

Workers and equipment to meet fire emergencies are provided rapidly, on request. In general, there is an agreed provision of resources (number of workers, type and quality of equipment, hiring rates) established before the fire season.

VAFI and NAFI are concerned that any further reduction in native forest resource availability could exacerbate the contraction of the native forest harvesting, haulage and processing sectors and further reduce native forest industry resources, which contribute to fire management Typically, such provision is on a follow-up basis after the first-attack measures have been initiated.

Equipment is often maintained in a standby condition, so that it is strategically located and ready to go with very short notice.

The machinery associated with the forest industry is usually designed or modified for forestry work and machine operators

tend to be very experienced.

The industry has facilities, or ready access to facilities, for moving heavy equipment; a network of known loading and unloading points in the forest; and a well-demonstrated capacity for independent work.

The forest industry seeks effective and planned risk management in the interests of the human life and developed property, the community, and one of its most important forms of capital and livelihood – the trees in the forest.

VAFI and NAFI believe that the skills and resources of the forestry industry could be utilised to better manage forest health, biomass and fuel, improving the industry’s contribution to fire management.

There is considerable anecdotal evidence among fire-fighters on the difficulties of fire fighting in roadless areas associated with reserves. One such documented case was the Canberra fire in 2003. The fires, caused by lightning, began in the Brindabella national park, in remote country southwest of Canberra and ultimately joined and passed into the outskirts of Canberra as a “firestorm”.

Coroner Maria Doogan commented at the time that there should be an ongoing program of back-burning and fuel-load management across the ACT to ensure that at all times forestry and other access roads are kept clear and are accessible to emergency personnel and vehicles and to ensure that fuel loads are kept at a level that will minimise the risk of a recurrence of the firestorm.

Coroner Doogan concluded that the failure to aggressively attack the fire in the first few days after they ignited on January 8, 2003, was one Cont Page 3

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royal commission

Contraction of native forests impacts on fire management From Page 2

factor that led to the firestorm 10 days later, which resulted in four deaths, many injuries, and property losses valued at between $600 million and $1 billion.

“I also make it clear that once the four fires had combined to produce the firestorm on January 18, containment and control were impossible,” she said in her report.

The commission heard that in the period 2001-02 to 200506, 221,000 ha of native forest was transferred to conservation reserves in Victoria, primarily through the Great Otways national park and additions to the reserve system in the boxironbark region in central and northern Victoria.

Over the same period, the

Serious reduction in the availability of forest machinery to fight fires.

area of multiple use forests fell by 149,000 ha. As a result of the Labor Party’s 2006 state election policy, a further 154,110 ha of public native forests was committed to be transferred to the reserve network, including

large areas of red gum forests in the mid-Murray region.

VAFI and NAFI believe that more than 100,000 ha of this had been state forest and available for timber production.

The Victorian hardwood processing sector has undergone a period of rationalisation with fewer and larger mills than the national average, they reported. Overall, the total volume of D+ sawlog harvested from Victorian native forests has fallen from 923,952 cub m in 1999-2000 to 401,411 cub m in 2008-09 and total output has fallen from 2,336,987 cub m to 1,706,826 cub m over the same period.

The associations further believe the approximate ratio of direct employees per thousand cubic metres of timber produced is 2.9.

This relationship broadly indicates the potential magnitude of reduced human resources in the native forestry industry.

VAFI and NAFI believe the contraction of the Victorian native forest industry has impacted on fire management and suppression capacity in the following ways: a reduction in the number of skilled machine operators available for use in fire-fighting; a reduction in the

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issue 114 | 01.03.10 | Page 3

marketing

Campaign promotes wood’s ability to store carbon for life

By JIM Bowden

AN enhanced, new-look Wood Naturally Better campaign will focus more strongly on timber’s ability to ‘store carbon for a lifetime’.

Messages about wood’s ability to store carbon during its life, post-harvest and within the home will be driven by a $1.6 million advertising campaign over the next seven months with placements in weekend and homemaker magazines and online promotions.

Campaign drivers for the Wood Naturally Better promotion rolled out new-look advertising, special events and partner programs at presentations in Melbourne, Sydney and

Brisbane last week.

FWPA managing director Ric Sinclair, marketing and communications manger Sarah Gyopar, Wood Naturally Better program manger Eileen Newbury and marketing consultant Kevin Ezard introduced a revitalised 2010 program to industry at home ideas centres in the three cities.

Campaign surveys show a wide range of knowledge levels continue to exist within the Australian community regarding the characteristics of trees and wood, and their role in the environment and climate change.

“Most people know trees The forestry angle .. Cameron Coward, senior communications officer, DERM Forest Products, Department of Environment and Resource Management, and Jim Dickens, Forestry Plantations Queensland.

absorb CO2, but they don’t know wood stores carbon,” Mr Sinclair said.

“We need to address this overtly. We need to present information that is factual, relevant and believable – from a trusted third party source.”

The 2010 communication campaign is designed to bridge this gap.

The first stage of Wood Naturally Better print advertising was designed to reinforce the perception that wood was beautiful and fashionable and introduced the fact that (because it stored carbon) it helped tackle climate change, Mr Sinclair said.

It was also designed to be

non-confrontational and avoid contentious issues.

Tracking research showed people’s attitudes to wood and using wood became more positive.

Consumer print advertising in 2009 ran for two media campaigns over nine months with a cumulative reach of more than 20 million people and an average frequency approaching 3. “Now we will build on that base, refresh the imagery and knowledge gained from ongoing research to maximise the effectiveness of the communication,” Mr Sinclair said. * A new day for carpenters, Page 6.

Talking wood promotion at the Brisbane Home Ideas Centre are, from left, John Jeffrey, managing director, Cypress Supplies, Caboolture, Eileen Newbury, program manager, Wood Naturally Better, Kevin Ezard, marketing consultant, Sharon Hunter, Northern Suburbs Timber Flooring, Brendale, and John Ryan, general manager, Forsyth & Romano Group, Archerfield.

Talking timber marketing .. Graham Rayner of Sid’s Place Building Centre, Toowoomba, chats with Clarissa Brandt, communications manager, Timber Queensland, and Karen Johnston, chief executive, TABMA Queensland.

Sarah Gypoar, FWPA marketing and communication manager, welcomes Graham Field, technical representative, Tradeware Building Supplies, Capalaba, and Terry Liddle and Laurence Brown of The Timber Depot, Capalaba.

Page 4 | issue 114 | 01.03.10

Confering at the Brisbane Home Ideas Centre are Ric Sinclair, managing director, FWPA, and Mark Grey, director of accounting group CPA Australia, Southbank, Melbourne. Mr Grey has an active interest in professional association brand building and was a former director of the Advertising Federation of Australia.

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events

WHAT’S ON? 1-2: Future Forestry Finance Conference. Novotel Brighton Beach, Sydney.

Contact: 1800 125 388 (free call in Australia) or web sties www.fiea.org.nz or www. forestryfinanceevents.com 2-3: National Outlook Conference (ABARE) Canberra, ACT. www.abare.gov.au 9: Sydney Timber Industry Institute and TABMA golf day.

Arthur Clegg Timber Trade Cup. Muirfield Golf Club, Perry St, North Rocks (off Barclay Road).

Golfers $90 p.p., includes sausage sizzle, light lunch, buffet dinner and presentation. Diners $45 p.p., includes buffet dinner and presentation. RSVP February 26.

Contact: Maurie Parsons.

Tel: (02) 9871 1219 15-17: Industry bus tour of Northern New South Wales.

Contact: Karen Johnston at TABMA Queensland.

Tel: (07) 3254 3166.

Email: karen@tabma.com.au 16-17: 4th Global Wood Fibre Trade Conference, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Visit www. pulpwoodconference.com 21: World Forestry Day 22: World Water Day 24-26: International Wood Products Association annual convention Miami Beach, Florida, USA www.iwpawood.org 25: Annual Timber Merchants Association charity dinner supporting the Burns Unit of the Royal Childrens Hospital. Keynote speaker: Joe Helper, Minister for

Agriculture and Forestry. Venue: River Room at the Crown Casino, Southbank, Melbourne.

Cost (GST inc) including predinner drink, 3-course meal and beverages: $165 pp (members); $175 (non-members). Payment no later than February 25.

Non-members who book a table of 10 will be eligible for member pricing of $1650. Bookings to Ingrida Matulis on (03) 9875 5000 or email ingridam@timber.asn.au 31: International wood composites symposium and technical workshop 2010 Seattle, Washington, USA. www. woodsymposium.wsu.edu

APRIL 2010 7-10: Australian Trucking Convention. Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Tel: (02) 6253 6900. Email: ata@ atatruck.net.au Download full program from www.ataevents.net.au 8: TABMA NSW Chain of Custody Breakfast. 7.15 am for 7.30 am.

Rydges Hotel, Parramatta, Sydney.

Guest speakers from AFS. FSC, EWPAA, Green Building Council of Australia. Cost: $50 pp (includes full breakfast). Contact Melanie on (02) 9277 3177.

15-18: 40th annual J1V HooHoo Convention – The Next Decade: A Vision for Hoo-Hoo. Rydges Melbourne Hotel. HooHoo business day, industry tour, sponsors’ dinner, convention dinner and entertainment, farewell breakfast. Convention program and registration details: www.hoo-hoojiv.org.au

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15: Dubai International Wood and Wood Machinery Show Dubai. www.dubaiwoodshow.com

SUSTAINABLE. sustainable. responsible. .

RESPONSIBLE

16: National Carpenters Day. Celebration of carpenters and their work throughout Australia.

Highlights include presentations, barbecues, entertainment, Carpenter of the Year Award and Apprentice Carpenter of the Year competition. Entries close March 24. Visit www.carpentersday.com. au

The National The National Association of of Forest Association Industries (NAFI) Forest Industries (NAFI) represents is striving for an Australian companies, ecologically sustainable individualssociety and Australian organisations involved achieved through in thedynamic, forestry and forest products internationally industries. competitive forest industries.

NAFI works with state and

18-21: APPITA Annual Conference and Exhibition/Pan Pacific Conference Melbourne. www.appita.com.au

MAY 2010 18: Victorian Timber Industry Supply Chain Seminar: Connecting the Pieces for Business Success. Radisson Hotel, 380 William Street, Melbourne.

Contact: Peter Roberts, Timber Merchants Association on (03) 9875 5000 or John Halkett, Australian Timber Importers Federation on (02) 9356 3826.

19-20: Wood Supply Chain Optimisation 2010. Bayview Eden Melbourne. Technical seminar details successful strategies that have been adopted to improve planning, logistics and operations through the wood supply chain.

Contact FIEA +64 3 470 1902. www.woodsupplychain.com

2010

MARCH 2010

21-23: Timber and Working with Wood Expo, Brisbane Showgrounds, Fortitude Valley.

24-25: Wood Supply Chain Optimisation 2010, Rotorua, NZ. www.vafi.org.au

federal governments to support interestsis of to its NAFI’sthemission members while the same represent theatinterests time improving industry of members by standards and practices, promoting the promoting sustainable environmental forestry management and educating the broader sustainability and community on theof the prosperity economic, environment Australian forest and social benefits of industries. a strong sustainable forest industry.

National Association of The National Association Forest Industries Ltd of Forest Industries (Est. 1987) Ltd (EST.1987) PO Box 239, PO Box 239, Deakin ACT 2600 Deakin, ACT 2600 Tel: (02) 6285 3833.

Tel: (02) 6285 3833 Fax: (02) 6285 3855 Fax: (02) 6285 3855 Web: www.nafi.com.au www.nafi.com.au Web:

issue 114 | 01.03.10 | Page 5

events

TimTech wins big export order AUSTRALASIAN timber preservative supplier TimTech Chemicals has won a World Bank funded long-term contract to export large volumes of wood preservative.

The first 100,000 litres were despatched from New Zealand this month.

Managing director Ron Eddy this week announced the company was the new supplier of H2 timber preservative to the Hyne group in Australia. An above-ground preservative, H2 conforms to AS 1604-1997 TimTech is moving its Australian headquarters in Queensland from North Lakes to Narangba.

Mr Eddy said former consultant John Thorpe had left the company and TimTech was

no longer associated with BioTechnology Australasia, Timber Protection Services and Homesafe/Hometeam.

TimTech continues to exclusively represent Dr Wolman of Germany (pole bandages, Wolmanit Fume and its new wood preservation chemicals) and Kemira of Finland (Guardian Fire and Guardian Timber).

TimTech’s alliances with Dr. Wolman GmbH gives it access to the 58 billion German BASF Chemical Group and also the 3 billion Kemira Corporation of Finland and exclusive rights to market new generation, innovative products and processes in Australasia.

Prescribed burning debate From Page 3

availability of forest machinery suitable for forestry fire fighting; diminution in the available knowledge of forest roads, and associated information like appropriate sites to load and unload; and a general diminution of ‘forest awareness’ in the population.

In particular, the reduction in human resources, equipment and roading and access funds from the forestry industry, particularly in areas such as the Otways, places an increased burden on the State Government and DSE to ‘fill the gap’. For example, while VicForests spent $7.3 million on roading in 2008-09, forestry industry revenue raised for roading was over $13 million for both 2000-01 and 2001-02.

VAFI and NAFI are concerned that any further reduction in native forest resource availability could exacerbate

Page 6 | issue 114 | 01.03.10

the contraction of the native forest harvesting, haulage and processing sectors and further reduce native forest industry resources, which contribute to fire management.

On the other hand, the forest industry draws attention to the increase in fire management capability provided by the expansion of the plantation sector.

There exists a debate as to environmental properties of forests that may be caused by prescribed burning. This issue represents a necessary tradeoff between the risks involved and supports the existence and further development of planning requirements and practices to minimise such impacts.

The evidence points to the need for landscape-scale prescribed burning, albeit subject to more research to refine and adapt prescribed burning practices in order to reduce their impact.

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industry news

The AWU’s Queensland assistant branch secretary Ben Swan (left) confers with Simon Dorries, general manger of the Engineered Woods Products Association of Australasia.

Unions consider a national guideline on safety of EWPs A STATE branch of Australia’s most powerful workers’ union will pressure government to crack down on structurally unsafe building materials after adopting guidelines from industry on non-compliant wood products.

An executives conference of the Queensland branch of the Australian Workers Union – the AWU’s highest policy-decision body – has acted on advice from the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia.

Branch secretary Ben Swan said the AWU for some time had been concerned about the safety of its members who could be working with substandard imported products such as formply.

“There is indeed a national concern about non-compliant wood products entering the country and we intend to put our position before a meeting of the AWU national executive in Sydney in about four weeks,” Mr Swan said.

“AWU Queensland now has an official policy on a campaign against these products and

we are developing a strategy on both an industrial and a regulatory level.

“We will work closely with the EWPAA on technical matters.

“We would see the development of the pilot strategy in Queensland as demonstrating a path for other branches to follow and the eventual setting up of national guidelines.”

EWPAA general manager Simon Dorries welcomed the AWU’s stand against imported non-compliant wood products which follows his presentation to the union’s construction delegates’ conference in Brisbane last December.

Mr Dorries said ‘non-effective policing’ was one of the biggest problems for the engineered wood products industry.

“There is nothing proactive about the system,” he says.

“The Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Australian Building Code require the use of specific plywoods for specific applications, but there is no policing of the Australian Standard.

“Essentially, you need to wait

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for something to fall apart or someone to be injured before you can issue proceedings against anyone. The only real course for action is to go through the Trade Practices Act, after the event.”

Mr Dorries stressed that industry and union concerns centered on the use of noncompliant and misrepresented products; they had no issue with imported products that were sound and compliant to Australian standards.

‘Essentially, you need to wait for something to fall apart or someone to be injured before you can issue proceedings against anyone’

AWU industrial officer Bob Overall said the issue of noncompliant building products, including formply, was on the agenda for a construction industry tripartite (government, industry, union) meeting in Brisbane this week.

“This meeting represents the construction industry at large and its committee is aligned to

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland,“ Mr Ovreall said.

“The committee includes representatives of CFMEU and the AWU Queensland agenda item intends to alert the committee’s building inspectors to the problem of structurally unsafe materials – shooing the possum, so to speak.”

In the most recent test of LVL scaffold planks imported from Asia, 10 samples failed standards for bonding strength.

The planks, manufactured from unidentified softwood veneers, were tested to the bond quality requirements of AS/NZS 4357.0 – Structural LVL – specifications and to strength requirements of AS 1577-1993 – Scaffold Planks.

Bond testing was performed at the EWPAA’s national testing laboratory in Brisbane and the strength tests were undertaken at the DPI’s NATA certified engineering laboratory at Salisbury.

Each plank was clearly branded Cont Page 11

issue 114 | 01.03.10 | Page 7

royal commission

Consecutive fires in Victoria cause massive loss of productive forests THE forest industry’s report to the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission in Melbourne lat week shows a significant amount of productive native forest and timber were lost in the Black Saturday fires.

According to Vicforests, 19,000 ha of ash forests and 37,000 ha of mixed species forest available for timber production were burnt. That is 56,000 ha or 13% out of 415,600 ha available and suitable for harvesting in the east of the state.

The areas burnt were primarily mature forest of harvestable age, which industry relies on for timber supply.

Following the fires, VicForests estimated that around 10 million cub m of standing ash timber with a mill door value of about $600 million was burnt. In addition, 46,000

tonnes of stored pulpwood was destroyed at the Andersons log dump near Marysville. The timber had an inventory value of $2 million.

Some commercial value is still being gained from a small proportion of fire-affected forests that are available for timber production. Salvage harvesting has been undertaken since March last year.

It is expected that salvage harvesting will be undertaken in 2000 ha of burnt forests, producing 408,535 cub m of sawlog and 963,412 cub m of pulpwood.

Following the bushfires, VicForests issued force majeure notices to customers and harvest and haulage contractors. These notices remain in place. The impact of the notices has been to create

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Email: info@fwpa.com.au

Page 8 | issue 114 | 01.03.10

considerable uncertainty in the processing and harvest and haul sectors, with particular ramifications for investment decision-making.

The industry’s statement to the commission, presented by Lisa Marty of VAFI, says the insurance excess for some harvesting equipment has increased from 1% to 10% following the fires. Although the Department of Sustainability and Environment cover loss of equipment on the fire line, this increase has broader implications for equipment owners and operators.

The 2006-07 and 2002-03 fires also burned significant areas of native forest available for timber production. The 200607 fire burned 19,000 ha of ash forest and 36,000 ha of mixed species forest available for timber production. The 200203 fires burned 87,000 ha of ash forest available for timber production but only 7500 ha of that was severely burned.

‘Essentially, you need to wait for something to fall apart or someone to be injured before you can issue proceedings against anyone’

Some areas burned in both fires. Salvage programs were undertaken after both fires with a total of 481,721 cub m of sawlog and 1,076,769 cub m of pulpwood salvage harvested.

About 15,000 tonnes of pulpwood was lost from a storage area near Licola in the 2006-07 fires.

The impact of the 2009 fires and the cumulative impact of the three landscape scale fires in Victoria in the last seven years is a significant change in the age distribution and condition of the state’s forests.

They are predicted to have a major negative impact on future resource availability.

About 47,800 ha or nearly 40% of the area of ash forest available has been affected by fire since 2004. The majority of ash forest that was killed (severely burnt, resetting the age class) was mature harvestable age.

In the short-term following the salvage program (2-50 years), the recent landscape scale fires will result in a reduction in the area of forest that can be harvested. This is due to a reduction in the area of mature forest of harvestable age. There will also be areas of forest which will remain harvestable but due to fire, there will be a decline in the volume and quality of sawlog.

Overall, 21.4% of the available ash and mixed species forest has been affected by fire since 2004. Based on the extent, type and severity of forest burnt, the age class structure of Victoria’s public native forests and the current sustainable yield methodology, VAFI and NAFI believe that the future reduction as a consequence of recent landscape scale fires could be 10-30% of the current sustainable yield.

This loss of future resource is even more significant given that the area of state forest available for timber production has been reduced through election policy commitments to establish new reserves. For example, more than 100,000 ha of state forest which had been available for timber harvesting is now part of the reserve system as a result of the implementation of 2006 state election policy.

Based on the impacts of the 2009, 2006-07 and 200203 bushfires, VAFI and NAFI believe that bushfires present a significant risk to future native forest resource availability as well as a significant financial risk for the industry.

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wood promotion

Carpenters nail message about values of wood THE second National Carpenters Day on April 16 promises to reach an even wider audience with new activities and participants.

Building up to the day are nominations for the Carpenter of the Year Award and Apprentice Carpenter of the Year competition. Workmates, friends, family members and even carpenters themselves can enter via the web: www. carpentersday.com.au. Entries close on March 24.

Well-known carpenter and TV personality Tom Williams (pictured below) will again be the celebrity ambassador for the day, featuring in promotional material and making personal appearances at events.

Australia-wide, the highlights will include a series of free barbecues at participating suppliers’ premises and TAFE colleges.

An impressive list of participants are lined up to support the day, including timber merchants, builders, TAFE colleges, industry bodies, and trade publications.

Support packs and free promotional materials are available to barbecue hosts.

Interested parties should call 1300 414 044 or email licensing@naturallybetter.com. au “We’re proud that Wood.

Timber & Forestry e-news is the most authoritative and quickest deliverer of news and special features to the forest and forest products industries in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region.

Weekly distribution is over 6,000 copies, delivered every Monday. Advertising rates are the most competitive of any industry magazine in the region.

Timber&Forestry e-news hits your target market – every week, every Monday!

Brisbane carpenters enjoyed their special day last year at the Breakfast Creek Hotel.

Naturally Better is the major sponsor of National Carpenters Day,” FWPA managing director Ric Sinclair said.

“Our research shows that an increasing number of Australians are keen to do something about climate change and they can do it by supporting carpenters and the use of sustainably sourced wood.”

The Wood Naturally Better program is designed to help professionals and consumers understand how they can play a part in tackling climate change by using one of the planet’s most natural materials – wood.

The promotion is the largest joint activity ever undertaken by the Australian forest and wood products industry.

HEAD OFFICE Custom Publishing Group Unit 2- 3986 Pacific Highway Loganholme 4129 Qld, Australia Tel: +61 7 3392 9810 PUBLISHER Dennis Macready admin@industryenews.com.au CONSULTING EDITOR Jim Bowden Tel: +61 7 3256 1779 Mob: 0401 312 087 cancon@bigpond.net.au ADVERTISING Tel: +61 7 3256 1779 cancon@bigpond.net.au PRODUCTION MANAGER Leigh Macready Tel: +61 7 3392 9810 production@industryenews.com.au

Opinions expressed on Timber & Forestry e news are not necessarily the opinions of the editor, publisher or staff. We do not accept responsibility for any damage resulting from inaccuracies in editorial or advertising.

The Publisher is therefore indemnified against all actions, suits, claims or damages resulting from content on this e news. Content cannot be reproduced without the prior consent of the Publisher- Custom Publishing Group.

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issue 114 | 01.03.10 | Page 9

decorative veneers

Lot more than just a thin veneer

Panelling from a single tree decorates 30-storey building ENVIRONMENTAL drivers, including energy use and resource consumption, are increasingly informing architectural design decisions and building practice.

So how does panelling the entire internal common space of a 30-storey building using the veneer from a single tree, and yet still have heaps left over sound?

Making quality decorative timber go a long way and maximising the value of such a wonderful, natural resource is what makes the use of veneer so architecturally appealing.

It also means retaining something of the craft element of woodworking, even in a high rise inner city utilitarian building.

Fethers Veneer was able to supply enough veneer from a single tree to manufacture all the interior wall panelling in every lift lobby in the 30-storey Commonwealth Government Department of Human Services building at 50 Lonsdale Street in Melbourne.

“The veneer used was highly figured eucalypt sliced by Gunns in Tasmania from a Eucalyptus obliqua tree,” veneer manager Will James said.

From a single tree .. figured eucalyptus veneers at the Department of Human Services building in Melbourne.

“Even after we had completed the Lonsdale Street job we still had enough veneer left to fit out another office complex and do some domestic jobs.

Mr James says decorative sliced veneer panels are frequently used for interior fitouts in major public buildings and ‘top-end’ hotels. “However, veneer panels are also now increasingly being specified in up-market residential homes.”

Melbourne-based Fethers Veneer, one of Australia’s most noted veneer companies, has been supplying local and imported architectural wood veneers since 1917.

Mr James says Fethers Veneer pioneered the architectural promotion of veneer in Australia in the early ‘80s and has been instrumental in bringing many of the world’s most exotic timbers to Australian interior design.

“We offer a facility for discerning architects to inspect and select veneer,” he said. “They can match colour, figure and mood to meet client requirements and to support a particular design theme.

“We are continuing to develop new trends in wood veneer application for the building and furniture industries and are very attentive to feed back from architects.”

According to operations manager Pat Mollico, the Lonsdale Street veneer panel fit-out reflects the increasing use of Australian veneers, especially in public and other high profile buildings.

“Mirror-matched from left to right, the veneer panelling in the Department of Human Services building is as much a work of art as anything. It means that beauty can be part of architectural design specifications, even in functional government buildings.”

Mr Mollico believes the use of veneer demonstrates that architects are now much more environmental aware. “They want to see quality native timber resources used sensitively, as well as for their aesthetic qualities.”

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Tel: (07) 3010 1823 Mob: 0419 754 681

Page 10 | issue 114 | 01.03.10

Contact Alan Jones Email: alan.jones@premier.austbrokers.com (Licence No. 238123)

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forest industry

Red gum recommendations flawed Out-of-date forest assessment principles used RECOMMENDATIONS to create a large new national park over the best areas of regrowth red gum forest near the NSW Riverina town of Deniliquin on the Murray River are flawed and not justified or supported by the evidence collected during the assessment process, professional foresters claim.

“The Natural Resources Commission has failed to provide the NSW Government with options that fully account for the environmental, social and economic values of the forests,” says the 1350-member Institute of Foresters of Australia.

“The NRC has effectively hindered the state’s capacity to make a balanced decision.”

The NSW Government is expected to decide on the future of the red gum forests and timber industry within a month, following the NRC recommendations.

Irreversible steps will then be taken to declare national park over state forest and to enter into binding business exit arrangements with the timber industry.

The NRC has recommended the transfer of the most productive

regrowth red gum forests under management by Forests NSW into national park and to cut supply of timber by almost 90%.

The recommendation will see the end of a local but nationally significant timber industry that has a history dating back more than 150 years. Forest workers, harvesting and haulage contractors, sawmillers and retailers of specialised red gum timber as well as local Riverina communities will all be affected.

The IFA says the NRC has also used inappropriate and out-of-date forest assessment principles.

“There are no wilderness or old-growth forests within the red gum forests and important environmental values, such as the region’s renowned ancient trees, are already well protected,” says the association.

The IFA has welcomed NRC recognition that river regulation and inequitable water allocation is a key threatening process for the forests. The IFA does not, however, agree with the NRC that tenure changes are

Planks: safety risk when exposed From Page 7

along both edges in highly legible print as compliant to AS 1577; WLL 210kg; max span 1.8 m.

Bond quality results were extremely poor with all the planks failing bond quality requirements of AS/NZS 4357.0.

Of particular concern was the large number of individual gluelines with 0% wood fibre.

“These individual gluelines are highly likely to delaminate with little moisture exposure and pose a risk of structural failure,” according to the EWPAA’s

consulting timber engineer.

“These planks, due to their extremely poor bond durability, are not suitable for outdoor use or where exposure to moisture is a possibility.”

The engineer concluded that while strength requirements of AS 1577 in the unused and dry condition had been met, the extremely poor bond quality results would make the product potentially unsafe in outdoor, weather exposed or moist or damp applications.

“In wet or damp applications, this product posses a potential safety risk,” he said.

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necessary to secure much needed environmental water flows.

The IFA says the red gum forests are true regrowth forests with a long history of human intervention – not iconic forests which have developed away from human activity.

“Foresters have historically managed these forests for a broad array of environmental and socio-economic values.

Some of the region’s most impressive even-aged forests may be found in the state forests at Moira Plains. These have only arisen since the late 1950s when changed water flows were caused by the construction of the Hume Weir.

“Ironically, the NRC has recommended that the tenure of these forests be changed to national park.”

Storing carbon for a thousand years

A LEADING player with a long, distinguished history in red gum sawmilling, the Arbuthnot mill on the banks of the Murray at Koondrook has reworked the same areas of forest many times.

“We don’t cut old growth forest, just regenerated, sustainably managed forest,” says managing director Paul Madden (pictured).

“In some areas, we have harvested logs five times during the history of the mill and the next harvest of logs is quietly growing in a multiaged forest today, helping to combat climate change and grow future jobs through long-lasting red gum timber

products.”

Mr Madden reckons if selected tree harvesting along the Murray were to stop, it would be helping to create a larger trade deficit in forest-based products and put Australians out of work.

He says the red gum furniture industry in the region had now grown to include four substantial furniture manufacturing companies.

“Because of its durability and aesthetics, red gum furniture should store carbon for more than a thousand years,” he said.

issue 114 | 01.03.10 | Page 11

opinion

‘We do things differently in Queensland’ Nervousness about sale of state’s forest assets “DON’T you worry about that.

We do things differently in Queensland.”

We can’t forget the favourite sayings of Queensland’s longest serving premier Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen when he was confronted with sticky questions from reporters.

New Zealand-born Sir Joh died at the age of 94 at Kingaroy, on April 23, 2005.

The state still does things differently – but Anna Bligh, who this month celebrates the anniversary of her first election campaign as premier, has a lot of worries on her mind .. like facing annihilation at the next election.

The Premier’s approval rating has slipped behind the Opposition Leader’s for the first time. The asset sale, axing the fuel subsidy, allegations of

Sir Joh .. we do things differently in Queensland

corruption and cronyism, and a raft of empty promises and stalled commitments have alienated the public.

Also, the government has come under fire for keeping secret before the March 2009 election that it planned to sell off $15 billion in assets, including the

The International Order of Hoo-Hoo

Melbourne Club 217 Through Hoo-Hoo a United Forest Products Industry

The Next Decade A vision for Hoo-Hoo

40th Annual JIV Hoo-Hoo Convention Thursday April 15 to Sunday April 18, 2010 Rydges Melbourne Hotel Thursday Hoo-Hoo Convention Golf Day Convention welcome reception

Saturday Hoo-Hoo Convention business day Convention dinner & entertainment

Friday Industry facilities day tour Timber industry & Sponsors dinner

Sunday Farewell breakfast and closing

Details of the convention program will be regularly updated on the JIV website www.hoo-hoo-jiv.org.au

Page 12 | issue 114 | 01.03.10

Forest Plantations Queensland.

State Treasurer Andrew Fraser told a global US forestry giant that “thinking” on selling the state’s forest assets was not closed – almost a year before a decision was made.

Unions have been scathing of the privatisation plans, running an ongoing campaign to have the policy reversed.

So the state is beset with all sorts of worries .. not the least of which is the forest industry’s concerns about the liquidation of its plantations estate with the sale expected to be completed

by June.

Industry has no worries about the actual sale; it reckons it could be managed a lot better than it is. But some are just a little nervous about what the eventual buyer will do with the resource; they are deeply concerned that logs might go offshore now a Chinese group has joined in the bidding.

“Not likely,” reckons one observer. “There are some definite caveats attached to the 99-year lease offer, including one that wood must be processed on shore. “Surely the state won’t compromise a timber processing industry that employs 20,000 people and is worth $4 billion a year.”

We hope he’s right. So does Hyne and Carter Holt Harvey who have more than $100 million invested in state-of-theart processing.

US-based Hancock Timber Resource Group Inc., Global Forest Partners LP and Rayonier Inc. are among the top international contenders submitting bids to manage 210,000 ha of FPQ plantations.

Hancock Timber Resource Group, based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, develops and manages globally diversified timberland portfolios for public and corporate pension plans, high net-worth

the

Watchdog

individuals, and foundations and endowments. Assets under management total $8 billion and are located in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil.

Global Forest Partners is one of the oldest and largest timber investment management organisations.

It manages a globally diverse $US2.1 billion portfolio of closed-end commingled timberfunds on behalf of institutional and other qualified investors.

Rayonier owns, leases or manages 1,052,182 ha of timberland in the US and New Zealand and sells timber to domestic and export markets.

Price tag on the forestry asset last June was around $500 million, which Premier Bligh said at the time was to help keep the state’s massive building program afloat.

The state will retain ownership of the underlying land to protect access rights for the public, and a condition of any sale was to be that recreation in state plantation forests would continue.

But Anna is playing her cards very close to her chest.

To paraphrase Sir Joh: We’ll wait until they’re ready to feed the chooks.

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