Issue 176

6523

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

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issue 176 | 06.06.11 | Page 1

Future for EWPs in micro-housing

This Issue • $14m timber contract for Monaro region • Unlocking carbon dollars in wood products

Architectural students bring out best in engineered wood for density living

By JIM BOWDEN

A GROUP of innovative architecture students believes micro-compact houses factorybuilt from engineered wood products will be the drivers for future high-density inner-city living.

A cluster of exciting, sleek miniaturised prototypes that debuted to media fanfare and curious industry onlookers at the University of Queensland’s School of Architecture a few weeks ago was one smart sustainable solution to Australia’s critical housing shortage and growing

Opportunities for engineered wood .. fourth-year university students Michael Crosby, Patricia Redmond, Tom Hartigan and Steven Hodgson with their micro-compact house model at the School of Architecture.

MicroPro

Just Go t ood W

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A Better Earth Idea from Osmose

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September 5-7

G

®

Treated

Cont Page 11

• Wood solutions just a click away • Skills shortage looms after Christchurch quake • Outstanding service award for Charlie Herbert

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Visit: www.osmose.com.au or phone: 1800 088 809 Osmose® and MicroPro® are registered trademarks of Osmose, Inc. or its subsidiaries. A Better Earth Idea from Osmose sm and Treated Wood Just Got Greener sm are slogan marks of Osmose Inc and its subsidiaries. MicroPro timber products are produced by independently owned and operated wood preserving facilities. GREENGUARD® is a registered trademark of GREENGUARD Environmental Institute. * See MicroPro fastener and hardware information sheet. © 2011 Osmose, Inc.

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issue 176 | 06.06.11 | Page 1

INDUSTRY NEWS

A date for your diaries!

2011

The Victorian Association of Forest Industries, representing the interests of the Victorian timber Industry

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 176 | 06.06.11

TABMA

Mouse will give build designers wood solutions DESCRIBED as a world-leading innovation, a new online wood products database has been created specifically for the Australian market.

Responding to market needs identified by research, the new site – www.woodsolutions.com. au – is designed to provide architects, engineers and other building professionals with information and technical resources about using wood and wood products.

Australia’s most authoritative source of wood-related information, WoodSolutions, developed by Forest and Wood Products Australia, is a non-proprietary database that includes species information; technical design guides; case studies; performance data; fixings and finishes; standards and codes, and much more.

“In Australia, and internationally, the environmental advantages of wood are seeing it become the material of choice in a growing range of applications,” says FWPA managing director Ric Sinclair who invites industry feed-back on the site. ”WoodSolutions is a direct response to our research that shows that a lack of information

GalaDinner & Awards Night The 2011 Timber Industry Dinner, incorporating the TABMA Awards, will be held in Sydney on Friday, October 28, at Doltone House – Darling Island Wharf.

The dinner will be supported by TDA NSW, the Furnishing Industry Association of Australia, the NSW Forest Products Association, the Timber Trade Industrial Association, WADIC, the Australian Timber Importers Federation and TABMA Australia.

This year, for the first time, the TABMA Awards will include nominations from states outside New South Wales

Ric Sinclair .. wood the material of choice.

is one of the barriers to increased wood use.”

The website went ‘live’ on May 27.

WoodSolutions has been structured to expand over time to become the sector’s equivalent of ‘Wikipedia’ and all in the wood products industry are encouraged to register to review and make suggestions to increase the value of the content and effectiveness of the site.

The second initiative is the result of a partnership with Planet Ark – a television commercial under the Environmental Edge and Cont Page 9

Invitations will be sent out early in September.

Contact us on Sydney – (02) 9277 3100 Adelaide – 0407 102 244 Perth – 0414 908 465 Brisbane – (07) 3254 3166 Hobart – 0407 102 244

www.tabma.com.au

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industry news

Forest industries hope to unlock carbon dollars in wood products Climate change negotiations win for Australia, NZ

THE international forestry and wood products industry is working on the detail of a proposal to have the carbon in wood products recognised in international carbon accounting rules.

Under the Kyoto Protocol which expires at the end of 2012, harvested logs are deemed to be converted to carbon dioxide at the moment of harvest – a rule that fails to recognise the carbon that is locked up in wood and paper products, often for many decades.

New Zealand Forest Owners Association chief executive David Rhodes says New Zealand and Australia have

been lobbying with considerable success at successive United Nations climate change negotiations to have better forestry rules included in whatever replaces Kyoto.

Details of how those rules might look and how to get them adopted at the UN climate change negotiations in Durban at the end of the year were major topics at a meeting held in Montebello, Canada, last week.

The International Council of Forest and Paper Associations’ meeting was held in conjunction with the UN FAO advisory committee on paper and wood products. The FAO will soon

David Rhodes .. lobbying for better forestry rules post-Kyoto.

complete a major report on the important role sustainable forestry will play in the creation of low-carbon economies.

Mr Rhodes, who is a member of both bodies, says forestry waste and tree crops grown specifically for fuel will be increasingly important sources of renewable energy. Indeed, renewable energy products have the potential to be a new income stream for the pulp and paper industry as it comes out of recession.

Following a roundtable meeting of forest industry CEOs from around the world, co-chair Brad Thorlakson said the wood processing industry was now more competitive and “significantly transformed” in the wake of the global economic Cont Page 6

The 2011 conference has been specifically scheduled to coincide with Parliamentary sitting week to maximise engagement opportunities with MPs. It is highly recommended that interested conference attendees to make travel arrangements early, as flights and accommodation are difficult to secure during Parliamentary sitting weeks.

Associated workshops and meetings will be held on September 13 and 15.

Registrations open soon.

ForestWorks performs a range of industry wide functions acting as the channel between industry, government and the Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) system.

VICTORIA PO Box 612, North Melbourne 3051 Tel: (03)9321 3500 Email: forestworks@forestworks.com.au NEW SOUTH WALES PO Box 486, Parramatta 2124 Tel: (02)8898 6990 Email: smukherjee@forestworks.com.au

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TASMANIA PO Box 2146, Launceston 7250 Tel: (03)6331 6077 Email: wfoss@forestworks.com.au BRISBANE PO Box 2014 Fortitude Valley 4006 Tel: (07)3358 5169 Email: bharle@forestworks.com.au

issue 176 | 06.06.11 | Page 3

Celebrate innovation and advances in forestry, wood products and design just before the international rugby starts on 9 September. Be part of the forestry and wood processing revolution. If you have anything to do with wood you and your company must be there.

Book your place and get more information, www.fi2011.co.nz The PF Olsen Forest Industries Expo 2011 will showcase the latest equipment, technology and systems from New Zealand and around the world, to an international audience. You can book to attend or register for a display site indoors or outdoors through www.fi2011.co.nz The BNZ Forest Industries Tech Clinics will feature 14 practical and independent clinics that will cover every facet of the forestry sector, from new tools for improving efficiencies in forest management through to the very latest in timber design, construction and building practices. For more information go to www.fi2011.co.nz.

The BNZ Forest Industries Conference on 7 September will focus on innovation and design in timber construction following the tragic earthquakes in Japan and Christchurch (2011), Haiti (2010), Chile (2010) and Italy (2009).

International speakers will cover recent major advances in design, technology and construction. For more information go to www.fi2011.co.nz

Page 4 | issue 176 | 06.06.11

www.fi2011.co.nz

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events

WHAT’S ON?

JUNE

15-17: SawTECH 2011. Sawing technologies to improve mill performance. Brisbane. Visit www. fiea.com.nz 17-19: Timber & Working with Wood Show. The Entertainment Quarter, Sydney. Contact: (02) 9974 1393. Fax: (02) 9974 3426, Email: info@eee.net.au 21-13: SawTECH 2011: Sawing technologies to improve mill performance. Rotorua, NZ. www. sawtechevents.com 26-28: Build NZ. ASB Show grounds, Auckland.

JULY 7: HIA Industry Outlook Luncheon, HIA Home Ideas Centre, 28 Collie Street, Fyshwick ACT. Contact (02) 6285 7300.

13-14: Carbon Forestry 2011.

Key investment drivers and future business opportunities. Auckland, NZ. Visit www.fiea.com.nz 19-20: FTMA Australia National Conference, Newcastle. Join FTMA Australia members on Tuesday, July 29, and network over golf at the Newcastle Golf Club and other activities. Wednesday, July 20,FTMA Australia AGM prior to conference commencing at 10am.

21-22: Reinventing Wood. Pine Manufacturers Association and Wood Processors Association joint annual conference.

Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, Nelson, NZ. Participate and learn how industry intends to position itself, post-Canterbury earthquakes.

Reinventing Wood aims to lift the focus of participants from commodity production to highvalued manufactured and branded timber solutions in domestic and

export markets. Strong emphasis on the potential for re-creating Christchurch with innovative wooden building. Registration form: www.pine.net.nz/annualconference/registration-2001 Program www.pine.net.nz/annualconferenceprogramme-2001.

Contact: NZPMA. Tel: +64 3 544 1086. Email: info@pine.net.nz Visit: www.pine.net.nz

SEPTEMBER 5-7: NZ Forest Industries Expo 2011. Venue: Rotorua Energy Events Centre, Rotorua. Forest industry leaders and companies from across the world are booking their tickets to participate in the expo (FI2011) and make the most of the 2011 Rugby World Cup while they’re there. Exhibition sites have already been booked by a number of NZ and Australian companies, and inquiries being received from Canada, China, Vietnam and Austria. The expo will showcase the best that Rotorua, the wider Bay of Plenty region and the rest of New Zealand has to offer when it comes to forestry and wood products. Contact: Dell Bawden.

Email: office@bawden.co.nz Website site: fi2010.co.nz 6-7: BNZ Forest Industries Tech Clinics 2011. Rotorua, NZ www. forestevents.co.nz 7: BNZ Forest Industries 2011 Conference: Innovative products, designs and new developments for timber building. Rotorua, NZ. www.forestevents.co.nz

Showgrounds, Epsom Road, Ascot Vale. Contact: (02) 9974 1393. Fax: (02) 9974 3426, Email: info@eee. net.au

AFPA workshops on climate change A SERIES of climate change workshops are being held in forestry regions in June and July to promote awareness of future projected climatic trends and issues and opportunities on how the plantation forest industry can best respond.

The seminars will be of direct interest to forest growers, landholders, farmers, planners, researchers and natural resource management professionals. Topics at the free three-hour seminars include climatic trends and effects on productivity in plantation regions; options for industry adaptation to a changing climate; case studies applying new tools to assess adaptation options; and factors affecting adoption of adaptation options.

Speakers will include Mick Stephens, strategic policy manager, Australian Forest Products Association; Dr Libby Pinkard, senior research scientist, CSIRO; Dr Don White, group leader, forest systems, CSIRO; and Dr Melissa Green, social and behavioural Scientist, CSIRO

16-19: SilviLaser 2011. University of Tasmania, Hobart. Visit www. silvilaser2011.com

The seminars will be held in Bunbury, WA, June 24; Mount Gambier, SA, June 27; Brisbane June 28; Tumut, NSW, July 1; Traralgon, Vic (to be advised); and Hobart (to be advised),’

21-23: Timber & Working with Wood Show. Melbourne

Inquiries can be directed to AFPA on (02) 6285 3833.

October

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Australia’s forest, wood, pulp and paper products industry now has a stronger voice in dealings with government, the community and in key negotiations on the industry’s future, as two peak associations have merged to form a single national association.

The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) has been formed through the merger of the Australian Plantations Products and Paper Industry Council (A3P) and the National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI).

AFPA was established to cover all aspects of Australia’s forest industry: - Forest growing; - Harvest and haulage; - Sawmilling and other wood processing; - Pulp and paper processing; and - Forest product exporting.

For more information on the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) or to enquire about membership , please call (02) 6285 3833.

issue 176 | 06.06.11 | Page 5

industry news

Return to strength for industry’s core product lines of pulp, paper and lumber.

Wood processors more competitive after economy dip From Page 3

downturn.

There has also been increased globalisation of trade, the emergence of new markets and a movement toward greatly improved environmental performance.

“These are key factors that have led to a return to strength of the industry’s core product lines of pulp, paper and lumber,” Mr Thorlakson said.

At the ICFPA meeting, Mr Rhodes profiled efforts by the New Zealand Paper Forum which concurrently launched a stewardship scheme to position paper as a renewable product of choice.

Forum members include major NZ manufacturers and distributors of paper and paper

products, print companies and associated groups. The scheme involves measuring and benchmarking recovery and recycling rates; developing a best practice guide for the sector; and educating buyers and users of paper in good environmental practice.

He says the presentation attracted strong interest from India, China, Europe, Chile, Canada and a number of other countries.

ICFPA membership includes the trade associations of 43 countries. Members represent industries accounting for more than 90% of the world’s paper and more than 50% of the world’s wood production.

editorial inquiries ph: +61 7 3256 1779

Page 6 | issue 176 | 06.06.11

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industry news

Charlie’s award well deserved

Charlie Herbert .. outstanding service award.

WHEN the industry lost respected wood preservation consultant Charlie Herbert earlier this year, his friends and colleagues agreed that “if anyone deserved an Australian Standards Award it was Charlie”.

On Friday, June 3, Charlie’s wife Caroline accepted her husband’s posthumous Outstanding Service Award at the mid-year Standards Australia Council meeting in Sydney.

Standards awards are presented to those who have made significant contributions to standardisation and who have demonstrated outstanding service in enabling Standards Australia to attain the objectives for which it was founded – to enrich the quality of life of all Australians.

Mr Herbert, 64, retired as chief timber inspector for Forests NSW four years ago, later working as a part-time consultant to the Timber Development Association (NSW), Forest and Wood Products Australia and the Timber Preservers Association of Australia.

He began his career in forestry in 1965, working for the NSW Forestry Commission.

Other winners of the 2011 Standards Awards are Professor Alex Baitch and Leandro Ravetti (Meritorious Contribution Award-National); Chris Body (Meritorious Contribution Award-International) and FP-002 (Outstanding Committee Award) for fire detection, warning, control and intercom systems.

Lone pine hope after tsunami destroys forest THE terrifying force of the March 11 tsunami in Japan left only one tree standing from a forest of 70,000 in RikuzenTakata, Iwate Prefecture. Now scientists are using that tree to bring back one of the nation’s most beautiful sights.

The Takata Matsubara forest was designated a scenic beauty spot, and before the disaster was a popular tourist destination. About 70,000 red and black pines grew on a stretch of beach about 1.8 km long.

Only one tree, estimated to be 270 to 280 years old, survived the tsunami. But members of the Takata Matsubara Protection

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Society are concerned that the remaining tree might not survive because of excess salinity in the groundwater; the tsunami eroded much of the beach, leaving the tree about 9 m from the sea.

Tree breeders are suggesting the

society

propagate

the

trees through grafting. The branches will be grafted to about 100 rootstocks of red and black pines. If the grafts are successful, the branches of the pine tree will grow as part The lone pine.

of new trees, preserving the original tree’s genetic material.

issue 176 | 06.06.11 | Page 7

NEW ZEALAND

Skills shortage looms as NZ budget delivers $5.5bn for quake recovery CHRISTCHURCH has been reassured of the New Zealand government’s commitment to rebuilding the city, with Prime Minister John Key trumpeting the budget’s quake-recovery package.

Speaking at the National party’s regional conference in Christchurch, Mr Key outlined changes introduced in the recent Budget, including the establishment of a $5.5 billion earthquake recovery fund.

Labour leader Phil Goff has questioned the plans for Christchurch’s rebuild, and said the current skills shortage would cause problems and the government was not doing anything to address it.

Industry training organisations say skilled labour shortages are looming again after Budget

That is down from $1.7 billion in last year’s Budget, reflecting the issuance of 10 million carbon credits to eligible foresters in the interim, says the NZ Herald.

The credits come with an associated liability to account for the carbon deemed to be emitted when the trees are harvested.

Credits come with an associated liability to account for the carbon deemed to be emitted when the trees are harvested Skills shortage .. problems for Christchurch re-build program.

cuts in industry training stretching out beyond 2013.

The Budget unexpectedly cut

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industry training funding from $180 million in last year’s Budget to $156 million in the year starting July 1 and $139 million a year from 2013.

The Tertiary Education Commission says the current level of funding was “not required to meet demand for substantive, high-quality industry training”.

Funding will not be enough to train the skilled labour required to rebuild Christchurch But Industry Training Federation head Kevin Bryant said the money would not be enough to train the skilled labour required to rebuild Christchurch, repair leaky homes and cope with the economic upturn expected by 2013.

“There are simply not enough trades people in work in the country to be taken out of what they are doing right now [for Christchurch],” he said.

Meanwhile, Budget has disclosed a contingent liability for the taxpayer of $1.5 billion under the Kyoto Protocol.

But the Sustainability Council says the contingent liability could be significantly larger than suggested by the Budget figure, which only relates to forest credits, depending on the future track of carbon prices.

Executive director Simon Terry said that on official estimates, New Zealand was expected to exceed its Kyoto target for gross emissions in the 2008 to 2012 period by 18%.

Only a fifth of that liability has been devolved to emitters under the emissions trading scheme; the rest lies with taxpayers.

Nevertheless, New Zealand is expected to outperform its target by around 22 million tonnes when it comes to squaring accounts with other Kyoto countries. That is because the treaty’s rules allow it to claim credits for the carbon removed from the atmosphere by forests planted since 1990 on land not previously forested.

The flipside is that when the trees are felled that carbon is deemed to be immediately returned to the atmosphere, a rule New Zealand industry is seeking to outlaw.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Chinese traders face US penalties over dumping of flooring THE US Department of Commerce is to implement penalties on targeted dumping of multi-layered wood flooring

by China.

The merchandise covered by the investigation is composed of an assembly of two or more layers or plies of wood veneers in combination with a core, says a report by the International Tropical Timber Organisation Petitioner for the investigation is the Coalition for American Hardwood Parity, an ad hoc association of US manufacturers of multi-layered wood flooring.

US imports of wood flooring from China totalled nearly $US120 million in 2009, down from $US148 million in 2008.

Manufacturers said the US recession was the cause of the decline, arguing that without protective duties China was positioned to grab a bigger

share of the market as the economy recovered.

The US department will issue its final decision on duty levels in August.

Meanwhile, ITTO reports that US imports of sawn tropical hardwood fell in the first quarter 2011 after four consecutive monthly gains in late 2010.

About 49,620 cub m was imported in the first quarter, down from 60,838 cub m in the final quarter of 2010.

Year-to-date however, import volumes of tropical sawn wood increased by 25% compared with March 2010.

The two largest suppliers to the US market, Ecuador and Brazil, decreased exports by -23% and -20%, respectively.

Malaysian exports grew by 23% in March, due to strong keruing shipments.

$1m cable TV opportunity From Page 2

Wood Naturally Better brands.

The spot goes to air on June 5 and will feature prominently in some of Australia’s leading free-to-air and cable TV shows.

The campaign will run for over four months with a planned investment of more than $1 million.

In the advertisement, Peter Maddison, architect and host of Grand Designs Australia, explains that wood stores carbon and that carbon is better locked away in wood than free in the environment.

Currently, WoodSolutions has 19 companies listed in the database – Australian Solar Timbers, Austim, Auswest, Bayswater Timbers, Big River Group, Boral, Carter Holt Harvey, Dindas, Gunnersens, Gunns, Matthews Timber, Meyers Timber, NK Collins, Radial Timbers, Stora Enso, Tilling Timber, Weathertex, Wespine and Wright Forest Products.

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 6,400 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!

HEAD OFFICE Custom Publishing Group Unit 2- 3986 Pacific Highway Loganholme 4129 Qld, Australia PUBLISHER Dennis Macready admin@industryenews.com.au CONSULTING EDITOR Jim Bowden Tel: +61 7 3266 1429 Mob: 0401 312 087 cancon@bigpond.net.au ADVERTISING Tel: +61 7 3266 1429 cancon@bigpond.net.au PRODUCTION MANAGER Leigh Macready production@industryenews.com.au

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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.

issue 176 | 06.06.11 | Page 9

INDUSTRY NEWS

$14m harvest, haulage contracts big boost to economy in Monaro TWO new harvest and haulage timber contacts expected to be valued at up to $14 million a year will provide a significant boost to the Monaro economy in southern New South Wales.

The new contracts are being tendered by Forests NSW and represent about 70% cent of its business in the region.

“These new contracts will provide a major boost to the local economy; they will encourage efficient and quality contractors to join the industry at a critical time of regional growth,” the Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson said.

“The combination of expiring harvest and haulage contracts and additional sales to existing customers has triggered

InSurAnce..

It’S All In the SelectIon

the need to tender 460,000 tonnes a year of mechanised harvesting and 485,000 tonnes a year of log haulage in the Bombala area.

“The contracts will supplement existing agreements that are in place for harvest and haulage,” Ms Hodgkinson said.

“Log sales to existing customers remain strong and have enabled Forests NSW to fully allocate the plantation resource in the Monaro region.”

Forests NSW manages 36,000 ha of pine plantation within the Monaro region, supplying up to 700,000 tonnes a year of sawlog and pulp log products to domestic and export customers.

“Forests NSW activities directly contribute about $20 million

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Katrina Hodgkinson .. contracts will encourage efficient and quality contractors to join the industry.

each year to the regional economy through harvest and haul contracts, plantation establishment activities and road construction and maintenance,” Ms Hodgkinson

said.

Member for Monaro John Barilaro said about 300 people were directly employed by the industry in the Bombala area and plantations provided a substantial economic injection to regional development and employment.

“An important step for softwood processing at Bombala is the pending construction of a new sawmill by The Australian Sawmilling Company,” he said.

Tenders close on June 30 and contracts are expected to be awarded by August.

Conditions of the new contracts will require log hauliers to invest in safety improvements such as automatic trailer breaking systems, low centreof-gravity trailers, GPS tracking and fatigue management procedures.

Wood showcase for Rugby Cup visitors THE Lockwood Group is marking its 60th anniversary by staging a showcase of innovative residential designs and timber buildings during Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand in September.

The showcase site at the Lockwood village of show homes in Rotorua will feature four different designs of houses, together with outdoor furniture

by Verda.

The site will be one of a wide range of showcase sites around New Zealand under the Winning With Wood program, aimed particularly at showing some of

the 85,000 rugby cup visitors the many innovative uses of timber in New Zealand.

Organised by NZ Trade and Enterprise, Winning With Wood is intended to promote exports of NZ-made timber products, as part of the Real New Zealand Showcase featuring 16 industry sectors.

Lockwood and Verda’s site will be one of the largest in Winning With Wood and will feature an example of the innovative Lockwood EcoSmart home, as well as Verda’s sustainably treated outdoor furniture, decking and panels.

editorial inquiries tel: +61 32661429

Page 10 | issue 176 | 06.06.11

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engineered wood

A great opportunity for students to test their own decisions

EWPs that tick ALL the boxes Engineered wood products manufactured

by EWPAA member companies top the list

Innovation .. fourth-year architecture students with their microcompact house model at Queensland University Greg Clarke, Tess Martin, Leah Gallagher, Ami Nakayama, and Jessica Spresser.

From Page 1

population.

An academic creation from the start, the micro-compact house design project is the brainchild of instructor-architect Michael Dickson and his students.

The brief for the 55 fourth-year architecture students was to design, to scale, off-grid microhouses that collect and treat their own water, generate their own electricity, and could be prefabricated in a factory.

‘The effort they put into this was astonishing. For the students it was fun and highly rewarding to actually do things and materialise ideas in a large team’ – Simon Dorries “In the project, we were interested in flat packing and using engineered wood products to see how far we could go in taking innovative form and making it easy to construct on site,” said Mr Dickson, a registered architect and lecturer in design, technology and communication, who has been practicing through offices in Brisbane, Malaysia, Ireland

and Latvia.

“Our main concern was how to increase housing density in the suburbs without subdividing existing lots – looking at extended families and intergenerational occupation.

“But instead of everyone living in the one house, the student designs sort of build on the ubiquitous ‘granny-flat-out-theback’ concept – but of course they’re a lot fancier and more stylish than that.”

Along with Simon Dorries, general manager of the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia, which sponsored the student project, we inspected an incredible collection of models that could be the future of housing innovation – strong, efficient, easy-to-assemble kits that if they went into volume production could reduce the cost of construction substantially.

“It was a real kick to see young architects so excited about engineered wood,” Mr Dorries said.

“The effort they put into this was astonishing. For the Cont Page 12

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Consistent QUALITY LOWEST emissions Structurally SOUND and SAFE Wood from 100% LEGAL, CERTIFIED forests GUARANTEED to Australasian Standards JOBS security

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issue 176 | 06.06.11 | Page 11

engineered wood

Quick industrial manufacture the way forward for engineered wood professional architects – can get closer to their craft because they are actually close to the manufacturing process.

From Page 11

students it was fun and highly rewarding to actually do things and materialise ideas in a large team.

“They were able go through all phases of a project from design to construction and practical application, which was a great opportunity to test their own decisions.

“The end product serves a purpose rather than being a blueprint rolled up to collect dust.”

Michael Dickson added: “The innovations were there because we were doing it with groups of students – about five to six of them in each group working on each concept.

“I dare say if I had been trying myself to think of variations they would have all looked similar.

“But when you give a class of young architects fairly simple constraints – using plywood and volumetric constraints like two cube x 3.6m, x 3.6m, x 3.6 m – you get quite a diversity of responses with different heads looking at the same problem.”

Mr Dickson said it was proof that by using a standardised component and using machine

One of the micro-house models designed by students.

Page 12 | issue 176 | 06.06.11

“We didn’t want to turn our students into machinists, rather that they recognised the design opportunities as well as the limitations of the whole process.”

Impressive .. Michael Dickson, instructor-architect at the Queensland University’s School of Architecture, and Simon Dorries, general manager, EWPAA (kneeling left) admire a prototype microhouse created by students Katie Hawgood, Ben Sheehan, Laura McConaghy, Shane Willmett, Kali Marnane, and Katy Moir (kneeling).

fabrication you could get a diverse range of outcomes.

“It’s not like the premanufactured house as we understand it where everything is repetitive and looks the same. We are trying to prove that pre-manufacturing now is using computer modelling and transferring that easily to rapid proto-typing and getting heaps of different results.

“And although it all has the same efficiency of industrial manufacturing, the outcomes are all completely different.”

The EWPAA has sponsored architecture student competition for about three years, but this was the first time students have actually prototyped their designs to scale.

“It’s the closest they can get to actually making the real thing,” Mr Dickson said.

“The students get a different kind of dynamic because they have to start thinking of things at a different scale. But they also have to think about timber as a competitor with other materials – is it cost-effective, interesting and does it tick all the boxes in terms of the environment and so on?

“It also has to be quick and repeatable, so we believe industrial manufacturing with timber, with plywood, LVL and wood panels, is going to be the way forward for the wood industry. There’s more and more CNC technology online, so designers will have to think about how these products are going to be manufactured in the factory.”

They have to think about timber as a competitor with other materials – is it costeffective, interesting and does it tick all the boxes in terms of the environment and so on? – Michael Dickson Both Simon and Michael agreed the students now have firsthand experience in this and they can see the opportunities.

“Architects have all these brilliant ideas, what’s decorative and what’s pretty. But often this is difficult to execute with trades people when a lot of crafting on site can be too expensive,” Mr Dickson admitted.

“But with new CNC technology, these students – and a lot of

Mr Dixon said the student brief was to identify potential sites for high-density micro-housing in inner-city Brisbane suburbs like Milton, Paddington, Bardon and Rosalie.

“If we are going to build these houses in backyards, we don’t want to be cutting down a lot of trees. We want to preserve the natural environment, but at the same time we don’t want to add excessively to the infrastructure demands of the suburb.

“For argument’s sake, if we had another 400 of these houses in a particular area, we have to ask is the sewage system going to cope, is there enough electricity in the area and does it mean we have to spend money on infrastructure?

“Now, because there are technologies such as solar panels and effective insulation to cut down on energy consumption along with modular rainwater tanks and grey and black water recycling systems, it is easy to achieve domestic-scale technology in a small house.

“And that means we can increase the density of population without putting additional burden on the existing infrastructure while at the same time saving wildlife and thousands of trees in the process.”

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BOOK REVIEW

Jacky Howes and Crown Hammers – whimsical title for a history of forestry

By DAVID GOUGH

BY virtue of being a ‘history’, Peter Holzworth’s Jacky Howes and Crown Hammers is crammed with chronological facts.

Yet, there is nothing dry about this history, since Mr Holzworth has managed to link the facts into an eminently readable tale, with a whimsy of its own, as he brings particular eras alive, with snippets of additional, historical information.

Peter Holzworth graduated in Forestry in 1964 and in 1983 he graduated from Queensland University with a BA, majoring in History and English Literature.

He loves writing.

He has many published short stories and poems under his belt, and has written several technical and historical publications on forestry including Silent Sentinels, which gives details of Queensland’s forest fire towers, and Monarchs of the Woods, the story of hoop pine, both native grown and as a most successful plantation species.

His tour de force, though, is Jacky Howes and Crown Hammers, which begins with explorer John Oxley’s impression of the timber stands of the Moreton Bay area in1823, and continues until 2009. Most of the material was obtained through the painstaking extraction of relevant information from successive departmental annual reports, files, interviews and external references.

It is a great shame that a work such as this did not appear until 2010. How I wish it had been available when I was a young forester. It should, in my view, be on the ‘mustread’ list of every new forestry and/or environmental science graduate in Australia, to give a wide-screen perspective of

what went before and why it is the way it is now.

In colonial days there was a huge abundance of high quality timber, especially hoop pine, kauri pine, eucalypts, red cedar and other wonderful cabinet timbers, and this timber was a significant part of Queensland’s first resources boom.

Fortunately for later generations, the rapid rate of timber extraction and forest destruction for agriculture was evident to a small number of good men, who from about 1880, fought hard for the reservation of certain forested areas and the regulation of timber harvesting by government. In fact, it is the calibre of the early leaders of the forestry profession that is so inspiring.

Vision, integrity, intellect and determination are characteristics common to them all, but Mr Holzworth has also reflected on their individual personalities and on the differing ways in which they achieved their aims.

It should be on the ‘mustread’ list of every new forestry and environmental science graduate to give a wide-screen perspective of what went before and why it is the way it is now.

These men always had a hard fight on their hands. However, it was not until 1911, when Norman Jolly, the first trained forester (Oxford) and Rhodes scholar, was appointed Director of Forestry that the government began to take more notice of departmental recommendations.

The forthright E.H.F. Swain, who followed Jolly in 1918, was not so fortunate, in that he was sacked by the government in 1932 over his strident proposals for additions to the

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conservation of native flora and fauna was combined in a separate Parks and Wildlife Service.

The Commonwealth Softwood Forestry Agreement, which helped fund the establishment of softwood plantations, was in the pipeline. Things got done, and these ‘golden years’ of public sector forestry continued until about 1980, when confrontation with the growing environmental movement began, not just in Queensland, of course, but throughout Australia.

A good read .. forester Peter Holzworth and his wife Bev with a copy of Jacky Howes and Crown Hammers.

forest estate. Nonetheless, the professional leadership of these men actively encouraged a flourishing, scientific ethic and a ‘can-do’ attitude, making the Forest Service a great place in which to work.

Victor Grenning, another Rhodes scholar, followed Swain in 1932 and served as head for a record 31 years.

Mr Holzworth points out that Grenning served through the very difficult periods of the depression and of World War 2 and its aftermath. However, much was achieved during this time and the Forest Service was held in high esteem by government and by the public.

Forestry had responsibility for national parks in Queensland, the first gazettals being in 1908, and considerable expansion and development of the national parks estate took place under Grenning.

It was not until 1975 that responsibility for the

Forestry suddenly became a political issue. At that time Mr Holzworth held senior positions in the then Forestry Department and was in the seat for much of the leg work and negotiations that ensued, particularly on Fraser Island and in southeast Queensland. He was part of the history and his description of these events is therefore first-hand.

His thoughtful and equitable analysis of the ‘process’ is a tribute to his professionalism.

This book is a proud history of Forestry in Queensland, but so far no other such comprehensive work has emerged from any of the other states, all of which have proud records to be written. I strongly recommend Jacky Howes and Crown Hammers to all those associated with forestry, as an interesting, informative and entertaining read, and I challenge those forestry writers from other states to get their key-pads out and assemble their own special histories.

The book is available from the author for $25 ($30 including postage) on (07) 3851 1936 or email: p.holzy@bigpond.com

issue 176 | 06.06.11 | Page 13

MOTORING

No bull – this Caprice leads the herd for luxury, gadgets and fuel economy “WHERE’S Charlie Henry these days?” my timber merchant mate in Sydney inquired.

“I know exactly where he is,” I responded. “About now he’s feeding bales of lucerne hay to a paddock full of fat Santa Gertrudis cows on a grazing property in the Fassifern Valley.”

How do I know this? I took Holden’s sleek, new and most expensive toy, the Caprice V8, 40 km west of Brisbane to Boonah, a little town built on beef, timber and carrots, and then drove down the Moogerah Lake road to Thistle Do to have lunch with Charlie who is acting as custodian of this peaceful retreat while his farm-owner friend is overseas.

“Come on, I’ll show you the cattle and you can help me feed ‘em,” he said tossing on bundles of hay and climbing into a four-wheel drive ahead of a happy, slobbering Boxer who took guard duty in the back seat.

Charlie Henry Timbers was one of Australia’s best-known timber traders. Charlie sold the business a few years ago and went into semi-retirement on the Gold Coast.

The new Caprice package has been put together with more forethought than ever before, and the result is arguably one of Australia’s best home-made

Mmmm .. nice tucker, Charlie.

Page 14 | issue 176 | 06.06.11

Sports luxury .. the Holden Caprice takes a spell in the paddock at Thistle Do.

cars. No bull.

Holden has announced it will discontinue the long-running Statesman badge – a name that has graced the rangetopping Commodore cousin since 1990.

Between 1971 and 1984, Holden marketed its longwheelbase sedans under the Statesman marque. The Statesman and Caprice are essentially long-wheelbase variants of the Commodore range, and as of 2006, were the largest rear-wheel drive sedans offered by GM. The main difference between the Statesman and the Caprice lies within their equipment packages; Caprices are commonly powered by V8 engines rather than V6s.

“Market research consistently told us that the Caprice nameplate, with its definite sports luxury character, appealed to a far broader customer base,” says Holden executive director of sales and marketing John Elsworth.

“Customers looking for a more luxurious option identify the Caprice as a more prestigious offering.”

Every Holden V8 now comes with ‘active fuel management’, a cylinder deactivation system

Tote that barge, lift that bale ..

Charlie Henry prepares to feed the mob.

that switches between eight and four cylinders, according to what its engine management system determines about prevailing driving conditions.

After a week in the upgraded Caprice, we’re sure AFM will maintain its appeal with V8 aficionadas.

The Holden-iQ system offers a virtual CD collection, iPod, MP3 player and USB flashdrive connectivity. Bluetooth connectivity is also enhanced over the outgoing system.

The touch-screen system also supports full colour mapping satellite navigation with traffic alerts and a rear view camera, both standard features.

Other ‘goodies’ include an

electric tilt and slide sunroof, full soft leather trim, dual-screen rear DVD, a Bose premium audio system, tri-zone climate control and 18 in. alloy wheels.

And here’s a machine with a mind of its own, if you let it.

We started to get used to the regular ping sounds. Ping for exceeding the speed limit in all speed zones, ping for school ahead, ping for hospital ahead, ping for traffic camera ahead, ping for unfastened seat belt, ping for low fuel, ping for doors not shut properly, and a ping to tell us there is another ping on the way (?!).

At a glance: Transmission: 4-speed automatic; engine: 5.7-litre, 16-valve, V8 petrol; fuel consumption: highway cycle 9.0-litres/100km, city cycle14.0-litres/100km. Seats: 5. Safety: active front seat head restraints, driver and front passenger airbag, driver and front passenger side impact airbag, ABS, EBD, satellite tracking with SOS function.

Rrp: $69,990.

After a hearty meal, we sat on the veranda at Thistle Do, sipped a port, nibbled local cheeses and looked across the green fields as the sun set on Frog Buttress, a popular rock climbing cliff on the north-west side of Mount French.

Charlie’s got it made. So has the Caprice.

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SITE WITH LOG YARD, SAWMILL, DRYMILL, REMAN, HEAT PLANT, KILNS, AND 50 ACRES OF LAND AS A GOING CONCERN We have available a fully operational hardwood facility processing approx 60,000m3 log intake per annum.

Included is a Log Yard, Green Mill, Heat plant & Kilns. Drymill Processing, lamination plant and Gang Nail Presses.

With this is the Freehold Land including Buildings, Office Complex, Weighbridge, Amenities and 10t gantry over the Green mill.

MAIN MACHINE CENTRES Greenmill  Integrated Engineering Primary Breakdown  MEM Primary Breakdown  MEM EndDogger  MEM Twin Resaw  Isle Forge 60” chipper  Acrowood rotating screen  ScanMeg log Scanner  Techman stacker  AE Gibson Stacker  10t and 20t overhead gantry crane Heat plant & Kilns  11 x even flow CSIRO design low temp kilns  2 x aluminium reconditioners  6 x 400m cube Mahild pre drying front fork loading pack kilns  2 x Norman J Hurl & Co Solid fuel steam boilers  Dai type RUUD gas fired boiler Log Yard  Weighbridge  Log yard watering system

Drymill & Reman  Mckeeko tilt hoist and stick removal with sling type hopper  2 x Newman Whitney top and bottom cutter planners 282-24 type  Scancore 2D scanner  MEM Cobra manual feed edger with laser setworks – P1010829  Weinig Rainman multirip KR 450 M  Paul Docker 14KE type  Opticut 450 line docker  Bruks drum chipper and site fabricated rotating chip screen  BK-DH365x560 Other items are not being used are  Weinig 22 B Moulder  Weinig U22 E Moulder 1985 6 head  Gubisch 1563 7 head moulder ( previously used for laminated beams)  Wadkin 4 head mach# FBP 632  Rex Moulder HOMS 410K 6 head  6.om Laminated beam press  Brook Finger jointer  Numerous docking saws  Varoius air compressors – condition unknown  Dust extraction system & baghouse overhead bin  SCM sander machine model LC 110  End matcher  Jonsered moulder

For more information please contact: Skookum Technology Darren Ousey +61 407 041 947 1 800 600 053 darreno@skookum.com.au John McLachlan +64 276 932 612 +64 9 276 2402 john@skookum.co.nz Greg McCormack gmccormack@mdtimber.com.au Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: cancon@bigpond.net.au

issue 176 | 06.06.11 | Page 15

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