Issue 225 Timber & Forestry E News

6768

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

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issue 225 | 11.06.12 | Page 1

Foresters slam West IVG report

This Issue •D emand for timber bright spot in housing gloom • Plywood crowning achievement at jubilee concert

Findings on Tasmania’s native forests undermine the integrity of IGA process

management practices.

The IFA – with more than 1350 members engaged in all branches of forest management and conservation – says the reports have failed

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• L ibrary speaks volumes for wood •O n neutral ground at certification forum •S harp drop in European softwood imports •N ational standard priority for FSC Australia •A merican hardwoods target green building sector

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to fully assess the impacts of reserves on stakeholders such as tourism operators and beekeepers and have put great pressure on private landowners who have native forests for logging.

It adds that Professor West did not ask the institute to review his reports as promised.

State-owned Forestry Tasmania has also criticised the group’s 2000 pages of review of the forest industry, suggesting it could be biased.

[Julia Gillard and the Premier of Tasmania Lara Giddings

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THE peak body for professional foresters which has championed sound forest management practices in Australia for more than 70 years says the work of Professor Jonathon West’s group on verifying the conservation value of Tasmania’s forests is highly flawed.

In a hard-hitting critique that has been delivered to the Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the Institute of Foresters of Australia says the independent verification group’s processes fail to consider the contribution of current reserves and forest

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issue 225 | 11.06.12 | Page 1

INDUSTRY NEWS

European imports take sharp dive in housing downturn IMPORTS of softwood sawn timber, which had previously remained at relatively high levels during the housing downturn, fell by around 23% over the March quarter despite a strong Australian dollar.

European timber only accounted for around 20% to 25% of total Australian sawn timber imports prior to 2008, rising since to around 30-50% However, the March quarter results posted by the URS Timber Market Survey show Australian timber imports from Europe fell to their lowest quarterly volume in three years.

Imports from the Czech Republic dropped 85% from about 22,300 cub m to around 3400 cub m this quarter.

The quarterly decline in softwood timber imports was derived from a large fall in European ( - 45%) and New Zealand (- 17%) imports.

Meanwhile, imports from North America increased by around 6%, to more than 30,000 cub m to account for 25% of total imports over the quarter.

Finance approvals for housing increased by 4.6% over the March quarter, indicating potential for an improvement in the housing market later in the year The volume of imported plywood and veneer has followed a general upward trend since the second half of 2009, a period which has coincided with a strengthening Australian dollar. Despite a fall of around 6.1% over the March quarter 2012, imports remain at relatively high levels.

New Zealand has been the traditional source of plywood and veneer products, although

Page 2 | issue 225 | 11.06.12

Fewer orders .. softwood imports fell by around 23% over the March quarter.

Chile and China have emerged as significant suppliers over the last decade.

The URS survey says softwood price trends for structural and outdoor products have diverged over the last 18 to 24 months, with outdoor product prices remaining strong and structural prices falling during the downturn in the housing construction market.

The high level of competition from cheaper imports of structural timber is also influencing downward price movements.

Conversely, the landscaping market has apparently been less affected by the housing downturn which began in late 2010.

MGP10 structural timber prices have fallen to lesser extent than MGP12 over this period.

The MGP12 price index has now fallen to below levels experienced during the GFC, to be at its lowest point since September 2007.

Despite some intermittent volatility, the price index for plywood C/D has followed a general downward trend since the March quarter 2009.

This relates to the downturn Cont Page 9

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

Learning Skills Research Advice Innovation

VICTORIA

PO Box 612, North Melbourne 3051 Tel: (03) 9321 3500 Email: forestworks@forestworks.com.au

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PO Box 486, Parramatta 2124 Tel: (02) 8898 6990 Email: smukherjee@forestworks.com.au

TASMANIA

PO Box 2146, Launceston 7250 Tel: (03) 6331 6077 Email: edown@forestworks.com.au

BRISBANE

PO Box 2014 Fortitude Valley 4006 Tel: (07) 3358 5169 Email: bharle@forestworks.com.au

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Unit 2/191 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide 5006 Tel: (08) 8219 9028 Email: michelle@forestworks.com.au

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Demand for timber bright spot in gloomy market for housing THE flickering light at the end of the housing downturn tunnel could be the eventual greater use of timber as a building design alternative.

Chief executive of the Timber Development Association Andrew Dunn said there had been many requests from people seriously considering timber as a low-cost alternative in the non-traditional housing sector.

“Inquiries are coming in from all over the place wanting information on pre-fabricated construction using engineered wood,” Mr Dunn said. “They obviously see this as the way to reduce costs as the traditional housing market stagnates.”

‘Inquiries are coming in from all over the place wanting information on prefabricated construction using engineered wood’ – Andrew Dunn

Meanwhile, Master Builders Australia says the decision by the Reserve Bank to lower official interest rates by 25 basis points should help consumer confidence but the banks must

play their part.

Chief executive Wilhelm Harnisch said the interest cut had the potential to act as an important psychological circuit breaker in restoring confidence and rekindling home buyer interest but the RBA should not hesitate to cut rates further if there was no rebound in confidence.

“The industry, in particular, is looking for the rate cut to put a floor under falling consumer confidence,” Mr Harnisch said.

“Anecdotal reports from house builders indicate that there are a number of factors contributing to weak home buyer confidence, including the Euro crisis, minority government and uncertainty arising from the carbon tax.

“Lower interest rates are a vital precursor to a private sector economic recovery, particularly in the housing and commercial building sectors currently facing very difficult trading conditions.”

Mr Harnisch said banks must mirror the cut in official rates to help new home buyers as well as providing relief for existing homeowners and small businesses struggling with

Wilhelm Harnisch .. interest cut psychological circuit breaker in restoring home buyer confidence.

repayments.

“This time there is no justification for the banks to delay or withhold any part of the reduction in the official cash rate announced by the RBA.” However, hopes of a housing sector turnaround have been upset by data that shows last month’s rate cut had not invigorated the market.

Housing Industry Association senior economist Andrew Harvey warned that the number of housing starts could fall further if the Reserve Bank didn’t cut rates a couple more times.

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The HIA says it is also imperative that the government announce measures to boost an underperforming new home building sector in New South Wales when the Treasurer brings down his second budget on June 12.

The state continues to have the largest housing shortfall in Australia. The current annual build rate of around 30,000 homes is well short of underlying demand and places NSW behind smaller states in the delivery of housing supply.

“A housing recovery is a ‘must’ for NSW and can be driven largely by appropriate state government initiatives,” NSW chief executive director David Bare said.

“You can’t have a healthy NSW economy without a healthy housing industry.

“The positive flow-on effect to the NSW economy in job creation, manufactured goods sales and ancillary services from the construction of new homes is well documented and understood.”

The upcoming NSW Budget provides a significant opportunity to kick-start the Cont Page 10

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issue 225 | 11.06.12 | Page 3

ENGINEERED WOOD

Plywood box beams a crowning achievement at jubilee concert PLYWOOD box beams were the crowning achievement of the builders who constructed the concert stage outside Britain’s Buckingham Palace for the diamond jubilee celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s 60th anniversary of her ascension to the throne.

The concert and structure were viewed by thousands of visitors who flocked to London to witness the spectacle on June 4. The celebration, televised on BBC, garnered a further audience of nearly 15 million viewers.

“A good and royal showing for the versatility of plywood,” said Andrew Dunn, chief executive of the Timber Development Association who along with Simon Dorries, general manger

Fit for a Queen .. plywood box beams dominate the stage built for the diamond jubilee concert in London.

of EWPAA, quickly recognised the application of engineered wood

that

dominated

the

concert stage.

2012

Conference & Exhibition Melbourne 18-19 June

The major national event for engineered timber and building pre-fabrication International speakers program visit website for details www.frameaustralia.com Page 4 | issue 225 | 11.06.12

Plywood box beams are a great alternative to steel beams and other engineered wood products used commonly in construction. They are fast, flexible, strong and lightweight – but according to research funded by Forest and Wood Products Australia, they are also vastly under utilised.

A study into large span first and second storey timber and wood products for detached housing by key researchers from the Timber Development Association in partnership with the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia is educating builders in how to use long-span timber structures. Its findings are encouraging greater use of plywood within Australia’s construction industry.

“Builders willing to try something different have been surprised by how easy the beams are to construct from standard builders’ tools,” Simon Dorries said. “Not enough builders know about this method but they are happy when they use it.”

Plywood box beams have many benefits. Plywood sheets on either side of a horizontal flange and vertical stiffeners

provide structural support and stability. They also have an attractive finish when viewed from the side.

Their high torsional stiffness and resistance to buckling means they can be used as rafters or as floor beams for bearers or joists. They can also double as walls to save space and avoid height restrictions, acting as the structural element as opposed to having a wall with bracing.

Plywood box beams particularly suit spans in the 4 to 8 m range most common in housing construction, their span increasing with beam depth. According to Andrew Dunn: “Solid timber can span so far, glulam can span so far, steel can span so far. There is probably a bracket, a niche span, in between where the box beam is at its ideal.”

Builders willing to try something different have been surprised by how easy the beams are to construct from standard builders’ tools “It also helps that using plywood box beams avoids the health and safety concerns and costs of steel and cranage, props and welding – and of having to call in extra trades onsite,” Simon Dorries added.

“If an engineered wood beam that does the same job can be provided onsite at equivalent or, more importantly, lower cost than alternatives, people will use them.

“Manufacturers could use existing machinery, in theory using a nail gun rather than nail plates; it’s equipment they would be expected to have.”

As part of a growing range of Cont Page 15

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EVENTS

WHAT’S ON?

JUNE

Planning for a sustainable future: the myths and facts about certification.

PEFC International road show seminars are being held in the following cities: Sydney, June 12: Seminar for pulp, paper, packaging and printers.

Perth, June 13: Seminar for architects, developers, builders and the timber industry.

Adelaide, June 14: Seminar for architects, developers, builders and the timber industry. Hobart, June 15: Seminar for forests and the timber industry. Melbourne, June 19: Seminar for pulp, paper, packaging and printers. Sydney, June 21: Seminar for architects, developers, builders and the tmber industry. Contact organiser: Kayt Watts, Ingénue Consultancy. Mobile: 0400 140 303, or email: kayt@ ingenue.net.au 18: Timber industry dinner and

forestry scholarship presentations – Mount Gambier Timber Industry Club 214.

6.30 pm for 7 pm at Southgate Motel. Andrew Lang of Smart Timbers Australia will speak on the carbon farming initiative, covering issues such as energy from agricultural and forestry waste, including carbon in soils from farming and forestry, and the carbon tax. Mr Lang has just returned from an extensive tour overseas, mostly in Europe, visiting timber producers, farmer energy cooperatives and government departments.

Developments in bio-fuels to heat houses and small towns and large wood fired power stations have also been evaluated. Scholarships will be presented to two forestry students from the Mount Gambier campus of Sothern Cross University. Course convenor Diana Lloyd will give an update on the courses provided at SCU. Dinner cost $40 p.p. includes three-course meal. Bookings by

5 pm, June 12. Contact Maurie Drewer on (08) 08 8725 5441, mobile 0408 394 296 of e-mail mkdrewerdubai@gmail.com

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.

18-19: Frame Australia 2012 conference and exhibition – Park Hyatt, Melbourne.

Major national event for engineeredtimber and building pre-fabrication. The expanded program will include a focus on building and construction with increased dialogueand information exchangeon residential and commercialbuilding trends, andawareness of new BIM digital model technology. Delegate registration available online.

Visit www.frameaustralia.com (save $100 with early bird registrationbefore May 21).

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).

JULY 20: National Carpenters Day. Tel: (03) 9597 0948. Fax: (03) 9597 0958. Email: info@ carpentersday.com.au

LATE NEWS

AFPA was established to cover all aspects of Australia’s forest industry:

Plan to revive Queensland timber industry

QUEENSLAND’S Minister for Forestry John McVeigh has announced the start of a plan to revive the lagging fortunes of the state’s timber industry.

Speaking at function on June 7 hosted by Timber Queensland to introduce him to the leaders of the state’s $2.4 billion timber industry, Mr McVeigh said the LNP government was committed to a vibrant forest industry and that its approach would be different to the

previous government.

He said his department and Timber Queensland would jointly develop an industry plan to provide a road map for the future.

The minister’s statement that the plan will be a commonsense process looking at what access is required by hardwood millers to both state forests and plantations was welcomed by Industry.

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Timber Queensland chief executive Rod McInnes and chairman Sean Gribble were both pleased to hear the new government will stand up for the 20,000 local jobs Queensland’s timber industry underpins.

- Forest growing; - Harvest and haulage; - Sawmilling and other wood processing; - Pulp and paper processing; and - Forest product exporting.

“We welcome Minister McVeigh’s fresh approach and look forward to working closely to develop a plan that will revive and grow our Industry,” Mr McInnes said.

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

issue 225 | 11.06.12 | Page 5

TASMANIAN FOREST INDUSTRY REVIEW

Process fails to recognise only 25pc of wood production is from native forests

From Page 1

signed the Tasmanian Forests Intergovernmental Agreement on August 7 last year which was the culmination of the statement of principles negotiations between the forest industry and ENGOs during 2010-11. It seeks to achieve the dual objectives of guaranteeing resource supply to timber processors and of reserving an additional area of almost 430,000 ha of state forest claimed to be of high conservation value, pending independent verification].

Clause 2 of the IVG’s terms of reference requires “an There are already existing robust legislative and voluntary (such as certification) measures to ensure state forests and reserves properly meet environmental, social and economic values

independent and transparent verification process to assess and verify stakeholder claims”.

The IFA considers the IVG reports require peer review to meet these requirements, and this has not been done.

The IFA has prepared a brief

Page 6 | issue 225 | 11.06.12

Prof. Jonathon West .. chairman of independent verification group.

Dr Bob Smith .. practical experience in forest management.

critique of selective IVG’s reports to test whether they are factual, science-based, and draw justifiable conclusions.

This critique does not assess all reports and is not comprehensive.

While limited in scope, this critique highlights that many of the assumptions and methodologies in the reports are questionable and / or limited and narrow in their approach, and supports the need for a comprehensive, independent and holistic review.

“It is also not surprising that the areas of forest identified by ENGOs and assessed by the IVG have conservation values as Tasmania’s forest practices

are designed to conserve such values,” the IFA says.

“These finding also reflect current management objectives which are independently certified and audited, overseen by the Forest Practices Authority and have been acclaimed by international experts, including those of Yale University and UNESCO. The IVG was chaired by Professor Jonathon West, a director of the Australian Innovation Research Centre and an associate professor in the graduate school of business administration at Harvard University.

The six members of the group were appointed for

their independence and their extensive expertise in forestry, forest ecology, conservation reserves, forest modelling and geology. Only one member, Dr Bob Smith, an independent forestry consultant, has practical experience in forest management and forest agency administration; none represents the Institute of Foresters of Australia.

The IVG spent about five months verifying claims about conservation values and wood supply, and met as a group on five occasions, although it appears that the majority of this time was spent on developing work programs.

It provided four reports to governments during the conduct of its process – an initial report in September 2011 by the chair and two subsequent progress reports on December 1 and December 31 last year.

The final report in March this year comprised five substantial technical reports and appendixes – a mix of IVG written and commissioned reports, each of which contains an overarching analysis by the responsible IVG member.

These reports covered wood Cont Page 7

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TASMANIAN FOREST INDUSTRY REVIEW

Forest use decisions must be based on outcomes rather than ideology native forest wood production.

From Page 6

supply; forest conservation; mineral prospectivity; socioeconomic aspects; and social reserves The IFA believes that the IVG process and its reportage is highly flawed, largely due to constraints imposed by timing and narrow terms of reference that limits their ability to widely consider the proposal for new forest reserves in the context of existing Tasmanian forest management, including the substantial extent of already existing parks and conservation reserves.

“The refusal to consider the context of existing forest management and reservation, and the consequences of completely over-turning it, has also undermined the integrity of the IGA process from which the IVG is derived,” says the IFA. “In particular, the IGA and IVG process and ENGO claims fail to recognise or incorporate the fact that the public wood production forests represent only around 25% of Tasmania’s total native forest area, and that virtually all other public forests are either reserved formally or informally.

“Yet, under the IGA process they are viewed as the key informer of decision-making.”

Inspecting re-growth forests in Tasmania .. state forests and reserves meet environmental, social and economic values.

The IFA contends that Australia has a global responsibility to not only conserve our forest resources, but to also use them and in so doing to protect global biodiversity and reduce carbon emissions. The IFA notes that the IVG process has given only superficial consideration to the impacts associated with significant reduction in domestic timber production.

The IVG reports do not examine or assess whether setting aside more areas of Tasmanian forest as reserves will improve conservation values of forest ecosystems “It is also significant that most IVG report authors have recognised the limitations of their work and presented reports which they acknowledge to be ‘discussion papers’ or primers for further work. As such they are in no way an appropriate basis for making decisions on proposed new reserves nominated by ENGOs dedicated to ending

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issue 225 | 11.06.12 | Page 7

EVENTS

Forte will be a ‘tall storey’ told at Frame Australia 2012 conference Green buildings key session at Melbourne event

A HIGHLIGHT of this month’s Frame Australia 2012 conference will be a presentation on ‘Forte’ in Victoria Harbour at Melbourne’s Docklands, which has the distinction of being both the world’s tallest timber apartment building and Australia’s first timber high-rise development.

Designed and built by Lend Lease, Forte is aspiring to be the first 5-Star Green Star residential building in the country, containing 23 boutique residential apartments and four townhouses within its 10 storeys.

This development will be covered in detail by Lend Lease Development business manager Andrew Nieland at a green buildings session during the conference to be held at the Park Hyatt Melbourne on June 18 and 19.

Frame provides a unique bi-annual meeting of business owners, senior management and key staff from a broad spectrum of interests in the wood products and the building design and construction industries Globally, the wood construction system that’s leading in popularity is cross laminated timber which, because of its acceptance by architects and builders, is being incorporated widely into highrise development design and residential housing throughout Europe.

The CLT system is integral to construction of Forte and its completion this year will usher in a new era of sustainable development in Australia.

In another local project,

Page 8 | issue 225 | 11.06.12

Forte at Melbourne’s Docklands .. Australia’s first timber high-rise development.

following extensive development of CLT wood construction systems for Grocon’s 10 storey Delta building, architectural firm studio505 director Dylan Brady has now committed to CLT and engineered timber structures in residential housing by undertaking a dual occupancy dwelling on a very

difficult and steep site in the upmarket Melbourne suburb of Canterbury.

“We have designed and budgeted for both traditional construction and a CLT prefabricated system (for comparative purposes), and the design team is putting a real project on the ground to be carbon neutral, effective and

Architect Dylan Brady .. committed to cross laminated timber.

Philipp Zumbrunnen .. wood construction systems in Europe.

elegant,” Mr Brady explained.

The project delivers the CLT structure for two threestorey houses of 350 sq m each. The CLT systems were workshopped with engineers Arup in Melbourne, and the ESD and services designed by Umow Lai, who with studio505 delivered Grocon’s renowned Pixel building.

The final CLT structure will be designed and engineered by Eurban and Carbon Eng, and manufactured in Europe, a topic more fully discussed in the wood construction systems session at Frame Australia by Philipp Zumbrunnen, design director of Carbon Eng. UK. Mr Brady advised that despite an extremely minor capital cost saving of about 1% (including shipping and installation], the real project saving is time, with a reduction of between four and five months in the framing period.

The time and finance savings more than offsets the challenge costs, with the added bonus of a finished house that can be regarded as a sustainable leader.

Dylan Brady will join the discussion forum on green buildings at Frame Australia, which has become the major national event for engineered timber and building prefabrication.

Frame provides a unique biannual meeting of business owners, senior management and key staff from a broad spectrum of interests in the wood products and the building design and construction industries.

Visit www.frameaustralia.com

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EVENTS

International speakers for advanced building seminar in Melbourne

INTERNATIONAL speakers discussing the latest developments in massive timber construction will be the stars at an advanced building seminar in Melbourne on June 20.

The event will include a visit to the site of the world’s tallest multi-residential timber building at Victoria Harbour – Lend Lease’s 10-storey Forté complex Seminar delegates will have an exclusive opportunity to visit the site during construction which uses cross-laminated timber.

Speakers at the seminar include Philipp Zumbrunnen, design director, EURBAN / CarbonEng UK. A specialist timber engineer, Mr Zumbrunnen is a founding director of CarbonEng where he is responsible for timber design. As a project director of EURBAN Ltd, he also manages the design and delivery team.

His fascinating presentation will include a brief history of CLT, a look at CLT structures in the UK, including a new case study and some pointers to the future of massive timber construction.

Andy Buchannan, professor of

Prof. Andy Buchanan .. earthquake engineering.

timber design at the University of Canterbury NZ and research director, Structural Timber Innovation Company, will focus on multi-storey timber buildings, earthquake engineering, fire safety and environmental impacts of timber and other materials. This presentation looks at some of the remarkable results that have been achieved with EXPAN and examines its potential as an alternate building system.

A comparison of CLT in Sydney’s ‘affordable housing apartment blocks’ will be given

by Sydney-based structural Cont Page 15

Drop in European imports From Page 2

in the housing market and competition from cheaper imports.

Although the MDF price index experienced a decline over this quarter, it has broadly followed a long-term upward trend, as has the index for particleboard tongue and groove.

I-joist and LVL price indexes have diverged over the last three years, with I-joist prices being relatively stronger than LVL prices. As with plywood C/D products, it appears that

a major driver of decreasing LVL prices has been the competitiveness of imported products.

The survey shows new dwelling construction approvals fell by about 0.9% over the quarter, to be around 14.7% lower over the 12 months to March 2012.

The number of finance approvals for dwelling construction increased by around 4.6% over the March quarter, indicating some potential for an improvement in the housing market later in the year.

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issue 225 | 11.06.12 | Page 9

INDUSTRY NEWS

New national standard priority for FSC Australia: Jim Adams

CANBRERRA-based forester and chief executive of Timber Communities Australia Jim Adams has been elected chairman of the new FCS Australia board.

Mr Adams said the establishment of a new practical, workable FCS national standard was a priority for the organisation.

The FSC annual general meeting in Melbourne on May 30 ushered in several new faces including Jacqueline Fegent-McGeachie from Kimberly-Clark and James Fenton-Taylor from Australian Sustainable Timbers (economic chamber), Warrick Jordan from the Wilderness Society

InSurAnce..

It’S All In the SelectIon

Jim Adams

Jacqueline Fegent-McGeachie

Karen Steer

(environment chamber) and Chris Taylor an academic from Melbourne University (social chamber).

Tony Price from Australian

Bluegum Plantations (economic) and Jim Adams (social) were re-elected chamber representatives on the board.

A presentation by Karen Steer from FSC International’s Portland, Oregon base, detailed changes to the structure of the FSC standard. New principles and criteria have been developed based on a set of international generic indicators (IGIs).

The IGIs will form the baseline requirements and ensure a level of consistency in the development of new national standards. It is expected that the interim FSC standards will be phased out by August 2014 at which time countries will be transferred to new national standards.

Changes are also being introduced for controlled

wood (the non-certified part of the FSC mix), with the introduction of a new systembased national risk assessment process to replace company risk assessment.

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Page 10 | issue 225 | 11.06.12

Before joining Timber Communities Australia, Jim Adams operated his own harvesting and pine plantations marketing business and previously worked with Willmott Forests, Forests NSW and VicForests.

Opportunity to kick-start housing From Page 3

ABN 95 010 576 324 AFSL 238123

Karen Steer is forestry program officer at Sustainable Northwest in Portland where she manages projects that integrate forest conservation with community economic development. She also leads private land and forest certification initiatives, including FSC group chain-ofcustody certification.

NSW housing industry. It would also improve consumer and industry confidence, together with wider economic activity.

The HIA has called on the O’Farrell government to: • Ensure any budgetary measures focused on stimulating the housing

market be targeted toward the construction of new dwellings.

• Ensure policy measures include immediate stimulus so as to reduce the risk of employment weakness in the sector.

• Provide stamp duty concessions to all purchasers of new homes.

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EVENTS

Resellers, ENGOs and industry take neutral ground at certification forum

A GROUP of almost 100 representatives of ENGOs, the forest and timber industry, retailers, manufacturers and engineers met on neutral ground in Sydney on May 31 to assess the state of wood products certification in Australia.

The national wood products forum and workshop – Certification: Growing demand.

Increasing confidence – was the first of its kind in Australia, and unusual in that it brought together parties with widely differing points of view on many aspects of forestry.

Facilitated by researcher Howard Parry-Husbands, the forum began with everyone writing down what a successful day looked like from their point of view. It was engaging and interactive from the start.

Identifying the barriers to wood certification .. Steve Mitchell, sustainability program manager, Timber Development Association, Fred Gale, senior lecturer, University of Tasmania, Chris Taylor, post doctorate research fellow, Melbourne University, and Nick Bez, director of Mobium.

The morning session aimed to identify the barriers to wood certification and it kicked off with four speakers who set the scene well.

Nick Bez, a director of Mobium, a consumer research company,

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who discussed environmental or eco-labelling, was followed by two academic certification specialists, Fred Gale who gave case histories of certification in four different countries and Chris Taylor who presented

an analysis of AFS and FSC standards.

The morning’s presentations concluded with Stephen Mitchell, sustainability program manger, Timber Development Association, who talked about certification from a builder’s point of view.

The morning breakout session split the audience into small groups who were asked to identify the barriers to certification. Surprisingly, there was a degree of consensus in the room. The top three barriers identified were consumer awareness and trust, clarity and complexity of the schemes and the additional cost of certified wood.

“The breakout sessions took everyone ‘back to basics’ and

Cont Page 12

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issue 225 | 11.06.12 | Page 11

EVENTS

Certification: responsibility rests with supply chain – from growers to resellers and certification bodies From Page 11

got everyone to shed a layer,” reported one delegate on a feedback form.

The afternoon session focused on the positives – what is needed to increase awareness of certification and what are the triggers?

Speakers providing the consumer perspective included Armineh Mardirossian, group manager, corporate responsibility, community and sustainability, Woolworths Ltd, who spoke about chain of custody certification programs.

She was followed by Mark Gomm, risk / sustainability manager at Bunnings / Officeworks, who discussed achieving the twin aims of sustainability and growth.

Jacqueline Fegent-McGeachie, sustainability manager,

Five key areas were identified – consumer demand, public procurement, collaboration, trust and balance.

The consumer perspective .. Armineh Mardirossian, group manager, Woolworths Ltd, Mark Gomm, risk / sustainability manager, Bunnings / Officeworks, Natalie Reynolds, CEO, FSC Australia, Jacqueline Fegent-McGeachie, Kimberley-Clark, and Richard Stanton, national secretary, AFS.

Kimberly Clark took the group through the promotional campaign (Love Your Forests) associated with the Kleenex brand and FSC.

promoting the AFS, while Natalie Reynolds, chief executive, FSC Australia, shared experiences of FSC in driving growth.

The resellers were followed

by Richard Stanton, national secretary, Australian Forestry Standard, who discussed

The subsequent breakout session asked participants to list the triggers to initiate action to promote certification.

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An interesting conclusion was that there were more demandbased concerns than on the supply side. From the day’s workshops it seems clear that in order to promote certification the whole supply chain, from growers to resellers and certification bodies, must work to increase the demand for it.

An international speaker from the UK, architect and academic Alex de Rijke, director of de Rijke Marsh Morgan Architects, brought delegates back to the real world with a fascinating presentation featuring projects built with certified wood products, in this case crosslaminated timber.

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Page 12 | issue 225 | 11.06.12

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INNOVATION

New machine tests load-bearing performance of housing timbers

Benefits outweigh costs for NZ sawmiller A NEW ZEALAND mill owner has been won over by new machinery that tests the loadbearing ability of timber used in building houses, which has proved to be less costly than he imagined.

Benefits of measuring timber stiffness and strength are outweighing costs, says Graham Sutton, who last month switched on a machine that tests for these qualities at his Rapaura Timber sawmill.

Since January, all load-bearing and structural timber used to build houses must meet New Zealand Building Code stiffness and strength standards.

Mr Sutton admits that for five years he resisted introducing machinery to objectively measure these qualities, because he was confident his staff had the skills to gauge timber quality by eye to the same standard.

However, in the month since his company installed a prooftester machine he has been convinced it was money well spent.

The setup cost for the stress

Graham Sutton .. money well spent on stress grader.

grader was about $35,000 plus an ongoing licence fee covering a three-monthly visit by an auditor and testing data analysis, Mr Sutton said.

The payback was customers’ increased confidence in the quality of timber from the mill, he said.

The image of the industry suffered in a wave of bad publicity around the leaky building syndrome, despite that being a symptom of bad building rather than bad timber.

David Dick, who oversees quality verification at Rapaura Timber, admits he had a few nervous moments, testing his skill at assessing timber quality by looking for knots and defects against a machine.

However, results confirmed his eye assessments were right on the nail.

The force applied to timber during testing was well beyond what could be expected in a building, Mr Dick said. The 200 x 75mm beams, which

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were the specialty of Rapaura Timber, were tested up to 1080 kg of pressure and the machine could apply up to 4.5 tonnes.

Auditor Paul Carpenter of Grade Right in Rotorua said that was well beyond the strength required as load was shared across timber used in house-framing.

“Every bit of timber doesn’t have to be tested,” Mr Carpenter said.

“Timber is visually graded then random samples are tested for stiffness and strength.”

Mr Carpenter said the pressure came on for stiffness and strength testing when the average age for harvesting radiata pine moved from 40 to 60 years to less than 30 years.

That was good for foresters’ income but not always for timber quality, he said.

Grade Right also audited timber milled by Flight Timber in Blenheim and the Kaituna Sawmill, west of Renwick.

Rapaura Timber sells all its timber in the top of the South Island.

– Marlborough Express

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issue 225 | 11.06.12 | Page 13

CARBON MARKETS

Major players in carbon forestry gather in Auckland for conference Euro problems but sector remains optimistic

CARBON forestry investments in New Zealand and Australia have taken a blow from the combined effects of legislative uncertainty and the depressed prices for carbon based on Euro problems, but the sector remains cautiously optimistic.

In Australia, Carbon Conscious Ltd chief executive Peter Balsarini said the company was on track to achieve results in line with previous guidance to the market.

The current program, one of the largest carbon forestry projects in Australia, includes 10,000 ha of mallee eucalypt planting in the Australian wheat belt. This is achieved through a ‘carbon capture’ program

Matt Walsh .. positive about gaining more forest to lease for the carbon market.

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Peter Balsarini .. substantial increase in inquiries from organisations facing carbon liabilities.

carbon share farming to deliver benefits for each stakeholder.

A major developer of carbon forestry projects, Carbon Conscious says it has received a substantial increase in new client inquiries from organisations now facing major carbon liabilities under the Clean Energy Act 2011, as well as from New Zealand companies with liabilities under the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme.

Meanwhile, celebrating the purchase of Kiernan Creek Forest in Marlborough, NZ, Carbon Farming managing director Matt Walsh says his company intends growing its investments in New Zealand.

He remains positive about gaining more forest to lease for the carbon market and more land to plant.

Some industry commentators say harmony needs to be achieved between the New Zealand and Australian emissions trading schemes and that carbon prices need to lift and stabilise for the sector to see much upside. Others say the prices need to recover before much more action starts happening.

Either way, there is an underlying factor that the New Zealand government really needs the carbon forestry industry to grow in order to continue to provide the crucial carbon offsets to balance emissions in the short to medium term.

A government directed emissions trading scheme review panel has identified a need for New Zealand to deal with future carbon liabilities resulting from harvesting.

They also need to focus on mitigating the risks of financial mismatching in doing so.

All of the major players in the carbon forestry industry in Australasia are meeting on August 22 and 23 at the 2nd annual carbon forestry conference to be held in Auckland at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

There is an underlying factor that the NZ government needs the carbon forestry industry to grow in order to continue to provide the crucial carbon offsets to balance emissions in the short to medium term.

Conference organisers at the Forest Industry Engineering Association have brought together a strong cross-section of key industry speakers. They will detail updates to operational markets on the implications of political, economic and market uncertainty to the investment and forestry markets and how at this time companies reduce their exposure to market risk.

The entire forest industry in New Zealand remains buoyant following more than two years of exports, planting and cautious investment by new players.

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The guide also includes new span tables, developed by the EWPAA, that are now in line with current calculation techniques, are designed to limit state format, wind speeds up to N3 and the latest Australian timber structure and design

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Govt to progress forest legislation LEGISLATION to allow the creation of reserves in Tasmania will be tabled in parliament even if the forestry peace deal has not been finalised.

The Deputy Premier Bryan Green has told Budget Estimates the legislation will be introduced before the end of June. He said it would allow the government to accommodate any reserves and changes to wood supply volumes agreed to as part of the peace negotiations.

Tasmania stands to lose $100 million in federal funding if it failsto meet the June 30 deadline.

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issue 225 | 11.06.12 | Page 15

WOOD SCIENCE

Australia’s wood collections are a nation’s history told in timber, but how do you preserve them for future generations? MARTYN PEARCE reports.

Library speaks volumes for wood Specimens more than a grain of good reading

A LIBRARY is something you would expect to find in a university, but this one will still surprise you.

As you walk into the small room you notice shelves of dusty volumes, lined up and packed in. Like many university libraries, the shelves’ contents are aged, well used and with a hint of antiquity. The art deco lettering on the spine of each volume hints at the glory days of the 1930s and the care and attention that was paid to them when they were first placed on shelves.

These volumes speak of history, but not with words or images of days gone by. The history they tell is told in grain, shards and splinters – of pioneers, of conservation and investigation.

These are the volumes of a ‘xylarium’ – the specimens of a wood collection. And the ANU Wood Collection, a portion of which lives in a modest room in the Forestry Building, is one of Australia’s finest, and one of the country’s largest.

Timbers from all around the world sit alongside those most Australian of timbers, the eucalypts. The range of colour, weight, feel and grain is every bit as varied and sensory as the dusty tomes of an antique book store

ANU is home to four separate xylaria which feature more than 7000 samples of more than 3000 species. Only one of these collections – the booklike volumes of the large block collection – is on display. The other collections – the Dadswell Collection of Australian Timber samples, a collection of timber samples from wartime Papua New Guinea and a collection

Page 16 | issue 225 | 11.06.12

Dr John Dargavel .. ensuring that the country’s wood collections – these snapshots of a history in timber – don’t become tomorrow’s metaphorical firewood.

– Picture by Belinda Pratten.

of timber boards – are all safely stored away, fully indexed, waiting for a new home.

That’s where Dr John Dargavel comes in.

Dr Dargavel, a forestry historian and visiting fellow at the Fenner School of Environment and Society, has used his retirement to try and ensure that the country’s wood collections – these snapshots of a history in timber – don’t become tomorrow’s metaphorical firewood.

“The ANU wood collection has got great heritage value for the university, for Canberra and for the region,” says Dr Dargavel.

“It’s a large collection, and a significant part of the national infrastructure. So we recently had a meeting to try to get all of the people responsible for wood collections around Australia together.

We increasingly realise the collections are a part of the Australian science infrastructure.”

The ANU collection began because of the importance then placed by the young country on understanding the woods available in Australia.

Forestry was an emerging

and important discipline, and timber was a valuable and widely used resource, so in 1925 Prime Minister Stanley Bruce announced his intention to establish a National Forestry School in the capital.

The school opened in Yarralumla two years later, where it stayed until the mid1960s when ANU took over its functions and opened a Department of Forestry.

With the school came the collections. And what collections they are. The timbers that line the wall are rare, or utilitarian, unusual and, in many cases, beautiful.

Timbers from all around the world sit alongside those most Australian of timbers, the eucalypts. The range of colour, weight, feel and grain is every bit as varied and sensory as the dusty tomes of an antique book store.

But just as trees themselves have a lifespan, so too have Australia’s wood collections.

And right now, according to Dr Dargavel, the country’s xylaria are in a worrying state of decline.

“Around Australia the status of

the collections is very varied,” he says.

“Our meeting was the first time the people responsible for the collections in Australia got together. I stirred it up because I thought it [the ANU collection] was important and we’re a national university, so we should take a national interest in these matters.

“The next step is for everyone to have a look at their collections and build up a national register of what there is. At the moment, nobody knows what other people have.”

So how did such impressive collections become neglected?

Estimates are that around 8% of the world’s wood samples are in Australia, so it’s not a lack of numbers. For Dr Dargavel, the wood collections are a sign of a time when the world needed a clearer understanding of the materials at its disposal.

‘The next step is for everyone to have a look at their collections and build up a national register of what there is. At the moment, nobody knows what other people have’ – Dr John Dargavel “Wood used to be used in many more products than it is today, and because the properties of wood vary widely between different trees, it was essential to choose the right wood for the right product.

“For example, butter boxes used to be wooden. There were only a few species that wouldn’t taint the butter with a smell, so it was important to get the right species. Otherwise people in the grocers would get butter smelling of eucalypts,” he laughs.

Cont Page 17

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WOOD SCIENCE

Wood collection valuable resource in understanding Australian history From Page 16

“The one that was popular for the job, for a long time, was New Zealand white pine.”

Later, a shortage of white pine led Australians to look elsewhere, such as the forests of Papua New Guinea. This period is reflected in the ANU collection, which houses timber collected by the Australian Army Forestry Corps in 194243. The army went searching for tough, hardwoods that could be used to build bridges and wharves.

“The point, historically, is the use of wood was governed by fashion and availability, but people experienced different types of wood in their everyday lives,” says Dr Dargavel.

“As the world demand increased, many types of forest and wood started being used. In Australia we wanted to know what resources there were, how it could be used and the markets we might find for them.”

But the decline of the country’s collections can’t solely be explained by diminishing supply and demand. We may no longer make every-day furniture from the Australian red cedar and Huon pine available during the colonial period, or the blackwood and kauri pine of the art nouveau era, or the silky oak and maple of the pre and post-war eras.

Today, our timbers of choice are hard-wearing wood floors and decks, or fast-growing softwoods used in furniture.

“Today the variety of products that use wood has decreased and manufacturers want uniformity in feedstock, so plantations of single species are ideal for large-scale production,” says Dr Dargavel.

“If you go to furniture stores, how many different types of

Under the microscope .. this tiny slice of wood can now be identified as red cedar due to its microscopic structure. It comes from the historic Riley Cabinet, made by an early Australian convict circa 1817 using 13 different native woods.

wood do you see? It’s mostly pine.”

That widespread use of a small number of species makes identification of timbers a much more straightforward task.

In turn, that impacts one of the reasons for retaining and maintaining xylaria.

But for Dr Dargavel, letting the Widespread use of a small number of species makes identification of timbers a much more straightforward task

collections go to seed would mean more than just losing an historical resource – it would leave future generations of researchers without the ability to answer important questions.

“Wood collections have a heritage value, but are also valuable for utilitarian and legal reasons,” he says.

“They’ve been used for teaching reasons – showing forestry students the structure and properties of wood, so that when they’re working they can recognise different species.

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“But these collections are also important for a number of other identification reasons, such as recognising wood in forensic crime scene investigations, or customs and quarantine – knowing whether a wood is liable to borer and needs treating – plus archaeology, heritage, all sorts of reasons.”

The ANU wood collection has also proven itself a valuable resource in understanding Australian history. A heritage significance assessment prepared for the University details how university academics, including microscopy expert Dr Roger Heady and forestry expert Professor Phil Evans, used tiny microscopic samples from the collection to identify the timbers used in the ‘Riley Cabinet’, a convict-crafted piece of Australian furniture made between 1817 and 1820.

The cabinet uses 15 locally sourced timbers.

From their investigation, the researchers concluded that the Riley Cabinet shows that early British settlers ‘rapidly gained knowledge of the wide variety of Indigenous woods suitable for cabinet manufacture’.

For Dr Dargavel, it’s this new frontier of use for Australia’s wood collections that highlights the need for careful preservation. And it saddens him that time is running out.

“I love the collection, but I feel rather dismayed that nobody’s taking care of it; it’s been a gradual decline over time, and that’s reflected Australia-wide and internationally.

“But the thing that mustn’t be forgotten is that science keeps developing new techniques and new questions. We don’t know when we might need to re-examine all those species.

An example of this is that all the collections we have were made in the era of light microscopes.

Now we have electronic microscopes and people can see more in the structure than we’ve ever seen before.

“Some new thing may come, so it would be a terrible shame if we lost these collections and had to go out and do it again. It would be a hell of a lot of work.”

He hopes that one day in the near future, the custodians of Australia’s wood collections will be able to consolidate and conserve the pieces.

“In the short term we need to get enough information together so that an application could be made for funding to get a national register of a good standard.

“In the long term, perhaps the collection might be able to go and live with CSIRO, who hope to build a repository for all their national collections in Canberra.”

It would be a move that would bring to the end another chapter in the history of these timber volumes, but the books are far from closed yet.

– ANU News.

issue 225 | 11.06.12 | Page 17

Forest industry voices concern over EU’s views on clear-felling INDUSTRY interest groups as well as the forest owners have expressed their concern over the European Commission’s proposal for the regulation of keeping accounts and operating plans for the use of land and forests.

The interest groups fear that at some stage a ban on clear cutting or clear felling will be added to the regulations. With the regulations, a framework will be created for the measuring of forests’ carbon sinks and leaks.

The groups suspect that on the grounds of environmental matters a uniform forest policy will be introduced in the EU. At present, the decisions related to the use of forests are made at national level.

‘Without clear cutting, the Finnish forest economy disappears. After that it would just be controlling climate change’ – Janne Näräkkä, Central Union of Forest Owners The commission’s proposal on the measuring regulations for the carbon sinks and leaks will be presented to the European Parliament in July, and more than likely it will be decided on by the end of the year.

The interest groups are not upset because of the articles suggested by the commission, but because of the preceding rationale.

According to the commission, within the forest industry there are plenty of opportunities to curb climate change, such as

Page 18 | issue 225 | 11.06.12

Logs from Finnish forests harvested for paper making.

reforesting.

The preceding justification states that climate change can be curbed by avoiding clearfelling operations. This notion is one the Finnish interest groups cannot accept, for without clear cutting the supply chain of timber for the Finnish forest industry cannot function.

Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners forest expert Janne Näräkkä is of the opinion that the example included in the rationale is debatable.

“Whenever the EU puts something in black and white it can later be used as a recommendation. Then it is said that the EU has already formed its own opinion on how forests should be maintained in the union”, says Mr Näräkkä.

“It may become a question of principle, even though it is not a law as such.”

In his opinion, Finland’s forest industry’s raw material supply does not work without clearfelling operations.

“Without clear cutting, the Finnish forest economy disappears. After that it would just be controlling climate change.”

According to Finnish Forest Industries Federation chief executive Tomi Salo, it is useful that the different approaches to forest maintenance are discussed. In his view, clear fellings have to be kept on the table.

In Mr Salo’s opinion, the sentence in the commission’s rationale about avoiding clearfelling is not right.

“The way I see it such a matter should not be expressed in any form,” he says.

Mr Salo frets that the EU is bringing restrictions on the use of forests in the name of climate protection.

“This poses a definite risk to the Finnish wood and timber supply.”

Green League MEP Satu Hassi considers the commission’s suggestion justifiable. ”From the point of view of the

carbon stored in the forest soil, clear fellings are not a good thing, especially if they involve ploughing-in of the ground,” she says.

In the opinion of National Coalition MEP Eija-Riitta Korhola, at this stage there is no catastrophe in prospect.

“There is no scientific evidence that clear fellings would be a poorer alternative from the climate change point of view,” she says.

Clear felling means that all the trees are cut and cleared from a forested area.

Often sporadic trees are left upright here and there for aesthetic reasons.

Some stumps may also be left for birds to enjoy.

‘There is no scientific evidence that clear fellings would be a poorer alternative from the climate change point of view’ – Eija-Riitta Korhola , National Coalition

In Finland, clear fellings are usually limited to small areas.

The average size is less than two hectares.

The alternative is to thin the forested area out gradually, leaving it looking forested all the while, as it gradually renews itself.

Finnish sawmills and pulp and paper plants require something of the order of 50 million cub m of timber each year.

Collecting this sort of volume of wood by selective felling would be both laborious and cripplingly expensive.

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INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

American hardwoods target green building movement in Middle East AHEC develops full life-cycle modelling system THE American Hardwood Export Council is to promote the environmental credentials of American hardwoods amid a growing green building movement in the Middle East.

The announcement follows the first critical review meeting for the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) research into American hardwoods, which was held at the Stuttgart offices of PE International offices, a global consultant in sustainability.

PE International presented the goal and scope report to a very high profile review panel, which is expected to have a positive bearing on the credibility of the research once the results have been approved and published.

The first stage of the critical review focused on the aims and method of the research, including data collection and the PE modelling system, which will allow US hardwood companies to develop LCA impacts for their own lumber and veneer production.

The volume of hardwood standing in US forests has more than doubled between 1953 and 2007 from 5 billion cub m to 11.4 billion cub m

The current study scope outlined by PE International does not cover the full ‘cradle to grave’ life cycle including impacts of product fabrication in export markets and key issues of product durability and end-of-life.

However, having prepared EPDs for lumber and veneer,

American hardwoods .. eco-conscious choice in the Middle East.

it is AHEC’s intention to work with manufacturing industries to develop a modelling system for products (furniture, flooring, joinery), which will be used to create examples of full life cycle.

As such, AHEC has decided to always publish results for lumber and veneer showing impacts with and without carbon sequestration.

It was also agreed that AHEC would obtain input from those members who have not yet taken part in the data collection.

“Of all the numerous environmental benefits of American hardwoods, just one should make many users and specifiers of building materials sit up and take notice,” says Roderick Wiles, AHEC director for Africa, Middle East, India and Oceania.

“This is the fact – supported by national forest assessments undertaken by the US federal government every 10 years – that between 1953 and 2007, the volume of hardwood standing in US forests more

Roderick Wiles .. long-term commitment to good forest governance and sustainable hardwood production in the US

than doubled from 5 billion cub m to 11.4 billion cub m.

“This huge expansion of the resource, which actually coincides with a period of significant increase in US and international wood demand, is testament to a long-term commitment to good forest governance and sustainable hardwood production in the US.” Preliminary data released from the LCA study reveals the strong environmental performance of American

hardwoods – underpinned by an expanding forest resource, sustainable management and low carbon emissions.

“Particularly encouraging is the carbon footprint of kiln dried American hardwood lumber which shows that sequestration of carbon during the growth of the tree more than offsets total carbon emissions during extraction, processing and shipment to the Middle East,” Mr Wiles said.

“Given the growing acceptance of EPDs, particularly in Europe where they provide the foundation for all the leading green building rating systems like DGNB (Germany), BREEAM (UK and the Netherlands) and HQE (France), we remain optimistic that our efforts to provide science-based information on the environmental credentials of American hardwoods will help architects and specifiers to select the material on the basis of full environmental disclosure.”

The US Congress passed resolutions in 2009 and 2010 which officially recognised that the American hardwood industry sustainably manages an environmentally preferable, natural resource, and that hardwoods should not be discriminated against in government procurement programs.

In March 2011, the US Department of Agriculture agreed and announced its endorsement strategy regarding the merits of domestic wood as a preferred green building material.

– TradeArabia News Service

COPYRIGHT NOTICE Items provided in this section of Timber & Forestry E news are drawn from a number of sources. The source of the item is quoted, either by publication or organizations in line with the practice of fair reporting.

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issue 225 | 11.06.12 | Page 19

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

Wood manufacture returns home in US

Trade gap with China widens WOOD manufacturing is recovering in America amid reports that the trade gap between US and China has shrunk by nearly 50% over the past eight years, and is expected to stand at just 16% by 2013, largely driven by rising labour costs in China and rising fuel prices globally, which affects shipping costs.

Manufacturing has been on the rise in the US, up 5.7% in the two years ended December 2011.

The wood industry is no exception, with a steady new stream of furniture, cabinetry and other wood products gains, as factories initiate, expand and resume production.

One of the most striking cases, Chicago-based Selected Furniture which produces solid wood chairs and wood and laminate restaurant furniture, is moving wood component manufacturing from a plant in China to a new $1.2 million factory in Indiana.

Rising salaries amid competition for workers is chipping away at China’s competitive labour advantage The movement to domestic manufacture is based mostly on economics, says the US Woodworking Network. As costs for energy have risen, shipping costs to transport goods from foreign factories to US retailers erases much of the competitive advantage of foreign producers.

In China, rising salaries amid competition for workers is chipping away at that country’s competitive labour advantage.

But adding to the trend is a mix of marketing with a dash

Page 20 | issue 225 | 11.06.12

of patriotic fervour. Efforts like ‘Made in America’ and ‘Made in USA’ initiatives, and media attention such as ABC’s ‘American Made’ series, are building consumers’ awareness, coaxing them to to seek out domestically produced goods, even if they have to pay a bit more for them.

It’s no wonder furniture is among the segments moving back to US shores for production. The trend, say supply chain analysts, favours bulky items with high shipping costs; items are high, where colour and style are subject to quick-paced consumer trends; or where supply chain integrity and consumer safety is paramount – all features that describe furniture.

Studies conclude that the pace of ‘reshored’ or ‘insourced’ manufacturing will accelerate in the next two years. The Boston Consulting Group says residential furnishings is one of seven segments that will move back to US factories by 2015.

“This is good news for the American worker as growth in the US manufacturing sector keeps more high-paying jobs at home,” says Hackett Group analyst David Sievers.

He says ‘reshoring’ becomes more viable as the total landed cost gap of manufacturing offshore shrinks.

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: cancon@bigpond.net.au

ex of pre i n ss te i o re ns st

eldersre.com.au

Prime Investment Opportunity Timber – A Resource of the Future.

An opportunity to purchase (2) developed Softwood Plantations available as a total package or individual properties.

“Coolalbin”

“Electra” Duingal QLD

Monduran QLD

• Area 1,291 hectares (3,190 acres) 2 Freehold Titles.

• Approx 21 km north of Gin Gin. • Plantation Area – 733 hectares – 2001 & 2005 plantings.

• Balance area 558 Hectares utilised for cattle grazing.

• Improvements include 2 Bedroom cottage, 3 bay garage, machinery shed, timber cattle yards with vet crush & plunge dip.

• • • • •

Area 936 hectares (2,312 acres) 5 Freehold Titles.

Approx 24 km south of Gin Gin. Approx 8 km Burnett River frontage.

Plantation area – 224 hectares – 2005 planting.

Balance area divided between cattle grazing (438 ha) and open native forest (unfenced 274 ha).

Comments: “Coolalbin & Electra” are well managed Softwood Plantations with good growth vigour ensuring sustainable timber reserves for the future. www.eldersre.com.au

ID

4091445

Expressions of Interest: Close at 5pm Friday 15 June 2012 Details: Information Memorandum available from the Marketing Agents.

Baden Lowrie 0427 172 158 Elders Bundaberg 07 4152 6599 John Burke 0428 457 976 Elders Brisbane 07 3840 5503

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Expressions of Interest issue 225 | 11.06.12 | Page 21

Classifieds 2 NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS The Victorian Coalition Government is committed to delivering long-term security for Victoria’s timber industries through its Timber Industry Action Plan.

Established in 2004, VicForests’ vision is to be a leader in a sustainable Victorian timber industry, generating the best community value from the commercial management of Victoria’s State forests. VicForests is an autonomous commercial entity governed by an independent Board of Directors, and accountable to the Victorian Government through the Minister for Agriculture and Food Security and the Treasurer.

In its seven years of operation, VicForests has made considerable progress in introducing market based competition for the sustainable harvest and sale of native timber in Victoria. VicForests now seeks to build on this progress by improving its commercial performance and facilitating a more productive and profitable timber industry, while maintaining an active community dialogue.

As a result of the expiration of the term appointments of two Board members, we seek applications from appropriately qualified/experienced individuals with a desire to assist VicForests to respond to, and influence, the dynamic environment it operates within.

The VicForests’ Board has six members and requires a diverse range of skills and expertise due to the variety of issues on which it provides direction. Combined board skill requirements include forest industries expertise, marketing, risk management/audit, legal, financial, strategic planning, business management, environmental management, and stakeholder relations.

Please forward a CV and covering letter in strict confidence by Friday 29 June 2012, to the Department of Primary Industries at A position description and process requirements may be obtained via this email.

Page 22 | issue 225 | 11.06.12

mitch46804

Boardappointments.Vicforests@dpi.vic.gov.au.

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Knowledge Tree Series

Introduc tion to Green Star® and FSC Project Certific ation Are you in the construction, timber supply, development or contracting industry? Do you want to understand FSC and how to gain competitive advantage? Have you been asked to work on a Green Star® job and supply FSC Certified Products? Then come along to our free information breakfast specifically targeted to you to help you grow your FSC Knowledge Tree.

Topics GBCA CPD points for - What is FSC & why is it important? attendance apply - Green Star® and the timber credit - Steps involved in Chain of Custody Certification - FSC Chain of Custody for Project Certification Speakers: Natalie Reynolds - Acting CEO FSC Australia Nick Capobianco – Senior Lead Auditor, Scientific Certification Systems Joshua Bruce – Sustainability Manager, ISIS When:

June 19th , 8–9.30am (Speakers will be available for Q&A, informal discussions and networking until 10.30am) RSVP must be in by 8th June to assure a place

Where:

Level 2, 263 Adelaide Terrace, Perth, WA 6000

RSVP:

RSVP is essential for catering purposes at http://www.trybooking.com/BISB. This event is fully supported by TABMA and therefore is presented at no cost.

Donations to support future Knowledge Tree Series are encouraged and are tax deductible.

Presented with the generous support of TABMA

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issue 225 | 11.06.12 | Page 23

Nominations Excellence :: Recognition :: Celebration The Queensland Timber Industry Awards are an important means of highlighting excellence in our industry and rewarding organisations who are leading the way in terms of service, innovation and commitment to improving both their business and the industry as a whole. The gala evening when these awards are presented is the only event of its kind; it provides a platform to celebrate our industry, our state and recognise our top performers.

This evening is set for Saturday 3 November 2012 at Victoria Park Function Centre, Brisbane.

To maintain the credibility of these awards and therefore the prestige and honour they represent for finalists and winners, the judging criteria for 2012 have been adjusted to reflect recent ideals and trends as well as give greater weight to operational areas of importance. The criteria for each category is available to view on the website, www.tabma.com.au - Queensland - Information Sheets - 2012 QTI Awards Criteria.

Award Categories 2012 

Best Specialist Timber Merchant



Best Frame & Truss Operation (Metro)



Best Building Materials Centre (Metro)



Best Frame & Truss Operation (Regional)



Best Building Materials Centre (Regional)



Best Timber Manufacturing Operation



Best Timber Wholesale Operation



Best Sawmilling Operation



Best Specialist Service Operation



Trainee of the Year



Best Training Culture



Apprentice of the Year



Best Wholesale Sales Representative



Recognising Women In Forest & Timber

If you wish to nominate please visit www.tabma.com.au - Queensland - News and Events - 2012 QLD Timber Industry Awards Nomination Form and complete an entry for each nomination. All nominations will be kept confidential and only be seen by TABMA Queensland management and judges. Nominations close 15 June 2012.

Introducing the Sponsor’s...

Page 24 | issue 225 | 11.06.12

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Timber & Forestry e news is published

by Custom Publishing Group.

Timber & Forestry e news is a full colour e magazine emailed every Monday to Decision Makers within the Australian and New Zealand Timber and Forestry sectors.

Advertising is booked with a minimum 4 week booking with discounts for 12, 24 and 48 week bookings.

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Send artwork to kerri@mycustompublishing.com.au

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Due to the regularity of timber & forestry e news and the tight deadlines no customer proofs can be sent.

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