Issue 237 Timber & Forestry

6831

Split threatens Tas peace deal Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: cancon@bigpond.net.au

issue 237 | 03.09.12 | Page 1

Industry flak on government plan to radically reshape Forestry Tasmania

cash deficits for at least the next five years of $20 million to $35 million a year.

But the plan has run into flak from industry leaders, unions and the state Opposition.

After the release of a

This Issue

•W orking to finalise industry plan in Queensland •F armers’ view: Peace talks a train wreck

B ridge timbers adorn Melbourne town houses

Just Go t ood W

r sm

A Better Earth Idea from Osmose

sm ®

®

Cont Page 12

ne ree

®

consultant’s report recommending Forestry Tasmania be radically reshaped, Forest Industry Association of Tasmania chief Glenn Britton

Ph 02 9609 5911

G

MicroPro

Treated

A STATE government plan to cleave Forestry Tasmania in two could derail long-running forest peace talks, industry observers believe.

Resources Minister Bryan Green officially announced the shakeup of the stateowned company last week amid reports it is one of the government’s biggest budget risks.

Mr Green said the company’s projected annual cash deficits meant the status quo was no longer an option.

He tabled an independent review which has found the company will face substantial

Complete solid timber processing systems

MicroPro

®

Copper Quat

A p N A pro o lu v w Co m e nt ini d F ac um or t*

MicroPro is GREENGUARD® Children and Schools Certified Greenguard® Children and Schools Certification indicates that a product has undergone rigorous testing and has met stringent standards for VOC emissions. In the USA, products certified to this criteria are suitable for use in schools, offices, and other sensitive environments.

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.

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

issue 237 | 03.09.12 | Page 1

INDUSTRY NEWS

Group works to finalise an industry plan by Christmas

Rod McInnes

Ric Sinclair

A WORKING group comprising industry leaders and government officials hopes to transform Queensland’s draft forest and timber industry plan 2012-14 into a final form before Christmas.

The plan was announced by the Premier Campbell Newman as one of the major initiatives of his newly-elected government to be completed in the current six-month period.

The strategy was closely examined at a forum of forest and timber industry leaders in Brisbane co-hosted by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and Timber Queensland.

Housing affordability and changing demographics were highlighted among key issues discussed.

Speakers included well known demographer Bernard Salt; Doug Parsonson from international forestry consultant Poyry; Ric Sinclair, managing director, Forest and Wood Products Australia; and economists from the Housing Industry Association.

Rod McInnes, chief executive of Timber Queensland and chair of the industry plan working group, said the

‘We will massage all this information together with the situation analysis already prepared by the working group’ – Rod McInnes Page 2 | issue 237 | 03.09.12

Bernard Salt

Doug Parsonson

forum successfully delivered thought-provoking data that would assist in the plan’s development.

“We will massage all this information together with the situation analysis already prepared by the working group,” Mr McInnes said.

Forestry Minister John McVeigh endorsed the situation analysis and attended the forum briefly, encouraging the industry and government officials to discuss

and debate ideas to feed into the draft plan for further consideration.

Mr McVeigh has promised to work with the timber industry to provide a “a road map to the future” that includes a serious look at increasing access to forest resources by hardwood millers.

In conjunction to the forum, a survey of industry stakeholders is under way.

5th Annual

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE

Forest, Wood, Paper & Timber Products Industry

30 – 31 October 2012 Hotel Hyatt & Parliament House, Canberra Join together Discover & build opportunities to step up the value chain PRESENTED BY

REGISTRATION & QUERIES: Tel: 1800 177 001 Email: cday@forestworks.com.au www.forestworks.com.au/conference2012

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

TIMBER USAGE

Iconic bridge connects architect and recycler to houses of timber

Grey ironbark finds new life in multi-res buildings

By JIM BOWDEN

HARDWOODS from an 80-year-old bridge demolished near Brisbane last year have re-appeared as a brilliant facia on a row of town houses in Melbourne – and they have retained the beauty and warmth exposed when the timbers were cut from logs hauled from the forest by bullocks a century ago.

When Andrew Brodie of Australian Architectural Hardwoods at Kempsey, NSW, salvaged 4000 tonnes of grey ironbark and tallowwood from the Hornibrook Bridge – then the longest timber viaduct in the world stretching 3 km from Sandgate to Clontarf – he knew he has struck the mother load.

Completed in 1935, the bridge consisted of 2½ million super feet of ironbark and tallowood with planks 11.4 cm thick, 22.86 cm wide and 7.92 m long – 11,696 pieces in all.

Hundreds of timber getters harvested the iron bark logs from forests within a 100 km radius of Sandgate – at Maleny, Conondale and Mount Mee. Now these timbers adorn a building that has won the Melbourne designer awards from the Australian Institute of Architects for sustainability and

When Andrew Brodie salvaged 4000 tonnes of grey ironbark and tallowwood from the Hornibrook Bridge – then the longest timber viaduct in the world stretching 3 km from Sandgate to Clontarf – he knew he has struck the mother load

New life .. grey ironbark weatherboards adorn the outside of the Heller Street townhouses in Brunswick, Melbourne.

timbers pulled from orangutan trees.”

James Legge and Andrew Brodie will be for a very

long time connected by the Hornibrook Bridge.

The grey ironbark (Eucalyptus paniculata) was used as horizontal and vertical shiplap weatherboards for the town house complex.

“It was Durability class 1 and we needed something that would ‘hold up’ and ironbark is pretty tough,” Mr Legge said.

“We’ll keep the treatment up to it, but I suspect if we did nothing the ironbark would last well beyond a lot of other timbers.”

Six Degrees has used some of the ironbark internally as treads for the stairs as well as making good use of plantation

Cont Page 15

ENGINEERS STANDING BY James Legge .. timber has to be used responsibly and carefully and from sustainable managed forests.

multi-residential housing.

The Heller Street project at Brunswick, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, was as architect James Legge describes it: “My baby, although of course it was a collaboration of the codirectors here at Six Degrees Architecture.”

Mr Legge is a storyteller, but his medium is building materials, not words. And he has a preference for timber. “It has to be used responsibly and carefully and from sustainable managed forests – and not from

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

Choosing the wrong propeller can cost an operator thousands of dollars each year.

That's why only Smithco offers engineering support for every propeller we sell.

So when profits are on the line, call Smithco.

For the optimum cost/benefit backed by two decades of engineering excellence, put Smithco to work for you.

• 100% reversibility for uniform drying • Precision hubs with stainless steel

cycles and maximum through-put • Permanent mold S-profile aluminum blades and hubs, heat-treated for longest life in kiln environment

hardware, balanced for low-noise, vibration-free operation • Fast, accurate blade pitch angle setting with Smithco’s exclusive Degree Gauge

7911 N.E. 33rd Dr. • Portland, OR 97211 503-295-6590 • Fax 503-295-6822 www.smithcomfg.com • sales@smithcomfg.com

issue 237 | 03.09.12 | Page 3

ENGINEERED WOOD

Floating stairway giant step for use of engineered wood

Largest panelised timber building completed in Canada AN educational building in British Columbia featuring laminated strand lumber, crosslaminated timber and a floating staircase has been touted as North America’s largest panelised wood project.

Two distinctive structural systems support the University of British Columbia’s new earth sciences building, which consolidates four science departments under one roof.

Two five-storey wings are connected by a large atrium and architect Jana Foit says the two kinds of structural systems make it a distinctive project.

Unlike the concrete laboratory south wing, the north wing uses wood as the primary structural material. In fact, the north wing is a Canadian Wood Council demonstration project to help advance the vision of the Canadian wood products industry.

The north wing is supported by glulam columns and beams.

The academic and laboratory wings of the sciences building are linked in the large atrium by a five-storey cantilevered ‘free floating’ solid timber staircase.

Eric Karsh, principal of Equilibrium Consulting Ltd of Vancouver, the structural engineers on the project, says the stairway is the star element of the building.

“It’s a floating stairway that

‘There is a huge push to use more wood, especially in the province, and there are considerable environmental benefits to using it’ – architect Jana Foit Page 4 | issue 237 | 03.09.12

A floating staircase is part of the new Earth Sciences Building at the University of British Columbia.

has never been done in wood anywhere in the world before,” he said.

The elevator shafts have been moved to the far sides of the atrium to encourage people to use the stairs. The stairway is oversized, 3.6 m wide, with landings that can act as informal meeting areas.

The stairway, which is made of glulam treads and risers, is based on the Holz-StahlKomposit-Systeme (German for wood-steel-composite).

Jana Foit .. economic benefits in using engineered wood.

A seven-ply cross-laminated timber panels prefabricated at Structurlam Products.

The HSK system combines glulam with glued-in connectors.

The system enabled the stairway’s loadbearing requirements to be met, while maintaining its freefloating design.

Floors in the building are composed of TimberStrand laminated strand lumber and concrete, and the roof and canopies are made of crosslaminated timber.

“We hope to use more CLT in our designs in the future,” Jana Foit said.

“There is a huge push to use more wood, especially in the province, and there are considerable environmental benefits to using it.”

Ms Foit said there were also economic benefits.

“Wood is more expensive than concrete or steel, but it costs less to install,” she said.

“So there are savings on labor costs.”

All of the wood was prefabricated by Structurlam Products Ltd and erected on site. The building consumed 166 CLT panels (average size 2.4 m wide x 9.7 m long), 630 TimberStrand panels and 400,000 (foot board measure) of glulam.

Maples Argo Architects Inc. of North Vancouver designed the entire four-storey laboratory wing – about 3200 sq m in total.

Construction has wrapped up on the building located in the main mall of the university.

An occupancy permit was expected at the end of August after about two years of construction.

The 10,000 sq m facility will house the departments of statistics, earth and ocean sciences, mathematics and the office of the dean of science.

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

WHAT’S ON?

AUGUST

29: Chopper-roller field day.

Miva on the Bauple-Woolooga road. Turn west off Bruce Highway, about 17 km to Munna Miva Road. (Look for the ‘field day’ signs. Time: 9 am-3 pm. Tel: (07) 5483 6535 or email pfsq @ bigpond.com

OCTOBER

2-4: Future Build 2012.

Melbourne Exhibition Centre.

Contact Australian Exhibitions and Conferences (03) 8672 1200 or email: mail@aec.net.au

3-4: Joint ISCs and Skills Australia conference: The Future of Work In 2011, Australia’s 11 industry skills councils and Skills Australia held their inaugural joint conference.

Join MC Kerry O’Brien, Q&A panel moderator Tony Jones and a range of industry identities to explore the future of work, and its implications for building Australia’s human capital. Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Drive, Darling Harbour, NSW. 4-6: Malaysian Timber Council’s (MTC) Global WoodMart 2012, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia.

For further information go to www.globalwoodmart.my. For information about complimentary hotel accommodation and other assistance, including sponsorship invitation and application forms contact John Halkett at john. halkett@bigpond.com or +61 (0)2 9356 3826.

14-17: Australian Forest Growers conference. Gympie Civic Centre, Gympie, Qld. More than 50 speakers will present at

20 sessions. Three concurrent streams will feature growing, products and markets and integration. The middle day will feature six field trips heading in all directions from Gympie to examine local growing and processing in action. This will be followed by the presentation of the national Tree Farmer of the Year Award at the conference dinner. Visit www.afg.asn.au for further information or contact Terry Greaves on (02) 6162 9000 or email terry.greaves@afg.asn.au

30-31: ForestWorks and First Super 5th annual Industry Development Conference In 2011, Hyatt Hotel and Parliament House. Canberra. This is an important opportunity for all current and aspiring leaders of the forest, wood, paper and timber industry to engage in strategic and political debate on critical issues affecting the whole industry in Australia. This year’s conference will consider the future opportunities and challenges for manufacturing timber, wood and paper products in an advanced and multi-speed economy. The conference has been specifically scheduled to coincide with parliamentary sitting week, providing a great chance for industry players, union representatives, policy makers and MPs to gather, network and share ideas on positive future directions for the industry.

Registration inquiries contact: The Events Manager at cday@ forestworks.com.au or phone (03) 9321 3500.For further information, including announcements of speakers and topics, visit www.forestworks.com.au/ conference2012

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

EVENTS

10-11 (Rotorua) and 16-17 (Melbourne). Improving international cost competitiveness through smart science, research and technology. New Zealand and Australian forest products companies face increasing competition from low cost producers, and from lower cost, better performing nonwood products. Low costs and high fibre recovery,achieved through process innovation, are prerequisites to competing in today’s global forest product markets. This Australasian technology event will provide local forest products, wood processing and manufacturing companies with a unique opportunity. Visit www.woodinnovationsevents.com

NOVEMBER

3: Queensland Timber Industry Awards Night – Victoria Park Function Centre, Brisbane.

28-29: ForestTech 2012 – Improving Wood Transport and Logistics.

Melbourne and Rotorua

December

4-5. Focus on improving transport and logistics in the forestry sector.

It will build on the excellent program designed by the Forest Industry Engineering Association.

Visit www.foresttechevents.com

APRIL 2013

Residues-to-Revenues 2013 Conference and CleanTECH Expo Wood energy and ‘cleantech’ industry developments.

Crowne Plaza Hotel, Auckland, April 10-11, 2013; Bayview Eden Hotel, Melbourne, April 15-16, 2013. Event website: www. woodresiduesevents.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.

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 237 | 03.09.12 | Page 5

OVERSEAS TRENDS

Japan offers ‘eco-points’ to help bolster lagging housing industry

THE Japanese government will offer ‘eco-points’ to people who use domestic lumber to build a house that can be exchanged for furniture and other items in a plan aimed at boosting the anaemic housing industry and regional economies.

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry will budget $US1.2 billion for the housing eco-point plan.

Under the envisioned system, points will be awarded according to the amount of domestic lumber used to build a house. A wooden house would likely accrue between 200,000 points and 300,000 points (each point earning one yen) which would represent $A2433 and $A3650 respectively in the subsidies.

The eco-points can be exchanged for furniture, home electrical appliances and regional shopping coupons.

The concept is similar to the government’s housing ecopoint program, which stopped accepting applications in July from parts of the country other than areas affected by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.

The ministry is expanding the implementation of eco-point

Page 6 | issue 237 | 03.09.12

Point scoring .. the Japanese eco-point house aims to help revive the market for domestic lumber.

to housing sector so that it is attempting to kill two birds with one stone – energy saving and stimulating economy, with one stone.

The policy not only applies to single housing but only includes multi-housing such as apartments. For new construction, 300,000 points are given to each house which

satisfies the energy-saving criteria .

The Japanese government is optimistic about the effect of implementing the policy, and the construction material manufacturing and construction industries are voicing their approval.

Prices of domestic lumber, including Japanese cedar

The Japanese government is optimistic about the effect of implementing the policy, and the construction material manufacturing and construction industries are voicing their approval

and cypress, have plunged in recent years, seriously affecting rural economies dependent on the timber industry.

The recent surge of the yen against the euro has triggered imports of inexpensive lumber from countries in north Europe and elsewhere. The price of Japanese cypress – widely regarded to be top-grade lumber – was $A206/cub m in July, about one-fourth of its peak price around 1980.

The move toward building more eco-friendly homes is also considered to have squeezed lumber prices. According to the Forestry Agency, lumber usually accounts for 10-20% of the cost of building a house, but this tends to drop when people equip their homes with solar panels or other ecofriendly devices.

Forests cover about 70% of Japan; almost the entire lumber producing process, including logging, sawing and transporting, is carried out by local industries.

Most domestic lumber is handled by small and midsize builders, rather than major house builders. The eco-point subsidy system is intended to aid these smaller firms.

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

REFLECTIONS

Tributes flow for Peter Gunnersen

TRIBUTES have mounted for industry identity Peter Gunnersen who died in Melbourne on August 22 at the age of 69.

More than 500 friends, family and industry representatives attended the memorial service on August 27 at St Johns Anglican Church, Toorak.

Along with brother Thorry, Peter Gunnersen led the family timber dynasty for three decades. A larger-than-life character, he was also actively involved in many facets of sport, community services and clubs.

Until his recent illness, Mr Gunnersen remained active in industry leadership positions, including his work with the J.W Gottstein Memorial Trust, to which he was dedicated and very proud.

The Gottstein trustees paid tribute to his contribution and dedication as the chairman of the trust fund for 16 years. They noted that his service and love for the industry and its people would not be forgotten.

Mr Gunnersen enjoyed meeting and hearing from the prospective Gottstein Trust scholarship candidates about their ideas for innovation and improvement in the forest and timber industry. He remained passionate about the industry and its people, as well as the application of research and technology.

The trustees noted his commitment to the future of the forest and wood products through the Gottstein Trust that funded fellows to undertake innovative and useful projects which could be shared among all industry members.

Under his guidance, the trust continued to elicit industry support and introduced scholarships for individuals

‘Peter’s contribution to the Gottstein Trust is unlikely to be equaled’

Peter Gunnersen (right) enjoys a day out on the schooner Enterprize in August 2007 during the tall ship’s 10th anniversary. He is pictured with (on his right) Jack Woods, foundation volunteer committee member who wrote the ship’s operations manual, risk management system and marine safety management plan, Svend Eriksson, father of Erik Eriksson, the ship’s senior shipwright during her 6½ -year build, and Joanne Woods, Jack’s wife. Peter Gunnersen was a benefactor and active trustee of the ship managed by the Enterprize Ship Trust on behalf of the people of Victoria. The vessel is a fully operational replica of the original built in Hobart in 1829.

– Picture supplied courtesy of Bill Burrell, operations manager, Enterprize Ship Trust.

carrying out university studies on forestry or forest and wood related courses.

The trustees said Mr Gunnersen ensured the trust stayed viable and remained relevant to the industry as he looked to change focus as needed with the changing forest industry over the decades.

“Peter’s contribution to the Gottstein Trust is unlikely to be equaled,” they said.

Mr Gunnersen’s brother Thorry described Peter as a beautiful brother, loyal career partner, staunch family man – steadfast, courageous and good fun.

Cont Page 8

www.tanalised.com

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

issue 237 | 03.09.12 | Page 7

INDUSTRY NEWS

Building approvals put economy at risk

Governments must stimulate sector: Master Builders APPROVALS for private sector housing continue their struggle to gain momentum as building approvals figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics last week revealed only a marginal increase.

The number of private houses approved increased by 1.6%, seasonally adjusted, while a massive drop of 40.5% was recorded in residential apartments.

The chief executive of Master Builders Australia Wilhelm Harnisch said the figures were disappointing given recent

Reserve Bank rate cuts.

“The private housing increase of 1.6% is far too low in what should be a more advanced recovery after interest rate cuts in May and June 2012, as well as November and December 2011,” Mr Harnisch said.

“Builders continue to report that new home buyer confidence remains poor and is a key factor holding up a recovery for the housing industry.

“The massive drop in approvals for apartments is also concerning, but reflects the

Wilhelm Harnisch .. drop in new home buyer confidence key factor in holding up housing recovery.

volatile nature of this segment of the market.

“Overall, the July building approvals figures point to the need for a concerted effort by commonwealth, state and territory governments to act and stimulate the sector. The industry in New South Wales is anxiously awaiting new home buyer’s incentives in that state to take effect in October, to boost growth.”

Mr Harnisch said the valuable contribution of the housing sector, underpinning economic growth and jobs was at risk if there was not a significant improvement.

Housing Industry Association chief economist Dr Harley Dale says there is therefore still no sign of a widespread recovery in new housing.

“In its own right the ABS approvals update takes us in the wrong direction,” he said.

“Indeed, the three new housing updates available to date for July all signal a further deterioration in new housing into 2012-13.”

HIA has long-held the view that new housing activity will recover through 2012-13, but only very moderately unless governments lift their game and take action

Highly respected

From Page 7

In a message, Gunnersen staff across Australasia recorded the passing of “a wonderful man who was highly respected by all of us who had the pleasure of working with him”.

Peter Gunnersen is survived by his wife Julie, his children Katrina, Andrew, Christian and Thomas, and five grandchildren.

[An obituary for Mr Gunnersen appeared in the August 27 issue of Timber&Forestry enews].

Page 8 | issue 237 | 03.09.12

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

ISSUES

NZ forest owners reject safety claim

Union attacks standards

FOREST owners in New Zealand have rejected claims by the Council of Trade Unions that attacks forestry safety standards.

CTU president Helen Kelly says the nation’s forestry death is shameful and was 34 times higher than that in the UK. Her comparison has been labelled “naive and uninformed”

by Forest Owners Association health and safety committee chairman Sheldon Drummond of Gisborne.

“The New Zealand industry is not comparable in terms of size, terrain, tree-size or mechanisation,” he said.

Mr Drummond said forest safety statistics included a wide variety of accidents relating to tree felling, such as on farms and in private backyards, as well as plantation forests.

It was unfortunate the CTU was striking out at what he labelled New Zealand’s leading health and safety innovator.

The CTU said the death rate in the UK forestry industry was 10.4 per 100,000 workers, compared to New Zealand’s 343 per 100,000. It drew cost comparisons from a 2006 study showing hourly compensation rates were at least a third lower than Norway, Finland, Sweden, UK, Australia, Canada, US and Japan.

Ms Kelly said the industry’s

“one-trick pony” of drug testing was insufficient to end the workplace toll.

Mr Drummond, who is general manager of Juken New Zealand’s East Coast forests, said the three fatalities in the Wharerata ranges, south of Gisborne, in such a short space of time were “most unfortunate”.

“Huge” efforts were being put into making the workplace more safety conscious, he said.

The union should be grateful for the forest industry’s ‘hard-line’ drug and alcohol free policy.

“The vast majority of our workforce now speaks openly about how they are proud to be working in a drug and alcohol-free environment,” Mr Drummond said.

John Stulen from the Forest Industry Contractors Association says his organisation has been lobbying the government to get serious about safe workplaces.

He says the forestry industry’s work accident record has gone down dramatically since random drug testing was introduced.

“Once communities and partners and wives and families got on board, there was a lot more momentum. There are still challenges, but it’s much more widely accepted,” Mr Stulen said.

dennis@industrye-news.com

Centuries-old oak tree tallest in UK

A 200-year-old tree on a Wiltshire estate has been officially declared the tallest oak in the UK. The 40.4 m English oak, in the grounds of the National Trust Stourhead estate, was measured by an expert on behalf of The Tree Register charity. Standing in a clump of tall oaks, the tree’s growth has

been put down to rich soil and its need to compete for light.

The champion tree, on the 1072-ha estate, stands on a sheltered slope surrounded by a clump of six very tall old oak trees. But unlike other long-lived slow-growing oaks, it is tall and slim, with a trunk circumference of just over 3 m.

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

issue 237 | 03.09.12 | Page 9

NORTH AMERICA

New day dawns for Canadian industry

Rethinking strategic direction, discovering new opportunities A VOLATILE market has created serious challenges for the Canadian forest products industry.

The US housing market slowdown, global economic instability, the rise of digital media and the decline in the US dollar have had a dramatic impact, so industry participants are rethinking their strategic direction and discovering new opportunities.

The watchwords of the day are sustainability, accountability, product innovation, production efficiency and cost-cutting.

Producers are also turning to new markets to counteract shortfalls created by revenue declines from established customers.

InSurAnce..

It’S All In the SelectIon

“The fluctuations in fortunes are understandable in an industry highly dependent on trade and manufacturing,” says David Detomasi, professor of international business, Queen’s School of Business, in Kingston.

“When trade is good, producers need boxes. The decline in the automotive industry for example had a large impart on packaging companies.”

Laurent Gigurere, national industry leader, industrial markets for KPMG in Montreal, confirms the industry is directly impacted by manufacturing.

“Input price volatility has been a significant concern for manufacturers,” he says.

“Packaging is no exception.”

The Forest Products Association of Canada says the three categories of products – wood and panels, paper and packaging, and pulp – accounted for $57 billion in revenues in 2011 and a GDP of $24 billion, making it the second largest exporting industry behind energy.

Each of these categories has taken a distinct path through the market turmoil.

“The industries that get the most attention are pulp and softwood,” says Jon Flemming, director of economics and trade policy for FPAC in Ottawa.

“With over two million new homes a year before the 2008 meltdown, the US accounted for 80% of softwood lumber exports. Now housing starts

are at 750,000. The industry has been trying to adjust to a new reality.”

This means a focus further afield, including China, which recently overtook Japan as the second-largest export market.

In fact, softwood exports to China have grown exponentially over the past decade, from $32 million in 2001 to $1.5 billion in 2011. Total forest product exports to China stand at $4 billion.

Industry is working with government to build similar bridges with emerging markets such as India.

The hardest hit category has been newsprint and paper, as the slowdown in newspaper readership continues to decline.

Engineered Wood Products Production Course 2012 Selecting the right equipment to maximise your production output is similar to selecting the right people to maximise your insurance protection.

Austbrokers Premier has been working with the timber industry for over 25 years and we know what insurance best suits your industry and risks. Whether it’s a complicated business interruption loss or a burnt out frontend loader we work hard to get you the right outcome.

You can expect superior outcomes from Austbrokers Premier in the following key areas: • Focus on premium value and insurer security • Expert advice for Business Interruption • Premiums + claims + deductibles – self insurance option analysis • Committed claims management & settlement negotiations.

• On-going service and advice, not just at renewal time.

Call Alan Jones 0419 754 681 or Scott Hastings 0406 382 582 today.

Freecall 1800 803 180 ABN 95 010 576 324 AFSL 238123

Rotorua, New Zealand Monday, November 26 – Friday, November 30 The Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia is seeking expressions of interest for a five-day course on the Production of Engineered Wood Products, to be held at the Waiariki Institute of Technology in Rotorua, New Zealand.

The 2012 program will cover such topics as listed with ‘hands-on’ offsite visits

• Modern Veneer • Characteristic Structural Properties of Plywood • Plywood Adhesives • Veneer Grading • Veneer Peeling • Simplified Basic Mechanics • Basic Wood Science • Preservative Treatments • Veneer Drying Fundamentals • Quality Control & Product

Certification • Troubleshooting for Causes of Faulty • Formaldehyde Emissions • Glue Mixing • Overlaid Plywood • Bonding LVL with Phenolic Adhesives • Structural Characteristics of Veneers

For further information please contact EWPAA on +61 7 3250 3700 or email sonia.moore@ewp.asn.au Insuring it all stacks up.

www.ewp.asn.au Page 10 | issue 237 | 03.09.12

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

US launches green logo for composite wood panels sector

THE US Composite Panel Association has expanded its eco-certified composite (ECC) certification program to include manufacturers of finished products, components and laminated parts for cabinetry, furniture, casegoods and closets.

The announcement was made during last weeks’ International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta, Georgia.

“North American composite panel producers have quickly embraced the rigorous new ECC sustainability standard for their production,” CPA president Tom Julia said.

“The association is pleased to offer ECC certification to the rest of the value chain now as a verifiable way of showcasing products with a low carbon footprint, low emissions and a great life cycle story.”

The ECC sustainability standard is based on the CPA’s ECC standard and, according to the association, “is the first such comprehensive standard for industry products in the world.”

The ECC logo signifies

ENGINEERED WOOD

EWPs that tick ALL the boxes Engineered wood products manufactured

by EWPAA member companies top the list

Tom Julia .. showcasing products with a low carbon footprint.

certification to the toughest new environmental standard for renewable recycled and carbon-neutral wood products, and the panel association is certain it will have a positive impact on our environment.

Designed for manufacturers of MDF, particleboard, hardboard and engineered wood siding and trim, the ECC standard focuses on life cycle inventory and other verifiable environmental practices.

Launched in early 2012, a key component of ECC is the CPA carbon calculator, a tool developed by a thirdparty expert to assess the life cycle and carbon footprint of composite wood panels.

The standard also requires compliance with CPA’s quality assurance manual and an annual audit of individual manufacturing plants.

According to CPA, currently 47 plants, representing 62% of the industry production capacity, are ECC certified.

editorial inquiries

tel: +61 32661429 Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: cancon@bigpond.net.au

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

EWPAA

guArAntEEd*

Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia Plywood House, 3 Dunlop Street, Newstead 4006, Queensland, Australia Tel: 61 7 3250 3700 Fax: 61 7 3252 4769 Email: inbox@ewp.asn.au Web: www.ewp.asn.au

* Independently tested to the highest standard; guaranteed to comply with Australian standards; certified under JAS-ANZ accredited product certification scheme; guaranteed to be safe and to carry the designated design load; complies with the Building Code of Australia; meets safety and quality requirements accepted by unions; meets all Workplace Health & Safety requirements.

issue 237 | 03.09.12 | Page 11

INDUSTRY NEWS

‘An axe hangs over the heads of people who work in this industry’

From Page 1

said the announcement could scuttle the peace deal.

“I am frankly surprised and disappointed that there has been no attempt to consult with us,” he said.

“Given previous undertakings provided to AFPA and to FIAT, we require an urgent briefing from the government on how its proposals will deliver on its commitments that FT would not be split up.”

Mr Green said the carve-up was the beginning of a major reform that was important to Tasmania. He said the budget risk had the potential to not only affect the staff of Forestry Tasmania but also the commercial supply of wood to Tasmanian processors and management of environmental values, reserves, recreational facilities and infrastructure in the state.

He pointed out that the company’s poor financial situation was not the fault of the board or employees.

“The URS stage two report confirms those predictions that Forestry Tasmania will face substation cash deficits for at least the next five years if markets don’t improve,” he said.

The Opposition says the government has not released enough detail.

Shadow Treasurer Peter Gutwein said the minister had failed to say how many jobs would go under the change,

Major reform .. forest jobs on the lline in Tasmania.

how much it would cost and which government department would take over Forestry Tasmania’s non-commercial functions, including managing reservations.

“Once again, in respect of forestry, we have an axe hanging over the heads of people that work in this industry in this state and there is no timeframe, there is no certainty,” Mr Gutwein said.

The Opposition and industry observers believe the planned shakeup could derail the state’s long-running forest peace talks.

‘By rolling over again to the Greens on Forestry Tasmania, haven’t you just started the wars all over again?’

– Will Hodgman

Glenn Britton .. urgent briefing needed from government.

Leader Will Hodgman pushed the issue in state parliament.

“By rolling over again to the

Greens on FT, haven’t you just started the wars all over again?”

Australian Greens leader Christine Milne said Forestry Tasmania’s issues needed to be addressed.

“The performance of Forestry Tasmania has been an issue for a long time,” she said.

“It doesn’t have to answer to shareholders because it’s not a private corporation and because it’s not under the control of a government minister as such, it doesn’t answer to the parliament.

“So the people of Tasmania have got no way of getting accountability from a lossmaking institution and that’s got to change.”

Forestry Tasmania has the statutory responsibility for the management of 1.5 million ha of state forest land containing 39% of the state’s forests.

About half the forest it manages is available for sustainable timber production. A network of formal and informal reserves on state forest protects values such as flora, fauna, soil, water and cultural heritage.

FT’s operations are independently certified under the Australian Forestry Standard (AFS) which sets stringent environmental, social and economic criteria for forest management and production tracking.

• Farmers’ viewpoint on peace deal, Page 13

Scholarships for NZ Forestry School students

TWO scholarships have been awarded to outstanding students from the School of Forestry in New Zealand.

The Southern Wood Council Forest Products Scholarship went to a first-year student

Page 12 | issue 237 | 03.09.12

George Ferguson, originally from Oamaru, who is starting his first professional year at the School of Forestry. The award is valued at 4500 over the three final years of professional study The Forest Industry Engineering

Association awarded the $2500 FIEA scholarship to Jessica Brown who is completing her last year of a Bachelor of Forestry Science degree at Canterbury University. The scholarship is the first which will be awarded to students

over five years by FIEA and builds on its recent contribution of more than $50,000 through its educational fund to upgrade saw sharpening and levelling equipment at the Waiariki Institute of Technology.

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

OPINION

The farmers’ view: Peace talks a train wreck waiting to happen ‘We are given no inkling to its durability’

THE parties who are seeking to divide between them the spoils of the public forests have reached a singularly unimpressive interim agreement.

It is full of poorly-worded motherhood statements and tells us nothing about the final claim they have put to Forestry Tasmania to assess.

It is a memorandum of understanding that essentially says little more than that they would like to agree to agree to something down the track – but they are not game to tell us what it is. There’s no detail at all of the two key issues – how much goes into new reserves; and how much timber will be available to secure current and future timber users.

It is repetitious self-interest that excludes everyone else in the community. It even excludes the majority of people who actually own forests in their own right – private forest owners, who are, by and large, farmers. They own a quarter of the total forest cover – but they don’t get a look in as the foundations of a great Tasmanian industry are fatally undermined by continued uncertainty and sovereign risk.

From where I sit, from the conversations I have, from the e-mails I read, any agreement these people might reach will not have a hope in Hades of being enacted.

It will not meet the conditions set by the original and overarching statement of principles – there is not (and will not be) peace in the forests; Triabunna mill will not be reopened; talk of a pulp mill has been conspicuously dropped from the agenda; and private foresters are being severely impacted by this manifestly flawed process.

It was meant to be a one-in

all-in agreement – if one party does not agree, then the deal is off. There is still some hope that one or more of the groups around the table will stick to their principles – and step away from the table. If that doesn’t happen, the next hurdle is the Legislative Council.

We hope MLCs stick to their guns, too, and say they will not have a bar of it – in line with their recent pronouncements on this issue.

Most Tasmanians are affronted by the spectacle of unelected and unaccountable groups trading away valuable stateowned assets to achieve personal agendas.

I draw your attention to the fact that, in the secrecy surrounding the so-called agreement, we are given no inkling to its durability. If the conservation groups around the peace table have given guarantees about gagging the likes of Markets for Change, let us see them.

The Huon Environment Centre will not be bound by the agreement; the Tarkine National Coalition will continue its campaign in the northwest forests; the Greens want another 585,000 ha in world heritage or national parks.

Where’s the durability in this?

We know that there can be no guarantees to end the economic sabotage of this

Most Tasmanians are affronted by the spectacle of unelected and unaccountable groups trading away valuable state-owned assets to achieve personal agendas

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

THE Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association remains unconvinced by the current forest peace talks, despite the government’s apparent belief that the war is all over bar the shouting.

“I think we all know better than that,” says JAN DAVIS, chief executive.

“I have a finely-tuned spin detector and it tells me that all I can see and hear at the moment is hype and wishful thinking.

“This is a train wreck waiting to happen.”

Here are extracts from a regular column written by Ms Davis. industry by those hell bent on its destruction, so why pretend?

It is a crying shame that all the effort that has gone into closing down the forest industry could not have been directed at strengthening the sector, in developing markets rather than undermining them.

People seem to have lost sight

of the fact that the Tasmanian forestry industry already meets best practices standards for sustainability.

Many of the countries that will supply timber to Australia when the Tasmanian industry is closed down can make no such claim. Biomass is a major source of renewable energy in many developed countries across the world – but it is not practical here because the Greens have said their will be no recognition of improved processes. Why are things so different here?

People also seem to have lost sight of the fact that, in essence, forestry is a long rotation crop. We don’t know what opportunities will open up in the future, what products will be developed that we’ve not even thought of yet, or how the balance of world markets and opinions may change over time.

Why on earth are these people proposing to lock up this important resource and throw away the key? We don’t bulldoze shearing sheds when wool prices are down; and we shouldn’t be irretrievably locking away forest resources either when there is a market downturn.

More than 50% of Tasmania is already in formal reserves or in other forms of environmental holdings. Tasmania needs to be opening the doors to opportunity; not slamming them shut. Enough is enough – it is time to draw a line under this failed process.

[The Tasmanian Farmers & Graziers Association represents more than 5000 members who live and work on farm businesses across the state, many of them private forest growers].

issue 237 | 03.09.12 | Page 13

INDUSTRY NEWS

Peter Roberts steps down from TMA

PETER Roberts, executive officer of the Timber Merchants Association Victoria since March 2008, will retire from the position on September 4.

“The board and members of the TMA have a debt of gratitude to Peter for his dedication and efforts to build the TMA membership to a level not seen for many years,” the president Ron Caddy said.

“The timber advisory and display centre at Blackburn has also grown under his guidance to become the premier timber

and building products display and advice centre in Australia.

“His input into the illegal logging senate committee in Canberra, which he joined with other associations to put the case from the perspective of the merchant sector, was outstanding. “The development of the ‘introduction to timber’ courses for new industry entrants and industry breakfast update meetings are just some of the many support programs introduced for members.”

Mr Caddy said Peter’s industry

PRICES for woody biomass in the US, whether sawmill byproducts, forest residues or urban wood waste, have been sliding for most of the past three years, but were still higher late in 2011 in most regions than they were five years ago, according to the North American Wood Fibre Review.

In the second quarter this year, woody biomass prices were down between 2-10% in the key biomass-consuming regions – the US south, northeast and in the west – compared to the first quarter.

In the US northwest and California there continues to be a substantial price

discrepancy between mill biomass and forest biomass, but this price difference is minimal in the US south.

During 2011, natural gas prices fell about 45% in the US and the lower prices have reduced the urgency for investing in woody biomass projects in the country. However, despite the plunging natural gas prices, plans for more facilities utilising woody biomass continued during 2011 and 2012 in both Canada and the US, with some projects nearing completion and others in start-up mode.

Wood fibre demand for all planned biomass projects in the US dropped in the first half

Peter Roberts .. time to travel.

experience went back 45 years and had included working in the merchant and wholesale sectors. He is also a past president of the TMA and the Melbourne Hoo-Hoo Timber Industry Club, and is well known for some “theatrical presentations”.

Mr Roberts will take a back step, but will remain as an advisor to the new executive officer and the TMA board.

He intends to rest and do some travelling with his wife Robin after the marriage of his daughter Sally in September.

Drop in wood biomass demand in US of 2012 as compared to early 2011. Most of the decrease in wood usage the past year has been that wood used in the generation of electricity for the domestic market in the US, while the pellet industry has continuously expanded capacity to serve the growing demand in Europe.

The US had about 450 announced and operating woody bioenergy projects in the spring of 2012, including wood pellets, liquid fuel, electricitygeneration and combined heat and power (CHP). The projected wood fibre use for all planned biomass projects is estimated to reach just over

30 million dry tonnes of fibre annually by 2020.

Commercial and residential energy consumers’ interest in switching to more expensive green energy is likely to continue to be lukewarm as long as demand for energy is low and natural gas prices are their lowest levels in over 10 years.

The North American Wood Fibre Review has tracked wood fibre markets in the US and Canada for more than 20 years and it is the only publication that includes prices for sawlogs, pulpwood, wood chips and biomass in North America.

Opportunity: new engineered product Project seeks access to on-going timber resource

ThIs engineered product is manufactured from small diameter treated true round plantation logs that would normally be chipped or destroyed. Resource cost is minimal.

The production system is low capital cost and can be set up in a minimum of time and at a minimum of cost. Compared with current systems such as LVL, sawn timber etc. this product has unrivalled versatility, fire resistance, projected longevity and sustainability.

This product has the ability to lower the costs of floor and wall framing in modern homes, as well as being ideal for low-cost housing. The entire buildings can be erected on site using unskilled labour.

The product has undergone comprehensive testing at the engineering faculty of the University of Technology Sydney.

The project is keen to establish a plant near a guaranteed resource.

Engineered Timber Products

Loggo products have undergone comprehensive testing at the engineering faculty of the university of Technology sydney.

Page 14 | issue 237 | 03.09.12

Contact: (02) 4256 4767 or email pat@loggo.com.au www.loggo.com.au

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

INDUSTRY NEWS

Heller St: ‘It helped that the design architect was planning to live there’

From Page 3

hoop pine plywood (from Austral Plywoods) for joinery components and formwork (from Carter Holt Harvey).

The hoop pine ply wraps up the staircases and becomes the balustrades at the first floor level.

“I believe the hoop ply was 1518 mm and the CHH formply slightly thicker at about 17 mm,” Mr Legge said.

“And the carpenters, who did a wonderful job, were stalwart chaps – they had to pre-drill all the holes in that tough ironbark!”

Andrew Brodie said 158 ironbark treads were supplied for the stairs at the Heller Street project and they came in remarkable 300 mm x 50 mm finished sizes.

“The ironbark planks were all supplied in set lengths and in three different widths for the vertical and horizontal weather boards,” he said.

In Brunswick, where open space is at a premium, property values are high, so purchasing a small dwelling is the option for most.

“A terrace house might be affordable, but their tiny backyards are too small for children,” said James Legge who had been on the lookout for an inner-city site on which to develop medium-density, family-friendly housing next

‘There is always vigorous debate about architecture in Melbourne, and more and more over the past few years the public has become involved in that discussion as well’ – James Legge

Formply is used in joinery throughout the town house complex at Heller Street.

to a park.

“There was great deal of distrust in the neighbourhood about a developer-driven project. It helped that the design architect was planning to live there.”

Even so, Mr Legge received several calls from worried local councillors who wanted to make sure that rumours about a proposed fence going up around the park were untrue.

And there is no fence. Entry is up a little rise from the footpath, between two grassy berms.

Because this communal space is located on the street, not between houses, it is serving a wider community than do other ‘commons’ developments.

But don’t be fooled – the Heller Street project is not all

about generosity to the public realm. After all, the residents effectively get a huge front yard that the council maintains.

They chose to use the water collected on the roofs of the apartments to irrigate the park, rather than in washing machines or for flushing toilets.

This might seem altruistic, but by watering the park themselves they can guarantee a green space even in a drought, when the council is busy switching off public fountains. The privatepublic ambiguity is ‘win-win’ – the council saves money on maintenance and the residents get improved amenity.

The three-storey townhouses are tailored for young families – each house has four bedrooms

The old Hornibrook Bridge .. giving up a treasure of grey inronbark and tallowwood.

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

– so the park is full of children.

“And on Friday nights you usually find yourself sharing a glass of wine with a neighbour,” says Mr Legge. “The majority of the buyers were friends, other architects, builders, planners and environmental scientists.”

What role can architecture play in forming a community? Heller Street demonstrates the role it can play in several ways. It can get out of the way, giving more space to communal open areas. It can watch over and keep public space safe. It can reduce the barriers to incidental meeting and conversation – the Heller Street development has very little division between front doors, which also reduces privacy.

It can also symbolise the concept of community – the interlocking timber block aesthetic of the upper floors creates a seamless connectivity.

This is a close community expertly visualised.

The name Six Degrees Architecture was generated – and James Legge insists this story is not apocryphal – when they were discussing possible monikers in their original Richmond premises.

One of them glanced at the famous Nylex clock atop the Punt Road silos which gave the temperature as six degrees.

For six architects, all graduates but none registered, the name had special resonance.

“Melbourne is a great city for architects,” says James Legge.

“There is always vigorous debate about architecture in Melbourne, and more and more over the past few years the public has become involved in that discussion as well.

“That connection to urban stories helps give our work a sense of familiarity. I think it’s a friendliness, in many ways.”

issue 237 | 03.09.12 | Page 15

Desert torture lab ‘kills’ trees to learn how they can be kept alive Scientists tracking droughts through the centuries

JUST how do trees die? It seems like a simple question, but the answer still eludes scientists. And understanding forest ecology is increasingly important as the effects of climate change begin to take root.

The droughts that have parched big regions of United States are killing forests; in the arid southwest, the body count is especially high.

Besides trying to keep wildfires from burning up these desiccated forests, there’s not much anyone can do. In fact, scientists are only now figuring out how drought affects trees.

Park Williams studies trees at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, but not the way most scientists do. “We’re interested in trees that die,” he says – specifically, death by heat and drought.

Sure, lack of water kills trees, but which ones die first, how long does it take, how long can they go without water?

“That’s a part we don’t understand very well as ecologists,” says Craig Allen, an ecologist with the US Geological Survey. “We don’t know what it takes to kill trees.”

Allen and Williams have tracked droughts through the centuries; they know there have been bigger droughts, but Williams says this one is different.

“In past droughts, temperatures always rebounded and precipitation rebounded and went to a wet time,” he explains. “What we have now is a gradual trend toward warmer temperatures.”

Climate change is making the

Page 16 | issue 237 | 03.09.12

Torture tree lab ..plastic gutters keep rain away from tree roots to simulate drought.

region ever hotter. And when you have consistently hotter weather, the atmosphere gets thirsty – it sucks water out of the ground and out of plants.

You get more droughts, and deeper droughts. There’s less water for everything.

Computer models of climate change predict that this region will warm by several degrees before the century is out, and Allen says the “new normal” will look like the worst of the past.

Nate McDowell runs what you might call a ‘tree torture’ lab. It’s

‘We start burning up our own stores of fat, and that’s what drought-stressed trees appear to do – they start consuming themselves, though it’s not fat but carbon’

Park Williams .. we’re interested in trees that die

actually outside in the desert, near the national lab. He’s growing a group of pinon and juniper trees, about 4.5 m high.

Plastic gutters keep rain away from the tree roots, to simulate drought. The trees themselves are growing inside clear plastic chambers – tubes with no tops.

Silvery hoses carry heated air into the chambers.

We climb in through a hole in the chamber where you can immediately feel the heat. It’s about 7 deg. hotter than the outside, roughly the increase predicted by computer models of climate change over the next 80 years or so.

McDowell is simulating drought and a warmer climate.

He measures how the trees respond – there are instruments stuck into and all over the trees and even wrapped around the stem.

“Every few minutes they measure the diameter of that tree,” he explains. The trees look like patients in intensive care – wired up with tubes coming out of the stems – all to see what it takes to kill it.

“Everyone knows it gets hot and dry; you know, beetles show up, the trees are dead,” McDowell says, “but we don’t really understand it.”

One thing he’s watching are the tiny holes in the trees’ needles, called stomata. The trees absorb carbon dioxide through them, to make food. In drought, though, the stomata close up to conserve moisture. That means they can’t make food.

“Now that’s no problem if it’s just for a day or week,” McDowell points out, “but you know the question is how long can they tolerate that before they run out of their stores? It’s like if we didn’t eat.

“We’d start burning up our own stores of fat, and that’s what drought-stressed trees appear to do – they start consuming themselves, though it’s not fat but carbon.”

– North Country Public Radio.

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

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

US forester helps probe atmosphere on Mars in NASA exploration program ACCURATELY measuring atmospheric gas swirls as they interact with the atmosphere and the ground is a complicated process on this planet – let alone Mars. But this is exactly what US Forest Service scientist Bill Massman will be doing for NASA’s Mars exploration program.

The swirls Massman will measure are referred to as turbulent eddies. Although this sounds like the name of show business comedy act there’s nothing funny in this business of precisely measuring the mechanism by which energy, momentum, gasses and aerosols are exchanged between the surface and the atmosphere on a completely

Science goal .. determining climate on the red planet.

alien world.

“These eddies are central to understanding atmospheric dynamics, chemistry and

climate on Earth as well as Mars,” says Massman. “My role in this team effort is to guide and ensure that the surface

exchange fluxes are accurately measured – it needs to be exact.”

The Mars exploration program has made understanding the structure and processes operating in the Martian boundary its highest priority climate science goal. With this goal in mind, Massman was invited to join the NASA-funded gases project to develop an eddy covariance instrument for the Mars planet exploration.

The information Massman gathers from the project will help NASA scientists better understand the atmosphere of Mars and may even play a role in preparing future technologies for a possible manned mission to the red planet.

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.

07 3266 1429

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

issue 237 | 03.09.12 | Page 17

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...

Sponsorship packages are still available.

Page 18 | issue 237 | 03.09.12

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

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.

RATES

12 week- 7.5% Discount 24 week- 10% Discount 48 week- 15% Discount Classified ads can be booked in a per issue basis.

All advertisements link to customer websites or email address with an option for rich text (flash).

BENEFITS:

DIRECT PENETRATION via email.

WEEKLY opposed to monthly alternatives.

NEWS that is up to date that will ensure readership.

COST EFFECTIVE advertising rates.

S

Display Ads

Display Ads Minimum 4 issue booking

Rate per Issue + GST $380 $210 $210 $165 $138 $83 $203 $90

Full Page Bleed Half Page Vertical Half Page Horizontal Third Page Horizontal Quarter Page Vertical Eighth Page Front Page Third Horizonal Front Page Masthead

Size Specifications Height x Width 303mm x 216mm 254mm x 93mm 125mm x 190mm 73mm x 190mm 125mm x 93mm 60mm x 93mm 73mm x 190mm 33mm x 45mm

Classifieds

Classified Ads per week

Half Page Vertical Quarter Page Vertical Eighth Page Horizontal Full Page Bleed

$182 $120 $72 $330

220mm x 93mm 107mm x 93mm 51mm x 93mm 303mm x 216m

Extras: Video Available Video next to front cover $200 per issue. Within the magazine $165 per issue.

Artwork Specifications: Please supply all artwork as High Resolution (300dpi) Pdf’s or jpegs.

Send artwork to kerri@mycustompublishing.com.au

DISPLAY DEADLINES Booking – Noon Wednesday for Monday edition. Material – Noon Thursday CLASSIFIED DEADLINES Bookings & Material – Noon Friday Terms: Account Clients- 14 days New Accounts: Payment on Booking All Classifieds- Payment on booking (Credit card preferred)

All prices quoted plus GST and based on Art being supplied.

We can create artwork if required – Eighth/Quarter $44 Half $66 which will be billed if complete art is not supplied to our specifications.

Video: Maximum 3 meg swf file.

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

Advertising Sales

Banner Ads &

Classified Ad Custom Group Advertising: Tel +61 3266 1429 1429 Email: cancon@bigpond.net.au cancon@bigpond.net.au Advertising: TelPublishing +61 77 3266 Email:

T: (07) 3266 1429

Sales

e: cancon@bigpond.net.au

e: brett@mycustompublishing.com.au

Production T: 0439 417 671 ISSUE 203 || 03.09.12 12.12.11 || Page PAGE 19 15 issue 237 e: kerri@mycustompublishing.com.au

www.industrye-news.com