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ISSUE 280 | 29.07.13 | PAGE 1
Congo logs escape new EU timber laws
THIS ISSUE • industry launches marginal seats campaign • native forest waste stokes power option
Illegally harvested wood enters the market through back door in France appeared to have been altered to change the zone of origin. Under Australian illegal logging regulations, timber from countries recognised under the EUTR Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT), voluntary partnership agreements (VPA) are deemed legal. The EU has a FLEGT VPA with the Republic of Congo, but it appears this may not be preventing illegal timber from being exported from the region. Some importers have said that, given this situation, they believe the protection for Australian
Loophole .. markings show Congo logs are entering Europe illegally.
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taskforce review of nsw softwoods sector Bill nutting was driving force in industry Anxiety message at t.u.G. luncheon that’s not just a forest Biomass turns out ‘green gasoline’
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AUSTRALIAN timber importers have expressed concern that the new European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) has been found ineffective in keeping illegally harvested wood out of the market. After six months of tracking illegal logs from the Congo rainforest to western Europe, a BBC TV investigation has exposed loopholes in the EUTR. It started with a two-day stakeout at the port of La Rochelle on France’s Atlantic coast. Some logs imported from the Congo, while marked in accordance with EUTR, showed the zone markings
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ISSUE 280 | 29.07.13 | PAGE 1
industry news
Forest industry launches marginal seats campaign Improving our industry’s capacity to develop and maintain a skilled workforce ............................
FREECALL
1800 177 001
Melbourne
(03) 9321 3500
Sydney
(02) 8898 6990
Adelaide
(08) 8219 9028
Launceston
(03) 6331 6077
forestworks@forestworks.com.au
www.forestworks.com.au
ABN: 58 006 212 693
PAgE 2 | issuE 280 | 29.07.13
Candidates in 21 seats across 6 states targeted THE Australian Forest Products Association has launched a marginal and forestry seats campaign to bring forest policy to the fore in the coming federal election. Candidates in 21 seats across six states, all with strong forestry or forest products interests, are being targeted. These seats will help determine the make-up of the next federal government. AFPA CEO Mr Ross Hampton said 200,000 Australian’s relied on forestry and forest products industries for their livelihood. “These voters will be looking for federal representatives of parliament who understand that these jobs sustain their regional and rural communities,” Mr Hampton said. “If these real jobs are not maintained many other service jobs in these communities – such as hospitality workers, accountants, hairdressers and shop assistants – are also put at risk. “The industry has weathered many storms in the last few
Ross Hampton .. support for forestry and forest product industries is an environmental and economic win-win for any government.
years and is still reeling from the ‘triple crunch’ of a high dollar, lack of resource security and high input costs. Now is the time for our politicians and candidates to show they understand this and have a plan to do something to help.” The AFPA marginal seats campaign will be targeting the electorates of Eden-Monaro, Page, Farrer and Lyne in New
South Wales; Corangamite, Gippsland, Wannon and Indi in Victoria; Forde, Leichhardt and Dawson in Queensland; Forrest, Canning and Pearce in Western Australia; Mayo and Barker in South Australia; and Braddon, Bass, Franklin, Lyons and Denison in Tasmania. Every nominated candidate will be surveyed and asked a range of questions relating to their support for forest industries in their electorate. The results will be reported to the local media in each area and included on the www.ausfpa.com.au website. Mr Hampton said forest products could play a very large role in satisfying the demands of a growing population for building and lifestyle materials which are sustainable. “They also underpin significant sustainable development and the creation of regional jobs,” he said. “Support for forestry and forest product industries is an environmental and economic win-win for any government.”
$7.5m for ta Ann ply mill in forest peace deal TASMANIA’S forest industry will receive almost a quarter of a $100 million forest peace deal. Visiting the state last week, the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd revealed the list of 31 projects to benefit from the money which will target displaced forestry workers. Four hundred applications were received for a share of the funding which is aimed at diversifying the state economy in response to the forestry downturn Malaysian-owned veneer producer Ta Ann will receive $7.5 million for a plywood mill in the state’s northwest which it promised to fund and build itself
if state parliament passed the forest peace deal legislation. Sawmiller Britton Timbers has been allocated $1.2 million to expand, while southern processor Oak Tasmania has been granted $4 million. Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings says she is grateful for the federal government’s support in helping to restructure the forestry industry. “[It’s] a restructure we couldn’t avoid, one that we had to work through and one that we’re trying to assist local communities to be able to grow new jobs and have hope,” she said. “What you’re delivering here today with the $100 million
economic and jobs plan is absolutely critical to this state.” Other projects to be funded under
the
Tasmanian
Jobs
and Growth Plan are spread throughout the state and cover tourism, agriculture, aquaculture and manufacturing. There is $10 million for an industry and innovation fund and a $3.5 million tourism fund. Mr Rudd says his government wants to keep the Tasmanian economy strong. • treating tasmanians like mugs – P. 9
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industry news
definition of the scope of laws for due diligence imperative for local industry From Page 1
importers under the Australian regulation’s recognition of EUTR VPAs are weakened. “This situation shows the hazards of Australian law recognising bilateral agreements between two other countries,” a Sydney importer said. “We are a non-signatory to EU VPAs, and so have no control over these agreements nor over how they are administered or policed. “If an importer brought in timber from the Congo, thinking it was OK because it had an EU VPA, and then this timber was found illegal, the importer would be in an impossible situation. “Under the Australian Illegal Logging Act, they could be (criminally) convicted of importing illegal timber, yet have no recourse against the flawed EU VPA which failed to protect them under the Australian regulations.” The executive director of Greenpeace UK John Sauven said that under the new EU timber regulations, the import of this timber into France should have raised a red flag. “This is at the very highest risk of what these timber regulations are about,” he said. “The operator who was importing the timber should have been held to account. “It is absolutely urgent that France sets up a proper body to deal with it because if France or other countries don’t participate properly and effectively within the European timber regulation, then it will weaken it and it won’t work in the way it was set up to do.” In May, the London-based watchdog group Global Witness found that only 300 of Ghana’s 800 logging permits met EU timber regulation standards. [The UK government put the EU
EU regulations fail .. reports shows illegal logs are still entering Europe.
John Sauven .. import of timber into France should have raised a red flag.
regulation on imported timber and wood products into force on March 3. The EUTR aims to outlaw the trade in these products and asks operators importing or producing timber to identify the country of origin of the timber and its legality. In the UK this means that the authorities can confiscate illegal timber and prosecute importers who have no system in place to assess the risk that the timber is illegal. Much of the illegal timber traded globally comes from central Africa and southeast Asian countries].
Getting the definition of the scope of laws right for due diligence is imperative for Australian industry as an openended scope of laws is open to abuse. Industry observers say there needs to be more work done on the regulation this year by a newly-elected federal government so the scope of laws is restricted to legal right to harvest (i.e. legal origin) rather than compliance with all harvesting laws. Due diligence for processors from November 2014 means they will have to show that their supplies are low (not zero) risk of being illegally harvested. One way of doing this will be to assess supply against risk factors such as prevalence of illegal logging in the area of harvest; prevalence of illegal logging of that species in that area; and any other information that a reasonable person should know which indicates that the log is illegally logged. Meanwhile, nine European forest organisations have signed a letter expressing their concern that the European Commission has delayed
there needs to be more work done on the regulation this year by a newly-elected federal government’ – industry observers
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publishing the new EU Forest Strategy. The organisations say that ‘’the European Commission is overlooking the importance of forests and forestry in EU policy by postponing publication of the strategy, even though forests represent 40% of land use in Europe.’’ ‘’The clock is ticking. Further delay in proposing a coherent approach on Europe’s forests can only lead to more fragmented and possibly contradictory decisions’’, chairman of the EU Advisory Group on Forestry Juah Hakarainen said. Furthermore, the organisations complained that the EC is hesitant in embracing a coherent strategy on forests and forestry. Despite numerous requests addressed to the commission to release the strategy, so that it could be examined by the European Parliament and the EU Council, no action has been taken. The new EU Forest Strategy would replace the existing one which dates back to 1998. It faces new challenges such as climate change, renewable energy, biodiversity, resource efficiency and the green economy and needs to establish a coherent framework with other policy areas.
issue 280 | 29.07.13 | Page 3
eVents
Message about anxiety problems tugs at hearts of luncheon guests By JiM BOwden
DEPRESSION and anxiety and politics were an interesting mix in an address by business professional and former ACT chief minister Kate Carnell AO at a timber industry luncheon in Brisbane this month. “An estimated 45% of people will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime,” said Ms Carnell who is CEO of the national depression organisation Beyond Blue, based in Melbourne. Speaking to a gathering of 48 representatives of industry, organised by the Timber United Group (T.U.G.) at Fratelli Restaurant on July 19, Ms Carnell said around one million Australian adults, in any one year, had depression and more than two million had anxiety. “While depression and anxiety are different conditions, it is not uncommon for them to occur at the same time,” she said. “Over half of those who experience depression also experience symptoms of anxiety. In some cases, one can lead to the onset of the other.” Ms Carnell said Beyond Blue’s mission to provide national leadership to reduce the impact of depression and anxiety in the community had achieved encouraging results – an outreach to a growing health problem.
Forest friends have a lot in common
She was elected Chief Minister of the ACT in 1995 and reelected in 1998, becoming the first Liberal woman to be elected as Chief Minister or Premier in Australian political history. Forest friends .. guest speaker at the T.U.G. luncheon in Brisbane Kate Carnell AO mixes with Queensland foresters Tom Ryan, Dr Gary Bacon, and Dick Pegg. This turned into an historic photo as Ms Carnell is the granddaughter of Queensland’s first Conservator of Forests Victor Grenning and Tom Ryan was the last person in forestry to carry the title Conservator of Forests. The late Victor Grenning retired in 1964 after steering forestry in the state through the turbulent times of war and reconstruction into the relatively stable 1960s. Under his direction the area of reserved forested land and softwood plantations in Queensland increased significantly and research was undertaken in timber use and seasoning, plantation tending, fire detection and control, and other forestry matters. He was also the chairman of the board of trustees of Brisbane Grammar School for many years, which probably accounts for so many students from BGS joining Queensland Forestry. Dick Pegg, a former BGS student, said Mr Grenning’s teachings had influenced his decision to enter a career in forestry in Queensland more than 60 years ago.
This had increased awareness
help seeking and facilitated
of the problem, reduced stigma
learning,
and discrimination, improved
innovation and research.
collaboration,
Beyond Blue has increased the awareness of the problem and reduced stigma and discrimination
Catching up at T.U.G … John Crooke of Queensland Sawmills (left) and Colin MacKenzie, timber application and use manager, Timber Queensland.
PAgE 4 | issuE 280 | 29.07.13
Ms Carnell, a former CEO of the National Association of Forest Industries and chair of the Cooperative Research Centre for Forestry, is the granddaughter of Queensland’s first Conservator of Forests Victor Grenning.
Drawn on the subject of the approaching federal election, Ms Carnell said Queensland voters would decide the outcome. She said both contenders, Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott, had moved the election battleground to regional areas and seven Queensland seats hung in the balance. [Among the Queensland key seats up for grabs are the LNP-held Flynn, Longman, Brisbane and Forde and the ALP-held Capricornia, Petrie and Moreton]. The Timber United Group is administered by Brisbane HooHoo Club 218. The day raised more than $1500 for children’s charities.
Enjoying the T.U.G. luncheon are Graham Leddy and Jenni Day of Versace Timbers, Brisbane, Charlie Henry of Charlie Henry Enterprises, Sanctuary Bay, and Alicia Oelkers, Queensland manager, TABMA Australia.
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eVents
wHAt’s On? AUGUST 8-9: dAnA 2013: Oceania Plantation, Forest and wood Products trade Conference. Bayview Eden Hotel, Melbourne. Email: enquiry@prcc.com.au www.prcc.com.au/ danamelbourne2013 16: institute of Foresters of Australia (Qld division) AGM and seminar. Tattersall’s Club, Brisbane, 2pm. RSVP Monday, August 12. Contact: Emma Leslie-Mohr, IFA QLD division secretary on 0429 270 622. Email: Emma.Leslie@hqplantations.com.au 24: (saturday): the Cat Goes Gold. Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Club 218 50th anniversary celebration. Fratelli Italian Ristorante, 103 Crosby Road, Albion, Brisbane. $79 p.p. for three-course meal and wines. $75 p.p. for tables of 10. Payments and bookings to PO Box 3236, Sunnybank South Qld 4109. Contact 0401 312 087 or 0428 745 455 for bookings.
sePteMBer 3-5: woodeXPO 13 – Albury, nsw. 11-13: woodeXPO 13, Rotorua, NZ. World leaders in wood processing, manufacturing and new product technologies will speak at the region’s first ‘business-tobusiness’ wood industry show. The new expo will provide local companies – management as well as production staff – exposure to new technologies that can improve their own efficiencies and productive capability. Leading technology providers from Europe, North America and Asia will join with each of the main equipment
and product suppliers from New Zealand and Australia. Full details on the expo, summit and technology workshops are available on www.woodexpo2013.com 27: FsC Friday. A global celebration of the world’s forests highlighting the importance of responsible forest management. Every year, schools, businesses, individuals, forest owners/managers and other organisations around the world get involved in spreading the word about FSC and responsible forestry. Visit http://www.fscfriday. org/index.htm
OCtOBer 11: Forest and wood Products Australian AGM. In conjunction with meeting of the Australian Timber Importers Federation and an industry value chain seminar. An industry dinner is planned for Thursday evening, October 10. Information about the AGM and seminar will be circulated at a later date. 11: Forest and wood Products Australia (FwPA) AGM and research forum. Time: 8:30-10:30 am. Venue: Novotel Rockford Darling Harbour Hotel, Sydney. Inquiries to Ric Sinclair, FWPA (03) 9927 3200 or ric.sinclair@fwpa. com.au 11: Building stronger value chains – Australian timber industry seminar. Time: 10.30 am-5 pm. Venue: Novotel Rockford Darling Harbour Hotel, Sydney. Joint hosts: Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA); the Australian Timber Importers Federation (ATIF) and Timber Merchants and Building Material Association (TABMA). This
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will be the industry’s ‘must-attend’ event for 2013. Inquiries to John Halkett, ATIF (02) 9356 3826; Colin Fitzpatrick, TABMA (02) 9277 3100 Ric Sinclair, FWPA (03) 9927 3200 or Eileen Newbury, Leading Edge Events International (03) 9597 0948. Seminar sponsorship inquiries to John Halkett. 11: Australian timber industry annual gala dinner and awards presentation. Time 7:30 pm onwards. Timber and Building Material Association (TABMA) Doltone House, Pyrmont, Sydney. Pre-dinner drinks 6:30 pm. Inquiries to Colin Fitzpatrick, TABMA (02) 9277 3100 or colin@tabma. com.au
nOVeMBer 23: tABMA Queensland timber industry gala dinner. Moda Events Portside Level 2, Portside Wharf Hamilton. Contact Alicia on (07) 3254 3166 or alicia@tabma.com.au
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
FeBruAry 2014 17-21: Gottstein wood science Course, Melbourne. Inquiries to Dr Silvia Pongracic (Gottstein Trust), 0418 764 954 or secretary@gottsteintrust. org or www.gottsteintrust.org
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 280 | 29.07.13 | PAGE 5
eVents
Meeting up at the Timber United Group luncheon in Brisbane .. Stephen Walker, Queensland president, Institute of Foresters of Australia (second from right) with Agri-Science Queensland team Gary Hopewell, principal scientist, forest product innovations, Lesley Francis, research scientist, and Adam Redman wood scientist.
Pre-luncheon chat at the T.U.G meeting .. Tom Ryan, a former Queensland Conservator of Forests, Ian (Chick) Robb, general manager, Tree Crop Technologies, Brisbane, Jack Norton of Jack Norton Timber Protection, Brisbane, and Tim Evans, Coast to Coast Pacific, Caboolture, Qld.
Getting together at the T.U.G luncheon .. Robbie McGavin, research facility and project manager, DAFF Salisbury Research Centre, Brisbane, Matthew English, Greenwood International, Brisbane, Dr Henri Bailleres, team leader, process and product development, DAFF Salisbury, Simon Dorries, general manager, Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia, and Dennis Morrell, EWPAA administration.
Enjoying a lunch under the eucalypts at Fratelli Restaurant .. Frank Withey, Gold Coast (formerly Standard Sawmilling), David Armstrong, formerly CEO, Queensland Timber Board, Don Towerton, Thora Wholesale Timbers, Coopers Plains, Brisbane, Alfred Chapple, truss and frame estimator, Loganlea, Qld, Noel Griffiths, Skyline Building Supplies, Seven Hills, and Tony Stokes, timber industry consultant, Carina, Brisbane.
PAgE 6 | issuE 280 | 29.07.13
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industry news
native forest waste stokes power option in nsw regulation change THE NSW Environment Protection Authority is seeking comment on a draft regulation to exclude two additional types of materials from the definition of ‘native forest biomaterial’ under the Protection of the Environment Operations (General) Regulation 2009. This will allow them to be burnt in electricity generating works with a capacity of over 200 kilowatts. The two materials proposed to be excluded are invasive native species cleared in accordance with a property vegetation plan, within the meaning of the Native Vegetation Act 2003; and certain material resulting from forestry operations carried out on land to which an Integrated Forestry Operations Approval (IFOA) applies under Part 5B of the Forestry Act 2012, as well as debris from clearing carried out in accordance with a private native forestry property vegetation plan. The executive director of the NSW Forest Products Association Russ Ainley said the change in regulation to allow biomaterial for electricity only applied to native forests; mill residues and plantation biomaterial were already allowed. “And it is allowable to use the material for anything other than electricity,” he said. “So the change just fixes the anomaly and an alternative market for woodchip exports. “There is no change to forest management and the AFS requirements will be met in exactly the same way as before. “For electricity production, there remains the problem of delivery cost of the resource to the generator. So nothing much will change for a long while.” The NSW Environment Protection Authority says the change will make better use of waste wood from logging.
Under the changes, trees that might otherwise have been made into pulp might now be burnt for electricity. The plan has been welcomed by the logging industry, which called it a “common sense move’’ that gives sawmills the opportunity to use offcuts and woodchips that would otherwise have been left to lie on the ground Gary Whytcross, a director of the NSW EPA, said the proposed changes had been designed to avoid any perverse outcomes
Russ Ainley .. proposed regulation fixes an anomaly
– and would not increase the intensity of harvesting. ‘’The EPA will continue to regulate the forestry industry and penalise unlawful clearing,” he said. Greens MP John Kaye said the change was designed to rescue the state’s logging industry, which was already thought to be heavily propped up by government subsidies. Public exhibition on the draft regulation has commenced and comments will be received until August 20.
Wood Protection
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Contact the Australian Lonza team for full details of the Lonza value package. phone:1300 650 636 issue 280 | 29.07.13 | Page 7
eVents
Brisbane Timber Industry Hoo-Hoo Club 218 has entered the 2013 Variety Club of Queensland Bush Returning to Bash from August 5 to 14 to Hoo-Hoo Clubth21e action ..Brisbane Timbe 8’s ’7 r Industry for the 20 lden King 13 raise funds for disadvantaged from Em Queensland7 Ho swood is ready Variety Cl erald in ce ub Bush Ba ntral and Mount children, travelling in the Isa, to Mis Queensland, via W sh inton sion Beac Queensla nd. h in Far N clubs’ veteran Bush Bash orth performer – a 1977 Holden Kingswood. The Variety Bush Bash in the club’s major children’s charity event this year. Please support it and show how the forest and forest products industry can enrich the lives of underprivileged children. Your sponsorship will attract wide media coverage and is tax deductible.
Red gold .. David Southern with his prized red cedar coffee table to be raffled in August.
Cedar coffee table a valuable prize in club charity raffle “It is still is highly sought after for its rich deep lustre and the ease of working with it,” Mr Southern said. He is a member of Blackall Range Woodcrafters Guild and most of his work has been produced in the last nine years. He started his working life as an apprentice draughtsman and then spent six years in the British Army as a musician. Mr Saunders, who is proficient at the string base and euphonium, also makes guitars. “Professional players tell me the sound and tone of the guitars are good, so I must be doing something right,” Mr Saunders said. The raffle tickets sell for $5 each, three for $10 and seven for $20 and offer a range of crafted wood prizes. The raffle tickets can be purchased at the celebration dinner or in advance from Don Towerton, Thora Wholesale Timbers. Tel: 0428 745 455 or email: don@ thoratimbers.com.au Bookings for the dinner, with discounts for tables of 10, can be made by telephoning Don or Jim Bowden on 0401 312 087.
For more information and to discuss sponsorship options contact one of the committee members: Alan Jones 0419 754 681 Don Towerton 0428 745 455 Tim Evans 0417 726 741 Jim Bowden 0401 312 087
IT’S time had come. The dying giant red cedar (Toona australis) was laid down on David Southern’s property – only to live again in a many beautiful artifacts turned out by this English-born wood carver. “I salvaged about 4 cub m of boards and slabs from this magnificent tree,” said Mr Southern who has been working with wood for more than 20 years. One item from his prized collection is a coffee table crafted from the dead tree at his workshop at Curramore, 75 km from Brisbane on the western edge of the Blackall Range. The cedar table, valued at more than $1500, is first prize in a raffle organised by Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Timber Industry Club 218 to raise funds for children’s charities. It will be drawn at the club’s 50th anniversary dinner on August 24. The dinner – The Cat Goes Gold – at Fratelli Restaurant at Albion in Brisbane will cost $79 a ticket, which includes a threecourse dinner and drinks, and is open to all of industry. Red cedar was ruthlessly felled by ealy timber-getters and was affectionately known by Australian settlers as ‘red gold’.
PAGE 8 | ISSUE 280 | 29.07.13
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Members of the Bri sbane Hoo-Hoo Club 218 Bush Bash team commit tee prepare for the Variety Club’s ‘Su Queensland n, Saddles & Surf’ Variety Bash starting in Emera ld in Blackall and Stoneh central Queensland , west to enge, up to Winton Boulia, up to Mo , across to unt Isa and further north to Normanto then across to the n, coast via Georgeto wn and Mareeba to Mission Beach in North Queensla nd.
We sincerely thank the following sponsors:
Spiro Notaras (Notaras Bros, Grafton,NSW)
Major Sponsors
John Gill
John Crooke, Queensland Sawmills
Noel Griffiths (Skyline Building Services)
HQ Plantations
Nigel Turvey (Gro Group, NT)
Advanced Timber Systems EWPAA
David Alcock (Asia Pacific Timber Marketing)
Austbrokers Premier Insurance
Gerry Gardiner (iTreat Timber Pty Ltd)
Tim Tech Chemicals
Paul Anderson (IMEMS Pty Ltd)
Sponsors (to date)
Kop-Coat NZ Frank Withey
Ron Bell
industry news
rudd’s forest deal treats Tasmanians like mugs: senator RECYCLED Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is treating Tasmanians like mugs – asking them to believe the government has done its homework on 400 applications for forest shutdown funding in just six days, says Coalition forestry spokesman Senator Richard Colbeck. He said that on July 9, in the face of vocal pressure from local government and business, State Economic Development Minister David O’Byrne announced a 10-day extension for applications to the scheme. “Then yesterday [July 24 ] in Launceston, just days after the new cut off, Mr Rudd unveiled the recipients,” Senator Colbeck said. “This is a disgusting display of pork barrelling of the highest order. “We have said from the outset this is a slush fund to salvage Labor’s shattered hopes in Tasmania – trying to distract from its appalling track record, having worked with Green partners to shut down forestry and lock more of the state into reserve. “It is an insult to the people here. Has Labor methodically worked through 400 submissions in six days? Of course not. “Do they seriously think a $90 million sugar fix heading into the election will compensate for $700 million a year in revenue we will lose from the forest industry?” Since June 11, after damning Auditor General reports into previous Labor-run forestry shut-down packages, Senator
timber & Forestry e-news is the most authoritative and quickest deliverer of news and special features to the forest and forest products industries in Australia, new Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region. weekly distribution is over 7,000 copies, delivered every Monday. Advertising rates are the most competitive of any industry magazine in the region. timber&Forestry e-news hits your target market – every week, every Monday! Senator Colbeck .. disgusting display of pork barrelling.
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Colbeck has repeatedly called for basic information which Address all correspondence to has been ignored: What was PO Box 330, Hamilton Central, Qld 4007 the application process to access the funding? Who was eligible? What were the terms and conditions? What is the dennis@industrye-news.com process for assessing projects or applications? Who was on PUBLISHER the panel with Professor West dennis Macready and how would they operate? dennis@industrye-news.com What was the process for announcing the grants? What are the compliance arrangements? “This is old school Kevin Rudd, riding his chaos train across the country,” Senator Colbeck said. “This is the bloke that brought us pink batts. Are we seriously going to trust him to get the rebuild of the Tasmanian economy right with a $100 million slush fund?
mAnAgIng EDITOR Jim Bowden Tel: +61 7 3266 1429 Mob: 0401 312 087 cancon@bigpond.net.au ADVERTISIng Tel: +61 7 3266 1429 cancon@bigpond.net.au
“Tasmanians will remember that this rebuild is required because of the havoc and destruction caused by Labor and its Green mates.”
‘do they seriously think a $90 million sugar fix heading into the election will compensate for $700 million a year in revenue loss?’ – richard Colbeck Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: cancon@bigpond.net.au
Opinions expressed on timber & Forestry e news are not necessarily the opinions of the editor, publisher or staff. we do not accept responsibility for any damage resulting from inaccuracies in editorial or advertising. the Publisher is therefore indemnified against all actions, suits, claims or damages resulting from content on this e news. Content cannot be reproduced without the prior consent of the Publisher- Custom Publishing Group.
issue 280 | 29.07.13 | Page 9
PASSAGES
Bill nutting was driving force in the Queensland timber industry 350 celebrated a rich life at Brisbane service
A DRIVING force in the Queensland timber industry who for almost 70 years helped steer the Bretts timber and hardware family business to iconic status in the building trade has died in Brisbane, aged 87. The life of William (Bill) Gerald Nutting was celebrated last Monday when more than 350 colleagues, friends and family members gathered at St Augustine’s Anglican Church in the Brisbane riverside suburb of Hamilton. The church was built only nine years before Mr Nutting was born on May 31, 1926, in Upper Lancaster Road, Ascot. Like the church, Mr Nutting’s life was deeply rooted in the community, a life that started just around the corner, and almost all of it in or near the water within the villages of Ascot and Hamilton. Mr Nutting was the son of Gerald and Eileen Nutting. His mother was a Brett which accounts for the linking of the two families with the Bretts company, a part of the state’s timber and building landscape for almost a century. Mr Nutting joined the family company in 1946 after serving in the Royal Australian Navy. He became chief coxswain on the Coongoola at the age of 18 and served on the ship in 1944 and 1945. Based in Darwin, the ship was used to lay mines to keep Japanese submarines out of Darwin Harbour. His first year at Bretts was as assistant manager at Manubar Timber Co, west of Gympie, a company originally owned and run by his father. He stayed with the company six months before accepting a post-war full-time rehabilitation course in accountancy.
PAgE 10 | issuE 280 | 29.07.13
Bill Nutting (centre) who managed Inglewood cypress mill in his early days with Bretts, is pictured at a Brisbane function in the late 1990s with David Armstrong, then general manager, Queensland Timber Board (third from right), and friends in the cypress industry, from left, Harvey Goodchild, Yuleba Cypress, Miles, Charles Achilles, Hyne, Chinchilla, the late Guy Simon, Simon Pty Ltd, Toowoomba, Errol Wildman, Wildman Timbers, Toowoomba, and Bob McKay, McKay Sawmills, Dalby and Roma. – Picture Jim Bowden
He then moved to Western Timber Co, based in Dalby, as assistant manager and paymaster. Bretts had six sawmills and timber processing plants in the district. Part of his role was to visit all the Bretts’ mills with, as he recalled, “the payroll cash in one hand and a hand gun for protection in the other”. From Dalby, Mr Nutting moved to Inglewood in southwest Queensland to manage Bretts’ cypress mill, completing four years as a bush sawmiller from 1948 to 1951. Up until the advent of particleboard sheet flooring, the mill predominantly produced low-cost T&G flooring for the building industry. The sawmill was recently sold to a group of Melbourne wholesale timber merchants as part of a longer
term strategy by Bretts to get out of wholesaling completely and focus entirely on retailing to builders and the Brisbane DIY market During his time at Inglewood, Bill Nutting met his wife Pat Roberts, a nurse from Toowoomba, and they married on December 16, 1950. Mr Nutting’s passions in life were boats, fishing, friendship and family. He had an incredible mind and always loved a joke and a good story. His professional life was forever woven through the state’s timber industry. He was chairman of the Queensland Timber Board 1968-70, a director of the Timber Research and Development Advisory Council, a director of the Plywood Association of Australasia, and a pioneer and
‘william Gerald nutting was best known for his traits in equal proportions – generosity, loyalty, dedication and humour’
founding member of Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Club 218. He lived to see the third generation company of Bretts Timber & Hardware – now run by his son Bill jnr – join forces with the Home Timber & Hardware group, as the familyrun business reinvests and grows its operations by aligning to a national buying group. In rich eulogies delivered at the service, one remarked that “William Gerald Nutting was best known for his traits in equal proportions – generosity, loyalty, dedication and humour. He cherished every cent he earned as if it were his first and then splashed it around his friends and family like there was no tomorrow. His reward – the joy and smiles on their faces”. Bill Nutting is survived by his wife Pat, children Penny, Felicity, Paula, Jill and Bill jnr, 13 grandchildren and sister Marion.
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industry news
NSW taskforce reviews softwood forest and wood processing sector
NSW Forest Industries Taskforce members join with NSW Forestry Corporation and Visy staff to inspect early commercial thinning of radiata pine in Bago forest.
The NSW Forest Industries Taskforce focused on softwood-related forestry and wood processing activities at its meeting and field trip last week. Meeting in Tumut, the taskforce, chaired by the NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Natural Resources Troy Grant, reviewed a range of critical issues for the softwood plantation sector, ongoing native forest-based operational issues and related topics, including wood processing, residue utilisation and public land management. Tumut Mayor Trina Thomson stressed the values in terms of jobs and community benefits to the region from the substantial forest and wood processing industry. This had enabled Tumut to buck the declining population and employment trends currently faced by other rural centres, she said. Ms Thomson, however, emphasised the need to pay attention to and resource regional infrastructure and road upgrading to support the industry and local government authorities in that part of the state. The taskforce also visited the
Inspecting nursery production operations .. David Dawson, Minister for Primary Industries office, Nick Roberts, CEO, NSW Forestry Corporation, Troy Grant, NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Natural Resources, and Andrew Hurford, chairman, NSW Forest Products Association.
You’re walking the plank if you put your trust in imported untested non-certified wood The risk is too great. • Damage to your business • Possible loss of life • Legal action • Media exposure Not everything is what it seems. Trust only tested and certified products that are guaranteed*. Untested and non-certified structural plywood, wood panels, LVL and formply can cause serious accidents – even deaths – on building sites, resulting in litigation. They can be traced to the source of supply.
The choice is obvious
Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia 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 and New Zealand building codes and standards; certified under JAS-ANZ accredited product certification scheme; guaranteed to be safe and to carry the designated design load; meets the safety and quality requirements of trade unions; meets all workplace health and safety standards.
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issue 280 | 29.07.13 | Page 11
CHArity eVent
Car 253 promotes timber industry, raises funds for kids along the way MEMBERS of Brisbane HooHoo Timber Industry Club 218 in two weeks will be on the ‘bush bash’ road driving 6220 km through central and northern Queensland to raise funds for sick and disadvantaged children. The club has again entered the Queensland Variety Club Bash from August 5 to 14, this year travelling from Emerald in central Queensland to Mission Beach on the North Queensland Coast by way of the world class Mount Isa Rodeo – the largest rodeo event in the Southern Hemisphere. The club’s 1977 Holden Kingswood – badged the ‘Australian Forest Products Industry’ car – has been supported by donations from FWPA’s ‘Wood Naturally Better’ program, the Australian Forest Products Association, the Engineered Woods Products Association of Australasia
Checking out Car 253 before it takes off on the Bush Bash are Brisbane Club 218 members Carolyn Mort, Tim Evans (car captain), Jim Bowden, Alan Jones (Club 218 president), John Muller and Peter Mort.
and industry companies and individuals. The Bash is staged by Variety to raise funds to assist in bringing about an improved quality of life for special children in Queensland. Since the first Queensland Bash in 1990, in excess of $15 million has been
raised to help empower special Queensland kids to live, laugh and learn. Loading up the Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Club’s 1977 Holden Kingswood at the starting point at Emerald will be club members and co-drivers Tim Evan, Peter and Carolyn Mort and Peter
Webb, CEO of Independent Verification Services, based in Hamilton, NZ. They will join 400 drivers in more than 140 cars, all decked out in different themes for the 10-day event. The ‘Bashers’ as they are affectionately known will drop off much-needed equipment to nine schools meeting more than 340 school children and teachers along the way. Club 218’s Bush Car 253 will carry swags of wood promotion and educational material for teachers and schoolchildren. The car is emblazoned with the names of sponsors and flies the club’s Black Cat banner. All members on the Club 218 driving team are meeting their own expenses for fuel, accommodation and tucker.
The Cat Goes Gold! Let’s all celebrate the 50th anniversary of Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Timber Industry Club 218 Saturday, August 24, 2013
Fratelli Restaurant
$79
pp include s 3-cou rse dinner & wine . Tables of 10 $75pp
103 Crosby Road, Albion, Brisbane (at entrance to Brothers Rugby Club)
Celebrations start at 6:29 pm with pre-dinner drinks and antipasto platters on the restaurant deck under the eucalypts, followed at 7.29 pm by a three-course dinner accompanied by wines, beers and soft drinks Prizes • Special Guest Speaker • A night also to honour club fo founders unders Dress: Smart casual • Plenty of parking space Accommodation options within 10 minutes of venue:
Brisbane Riverside Hotel, Cnr Kingsford Smih Drive and Hunt Street, Hamilton. Tel: (07) 3862 1800 Airport Ascot Motel, 550 Kingsford Smith Drive, Hamilton. Tel: (07) 3268 5266 Kingsford Smith Motel, 610 Kingsford Smith Drive, Hamilton. Tel: 3868 4444 Riverview Motel, Riverview Terrace, Hamilton. Tel: (07) 3268 4666
Contact: 0401 312 087 or 0428 745 455 for celebration dinner bookings. RSVP by August 16, 2013. Bookings and payments to PO Box 3236, Sunnybank South Qld 4109 PAGE 12 | ISSUE 280 | 29.07.13
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wOrKPLACe, HeALtH And sAFety
gottstein trust applications for 2014 awards gottstein trust gottstein trust applications for 2014 awards applications for 2014 awards gottstein trust the Joseph william Gottstein Memorial trust invites applications for 2014 awards gottstein trust applications from interested fortrust Gottstein the Joseph william Gottsteinpersons Memorial invites applications for trust awards the Joseph william Gottstein Memorial invites gottstein trust fellowships and Gottstein industry awards. applications from interested persons for2014 Gottstein
An accident about to happen .. train new employees who are new to ther workplace.
How safe is your workplace?
7 steps to reduce OHs hazards that cost $60bn a year
WORK-relagted injuries and illnesses have been known to cost Australia’s economy more than $60 billion in a single year, representing 4.8% of GDP. In 2010-11, of the 175,050 employees in Australia’s forestry, agriculture and fishing industries, more than 3600 made serious claims as a result of workplace injury. As a result of these alarming figures, risk-management training provider SAI Global has designed an online scenariobased safety training course that meets critical criteria for OHS hazard audits – Online Auditing OHS Management Systems. “Inadequate risk plans can increase the rate of workplace injuries, and are mostly the result of a lack of resources and expertise,” said OHS trainer Ray Bedson, who trains hundreds of employees every year through SAI Global. “Employers can’t ignore the risks to their employees – a shoulder injury can cost an organisation $400,000 in accident compensation and prosecution costs, and a back
injury more than $1 million,” Mr Bedson said. The industry thought leader and trainer offers seven steps to developing an effective plan for identifying and reducing workplace risks. • Commit: A risk plan can’t be carried out once and put aside. It’s an ongoing commitment. All employees – not just OHS and risk managers – must be on board over the long term. In an organisation of 100 employees, a risk or OHS manager may need to commit 80 hours a moknth, while remaining employees may need to commit another 120 hours a month collectively. • Communicate: At least monthly, ask employees to recall any previous injuries and incidents – including near misses – and discuss why these happened. Encourage them to be vocal about potential hazards and the things that make them nervous, particularly where operational changes have taken place. Some employees don’t see the
applications fromGottstein interested persons fortrust Gottstein applications for 2014 awards fellowships and industry awards. the Joseph william Gottstein Memorial invites fellowships and Gottstein industry awards. GOTTSTEIN FELLOWSHIPS applications from interested fortrust Gottstein the Joseph william Gottsteinpersons Memorial invites GOTTSTEINand FELLOWSHIPS fellowships Gottstein industry awards. applications from interested persons for Gottstein Fellowships are awarded to Gottstein people from or associated with gottstein trust the Joseph william Memorial trust invites GOTTSTEIN FELLOWSHIPS fellowships and Gottstein industry awards. Australian forest industries to further their experience, education or Fellowships are awarded to people frompersons or associated applications for 2014 awards applications from interested forwith Gottstein GOTTSTEIN FELLOWSHIPS training either within or outside Australia. Project proposals on any Fellowships are awarded to people from or associated with Australian forest industries to further their experience, education fellowships and Gottstein industry awards. or relevant topic are welcome. be selected onon theany value Australian forest industries toCandidates further theirwill experience, education or training either within or outside Australia. Project proposals GOTTSTEIN FELLOWSHIPS Fellowships areand awarded toability people from or associated with of the project, on their to complete and disseminate the training either within or outside Australia. will Project proposals relevant topic are welcome. Candidates be selected onon theany value the Joseph william Gottstein Memorial trust invites Australian forest industries furtherfrom theirorexperience, education or GOTTSTEIN FELLOWSHIPS information acquired. Fellowships are awarded toto people relevant topic are welcome. Candidates willassociated beand selected on thethe value of the project, and on their ability to complete disseminate applications from interested persons forwith Gottstein training either within or outside Australia. Project proposals on any Australian forest industries further their experience, education or of the project, and on their to ability to complete and disseminate the information acquired. Fellowships awarded to people from or associated with fellowships and Gottstein industry awards. relevant topicare are welcome. Candidates will be selected onon theany value training either within or outside Australia. Project proposals GOTTSTEIN INDUSTRY AWARDS
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Applications should forwarded www.gottsteintrust.org, or fromwill the Secretary. The closing date for be applications isto: 6th Septemberby2013. Applications formay each category be considered the Trustees and Further details be obtained from the Trust’s website at CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS Dr Silvia Pongracic, Secretary, The closingapplicants date for be applications isto: 6th September 2013. Applications should forwarded promising will be selected for interviews in October 2013. www.gottsteintrust.org, orTrust fromFund, the Secretary. J. W. Gottstein Memorial CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS Applications should be forwarded to: Dr Silvia Pongracic, Secretary, The closing date for applications is 6th September 2013. Private Bag 10, Clayton South, VIC INFORMATION Dr Silvia Pongracic, Secretary, J.FURTHER W. Gottstein Memorial Trust Fund,3169 Applications should forwarded CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS Telephone: 764be 954 The date for applications isto: 6th September 2013. J. W.closing Gottstein Trust Fund, Private Bag0418 10,Memorial Clayton South, VIC 3169 Dr Silvia Pongracic, Secretary, Further details may be obtained from the Trust’s website at Email: secretary@gottsteintrust.org Applications should be forwarded to: Private Bag 10, Clayton South, VIC 3169 Telephone: 0418 764 954 The closing dateMemorial for applications is 6th September 2013. J. W. Gottstein www.gottsteintrust.org, orTrust fromFund, the Secretary. Dr Silvia Pongracic, Secretary, Telephone: 0418 764 954 Email: secretary@gottsteintrust.org Applications should be forwarded Private Bag 10, Clayton South, VICto:3169 J. W. Gottstein Memorial Trust Fund, Email: secretary@gottsteintrust.org Dr Silvia Pongracic, Secretary, Telephone: 0418 764 954 CLOSING FOR APPLICATIONS Private Bag 10, DATE Clayton South, VIC 3169 J. W. Gottstein Memorial Trust Fund, Email: secretary@gottsteintrust.org Telephone: 0418 764 954 Private Bag date 10, Clayton South, VIC 3169 The closing for applications is 6th September 2013. Email: secretary@gottsteintrust.org Telephone: 0418 764 954 Applications should be forwarded to: Email: secretary@gottsteintrust.org Dr Silvia Pongracic, Secretary, J. W. Gottstein Memorial Trust Fund, Private Bag 10, Clayton South, VIC 3169 Telephone: 0418 764 954 Email: secretary@gottsteintrust.org
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ISSUE 280 | 29.07.13 | PAGE 13
OPiniOn
that’s not just a forest ..
.. that’s ‘carbon capture’, followed by ‘storage’ in the timber for our homes By rOss HAMPtOn Chief executive, Australian Forest Products Association
WHEN the federal government announced the switch from carbon tax to carbon trading, it also quietly deferred $200 million which was supposed to help industry develop ‘carbon capture and storage’ technology. There has been little outcry because, by all accounts, innovations in this area are coming at a slow pace. Coincidentally, $200 million is exactly the figure which the forest industry has put before government for an alternate ‘carbon capture and storage’ scheme which is not only a sure bet but, ‘shovel ready’. I am talking about trees. Trees ‘capture’ carbon as they grow. When they are harvested for products, like furniture and house frames, they continue to ‘store’ the carbon for potentially hundreds of years. Following harvest, the forest regenerates (or plantations are replanted), with the new trees ‘capturing’ even more carbon from the atmosphere for storage in yet more products. It is the most perfectly virtuous of carbon cycles. The scientists at the IPCC (International Panel for Climate Change), who set the international carbon accounting rules, are unequivocally in favour of the ‘harvest and regrow’ scenario. They say, “In the long term, a sustainable forest management strategy aimed at maintaining or increasing carbon stocks, while producing an annual sustainable yield of timber,
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areas, walking tracks, not to mention jobs and growth for our regions. Trees give Australian policy makers the opportunity to turn the policy dial to these longer term, and net positive, settings.
Trees .. solving the carbon conundrum.
fibre, or energy from the forest will generate the largest sustained mitigation benefits.” At home, our scientists have proven that a well managed, production forest is 240% better at storing carbon over the long term than the same area locked away. So why haven’t government programs turbo-charged best practice forestry as a given for a carbon constrained economy? The answer – trees take time. Trees are a long-term investment with long term benefits. However, in Australia, much about climate change programs has been geared to the short term. The big winners have been the ‘off-the-shelf’ solutions, which, courtesy of taxpayer subsidies, deliver a compelling ‘return on
investment’. The most striking example is the exponential growth of wind turbines. Thousands now dot our landscapes and, according to energy forecasts, they will soon be joined by tens of thousands more. The irony is that by attempting to address an uncosted ‘externality’ in carbon emissions we have, arguably, created a raft of other negative externalities. Industrial scale wind farms have some strident critics who point to their impact on the landscape, health and on communities. If we turned to trees to help solve our carbon conundrum, the externalities would all be positive – erosion and salinity prevention, biodiversity, picnic
the irony is that by attempting to address an uncosted ‘externality’ in carbon emissions we have, arguably, created a raft of other negative externalities
All it takes is an agreement to bring forward payment to the time of planting for the carbon stocks which will accumulate in the trees. In effect the government would be hedging a future, and growing, market. This is a vital change to counteract the main disincentive to investment in new tree planting – the long wait for a return on high establishment costs. It would be a ‘win-win’ for government and forest communities. The government would ‘bank’ the carbon credits to sell in carbon markets. The trees, harvested and re-planted in rotation, would sustain the forest industry into the future. Based on modest carbon price estimates, an initial investment of $200 million a year, over the first three years, would eventually become cost neutral, even paying back the ‘seeding’ funds. At present, Australia’s plantations provide a carbon emissions offset of 4% against our national carbon emissions target. This policy would allow this to surge to 10% by 2050. Great for our carbon constrained future economy and great for our forestry communities.
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Partner companies prepared to invest $1 billion in forest sector
Industry expansion if Crown land access assured ONE of Canada’s largest forest products companies, founded in 1882 and employing 15,000 people, says it is willing to spend $1 billion on mill upgrades and silviculture if the provincial government will guarantee the companies enough long-term access to Crown land. J.D. Irving Ltd (JDI) has operations in Canada and the US and is also in the transport, shipbuilding and industrial marine business. Based at Saint John in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, the second largest province in the maritime provinces, JDI and other partners have assembled plans for positive investment in the forest sector, which could add up to $1 billion. “That amount is not exclusively with our company, although we do represent a significant amount of what will be potentially invested,” JDI vicepresident of communications Mary Keith said. The plan includes upgrades to Irving’s pulp and paper mill in Saint John, upgrades to “a number of sawmills” in various New Brunswick communities and a silviculture investment. The company’s pulp and paper mill produces 335,000 tonnes of pulp a year and employs
Partners .. companies come together to invest $1 billion in forest sector in New Brunswick, Canada.
335 people. But the west side facility must be upgraded to stay competitive, according to Mary Keith. “On a global basis that mill is small and it needs an upgrade,” she said. In 2008, an Irving official said the company had examined the possibility of moving its paper mill, located in east Saint John, to Quebec to take advantage of lower power prices. “These various projects are contingent on the company getting a longer-term view of its access to Crown timber,” Ms Keith said.
Mary Keith .. environmental balance.
Long-term access to Crown land was required to give the
‘these various projects are contingent on the company getting a longer-term view of its access to Crown timber’ – Mary Keith
companies confidence to invest in the province. “We’ve come to a point where investment is required,” Ms Keith said. “We think it is a good news story in terms of job creation and also in terms of the construction jobs that will put other contractors and suppliers to work as we undertake these investments, that we can do it with a solid investment and growing the forest and we can do it in balance with what the environmental objectives are.” The New Brunswick government released its 10year forest plan last year, which is double the normal length of the previous forest management plans. The annual allowable cut for softwood, such as spruce, fir and jack pine, is 3.27 million cub m, which is the same annual allowable cut as in the 2007-2012 management plan. Meanwhile, the Department of Natural Resources is cutting the annual allowable cut for hardwood to 1.41 million cub m from 1.77 million cub m in the 2007-2012 plan. It is not clear what commitments the Irving company wants in addition to the 2012 forestry plan.
Jobs down, but production up in Canada’s forest industry THE reduction in employment in Canada’s forestry industry has been profound in the past two decades. In 1992, there were more than 77,000 people working directly in the forestry sector (not including downstream processing,
transportation, etc.) and now it is down to under 39,000. In 1992, there were nearly 18 workers in the forestry sector for every 1000 in the economy as a whole. That has dropped to 13 in 2002 and to 7.9 in 2012
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The good news is that output has rebounded and the value of exports is increasing again. The industry is smaller but much more productive. It now takes 9.5 full time equivalent jobs (direct and supply chain) to generate $1 million of
direct industry output in New Brunswick, considerably lower than both Nova Scotia and Quebec and similar to Ontario. British Columbia sets the pace in Canada for labour market productivity in forestry and logging.
ISSUE 280 | 29.07.13 | PAGE 15
internAtiOnAL FOCus
Biomass turns out ‘green gasoline’ in industry expansion plan in usA
Emerging growth market in Central Louisiana CENTRAL Louisiana, the Bayou state in USA, appears to have struck gold, and workers don’t even have to dig for it. It’s just lying on the ground. The area has very quickly grabbed a significant share in the emerging biomass manufacturing market, with three large plant projects announced in the past 19 months. Local economic developers are optimistic that more activity is on the horizon. “We’re still seeing an unusual amount of opportunity in that area,” said Jim Clinton, president and chief executive officer of the Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance. “I don’t think this will be the last opportunity we see.” All three projects are manufacturing plants that use wood products – mostly things that have been looked at as waste, such as leftover shavings or parts of the tree unsuitable for making lumber – in some way to create fuel that is more environmentally friendly than traditional fossil fuel. Colorado-based startup Sundrop Fuels Inc. announced in late 2011 that it is building
Burgeoning biomass .. Sundrop Fuels CEO Wayne Simmons (centre) announces in 2011 that his company would build a $450 million biofuels plant in Rapides Station. The plant is expected to employ about 150 people and begin operation in late 2015. / Town Talk file photo
the pilot plant for its ‘green gasoline’ in the Rapides Station area near Boyce. The plant is expected to employ about 150 people and begin operation in late 2015. The fuel can be used like normal transportation fuel, but
instead of being refined from petroleum, it is produced in a unique gasification process using natural gas and woody biomass. The plant is expected to produce about 227.3 million litres of fuel a year. But that’s
the fuel can be used like normal transportation fuel, but instead of being refined from petroleum, it is produced in a unique gasification process using natural gas and woody biomass
just the beginning. Sundrop is hoping its new technology takes off and the company can follow through on building as many as four more plants, each producing more than 757.8 million litres of fuel a year. Local economic developers would love to see one of those ‘megaplants’ going up next to the pilot plant off Interstate 49. In April, wood pellet manufacturing giant German Pellets breathed life back into the tiny LaSalle Parish town of Urania when it announced a $300 million plant there. The plant will be on the site of the former Louisiana Pacific and Georgia Pacific plant that closed in 2002. It is expected to create 500 jobs and come online in March next year. Wood pellets are used extensively in other parts of the world, particularly Europe, to generate electricity and heat. They are most commonly made by pressing wood shavings and sawdust into a globe or cylinder shape. The facility in Urania is billed as the world’s largest pellet plant. It is expected to produce one million tonnes of pellets a year. – The Town Talk, Louisiana
scouting around for trees: camp promotes sustainable forestry to the next generation IT was a great week at the Boy Scouts of America’s 2013 National Jamboree, where the US Sustainable Forestry Initiative helped thousands of the 35,000 scouts, leaders and family members to learn more about sustainable forestry and responsible purchasing of forest products. SFI Inc is a fully independent,
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charitable organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management. Held at The Summit Bechtel Reserve, a new high-adventure scout camp near Beckley, West Virginia, the Jamboree included zip lines, water sports, climbing walls, scuba diving – and many opportunities for scouts to earn a range of merit badges and
special patches. SFI volunteers staffed the SFI tent on the Jamboree’s conservation trail. Scouts participated in the ‘Conservation Challenge’ developed by the West Virginia Division of Forestry and co-sponsored by SFI, the West Virginia Forestry Association and the Society of American Foresters.
Here, scouts are learning concepts and facts and then completing an online quiz about forestry and sustainability. The SFI booth features a 3-D wood puzzle for scouts to solve and a ‘tree cookie’ – a cross section of a tree more than a century old – for scouts to handle and to guess the tree’s age.
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wOrKPLACe, HeALtH And sAFety
Awareness first step in controlling hazards From Page 13
risks in the same way you might, so another tactic is to follow and observe an employee’s work for a few hours, and have discussions around safety – you will soon get a clear snapshot for potential hazards. Extremely busy managers can try to spot all hazards in a 30-minute walk through a work area, discuss with those who might be affected, and repeat the exercise every week until a thorough scope of the workplace has been made. • record: Note all the identified hazards on a workplace inspection checklist – any employee can perform this in their own area. Writing it down makes it harder to ignore, and it lets your team know you’re considering solutions to any issues.. • Prioritise: Use a Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment & Control (HIRAC) format
to score each risk from negligible to extreme. Take into consideration the likelihood of an incident occurring and the level of consequence that this could have. This will allow you to prioritise your actions. HIRAC or Risk Assessment forms are available from your industry association or statutory Work Safe or Work Cover authority, and are best filled out by HR, safety or OHS coordinators, with the assistance of safety representatives who have a bit of knowledge. • Control and consult: It is best to implement a control that will eliminate the risk altogether, or minimise it through an engineering solution such as noise reduction. Note them down on the HIRAC form. Consult again with employees to ensure everyone agrees. Getting them involved will help ensure they implement the controls when the time comes. • Monitor and review: To
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determine if your processes and controls are effective, and reducing incidents, review them at least monthly. Compare the number of incidents and their level of significance. If there has been no improvement, it’s time to re-think your plan. • train new employees: Awareness is the first step in controlling hazards. employees who are new to the workplace, inexperienced or untrained are
particularly at risk. Investing in their training and development can do more than just protect your business financially and legally - it can save their life. There is no real ‘secret’ to optimum workplace safety. In fact, the most effective OHS risk management systems are practical, logical, and simple to implement and understand. Visit www.saiglobal.com/ohs
Valuable open discussion From Page 11
NSW Forestry Corporation’s radiata pine production nursery and inspected plantation management operations at Bago forest Other activities in a comprehensive sweep of the region’s forestry operations by the taskforce included a visit to the Visy kraft pulp and paper
mill and an inspection of the Hyne sawmill at Tumbarumba. The review of performance at the Hyne mill, the largest softwood sawmilling complex in the country, included a valuable, open discussion with mill management about operational efficiencies and the improving prospects for softwood products in domestic and export markets.
ISSUE 280 | 29.07.13 | PAGE 17
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