Issue282

7791

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ISSUE 282 | 12.08.13 | PAGE 1

Forest sector to hold clout in poll

THIS ISSUE • Is Labor losing its Rudd-er?

• Strengthening housing market: ABS

Proven future for industry drives AFPA marginal seats campaign FOREST-based enterprises will shoulder significant weight and carry serious clout in the electorates which will deliver the Lodge to either Kevin Rudd or Tony Abbott, according to AFPA CEO Ross Hampton.

The Australian Forest Products Association has a message for all the candidates: support forestry and your voters may decide they support you.

AFPA’s marginal seats campaign is under way and candidates are being surveyed.

Soon, collated answers will be fed back to the communities of those electorates.

AFPA has targeted 21 seats across six states, all with strong forestry or forest products interests.

These seats will help determine the make-up of the next federal government.

The campaign will hone in on 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

• • •

•

Campaign to save pulp, paper jobs AFS standard expanding to NZ? Taking lead in Canterbury rebuild Elders sheds plantations to clear debts NZ forest work safety concerns

Cont Page 2

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www.osmose.com.au Call: 1800 088 809 ISSUE 282 | 12.08.13 | PAGE 1

ELECTION 2013

AFPA charts plan to make industry prosper and grow From Page 1

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

Braddon, Bass, Franklin, Lyons and Denison in Tasmania.

Just 39 days after Julia Gillard was dumped by Labor, Kevin Rudd ended the guessing game and visited GovernorGeneral Quentin Bryce to ask for the first September election since the end of World War 2.

The election, which coincides with the first week of the AFL finals, will be one week earlier than the September 14 date set by Gillard and will also mean the controversial local government referendum will be shelved.

There are 150 seats in the federal parliament but only a few that really matter if it goes down to the wire. It is the marginal seats where this election will be decided – seats such as EdenMonaro in southern NSW, and the three northern-most seats in Tasmania: Bass, Braddon and Lyons.

These four seats are bastions of the forest industry. Forest, and forest product, businesses in these seats employ hundreds of locals. Those workers use services which provide employment for hundreds more.

“We’re not asking for much,” Ross Hampton said.

“We want candidates to acknowledge that with $4 billion in paper and timber being imported into this country every year (and the number is growing), it makes sense to make a stand for our homegrown operators.

“No one will have missed the government announcing that all government cars must be Australian made in support of

Down to the wire .. hundreds of jobs in forest industry hold key to marginal seats.

Ross Hampton .. call to speed up approvals processes.

Australian jobs.

“But where is government intervention when forestry and our producers need it?”

Mr Hampton said despite pleading from Australian business, the government regularly failed to step in to ensure that departments and agencies choose Australian paper products even when the price difference is as little as 1%.

“If jobs are lost in Australia because of such decisions is it really providing ‘best value for the taxpayer’’’.

‘It’s not a plan for subsidies but for resource security so that we get the certainty needed to encourage business investment’ – Ross Hampton PAgE 2 | issuE 282 | 12.08.13

AFPA has delivered a plan to all federal politicians that will see the industry prosper and grow.

“It’s not a plan for subsidies but for resource security so that we get the certainty needed to encourage business investment,” Mr Hampton said.

“We make a call to speed up approvals processes. A call to acknowledge that well managed, repeatedly harvested forests, are by far the most efficient means of delivering carbon capture and storage.”

He said the future for Australian forest products should be bright. The decline in newsprint was dwarfed by the surging consumption of all sorts of other timber and paper products – led by China and India.

As well, the world was discovering hundreds of innovative new uses of forest products such as crosslaminated timber which is spawning a new generation of high rise wooden buildings.

Pointing to a water bottle on his desk, Mr Hampton said although it looked like malleable plastic, it was in fact moulded from tree cellulose.

He said all over the world power stations were converting forestry and sawmill offcuts (and other organic waste) into power, heat and fuel.

Cont Page 3

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ELECTION 2013

Is Labor losing its Rudd-er?

Battle in marginal seats could decide who will be leader after September 7 THE battle in marginal seats both in Victoria and Queensland could decide who becomes Prime Minister at the September 7 elections.

The most intense focus will be on whether Labor can withstand the Liberal assault on its three most marginal seats of Corangamite, Deakin and La Trobe in outer Melbourne.

The Liberal National Party holds 20 of Queensland’s federal seats, but seven are marginal.

Business groups say the major issues driving Queensland voters are infrastructure spending, business policy and the environment.

The Australian Forest Products Association has launched a marginal and forestry seats campaign to bring forest policy to the fore in the election. (See Page 1) Kevin Rudd opened his election campaign with a $700 million spending spree, just days after revealing a massive blowout in the Budget deficit.

Economists warn the country cannot afford more spending.

The PM announced massive spending on childcare, the car industry and mental health, just days after a shocking miniBudget that increased taxes and cut spending by $17 billion to cope with a shock $33 billion

Kevin Rudd

hit to revenue.

Rudd has asked voters to give him their trust to navigate the choppy waters of the future for another three years. But Tony Abbott insists only he will be fair dinkum and give the nation a stable and positive future.

A poll, published hours after Rudd named a date for the federal election, revealed voter support for the PM has slumped.

“The campaign will be both intense and interesting,” says corporate strategist and political adviser Philip Dalidakis, principal of SCG Advisory in

Melbourne.

“Kevin Rudd is an extremely effective campaigner, Tony Abbott a successful counter puncher. Both have very different strengths and weaknesses,” the former CEO of the Victorian Association of Forest Industries said.

“Rudd’s popularity remains high, in spite of the negative character assessments by former colleagues over the last three years. He started his campaign pitch borrowing from the John Howard playbook by asking all Australians, who do you trust?

“Meanwhile, the Opposition leader began his pitch talking about real change and if he can continue to maintain his steely determination and discipline along with a tight media focus then he has one hand on the door to the PM’s office.”

Mr Dalidakis, who has worked as a policy adviser to federal and state ministers, predicts, on both current polling and political intuition, that the Coalition will win by about 10 or 15 seats.

“Ultimately, this is Tony Abbott’s election to lose,” he said.

In Tasmania, where the forest industry and ENGOs continue to fight for the hearts, minds,

Tony Abbott

Philip Dalidakis .. all four Labor seats in Tasmania at risk.

In Tasmania, where the forest industry and ENGOs continue to fight for the hearts, minds, jobs and moral supremacy, the election battle extends across the state

Cont Page 8

Governments have been too slow to renew RFAs From Page 2

“Other countries have determined they will fight to ensure their forestry operators make the transition from older business models to a newer, greener, future.

“In Canada, for example, the government has partnered in a $90 million forestry

innovation institute. Where is ours? In Japan, a renewable energy feed-in tariff program has produced a woody waste power plant. In Norway there is a ‘wood first’ policy for government buildings. If you invest in a forest in the UK you get tax free timber sales.

“In Australia, governments have been too slow to renew

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the RFAs which balance environmental and business needs.

Meanwhile, our businesses have been slugged with arbitrary rezoning of forest into ‘no go’ areas.

“We also aren’t driving the planting of the long rotation trees which we will be crying out for in years to come.

“This parliament even failed to give the tick for offcuts and waste from native forestry operations to be used as a green energy source, despite bipartisan agreement that it should be so.”

The renewable energy issue is one of AFPA’s questions in the survey of candidates.

issue 282 | 12.08.13 | Page 3

EVENTS

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wHAT’S ON?

AUGUST

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 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.

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EVENTS

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

MARCH 2014 19: Forestwood 2014. Politics, Policies and Business Impacts.

Pan-industry conference jointly hosted by Forest Owners Association, Wood Processors Association, Pine Manufacturers Association, Forest Industry

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 282 | 12.08.13 | PAGE 5

ELECTION 2013

Workers mount campaign to save future jobs in pulp, paper industry WORKERS in Morwell in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley have launched a billboard campaign to put the future of pulp and paper jobs on the federal election agenda Traralgon local Chris Robertson is passionate about the future of the largest private sector employer in the Latrobe Valley; four generations of his family have worked at the Australian Paper’s Maryvale mill Along with fellow workers, Mr Robertson has placed two prominent billboards in the heart of Morwell with the aim of putting the industry’s future firmly on the political agenda during the five-week election campaign.

The billboards — part of the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union’s ‘Let’s Spread It Around’ campaign — carry a simple message: ‘Don’t shred pulp and paper jobs.

Buying Australian paper means Australian jobs’.

[The federal seat of Gippsland is held by Darren Chester of the Nationals].

For Mr Robertson, who has worked at the mill for 23 years, the future of his local employer, and the Australian paper industry generally, is a deeply

PAgE 6 | issuE 282 | 12.08.13

Workers district federal secretary Alex Millar said the billboards also coincided with a postcard writing campaign, which has involved thousands of pulp and paper workers writing to politicians from all major political parties.

Chris Robertson .. four generations have worked in the paper mill.

personal issue.

“My grandfather, father and uncle worked there, as did my father-in-law and mother-inlaw, and my 23-year-old son started working at the mill last year,” he said.

“This mill opened in 1937, and since then it’s been an economic backbone for the communities of Morwell and Traralgon, where most of the 1000 direct employees live.

Mr Robertson said times were tough in the industry; more than 700 manufacturing jobs in the pulp and paper industry had been lost in just the last three years.

“You can’t help but worry when you see mills close at Burnie

and Wesley Vale in Tasmania and machines shut down in Millicent, South Australia,” he said.

“These billboards are part of a campaign to fix the procurement policies of the federal government, which is the largest customer of paper products in the country, so that the jobs of Aussie workers in the industry aren’t thrown on the scrapheap.

“I’ve got a 10-month-old grandson, and I really worry that without decisive political action he won’t have the chance to follow in his family’s footsteps, because there won’t be a local pulp and paper mill.”

CFMEU Pulp and Paper

“Workers in the pulp and paper industry don’t want charity, they just want to see sensible policies put in place to ensure the ongoing viability of this important industry,” Mr Millar said.

“A simple challenge workers have laid down to all political parties and candidates is to put their money where their mouths are on supporting Australian jobs by using Australian made paper products for all their election materials.

“The government is the biggest purchaser of paper products in the country, but their broken procurement policies mean quality Australian products are often replaced by inferior overseas paper, sometimes sourced from companies with a history of environmental and labour abuses.”

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CERTIFICATION

AFS standard expanding to NZ?

Technical committee formed to consider proposal STANDARDS New Zealand has formed a technical committee to consider adoption of the Australian Standard for forest management (AS4708).

“If the committee ultimately supports the proposal and AS4708 is adopted as a New Zealand standard, forest managers will be able to seek certification against the standard by an independent certification body accredited by the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ),” AFS national secretary Richard Stanton said.

He said Standards New Zealand had procedures for the development, review and adoption of standards which were similar to those of standards Australia and Australian standards development organisations such as Australian Forestry Standard Ltd. “These procedures require public consultation and committee consensus,” Mr Stanton said.

“If the Australian standard for forest management (AS4708) is adopted in New Zealand, AFS Ltd has undertaken to work with stakeholders to evaluate the potential expansion of the Australian Forest Certification Scheme and PEFC endorsement to cover New Zealand.”

Meanwhile, FSC and PEFC, the two organisations together accounting for 98% of the world’s certified forests and chain of custody certificates, have called on members of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) to reject a proposal for an ISO standard to be developed for certified forest products as it stands.

A new work item proposal on chain of custody of forestbased products requirements has been submitted to ISO

by ABNT (Brazil) and DIN

(Germany).

This proposal is for standardisation in the field of forest management requirements for a chain of custody control system for forest products.

ISO members have until the end of August to vote on such a proposal. In a joint statement to the ISO members, PEFC and FSC express their “sustained opposition” to the proposal.

FSC and PEFC state that they “strongly believe that an ISO chain of custody standard would not add value to global efforts to promote sustainable

forest management through forest certification.

They

say

the

fundamental

principles of PEFC and FSC chain of custody certification are closely aligned, allowing companies certification

to

obtain

dual

both

FSC

to

and PEFC in an efficient and straightforward

manner

at

minimal additional costs.

Richard Stanton .. AFS will work with stakeholders on expansion of standard.

“Dividing

the

supply

and

production chains results in sub optimal results,” they say.

Wood Protection

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Contact the Australian Lonza team for full details of the Lonza value package. phone:1300 650 636 issue 282 | 12.08.13 | Page 7

ELECTION 2013

By a margin .. Geoff Lyons (ALP) Bass, Sid Sidebottom (ALP) Braddon, Dick Adams (ALP) Lyons, Judy Collins (ALP) Franklin, and Mike Kelly (ALP) Eden-Monaro.

The return of Kevin Rudd has upset everyone’s calculations

From Page 3

jobs and moral supremacy, the election battle extends across the state, but can best seen in the two northern electorates of Bass and Braddon.

“While Labor holds four out of the five seats in Tasmania (the fifth is represented by the Independent Andrew Wilkie), history shows that Tasmanian politics move in long cycles,” Mr Dalidakis said.

An exclusive polling conducted by the Hobart Mercury says Labor will be obliterated by Tasmanian voters and stands a good chance of losing every Lower House seat it holds in the state.

The figures show the seats of Bass, Braddon and Lyons will be won easily by Liberal candidates, and in the state’s south, Franklin MP Julie Collins has a fight on her hands to hold off Liberal rival Bernadette Black.

The Liberals held all five seats from 1975 to 1987, Labor held them from 1998 to 2004, and again from 2007 to 2010. Since 2010, Labor has held four out of five. The Liberals haven’t won a Tasmanian seat since 2004.

“But with an unpopular LaborGreens government in Hobart – let’s call it Green fatigue – that is likely to change this year,” Mr Dalidakis said.

In Queensland, Labor has suffered several epic defeats at federal elections – 1949,

PAgE 8 | issuE 282 | 12.08.13

1966, 1975 and 1996. The Coalition parties dominated the Queensland seats during the Howard government years, but when Labor elected Queenslander Kevin Rudd as leader, there was a transformation and Labor picked up nine seats at the 2007 election.

In 2010, Labor tired of Rudd’s autocratic behaviour and replaced him with Julia Gillard.

Its stocks in Queensland crashed, and the Coalition regained seven seats. Now, with Rudd restored, Labor is hopeful of winning those seven lost seats.

Once regarded as the ‘jewel in the Liberal crown’, Victoria became Labor’s strongest state in the 1980s under Bob Hawke and has remained a Labor stronghold.

“Labor holds 22 of Victoria’s 37 seats, and will need to retain all of them to have any hope of

winning the 2013 election,” Mr Dalidakis said.

“In fact, Labor is hoping to win more Victorian seats since Rudd’s return with more focus on Liberal held seats of Aston and Dunkley.

“While seats like Chisolm, Deakin, Isaacs, LaTrobe and McEwan should all be ‘watched’ it is the seats of Aston and Corangamite that will indicate the electoral mood in Australia’s second most populous state.”

Mr Dalidakis said New South Wales, with nearly a third of the seats in the House of Representatives, was central to the outcome of every federal election.

“The great coastal region of Sydney-Newcastle-Wollongong has been dominated by Labor at both state and federal levels for a century, but since John Howard’s breakthrough victory in 1996, Labor’s grip has been weakening, as the

newly affluent multi-cultural working-class has turned to the Liberals over issues such as taxation, mortgage rates, support for private schools and, more recently, hostility to unauthorised boat arrivals,” Mr Dalidakis observed.

“Until Julia Gillard was deposed, up to 15 Labor seats were set to fall, including western suburban strongholds such as Chifley and Werriwa. But the return of Kevin Rudd has upset everyone’s calculations. Polls in July showed the vote both nationally and in NSW deadlocked at 5050, with some even showing a small swing to Labor.

“In these circumstances, attention has returned to the traditional marginal seats, most of them around Sydney’s fringes.”

Western Australia has been barren territory for federal Labor over the past decade and now it only holds three of 15 seats.

Beattie tarts up for seat of Forde A FORMER Queensland premier Peter Beattie, who presided over the closure of much of Queensland’s southeast and western hardwoods industry, has been parachuted into the federal election, standing as an ALP candidate in the marginal seat of Forde.

The division in the southern suburbs of Brisbane is a

semi-rural area that includes Loganlea, Beenleigh and Beaudesert, home for 60 years of Enrights Sawmill, the last of the region’s hardwood processors.

Liberal National Party MP Bert van Manen holds Forde on a margin of only 1.6% Mr Beattie, 60, was premier of Queensland from 1998 to 2007.

Peter Beattie

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INduSTRy NEwS

Moving out of forests .. Malcolm Jackman (left) with Mike Guerin, managing director of Elders Rural Services.

Elders shedding plantations to clear huge debts LONG-TIME forest manager Elders is close to shedding its troublesome forestry interests in a drive to clear massive debts.

The Australian company, which manages 130,000 ha of plantations in four states, last week completed the sale of its Futuris automotive division to US private equity firm Clearlake.

The $69 million sale will slash Elders’ net debt and managing director Malcolm Jackman said in a report in the West Australian that he expected the disposal of the forestry interests within months.

Reducing debt remains a top priority for Elders as it moved to focus solely on its rural services business.

The forestry interests, which include blue gum plantations near Esperance with 11,000 ha of freehold land and 46,000 ha of standing trees, have been a millstone around the company’s neck.

The managed investment scheme plantations are being bulldozed with no prospect of a harvest and prepared for a return to pasture or cropping.

“We are at a stage now where I expect that by the end of September we will be close to concluding all issues around forestry,” Mr Jackman said.

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“We are getting ready to take a proposition to growers for them to vote on.”

Address all correspondence to Elders rejected an offer for its PO Box 330, Hamilton Central, Qld 4007 rural service business from rival and major shareholder Ruralco in June. It is believed the offer, reportedly about $250 million, fell well short of Elders’ dennis@industrye-news.com expectations.

The two companies compete PUBLISHER head-to-head in rural Dennis Macready communities across Western dennis@industrye-news.com Australia.

US company CHS Inc took a 50% stake in Ruralco’s grain marketer Agfarm late last month. mAnAgIng EDITOR Ruralco said the deal did not Jim Bowden rule out it taking another tilt at Tel: +61 7 3266 1429 Elders.

Mob: 0401 312 087 Mr Jackman said Ruralco was cancon@bigpond.net.au “part and parcel” of everything Elders needed to do to ADVERTISIng recapitalise the company.

Tel: +61 7 3266 1429 “They are still our largest cancon@bigpond.net.au shareholder and we will continue to have a close working relationship with them at a corporate level but compete like hell with them in the bush,” he said.

Mr Jackman said the Futuris Opinions expressed on Timber & Forestry e news are not necessarily the sale, which came 11 months opinions of the editor, publisher or staff. we do not accept responsibility after it was put on the market, for any damage resulting from inaccuracies in editorial or advertising.

The Publisher is therefore indemnified against all actions, suits, claims was a positive result for the or damages resulting from content on this e news. Content cannot be business, its employees, reproduced without the prior consent of the Publisher- Custom Publishing customers and the Australian Group. automotive industry.

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issue 282 | 12.08.13 | Page 9

CSIRO RESEARCH

Soil carbon ‘blowing in the wind’ Shifting landscapes challenge land management

AUSTRALIAN soils are losing about 1.6 million tonnes of carbon each year from wind erosion and dust storms, affecting land management and agricultural productivity, the economy and carbon accounts, according to new research.

Top soil is rich in nutrients and carbon but is increasingly being blown away by events such as the ‘Red Dawn’ in Sydney in 2009. When wind lifts carbon dust into the atmosphere it changes the amount and location of soil carbon. Some carbon falls back to the ground while some leaves Australia or ends up in the ocean.

CSIRO research scientist Dr Adrian Chappell and an international team of experts in wind erosion and dust emission recently calculated the extent of these carbon dust emissions.

“Carbon stored in our soils helps sustain plant growth. Our modelling shows that millions of tonnes of dust and carbon are blowing away, and it is uncertain where all that ends up,” Dr Chappell said.

“We need to understand the impact of this dust carbon cycle to develop more accurate national and global estimates

Trees to the rescue .. in the North African Sahel, farmers have reclaimed thousands of hectares of land lost to the desert by planting barricades of trees to stop winds blowing away the topsoil.

of carbon balances and to be able to prepare for life in a changing climate.

“Australia’s carbon accounts, and even global carbon accounts, have not yet taken wind or water erosion into consideration and when this happens it could have significant impacts on how we manage our landscapes. While soil organic carbon lost through dust is not a major contributor

to Australia’s total emissions, it is a major factor in our deteriorating soil health.”

Carbon is an essential ingredient for the healthy soils which underpin Australia’s capability to produce enough food to feed 60 million people. Understanding the movement of carbon through the landscape is a necessity if we are to improve the quality of soils and support farmers and

‘Australia’s carbon accounts, and even global carbon accounts, have not yet taken wind or water erosion into consideration’ – dr Adrian Chappell

Dr Adrian Chappell .. stored carbon helps sustain plant growth.

land managers to store carbon.

This is not an issue for Australia alone; other countries will also need to know the fate of their wind-blown carbon; countries such as USA and China with larger dust emissions will likely face similar challenges when including wind borne dust in their carbon accounting.

With the frequency and intensity of dust storms likely to increase in Australia, the impact of wind erosion would also increase.

This redistribution of carbon needs to be better understood so land management practices can be improved to better protect soils.

Koala tracker Oscar barking up right tree STATE forestry managers in New South Wales are employing a unique staff member to track the live koala population.

The world’s first koala sniffer dog, Oscar, is being used by the NSW Forestry Corporation in the Royal Camp state forest near Casino in the state’s north.

Oscar has been trained on the south coast to track live koalas living in native forests.

The Forestry Corporation is trying to confirm that the koala population in the state forest was unaffected by its illegal logging of koala feed trees last month.

PAgE 10 | issuE 282 | 12.08.13

The Regional Manager from Forestry Corporation Craig Busby says Oscar’s findings were very positive.

“We just thought it would be worth a go to identify both in the previously harvested areas and the unharvested areas, whether the koalas are still active or not.

“Oscar the Labrador is a very effective means of finding those fresh scats and evidence of koalas,” he said.

Handler Jim Shields says when Oscar barks up a tree it’s a sign he’s found a koala, or at least detected their smell or droppings.

Park ranger Steve Chapple with Oscar.

“I originally trained Oscar in wildlife management and

he was used to chase away kangaroos on the Merimbula airport runway.

“Two years ago I began training him to detect koalas with the help of a dog training guru Gary Jackson in Brisbane. We’d put the stuffed koalas from Vinnies, which had been rubbed on real koalas at a nearby wildlife sanctuary, up in trees for Oscar to try to find.

“It was hard work. You need a smart dog who loves praise and can be turned on and off on command. Drug and explosive sniffer dogs at airports are just too dumb.”

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INduSTRy NEwS

Former BRANZ CEO to lead Canterbury rebuild program RESPECTED authority on building and construction Pieter Burghout has stepped down as CEO of New Zealand safety research body BRANZ Ltd to lead the Canterbury rebuild program for Fletcher Building.

Subsidiary Fletcher Construction is project manager for the rebuild under the Earthquake Commission, covering more than 60,000 residential properties.

The Canterbury earthquake – also known as the Christchurch earthquake – struck the south island of New Zealand on September 4, 2010.

The rebuilding process had gained traction after insurers extended coverage to builders.

Twenty-one repair hubs have been established throughout

Pieter Burghout

Chris Preston

the Canterbury region and more than 20,000 home repairs have been completed. Fletcher

Construction is targeting 100,000 completed repairs by the end of 2015.

The Canterbury rebuilding process has gained traction after insurers extended coverage to builders

Pieter Burghout left BRANZ in June to take up the position of general manager of Fletcher’s Canterbury operations. He has been replaced by Chris Preston who has stepped down as BRANZ chairman to act as interim CEO. Before joining BRANZ, Mr Burghout was CEO of the Master Builders Federation.

Mr Preston said Mr Burghout has made a significant contribution to the ongoing development of BRANZ during his five-year tenure as CEO. “He has overseen key projects such as a major redevelopment of the BRANZ headquarters at Judgeford north of Wellington and the implementation of an industry research strategy. He has lifted the profile of BRANZ’s work significantly.

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issue 282 | 12.08.13 | Page 11

EVENTS

Top sponsorship opportunities at Frame Australia in Melbourne ‘PREFAB Timber and Engineered Wood in Building Construction’ is the theme for next year’s Frame Australia, and already a number of local and international suppliers are confirming sponsorship participation in the event.

Frame Australia is the only national conference and exhibition for the complete supply chain of structural timber, engineered wood products and pre-fabricated frames for the detached housing and multi-residential dwelling markets.

The 2014 event, to be held on May 19 and 20, 2014, at the prestigious Park Hyatt Melbourne, will celebrate its 16th year.

Conference sessions will include presentations by

previous years,” Mr Ezard said.

global and local speakers with discussion panels on timber and building markets, new developments, products and systems for the use of timber and engineered wood in residential building construction.

Conference director Kevin Ezard said that following the success of Frame Australia 2012, it was anticipated up to 400 would attend in 2014.

“A new feature will be lower cost flexible registration for delegates to attend sessions of interest without the need to register for two days as in

“The expanded exhibition display area within the 2014 event will provide sponsors an exceptional opportunity to access target markets within the key industry sector delegates of manufacturing, importing, distribution, prefabrication, building design, and dwelling construction.”

Levels of sponsorship available are outlined in a sponsorship proposal on the conference website www.frameaustralia. com

Kevin Ezard .. expanded exhibition display at Frame Australia 2014.

Further information and printed copies of the proposal can be obtained from conference director Kevin Ezard on (03) 9537 3800 or email: kevin@ frameaustralia.com

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 282 | 12.08.13

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INduSTRy NEwS

ABS figures flag a strengthening housing market A SIXTH consecutive rise in housing finance figures released last week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics provides hope of a strengthening recovery in the residential housing market.

Master Builders Australia has welcomed the interest rate cut on August 6 of 2.5% and is hoping that it will help reignite much needed confidence and draw a line under what have been weak trading conditions facing the building industry.

The total number of dwelling commitments rose 2.7% in June, seasonally adjusted, according to the ABS figures.

The number of commitments for the construction of new dwellings rose 0.9% and commitments for the purchase of new dwellings rose 0.2%, seasonally adjusted.

Nationally, loans for the construction of dwellings and for the purchase of new dwellings combined rose 0.6% in the month, to be up 13.3% from June 2012.

Encouragingly, housing finance commitments for owner occupiers in Queensland increased by a strong 4.4% seasonally adjusted for the month of June.

Master Builders Australia’s chief economist Peter Jones said the figures confirmed the impact of lower interest rates is starting to be felt in the housing market.

“The figures are encouraging although any increase in new building activity or work done tends to lag finance commitments by a few months as existing stock is soaked up,” Mr Jones said.

“With an upswing in housing finance starting to strengthen, residential builders will

Peter Jones .. home builders are banking on further improvements.

welcome a flow-through into new building activity where the recovery to date has been unusually tepid.

“Home builders are banking on further improvements with the Reserve Bank’s further rate cut expected to help drive a long-awaited improvement in building activity,” Mr Jones said.

Master Builders CEO Wilhelm Harnisch said the RBA rate underscored the need for further policy action to strengthen the building and construction industry so it could play its proper role in the transition from the resources boom.

“It will also be welcome news for people struggling with mortgage repayments, but only if the banks pass on the cuts to homeowners and small businesses in full,” he said.

“There is no justification for the banks to delay or withhold today’s reduction in the cash rate to homeowners and small businesses.”

Mr Harnisch said the immediate challenge ahead was to restore confidence to enable a private sector recovery in housing and commercial building.

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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

ISSUE 282 | 12.08.13 | PAGE 13

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 raise funds for disadvantaged from Em 13 Queensland7 Ho swood is ready Variety Cl erald in ce ub Bu sh Ba ntral and Mount children, travelling in the Isa, to Mis Queensland, via W sh in sion Beac Queensla nd. h in Far N ton 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.

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 central Queen sland Blackall and Stoneh enge, up to Winton , west to 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: Major Sponsors John Crooke, Queensland Sawmills HQ Plantations Advanced Timber Systems

Sponsors (to date) Forest and Wood Products Australia Australian Forest Products Association Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia Austbrokers Premier Insurance Beyond Blue Tim Tech Chemicals Kop-Coat NZ Timber&Forestry enews

Frank Withey Alan Jones (Hoo-Hoo Club 218 president) Spiro Notaras (Notaras Bros, Grafton, NSW) John Gill (The Timberman) Thora Wholesale Timbers Noel Griffiths (Skyline Building Services) Nigel Turvey (Gro Group, NT) David Alcock (Asia Pacific Timber Marketing) Gerry Gardiner (iTreat Timber Pty Ltd) Tim Evans (Independent Verification Services) Tableland Timbers Paul Anderson (IMEMS Pty Ltd) Peter and Carolyn Mort Ron Bell

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

PAGE 14 | ISSUE 282 | 12.08.13

Welcome to Kotri .. Josie Kirby, 1½, with her new Wood Solutions ‘saddlebags’ rides down to thank members of the Queensland Variety Bush Bash event who dropped by to say hello during their visit to central Queensland.

Hoo-Hoo Club 218 trots out the goodies for Josie TINY Josie Kirby, almost 2 years old, trotted down on her favourite pony to meet the Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Club 218 team members who were visiting her grandparents’ home in the small Central Queensland town of Springsure last week during the Variety Club Bush Bash.

Tim Evans, Peter and Carolyn Mort and Peter Webb, CEO of IVS New Zealand, were on Kotri Station, a beef property run by Colin and Marg Kirby.

The Kirbys and many other Springsure families welcomed hundreds of drivers in the Bush Bash event who this weekend reach Mount Isa for the final run to Mission Beach in North Queensland, completing a 6220 km journey to raise funds for sick and disadvantaged children.

Josie Kirby was among hundreds of children at homes, properties and schools along the Bush Bash track who

received special gifts and bags of fun goodies.

Teachers and children at nine schools along the way also received swags of wood promotion and educational material from the Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Club team which included information about the industry’s Wood Naturally Better Campaign.

The club’s 1977 Kingswood Holden – dubbed the national forest industry’s ‘kid’s care car’ – started the 10-day event in Emerald in central Queensland and ends with a grand entry into Mission Beach on August 14.

The Bush Bash veteran is taking its second run in the Bush Bash event and is committed to enter its third run next year.

Timber&Forestry enews is receiving regular reports from the Club 218 team along the track.

Bush Bash veteran .. Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Club 218’s 1977 Holden Kingswood stops for a re-fill at Isisford on the Barcoo River.

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Pressure on NZ forest industry to ‘clean up’ work safety record Minister rejects need for government inquiry THE New Zealand forest industry is on the verge of announcing an inquiry into safety in response to criticism it is not doing enough.

There have been 28 deaths since 2008, including six in the last year. About 330 workers were seriously hurt last year, making it one of the most dangerous industries, although this is a big improvement on five years ago when double that number were injured on the job.

With the industry’s poor record in the spotlight since the release of the findings of the Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety which found the system “not fit for purpose”, the pressure has gone on from unions and families of victims for action.

Labour Minister Simon Bridges has rejected the need for a government inquiry, saying a code of practice for the sector, which was implemented in December, would make a difference once it had had time to “bed in”.

However, the Forest Owners Association and the Forestry Industry Contractors Association have agreed to hold their own inquiry and expect to announce details within the next few weeks.

Contractors chief executive John Stulen said they were still finalising who would be involved and how it would be structured but it was likely to be based on the taskforce model to ensure it was independent.

Worker and union representation was still under discussion but they would be included. “I can’t see how it cannot do that”.

He said the inquiry would be wide-ranging, thorough and

Industry safety in spotlight … workplace taskforce looks at high accident rate in forests.

open.

“We need to look at all accidents whether they are near-misses, minor accidents which could have been worse, as well as ones involving serious harm and deaths.”

It would cover farm forestry, which had a higher accident rate, as well as corporate forestry.

“We are not turning away from any issue.”

The inquiry would run parallel to a review being carried by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment into the safety performance of logging contractors.

Ministry inspectors were planning to visit every crew three times which was a big step up from what they had done in the past and one that the association welcomed, Mr Stulen said.

As the workplace taskforce had made clear, under-enforcement by the ministry had been a problem with too few inspectors and a lack of resources, he said.

The industry was waiting to see

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Simon Bridges .. code of practice will make a difference.

if that had changed.

First Union general secretary Robert Reid said there had been a lot of behind-the-scenes discussion over the level of worker involvement in the inquiry and he was hopeful of a positive announcement shortly.

He said the inquiry had to delve into the reasons for the high accident rate rather than just take a “dos and don’ts” approach.

For instance, fatigue was a major factor with some tree fellers expending as much

energy in a day as someone running a marathon.

The ministry also had to conduct a thorough warrant of fitness assessment of contractors and managers rather than just “tick the boxes”.

“All the investigations into deaths or serious accidents have been one-offs by coroners or the ministry; no-one has done a forensic analysis of what has happened.”

The prospect of an inquiry was welcomed by Nelson Forests, the largest forest owner in the region.

Estate manager Andrew Karalus said the top of the south had a better safety record than other regions due to its skilled contractors, but industry accident figures were still “terrible”.

“We think we are doing a good job but we would welcome someone coming in to have a look. Fresh eyes help you see things you may have overlooked.”

Moutere Logging boss Dale Ewers said he “totally” backed an inquiry, saying it was “appalling” that six people had died this year.

“A huge amount of effort and work has gone in over the last couple of years but clearly it is not enough.”

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment are running a series of presentations to the forestry industry in Nelson to introduce the Safer Forest Harvesting project, which is the ministry’s initiative to reduce the death and injury toll in forests.

- Fairfax NZ News

ISSUE 282 | 12.08.13 | PAGE 15

INTERNATIONAL FOCuS

One tree’s architecture reveals secrets of a forest, study finds Data on carbon dioxide, oxygen forest exchange BEHIND the dazzling variety of shapes and forms found in trees hides a remarkably similar architecture based on fundamental, shared principles, US university ecologists have discovered.

Researchers in the University of Arizona’s department of ecology and evolutionary biology have found that despite differences in appearance, trees across species share remarkably similar architecture and can tell scientists a lot about an entire forest.

Just by looking at a tree’s branching pattern, it turns out, scientists can gather clues about how it functions – for example how much carbon dioxide it exchanges with the atmosphere or how much water transpires through its leaves – regardless of the tree’s shape or species.

The researchers’ results, published in the August issue of the scientific journal Ecology Letters, have important implications for models used by scientists to assess how trees influence ecosystems across the globe.

Brian Enquist .. predicting how much carbon and water a tree exchanges with the environment.

Studies like this enable scientists to refine models used to assess and predict functions that cannot be directly measured for an entire forest, for example how much carbon dioxide and oxygen the forest exchanges with the atmosphere and how much water the trees lose through evaporation.

According to the authors, their study is the first empirical test of a theory UA ecology professor Brian Enquist helped develop in 1998. That theory holds that a tree’s branching structure

Lisa Patrick Bentley .. scaling the size of plants to their function.

– specifically, the width and length of its branches – predicts how much carbon and water a tree exchanges with the environment in relation to its overall size, independently of the species.

The balsa tree looks very different from say, a pine tree.

Yet, UA ecologists discovered that both share a general architecture that can help scientists make predictions about entire forests.

“This theory can be used to scale the size of plants to their function, such as amount of photosynthesis, water loss and respiration, especially in light of climate change,” said Lisa Patrick Bentley, who led the research, funded by the National Science Foundation, as part of a postdoctoral fellowship.

“If you were to look at an entire forest and wanted to know how much carbon this forest puts out, our study supports the idea that you might only have to look at the properties of a few trees, representing the smallest and the largest, to figure this out.”

Trees have internal ‘body clocks’ like humans SOME trees have internal clocks that coordinate the activities of their cells with the cycles of day and night, just like the ‘body clock’ in humans, a new study has found.

Leaves are known to possess circadian rhythms, but the new study is the first to demonstrate them in whole trees.

Researchers looked at the Tasmanian blue gum tree and found it appears to use its internal clock to regulate its intake of water. These cycles could affect models of climate change, scientists say.

PAgE 16 | issuE 282 | 12.08.13

“It had never been shown that the circadian rhythm of the leaf affected the whole tree,” said study researcher Ruben Diaz Sierra, a physicist at the National University of Distance Education in Spain.

“If it works for the tree, it works for the whole forest,” he said.

Mr Diaz Sierra’s colleagues monitored trees in special ‘whole-tree chambers’ as part of the Hawkesbury Forest Experiment near Sydney – a broader experiment to study how Australia’s eucalypt forests respond to changes

in atmospheric carbon dioxide and climate, LiveScience reported.

These chambers enable researchers to control the air temperature, humidity and amount of light the trees are exposed to, although these parameters were allowed to vary in this study.

The researchers measured how much water vapour they lost through small openings in their leaves called stomata.

The scientists compared these values during overcast nights, when the environment stays

mostly constant throughout the evening, with nights that saw dramatic changes in temperature and humidity.

Water loss declined in the six hours after dusk, but increased noticeably during the six hours before dawn, even on nights when temperature and humidity remained constant.

Because the environment wasn’t changing, the increase can only be explained by the biological clock, observed study researcher Victor Resco de Dios of the University of Western Sydney.

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CAREERS

‘we must communicate the amazing opportunities that forestry can offer’

Michelle Freeman delivers message across Australia YOUNG forester and winner of the 2013 Victorian Rural Women’s Award Michelle Freeman is promoting her profession in a series of public sessions across Australia as part of her ‘Turn over a New Leaf’ series.

Ms Freeman, who works at VicForests and is director of youth and women for the Institute of Foresters of Australia, ran the first session in Mount Gambier, SA, last week.

She said she aimed to encourage the older generation to attract new people into the industry.

“Part of that is better communication,” she said. “We have amazing opportunities within forestry, but we are not effectively communicating that to the younger generation.”

The series also seeks to change forestry’s negative image due to the current economic climate.

“A lot of what you see and hear is all the negative stories, but the forestry profession is much broader than timber production,” Ms Freeman said.

“There are struggling markets at the moment, which is a challenge, but that is not going to be the same way forever.”

She said there were opportunities available for those willing to think outside the square.

“Foresters have so many skills and we need to manage forests for a variety of reasons,” she said. These included water, fire and agro-forestry, where they could be a positive asset to improving the health and productivity of farms, and the

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Michelle Freeman .. opportunities in forestry for those willing to work outside the square.

role of carbon and biodiversity.

Ms Freeman said women had a lot of unique skills and ideas to offer.

“I think there are more and

more women entering forest management careers but we still have a bit of work to do to balance up the numbers a little bit,” she said.

“There’s lots of things that really need to be spoken about and identified, in terms of the skills of women that can be real assets to forest management.”

Ms Freeman also stressed the importance of having a support network.

“Foresters work in quiet, remote and rural areas and it can be easy to feel disconnected. It’s really about building a united voice together – nationwide.”

Ms Freeman is using part of her $10,000 Rural Women’s Award prizemoney to hold the events, which will run until September 30.

ISSUE 282 | 12.08.13 | PAGE 17

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