FOREST TALK

Time to update Forestry Code of Practice, says coroner

A CORONER HAS ADVOCATED KEY IMPROVEMENTS TO

forestry’s Code of Practice. This follows the inquest into the death of Niko Brooking-Hodgson who was hit by a flying 9kg shackle that had snagged, then pulled free under force, in a forest block near Napier in August 2016. He was just 24.

Coroner, Donna Llewell, says it is time that forestry’s Code of Practice be updated. Niko’s father, Richard Brooking, said at the inquest that he wanted more regulation to see real change, particularly to the Approved Code of Practice for Safety and Health in Forestry Operations 2012 (ACoP).

All parties at the inquest agreed that there was no policy around line retrieval in the ACoP, and that prior to Mr Brooking-Hodgson’s death the forestry industry did not perceive line retrieval as a specific risk, or an operation that required specific training.

Following his death, a Best Practice Guide for Breaking Out in a Cable Harvesting Operation was published.

The coroner, Ms Llewell, made several recommendations, including that changes be made to the ACoP, that mandatory use of straw lines for retrieval be implemented where it was safe to do so, and the creation of new unit standards for training around line retrieval. She

also recommended urgent priority to the development of the next phase of the Health and Safety at Work regulatory framework In response, WorkSafe said it had taken on board the evidence from the inquest in relation to the need for greater engagement and participation of forestry workers when reviewing processes and amending the ACoP. The Forest Industry Safety Council’s (FISC) Fiona Ewing says a new safety code will only be worthwhile if it deals with underlying problems in FISC’s Fiona Ewing. forestry; the causes, not just the symptoms, of harm in our forests. The current ACoP was last revised in 2012 – before mechanisation became common and before the 2015 Health and Safety at Work Act was passed. This Act included new requirements to involve workers in health and safety, new responsibilities for those further up the supply chain and a new approach to risk management, she says. She says for the ACoP to succeed it needs to: • promote better understanding of risk; • promote effective worker engagement; • promote ‘better work’ in terms of ‘higher order controls’, ‘safety in design’ and ‘upstream duties’. NZL

Paying the price for poor safety

TAURANGA-BASED STEVEDORING COMPANY, C3, HAS BEEN

ordered to pay a fine of $90,000 and costs of $20,000 for safety failings which resulted in an excavator being dropped overboard from a logging ship in 2018.

C3 had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of breaching its duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and was sentenced Friday, 4 February in the Wellington District Court.

Maritime New Zealand’s Central Compliance Manager, Blair Simmons, says that the incident, which took place at Wellington’s Centreport on June 2, 2018, was particularly disappointing given it followed a similar incident at Northport in 2017 where it was “incredibly lucky” that no-one was injured. The previous incident resulted in a prosecution of C3 and another person, with C3 being convicted and fined $240,000.

“The excavator, which was being moved between two cargo holds where it was being used to load logs, fell from its lifting arrangement attached to the ship’s crane, hit the side of the ship and fell into the water,” Mr Simmons says.

The Maritime New Zealand investigation found several factors contributed to the incident: • C3’s standard operating procedure (SOP) for lifting heavy machinery was not developed or reviewed by a qualified engineer; • the lifting technique C3 was using has been identified as poor practice and is no longer being used by other stevedoring companies in New Zealand; • workers were not properly trained in the procedure; • the lifting lugs that were fixed to the excavator were not certified; • C3 did not have a system in place for regularly testing and monitoring its workers’ hearing and vision to ensure they were fit to operate machinery such as cranes.

Mr Simmons says the sentencing highlights the importance of staying up to date with industry best practice and having strong training and health and safety systems in place.

“While no single factor can be identified as the cause of the incident, there were clearly several serious health and safety failings that needed to be urgently addressed.”

C3 was charged under section 49 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 for a failure to comply with duties under sections 36(1), 36(2), 36(3). NZL

Omicron drives further Government financial support

A NEW TARGETED COVID SUPPORT PAYMENT HAS BEEN

established for businesses struggling with revenue during the Omicron outbreak.

“As I said back in October when we announced the traffic light system, the Government has been monitoring the impact of the COVID Protection Framework on businesses and the economy,” says Deputy Prime Minister, Grant Robertson.

“With the settings of the framework most businesses can open and operate relatively normally, even at red. We can see that the majority of the economy is operating close to normal, but in some sectors, like hospitality and events, there has been a significant drop-off in business. There are a range of reasons for this, but it is clear that the impact is putting a number of viable businesses at risk of not being able to operate.

Each COVID Support Payment will be $4000 per business plus $400 per full-time employee, capped at 50 full-time equivalent’s (FTE’s) or $24,000, this is the same rate as the most recent Transition Payment.

Applications for the first payment opened on February 28, with payments starting from March 1.

“It will be available on a fortnightly basis for six weeks – so three payments in total. This reflects the international experience that the peak of the Omicron outbreak should pass after about six weeks. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and have the option to extend the payment if this is necessary.

“We have set a higher threshold in terms of revenue loss than previous support in order to target those most affected. Firms must show a 40% drop in seven consecutive days within the six weeks prior to the shift to Phase 2 of the Omicron response on February 15.

“We looked closely at whether we could offer sector specific packages but the definition of who is in what sector, and the need for cashflow to be provided quickly meant that was not a feasible option to reach the most affected,” Mr Robertson says.

Revenue Minister, David Parker, adds that changes are also being made to the Small Business Cashflow Loans Scheme to increase the amount of funding available to eligible businesses through the introduction of a ‘top up’ loan.

“The top up loan will allow those firms that have already accessed a loan to draw down an additional $10,000 with a new repayment period of five years and the first two years being interest free,” he says.

“Cabinet has also agreed to remove the first two years of accrued base interest from all borrowers who have, or will, take out a loan under the scheme. This change will mean interest will only start accruing at the beginning of year three.

“We are also extending the Commissioner of Inland Revenue’s ability to apply flexibility for tax payment dates and terms to assist firms with cashflow pressures.”

Any businesses struggling to pay tax because of the impacts of COVID should log on to myIR to see if they can delay starting payments to a later date, or if any part of the tax could be written off. IR can help with both GST and provisional tax due, he says. NZL

“A kick in the guts for business”, says EMA

THE EMPLOYERS AND MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION (EMA)

says the minimum wage increase from $20 per hour to $21.20 per hour from April 1 is “another kick in the guts for businesses that are already on their knees”.

Chief Executive, Brett O’Riley, says the impact of COVID-19, disrupted supply chains, the inability to find skilled workers and rising inflation on small business is crippling.

“This has the potential to shut more people out of work than result in people earning more, because business simply can’t afford it,” he says.

“At a time when we’re talking to the Government about extra financial support as a result of COVID-19, it is unbelievable and frankly cruel that it is going ahead with this additional cost.”

Mr O’Riley says it is the burden of the cumulative costs that will break business: “If you put wages up, prices go up, fuelling inflation. If the Government wanted to do something about rising costs, there were other ways to alleviate the pressure,” he says.

He adds that the EMA would rather work with Government, unions and other business groups on improving productivity, and rapidly increasing skills in the workforce as a pathway to raising wages. NZL

Dunedin’s Brad Pako – the STIHL Timbersports Rookie of the Year in 2021 – at the Ford Ranger New Zealand Rural Games in Palmerston North.

Rural games another COVID casualty

THE FORD RANGER NEW ZEALAND RURAL GAMES, ORIGINALLY

scheduled to be held in The Square, Palmerston North this month is the latest national event to fall victim to the predicted spread of the COVID.

New Zealand’s largest rural sporting event was on track to draw crowds of over 50,000 to the free-to-the-public three-day event. In addition, the Norwood New Zealand Rural Sports Awards dinner, a seasoned favourite set for the Friday evening, had been well sold out to over 400 guests for six months.

New Zealand Rural Games Founder, Steve Hollander, says although he and his team were gutted, the decision was a no brainer.

“With the whole country moving to the red traffic light, it was clear that we could not proceed. The Agri Futures and Clash of the Colleges were going to be a huge drawcard to hundreds of secondary school students. The risk to vulnerable people was just way too great for the popular ‘have a go’ events for children and parents, plus the opportunity for so many elderly people to be able to sit and watch.”

He adds, “Knocked down but never knocked out – once the cancellation process is completed, the team will take a break and come back together mid-year to start planning for 2023. Only 400 days to go!”.

Though the games are cancelled, Stihl is holding a private event – 2022 Stihl Timbersports – for the 2022 champs in a bid to keep competitors safe.

The New Zealand Rural Games Trust runs and operates the Ford Ranger New Zealand Rural Games, the Norwood New Zealand Rural Sports Awards, the Allflex Clash of the Colleges and the Westpac Agri Futures careers day. NZL

Forestry Awards delayed

THE HAWKE’S BAY FORESTRY AWARDS have once again been pushed back thanks to COVID, this time to the end of the year.

“This announcement comes on the back of a crazy start to 2022 and with the development of Omicron and the unknown few months that lie ahead,” says Steve Bell, Chair of the Hawkes Bay Forestry Group.

“We have to take advice from the Ministry of Health and advisors suggesting that the spread of COVID is going to be fairly tumultuous and contagious especially for large events. Knowing we have already postponed our awards from last November 2021 due to Delta COVID, we think it’s best to again push the event out to the end of this year,” he adds.

“We hold over 22 nominations which is great and continue to receive them. We will file these and contact all nominators to reconsider content and update as we get closer to the closing date. The nominations will remain open and once a month we will be reminding industry to consider applications until closing in September.

“We apologise for this inconvenience again but consider the health of our industry paramount. While we are able to operate under this traffic light system and hopefully markets continue their upward trend, we want to make sure that enables us all to enjoy the Awards when they do happen and we most certainly want to be able to have more than 100 in the room celebrating our workforce,” says Mr Bell. NZL

Putting forestry to the test

ASSOCIATE MINISTER OF FINANCE, DAVID PARKER, HAS

announced changes to the Overseas Investment Act 2005 that mean “Benefit to New Zealand” will be the test for forestry conversions by overseas investors. This will help ensure the right forest gets planted in the right place for the right reasons, Mr Parker says.

“The changes to the Act, approved by Cabinet, mean that proposals by overseas investors to acquire land for conversion to production forestry will be considered under the Benefit to New Zealand test, rather than under the streamlined ‘special forestry test’.

“This change will apply only to forestry conversions, such as where overseas investors look to acquire existing farmland for planting into a new forest. There will be no change to investments in pre-existing forests.

“Our overseas investment screening regime recognises what a privilege it is to own sensitive New Zealand assets,” Mr Parker says.

“The current settings for investing in land to be converted to production forestry, however, do not require overseas investors to demonstrate the benefits of their proposed investment in the same way the Act does for other land-based investments.

“High quality foreign investment in forestry, and a strong forestry sector, remain important — and we continue to welcome this investment. However, as economic and regulatory contexts change, it is important to consider the impact of particular kinds of investment in forestry to ensure that all stakeholders continue to benefit.

“By retaining the more streamlined special forestry test where the investment does not involve a change in land use, the screening regime will continue with allowing for high-quality foreign investment in existing production forestry,” Mr Parker says.

The Bill is expected to be introduced to Parliament in a few months.

“At the same time, some minor and technical improvements will be proposed to the Act to help with the operation and effectiveness of 2018 forestry-related changes,” he adds.

First published in the Gisborne Herald. NZL

Government’s role key

FORESTRY MINISTER, STUART NASH,

should incentivise farmers to plant more trees to combat climate change, says the Farm Forestry Association.

Association President, Graham West asks: “Why isn’t the government working with farmers to plant their own trees, rather than Stuart Nash seeming to have a priority of restricting landowner choice on species and land class?”

“Focusing on regulation may be a government role but so too is leadership. Farm forestry needs confidence that the government will promote it rather than meddle.”

Mr West believes forestry is the only technology capable of reversing at scale the accumulation of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

“As we have left this problem to this late hour, we now must act decisively. There is no perfect solution. I suggest the government simply incentivise farmers through a guaranteed 10-year carbon price scheme.”

“Guarantee to buy the carbon at an agreed price with half up front to cover establishment costs. This would encourage farmers and give them confidence to plant whatever land they liked with whatever species they choose. It’s in their interest to solve this and they will.”

He argues that the farm forestry model is well proven and most farmers know this: “We have 1300 members, in every district, with the practical examples and the knowledge. But many farmers just don’t have the time, the cash flow to pay someone to do it, and a sense the government is backing them.

“Neither pastoral farming nor plantation forestry can afford climate disasters. Nor can New Zealand’s economy. We can be a model to the rest of the world.” NZL

Look across the Tasman Harvest volumes up; export revenue AUSTRALIA’S SUPPORT OF PLANTATION FORESTRY IS IN SHARP contrast to the increasingly restrictive measures being promised in New to increase Zealand by our government says the Forest Owners Association (FOA).

Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, has announced an $86 (Aust) THE LATEST SITUATION AND OUTLOOK FOR PRIMARY million package for forestry in Tasmania. Industries (SOPI) report from the Ministry of Primary Industries

Scott Morrison says the biggest government forest support package for forecasts Forestry export revenue to increase three percent to more than 30 years, will leverage ‘at least $300 million in total investment $6.7 billion for the year to 30 June 2022. into plantations’. Harvest volumes for the year to 30 June 2021 reached an all-time

He termed forestry a ‘critical national treasure’ with supply needed for high of 37.6 million cubic metres, up 18% compared with last year due future generations and global demand for timber products ‘expected to to robust demand and high prices. The report is forecasting harvest quadruple by 2050’. volumes to slightly reduce for the coming year as demand eases.

FOA President, Phil Taylor, says the New Zealand industry is not seeking Growth in the Chinese construction industry and the US housing the type of financial support being delivered in Australia. market are showing signs of a slowdown, reducing log demand

“Basically, all we want to do is get on with growing trees and responding this year, according to the report. However, the Chinese and US to strong world and local demand. Our problem is a sequence of messages Governments’ targeted measures to boost their economies and from the government on new rules to restrict forest expansion.’ infrastructure development are projected to support demand for New

“A modest expansion of the exotic plantation estate is vital to provide Zealand’s major forestry products in the medium-term. In addition, enough carbon sequestration capacity for the government to budget domestic timber demand is expected to remain strong due to robust for a carbon zero economy by 2050. The right signals have to be sent to housing demand. farmers and other landowners to ensure this happens and these are not Residential construction investment in the US is likely to cool. the signals we are getting at the moment,” says Mr Taylor. However, the medium-term demand for sawn timber is expected

“Then there is the economic aspect. Forestry and horticulture are to rise, driven by a rebound in non-residential building, which is predicted to lead the way to export recovery over the next few years.” underpinned by a fiscal infrastructure spending spree.

He echoes the expectations of the Australian government for a huge In China, slowing credit growth is expected to weigh on the increase in wood demand for new products: “It’s already happening with construction output, particularly the housing construction sector. biofuels. Our industry is going to struggle to just meet the demand from The property market is the single-largest driver of China’s economy. New Zealand dairy processors to deliver enough wood material for heating The slowdown in property market lending growth negatively impacts powder driers as the processors move out of burning coal. short-term construction activity and demand for logs.

“On top of that there is the emergence of a global bioeconomy, where The downturn in the property market is forecast to be offset by wood is going to be used much more widely to replace greenhouse gas increased infrastructure investment by the Chinese Government. This emitting substances, such as concrete, steel and plastics. We should be will likely boost Chinese construction activity and, as a result, demand leading in producing these products, not adopting policies which would for logs in the medium-term. result in having to import them. In New Zealand, rising interest rates and stricter loan-to-value ratio

“Scott Morrison seems to be getting this. I do hope our government regulations are projected to dampen domestic demand for wood does too.” NZL products. NZL

It’s not road versus rail

NATIONAL ROAD CARRIERS (NRC) IS NOT SURPRISED BY THE

findings in a report commissioned by Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand titled Road and Rail – delivering for New Zealand.

NRC COO, James Smith, says it is “shocking” the Government is still pushing the “road vs rail barrow”.

“We have an integrated supply chain where all modes play a role and all deserve to be funded appropriately. The carbon debate ignores the exponential growth in low or zero carbon road transport.

“Nothing beats road transport for resilience and given our highly unstable geology with many overdue ‘big ones’ combined with increased adverse weather events the need to invest in a road system that is resilient and productive is critical.”

Mr Smith says National Road Carriers has many members that would use rail more if it was more reliable and cost-effective. The same members also need good quality roads.

“So I agree 100% the narrative needs to change. Stop taking dollars from one mode to prop up another as it simply defers the cost.” NZL

NZ company buys Nature’s Flame

NORSKE SKOG HAS AGREED TO SELL THE

Nature’s Flame pellets company for some $47.8 million to the Talley’s Group, a New Zealand-based dairy, fishing, produce and food company.

“Nature’s Flame is an excellent company producing high quality and sustainable energy pellets from wood residues, and thus the sales process generated significant interest,” says Sven Ombudstvedt, CEO of Norske Skog.

“Under our ownership, we have expanded the capacity from producing some 20,000 tonnes when acquired to currently 90,000 tonnes, and we are very pleased that Talley’s has indicated interest to continue the ongoing project to further expand the capacity to 150,000 tonnes. This will support the ongoing decarbonisation of New Zealand industries by transitioning from fossil coal energy to renewable energy like wood pellets.

“Following the closure of the Tasman mill in 2021 and the sale of the Nature’s Flame business, the site at Tasmania is now our only operational asset in the region. The site will continue to service the regional publication paper markets and develop its industrial footprint within energy and bio products.”

Norske Skog acquired the Nature’s Flame business in 2015 for a consideration of NZD 6.7 million, and has invested an additional NZD 7.8 million to expand the capacity to 90,000 tonnes. The sale is expected to close during the first quarter of 2022. NZL

$11 million investment in Jubilee Sawmill

ONEFORTYONE, MOUNT GAMBIER, SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST private employer, has committed to investing over $11 million in its Jubilee Sawmill over the next two years. Jubilee Sawmill General Manager, Paul Hartung, says the modern manufacturing investment is a continuation of the re-investment programme that started in 2016.

“OneFortyOne has invested close to $40 million since purchasing the mill in 2018, on state-of-the-art technology projects such as Sorter Bins, a Lucidyne Scanning System, reducing boiler emissions and upgrading to Continuous Drying Kilns,” says Mr Hartung.

“This most recent commitment will extend to an equipment and technology upgrade for Drymill A, replacing and modernising equipment as it reaches end of life.”

He says the new equipment will be manufactured in New South Wales under a licensing agreement, a first for Australia.

“By investing in new technology, we are continuing towards our objective of valuing every strand of wood fibre that we process.”

OneFortyOne estimates that through this upgrade Jubilee Sawmill will reduce its emissions by approximately 268 tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually. These savings will be generated by reduced electricity consumption.

“It’s an exciting project for our team here at Jubilee,” Mr Hartung says, adding, “The innovative technology that will be installed at the mill presents an amazing opportunity to train and upskill our people in robotics and automation.

“One of the motivating factors for this project was the chance it provided to shift the Drymill team to a four-day week. This development means that both Drymill A and the Greenmill will operate on four-day weeks. We know this has been an important issue for our Drymill team and we are really pleased to support their wellbeing in this way.”

The project is scheduled to begin this year and will take two years to complete. NZL

Taking on timber

A VESSEL NORMALLY USED TO TRANSPORT CARS AND TRUCKS

turned its hand to wood at Northport last month to load some 5,000 cubic metres of triboard from the Juken Mill in Kaitaia. The m.v. Istra Ace sailed from South America and is destined for Japan.

The Pure Car, Truck Carrier (PCTC) is a purpose-built vessel for the transportation of different types of rolling cargo, such as cars and trucks, heavy construction equipment and other heavy loads. These vessels are usually configured with 10-13 decks for the loading of different vehicle types with axle loads from 1.2 tonnes to more than 22 tonnes. The Istra Ace loaded the triboard on the main cargo deck, which is designed for heavy loads, providing the vessel with a ‘backload’ to Japan rather than having to sail the entire route empty.

A fleet of four trucks operating in rotation drove loads of triboard up the vessel’s stern ramp into the ship where they were unloaded. There the cargo was safely stowed and secured by Northport staff and equipment.

Northport Chief Executive, Jon Moore, says this unscheduled call demonstrates Northport’s ability to receive and handle car carriers and roll-on/roll-off vessels.

“We have been talking to vehicle importers for some years now about how they could restructure and future-proof their business model using Marsden Point as a single hub for vehicle arrival, storage, preparation and distribution,” he says.

“We have used our port and harbour simulator to demonstrate how we might handle such vessels, so it was good to put the modelling into practice.” NZL

First 80-tonne electric timber truck put to work

EUROPE’S LARGEST PRIVATE FOREST owner, SCA, and Scania are together developing the first electric timber truck with a technical capability of up to 80 tonnes total weight as a sustainable transport solution.

It is now possible to drive longer distances with heavy electric transports. Scania and SCA are proving that with the new battery electric vehicle capable of total weights of up to 64 tonnes on public roads and 80 tonnes on private roads. The electric truck will transport timber in the Swedish region of Västerbotten, between SCA’s terminal in Gimonäs and its papermill in Obbola outside Umeå, starting this year.

For SCA, which produces sawn wood products, packaging materials and pulp, electrifying road transport is an important part of work to reduce its environmental impact. Each year, SCA transports some 8.5 million cubic metres of wood to industries, utilising 265 timber trucks in collaboration with 87 haulage contractors. ”The cooperation with Scania is an important way for us to jointly find innovative solutions for sustainable transport. Electric timber trucks will be a strong contribution to SCA’s work with sustainability, where we are part of the solution for a fossil-free world. By running just one electric truck between Gimonäs and Obbola, we can reduce our carbon emissions by about 55,000kg per year,” says Hans Djurberg, Head of Sustainability, SCA.

Fredrik Allard, Head of E-mobility at Scania adds, “The key to reaching zero emissions in transport is electrification and we will get there together with customers and other stakeholders that share our values. Partnerships like this one with SCA, where we are early out and demonstrating what is possible, are a clear sign of the change of pace that is needed for us to be fossil free and deliver on the targets of the Paris agreement.”

“An electric timber truck is a symbol for something pretty cool. Transport of timber specifically has been talked about as something that may never be possible to electrify. The developments of the past few years, together with what we are now presenting with SCA, show just how quickly things are progressing with regard to both vehicles and batteries,” he says. NZL

Talking Tech

ALREADY 15 YEARS OLD, THE FORESTTECH

conference took a different form this year as Omicron kept presenters virtual and delegates in their homes and offices. That didn’t stop some 300 foresters and managers from tuning in from 15 different countries.

It may not have been what the organisers envisaged, but after already rescheduling once, with technology developing so quickly, another delay waiting for the 100-person cap to change, could well have resulted in a different conference altogether, said organiser and Director of the Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA), Brent Apthorp.

And this virtual event did not disappoint. In addition to the usual focus on remote sensing, forest inventory and new data collection technologies, a second day was set up to cover the latest developments and trials on mechanised planting and automated silviculture.

The keynote speaker, David Herries, General Manager of Interpine New Zealand spoke on the past, present and future with his presentation titled ‘Technology on Steroids’. Having presented each year, since ForestTECH started, he took a look back at the technologies that once seemed impossible, ranging from simple satellite to LiDar, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and beyond. Driven by practical purposes like mechanisation, forest firefighting and information management, the technology is developing in leaps and bounds.

Increased use of satellite imagery for forest management combined with technologies like drones for mapping and now machine learning brings its own challenges.

“With satellite imagery moving from monthly to daily, all these things have combined and changed the way we manage and evaluate our forests and operations,” said David.

So, he asked, how do we interpret and use this technology going forward? Trees grow slowly, how fast do we innovate?

It comes down to “the internet of things”, he says. “Forestry has always been challenged by connectivity, but now, in a remote forest we are still connected. The Internet is an enabling technology set to change the way we operate in forestry.

“We are looking towards fully mechanised forests with no man on the ground, taking the office to the forest and making planning, logistics and production easier.

“It’s a game changer,” says David, “especially in remote environments.”

And the result is rich information like burn extent via satellite imagery and even monitoring storm events. With satellites photographing our forests every day we are able to monitor forests and operations remotely – which means safer operations, less travel and keeping the industry in touch.

The future is here with automated deep learning and machine learning approaches. Individual tree assessment is already a reality and there are many opportunities ahead for our resource. Drones are even flying under the canopy. “It’s a wonderful future,” says David.

With 1.7 million hectares of advanced forest imagery already collected between Australia and New Zealand, technology is changing the way we can see, value and measure the forest. Training too, has changed. Forest inventory can be done by one person in a matter of minutes with a Lidar backpack scanner. Future foresters will take these technologies even further. So, what’s next? The broad scope of presentations demonstrated just how these technologies are being put into action in our forests and their potential for the future.

A range of options

A focus on remote sensing and data capture technologies began with a case study in Kenya looking at smaller farm plots with a mix of species and biomass. Remote sensing with stereo imagery and ground-truthing played a vital role.

Closer to home was a look at national LiDar mapping for land managers which has jumped from the best available data being based on 20-metre contours in 2015, to a national specification working with Councils for a single access point of a massive database of consistent national digital data. Benefits are that the data is free to access, curated and consistent; it’s good for smaller blocks, doesn’t age, combines well with other data sources and is easy to find.

Other talks got down to the nitty gritty of technologies like mobile laser scanning. Lightweight handheld technology allows checking for density, regeneration, habitat suitability, fuel load and fuel hazard rating (in terms of fires) even in a complex Eucalypt forest. Useful tips included walking in a spiral pattern and being sure to close the loop.

Other technologies highlighted in a talk from Australia were the use of subcanopy autonomous drone and ultrasound technology to test native hardwood species. This took a look at internal defects like hollows and pipes, and collecting information using non-destructive testing and drones. Not surprisingly, drones developed for use in mines didn’t work well for understory vegetation and with field trips restricted by COVID and poor weather, not all deliverables were achieved.

Practical application and operation of remote sensing data was further explored with a look at a mobile laser scanning unit used to collect valuable data, processed through algorithms with some old school human intervention to refine the data. Time spent in the field has been cut by half, with accuracy of tree and stand measurements through mobile scanning building up a library of data.

Data also allows one to see how forests are changing over time and monitor plantations at scale. Active learning with putting humans into the machine loop came to the fore with a look at lessons learned from a large-scale forest inventory of 7,500 forested areas in New Zealand. The model largely understood the landscape and land use eg, cropland, cutover, grass, pasture, horticulture or mature forest, but had to be retrained by a human hand where it didn’t.

On to silviculture

Day Two of the conference took a look at innovations in forest establishment, planting and mechanised silviculture. GPS advancements are good for seedlings too, with real-time data allowing for more operational control.

Lessons from mechanised planting over two seasons in Kinleith Forest, Tokoroa

showed that there is a definite learning curve. Trialled as early as the 1960s in first rotation forests with no stumps or slash to traverse, modern planters have come a long way. While productivity improved from 600 to 1400 planted a day over time, and poor quality planting dropped from 25% down to less than 5%, it is clear we are continuing to understand and extract the full value of mechanised planting.

Testing hydrogel products to extend the planting season, adds a new dimension.

Finally, the conference took a look at innovations in establishment and postplanting techniques. A new canopy foliage sampling tool using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) (or suspended under a drone in plain language) improves efficiency and safety in canopy sampling. The prototype went through several iterations and challenges, not least of which were tree tops and the weather. With the entire cutting system automated, it requires minimal training and can even remove insect nests. It’s still proving its real efficiency in the world.

A last vital topic ended the conference with a look at aerial spray drift management for forestry operations from a scientific perspective and through the eyes of a daily operator. With pesticide spraying around in New Zealand since the 1950s and the days of DDT and hormone sprays, many concerns have been raised over spray drift, movement of droplets and wash-off from foliage over the years – even banning aerial application of pesticides in many countries.

Modern technology allows us to track individual droplet trajectories to develop specific buffer zones for drift mitigation.

UAVs offer a new drift management opportunity, flying relatively slow and low – to push spray downwards and reduce drift potential. Nozzle technology and location is also key.

However, the speaker from Scion cautioned, “Never forget that the rules of drift management still apply”. So use precision technology, he said. He concluded that basic principles of spray drift management are well understood and models combined with data enable a more quantitative approach to spray drift management and buffer definition. NZL

A Virtual Reality headset garners plenty of useful information from our forests.

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If a tree falls in the forest, should it be exported?

Story: Marcus Musson, Director, Forest360 and John Stulen, Director, Innovatek Photo: Innovatek

EXPORTING PRIMARY PRODUCTS FROM NEW ZEALAND HAS LONG

been celebrated and underpins our economy and way of life. We all hail increased dairy and meat exports, are more than happy our best fruit and crayfish go offshore but throw our toys out of the cot about log exports.

Most elections will see some ill-informed politician standing in front of a wharf full of logs pontificating about keeping the logs for our local industry. Builders are quick to point the finger at log exporters for high lumber prices and supply issues, assuming they are caused by the log exports.

For perspective, think of trees as sheep and cows. They’re all cut into different products for different markets. Your favourite restaurant in Parnell isn’t likely to serve you up a medium-rare sheep bladder and the pet food factory probably doesn’t have much demand for a lamb rack. Logs are no different except, unlike the fruit and fishing industries, we keep most of our good product here for our domestic sawmills and export bladder and brains grades of logs.

One tree may have as many as 10 different log grades within one stem. Wood quality/value diminishes the further up the tree you go. Local sawmills can’t make money sawing lower grade logs, whereas export markets such as China have much lower production costs, so they can afford to spend more time reconstituting lower grade logs into usable products.

To put forestry’s valuable export earnings into perspective as well as its importance in reducing emissions, it’s essential to understand that log exports are a vital part of its functioning. As with the sheep and beef industry, you need a solution for the whole animal, you can’t just sell medium rare bladders to Parnell and throw the lamb rack away.

It’s easy for Joe Average to get a slanted view on log exports as our industry differs from many others in that logs are very visible on trucks, trains and in ports – timber is not. Timber is delivered to retailers dry, wrapped in plastic and transported in curtain sider trucks which are indistinguishable from those carrying cornflakes.

Log exports are part of a much more diversified set of products that just aren’t that visible to people in port cities. Locally manufactured wood products are, however, a big part of many of our daily lives whether we notice it or not. If you write on it or wipe on it, build with it or burn it, wood products from our radiata pine forests around the regions are generally taken for granted.

So next time you’re listening to someone spout off about all our logs going offshore and a lack of framing timber in New Zealand, you can rebut their ill-informed opinion with the following facts: 1. Local timber shortages are due to lack of domestic sawing and kiln drying capacity, not log exports. New Zealand’s entire log production could never be sawn locally. 2. Log exports are just one part of the log (usually the top half or less) that is produced and sold. 3. Forest owners, like every other private business, have the right to sell what they own to whomever they want. 4. Logs go into many products, some are solid wood which store carbon over their lifetime; others of lower quality are valued by overseas buyers for a range of uses, but mainly as formwork in the construction of high-rise buildings in China. 5. Logs are valued by manufacturers in China because radiata pine is a versatile product. 6. Countries like Russia have imposed export tariffs on log exports – this is outside our control, and something our small and vulnerable government would never consider in a market economy. 7. Forest and wood products are a vital piece of our economy and fit well into our way of earning a living for rural communities and respective forest owners, large and small. NZL