Australian Forests & Timber - April 2020 by Provincial Press Group

APRIL 2020

Bushfire salvage underway – Page 3

Challenges for machinery suppliers – Pages 14-15

‘Mutiny’ decendants milling pine – Pages 18-19

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In the news

Bushfire salvaging underway Philip Hopkins Bruce Mitchell

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BIG JOB: Forest Fire Management Victoria firefighters (l-r) Murray Price, Ryley Sharp and Lydia Wilson at the DELWP office in Ovens last week. PHOTO: Struan Jones

Volunteers’ learning curve Struan Jones WHILE CFA volunteers may be the face of firefighting in town, Forest Fire Management Victoria firefighters have been deep in the bush in their droves, working around the clock to fight and contain the massive Abbeyard-Mount Buffalo fire. They are the firefighters you rarely see, aside from when they’re driving through town en-route to the fire grounds. Ryley Sharp, Murray Price and Lydia Wilson are three such firefighters in green, all from Myrtleford, who have been a part of the massive and ongoing fire emergency.

The three are part of the DELWP summer crew, a contingent of scores of extra firefighters who come online in the danger months to bolster resources when things turn bad. And they have turned bad. Mr Sharp, 22, is in his fourth summer with FFMVic. “I’ve had nothing to do with something of this scale,” he said. “It’s been pretty full on, and there’s plenty of work to do. We’re always busy.” The crews work long hours, with day shifts normally starting at 8am and with no set finish time. All three worked 24-hour shifts at points in January.

“They’re a bit tiring, but you have to do it. You do what you have to do to get the fire under control,” Ms Wilson said. Ms Wilson, 25, is into her third season in the summer crew and was busy fighting fires last year in Gippsland. The painstaking work involves assessing each tree and deciding if it needs to be felled - lest it falls on its own accord, blocking a trail or worse. “We all do this job because we like being out in the bush and doing something important, so it’s been really good,” Ms Wilson said. Story courtesy Wangaratta Chronicle

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ALVAGING burnt softwood timber in New South Wales is set to expand rapidly, while only small amounts of burnt native forest is being harvested as assessments of the damage continue, according to Forest Corporation of NSW. Fires hit more than five million hectares of NSW this season across national parks, State forests and private property. About 890,000ha of native State forests and 65,000 ha of State forest timber plantations were affected by fire in some way, which is about half the state forest estate. And in Victoria VicForests has begun harvesting roadside timber along the Princes Highway in East Gippsland, employing contractors previously put out of work. The NSW forestry industry has begun salvaging burnt timber from softwood plantations in the Northern, Tumut und Bombala regions, with local production to increase fourfold over the next year. The fires affected about 60 per cent of the native forest areas zoned for timber production. Some timber is being selectively harvested from a small proportion of these fire-affected forests and processed by local mills into renewable timber products to support rebuilding efforts. Not all the forests have been severely burned and some areas have already begun recovering and work has begun to salvage timber from plantations, after which they will be replanted. Initial assessments have been made of the areas affected by fires using aerial imagery but work to assess the severity of fires and the impact that has had on the forests will take additional time, Forest Corp said. Forestry Corp Grafton District Manager, Trent Froud, said plantation timber harvesting would take place at four times the normal annual rate to ensure burnt trees were salvaged while the timber was still good. “This season’s fires have had a significant impact on

Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

the local softwood timber industry, burning more than 60 per cent of the pine plantations in the Grafton district and destroying the sawmill of our major customer at Rappville,” Mr Froud said. “However, while a large area has been burnt it is by no means lost. With the intensity of these fires some of the southern pine trees we grow in the plantations around Grafton will die, but if we get to them quickly the wood is still good. “Furthermore, experience from past fires has shown us that the Southern Pines

“

We only have about 12 months to salvage the burnt timber before it starts to deteriorate, so we will be working at about four times the normal rate to get this timber while it’s still good. grown in this part of the state are quite fire resilient, so we’re hopeful a proportion of the burnt plantations will survive. “At this early stage the wood underneath the burnt bark has exactly the same structural properties as unburnt timber, so it can be harvested and processed into house frames, furniture and other essential renewable wood products. “We only have about 12 months to salvage the burnt timber before it starts Continued on Page 6 3

In the news APRIL 2020 Issue 2 Vol. 29 Established 1991 News 3-7 My View 8 Round table 14-15 Norfolk Island timber 18-19 Tyres and Chains 20-21 Scanning 23-24 Harvesters 26-28 Mill profile 30 Front Cover: Eden logging contractor Shaun Doyle back at work salvaging timber after he lost all his machinery on January 4. Publisher and Chief Executive: Hartley Higgins General Manager: Robyn Haworth Editor: Bruce Mitchell b.mitchelll@ryanmediapl.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9512 Advertising: Gavin de Almeida g.dealmeida@ryanmediapl.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9517 Production: Peter Frezzini & NEM Creative Trader classified: g.dealmeida@ryanmediapl.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9517 Subscriptions: subs@forestsandtimber.com.au Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9522 Subcription rates One-year (8 editions) $55 Two-years (16 editions) $95 Accounts: Adelaide Office (08) 8369 9555 Postal Address: 630 Regency Road, Broadview South Australia 5083 Phone: (08) 8369 9555 Fax: (08) 8369 9501 Melbourne Office: Suite 2262, 442 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn VIC 3122 Phone: (03) 9810 3262 Website www.timberbiz.com.au Printed by Lane Print, Adelaide, SA

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The opinions expressed in Australian Forests & Timber News are not necessarily the opinions of or endorsed by the editor or publisher unless otherwise stated. All articles submitted for publication become the property of the publisher. All material in Australian Forests & Timber News copyright 2020 © Ryan Media. All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means (graphic, electronic, or mechanical including information and retrieval systems) without written permission of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information, the published will not accept responsibility for errors or omissions, or for any consequences arising from reliance on information published.

MEDIA

• Eden logging contractor Shaun Doyle with his new Komatsu harvester.

Shaun back at work in the pines Bruce Mitchell

“It’s definitely not back to normal. “The chip mill at Eden is still DEN logging contractor Shaun Doyle lost out of action. “And the hardwood guys are all his machinery on unable to go back to work yet. January 4. He lost two harvesters and They’re just out clearing roads.” Shaun said he had returned to two forwarders, but has recent returned to work after purchas- work salvaging pine. The Corona virus was an adding a new harvester and a fored issue because no one knew warder “Things are starting to hap- what markets existed, but there was plenty of work for now. pen again,” he said.

“We are all cutting the wood,’’ he said. “Our normal yearly cut is 550,000 to 600,000 tonnes. “This year they reckon we are going to have to cut 1.09 million.” At present teams were fulfilling normal quotas but it was expected that in the next month or so eight additional crews will join in. In the meantime, they are

going to have to find markets or put it into water or under sprinklers. “They are saying they’ve got 12-18 months to target the most badly burnt,’’ Shaun said. “They are saying that for the next 10-15 years things won’t be too bad but after that they are saying there is going to be a big shortage of timber because so much young timber burnt.”

CFMEU providing a louder voice for forestry workers The decision by the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union to take on the Victorian Government over its decision to shut down the native timber industry by 2030 is to be warmly welcomed. And that’s regardless of what anyone may think of the CFMEU’s tactics in the past. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as the saying goes. To make the Andrews Government listen to all the good reason why the native logging industry should not be closed down was never going to be fully effective. Having the CFMEU on side gives organisation such as the FWPA and VAFI a much louder voice. The CFMEU, which represents the state’s forestry workers, says Victorian Government MPs will face flying pickets, mass community meetings and rolling stoppages as timber workers ramp up their campaign to highlight the turmoil facing the industry. The crisis facing the forestry sector escalated last week after a court injunction halted harvesting in areas earmarked to provide timber for saw-

milling and paper manufacturing over the coming weeks and months, putting even more jobs at risk. The union will drastically escalate its campaign to protect thousands of timber jobs due to ongoing atrocious mismanagement of the industry by the Victorian Government. The State Government seemingly totally prepared to bite the hand that feeds it is going to be an interesting sight. It is claimed the CFMEU donated $552,639 to the State Labor Party last year. That puts it up with the big players such as the equally powerful Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association. It is also worth noting that the CFMEU is also a considerable donator to the Greens. But, from the CFMEU’s point of views, it seems its members’ continued employment in the forests is more important.

Meanwhile, the volunteer firefighters – the CFA, CFS, and RFS – have had a hell of a summer. But, it seems some tidying up needs to be carried out, especially in Victoria. Volunteers in that State have, allegedly, been at the rough end of the stick carried by the State Government and the United Firefighters Union, which now has control over the volunteers. There have been claims CFA volunteers were threatened with police action from their superiors after they were blocked from a planned burn they’ve been doing since 1938. There also claims that the amount of hurdles put in front of volunteers – who have spent the summer defending homes and saving lives – made planned burns increasingly difficult. While volunteers are seemingly knocking doors down to join up in New South Wales and South Australia, in Victoria they are queuing for the exit. The Victorian Government needs to step very carefully. Come bushfires in the future and with no volunteers, and no timber industry, there may be no hope.

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In the news

Why the secrecy about fuel loads Mark Adams Peter Attiwill

OTENTIAL arson is cited by the government as reason to not release fuel load data and adds to a now totally opaque fuel management policy. Refusal to release fuel data is a display of disinterest in the lives of rural Victorians and fire-fighters. Would the government refuse to release location details of a mains gas leak, or leaking petrol tanks in urban Melbourne, for fear an arsonist might use that? Of course not. Yet rural people were given no warning whatsoever of fuel loads every bit as dangerous as gas or petrol. There is nothing potential in the fact fires were ignited by lightning, not arsonists. The Victorian Government, including the Premier and senior ministers, have now repeatedly stated that “the current fires burn right through our strategic Fuel Reduction Burns (FRB)”. These assertions show a lack of understanding and respect for Recommenda-

tion 56 of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission (VBRC). Curiously, such statements are also clear admissions by the Government of the failure of their own policy!! The Government replaced VBRC Recommendation 56 with its policy of ‘strategic FRB’ or ‘burning smarter’. History now shows ‘burning smarter’ is code for doing less - 2/3 less than VBRC Recommendation 56. The Royal Commissioners understood FRB must be undertaken year-in, year-out. It is the cumulative effect of reduced fuel loads across the landscape that will reduce risks for fire-fighters, and help them extinguish fires. Single, small FRB will not stop a raging crown fire pushed by strong winds that can carry red-hot embers many km ahead. Cherry-picking a single ‘strategic burn’ for its failure to stop fires is blatantly disingenuous. It is just as disingenuous to cherry-pick examples where FRB has gone wrong, such as at Lancefield. How about owning up to the poor training, lack of

resources, and bureaucratic red tape responsible for the Lancefield fiasco? The Royal Commissioners never intended FRB to be a static defense. Instead, FRB is designed to assist firefighters by reducing fire intensity at large scales. There are many East Gippsland examples of recent bushfires being halted by the combined forces of fire-fighters and FRB. The VBRC took evidence from relatives and friends of those who died. It took evidence from fire fighters and others directly involved

in the disaster. It took sworn testimony from an Expert Panel. Recommendation 56 is clear, transparent, and a measure against which the government should be held to account. In its place we have opaque ‘models’, relying on hidden data and assumptions. We have an arbitrary 70% residual risk. What justification is there for 70%? Why not 30%? Or 10%? “Smart burning” as introduced by the government has never been independently tested, let alone adequately justified, whereas VBRC Recommen-

dation 56 was exhaustively researched. Rural Victorians deserve better than this blatant discrimination. Cherry-picking examples, and deliberate undermining of FRB, disrespects the entire VBRC. ‘Arson’ is yet another redherring of whale-sized proportions designed to distract from inaction on fuels. Mark Adams is former University of Sydney Dean of Agriculture and Forestry and Peter Attiwill is University of Melbourne forest fire export. This opinion piece first appeared in The Weekly Times.

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Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

21/02/2020 2:43:51 PM

In the news KI port is still needed Kangaroo Island Plantation Timber has rejected claims that because of bushfires on the island it won’t need its proposed KI Seaport at Smith Bay for 20 years. Rather, KIPT managing director Keith Lamb said today that the need to press forward with the timber salvage operation reinforced the need for the seaport. Yumbah Aquaculture has claimed that KIPT “has made it clear that KI won’t need a timber wharf for perhaps 20 years, and only then if its plantations are replanted”. Yumbah Aquaculture, which claims to be the largest producer of Greenlip abalone in the world, is opposed to the construction of the seaport which would be built less than 200 metres from its Smith Bay operation. But Mr Lamb said he did not know where Yumbah got its information from. “We certainly never said that. “In fact, we said quite the contrary,” he said. “We are well track and are only weeks away from completing the final documents. “We have no reason to believe we won’t receive approval. “That will set us up to go to the next stage.” KIPT still needs secondary approvals to undertake including native title. In the meantime, the company was pressing ahead with all the planning work around procurement and construction so that once the secondary approval was granted work could commence. Mr Lamb said that would probably be about 12 months away. Early aerial assessments indicate that about 95 per cent of the company’s blue gum and pine trees valued in excess of $100 million and all of the island’s independent plantations have been affected by fire. KIPT said that if the wharf had already been built a lot of the timber that burnt would have been already been harvested and would have left the island. 6

Next-gen drones are on trial Philip Hopkins

RONESEED, a US start-up founded in 2016 in Seattle, is developing a new generation of drones to reduce reliance on manual labour to plant, protect and monitor tree seed growth. “These forms are an entirely new class of aircraft,” Matthew Aghai, director of research and development at DroneSeed, told the ForestTech 2019 conference. Individual aircraft would scale up with larger payloads. “Drones will ‘ball’; they’ll get cheaper, the parts will get cheaper, batteries will get better,’’ he said. “And that’ll equate to longer flight times, heavier drones and ultimately more payload. You know, in 20 years, this might be called ‘terraforming’, if we’re successful in some of the endeavours, which is calculated development of these early technologies.” The ForestTech conference, held in Melbourne, was organised by the Forest Industry Engineering Association. Mr Aghai said the company was aiming for a three-part solution for industry, which included a first precision

• Next-gen drones are on trial.

survey and a custom software system that was not ‘off the shelf ’. “Our software allows us to get onto a site, let’s call it a 100-hectare unit, and essentially put ourselves in a position to ‘chunk out’ something like 10 hours of flight time, into 10-minute flight centres,” Mr Aghai said.

“And we do this by building a 3D terrain map using LIDAR and multispectral imagery.” The result was a multi-coloured map, with each colour reflecting the mission of one aircraft. “This is the opportunity for one individual aircraft addressing a different area of the prescription while doing things like obstacle routing,” he said. This was fairly complicated, with complex terrain,

in different conditions that were actually operating. “We’ve operationalised surveying and delivering LIDAR and multispectral imagery to landowners. Initially, we were collecting this data and building the processes to collect it for ourselves. But it’s become a product that we can actually hand over to landowners. And then basically, they can do whatever they want with it. It’s kind of like a Google for sure.”

Bushfire salvaging underway across NSW and Victoria From Page 3

to deteriorate, so we will be working at about four times the normal rate to get this timber while it’s still good. Forestry Corporation manages more than 230,000 hectares of timber plantations around NSW. Most softwood plantations are radiata pine, but some areas, particularly on the north coast, are southern pine. State-wide, about 25 per cent of these plantations have been affected by fire. A regional breakdown, detailed below, does not include privately owned or managed forests. • Close to half of Forestry Corporation’s softwood plantations are around Tumut, with more than 100,000 ha of radiata pine. About a third have been affected by fires. Salvage operations are underway. The Blowering nursery in Tumut is regrowing seedlings to replant these plantations. • There are 33,000 ha of mainly radiata pine at Bombala, 31 per cent affected. Salvage is under way. These

plantations will be replanted. • There are 27,000 ha of southern pine and radiata pine plantations in the Walcha and Grafton management areas. About 35 per cent have been affected by fire. A major mill that processes timber from Grafton was also burnt down. Salvage is underway, with new customers and contractors brought on to process timber at up to four times the normal annual rate. Some areas stocked with southern pine may survive and seedling production at Grafton nursery is also scaling up to replant and regrow impacted plantations In native forests, Forestry Corp said many species of eucalypt were fire tolerant. However, the impact of fire on individual trees depends on a range of factors including the severity of the fire in a particular area. Conditions vary in the native forest areas: • There are more than 480,000 ha of native forest in the Upper North East subregion of the north coast Regional Forest Agreement.

About 57 per cent of this area was affected by the fires. About 200,000 ha are available for timber production while the rest is managed for conservation. About 60 per cent of the net harvest area available for timber production has been affected. • In the Lower North East sub-region of the north cost RFA are 400,000 ha of native State forest, of which 40 per cent has been affected by fires. About 200,000 ha is available for timber production and the rest is managed for conservation. About 38 per cent of the timber production area has been affected by the fires. • In southern NSW, more than 265,000 ha of native State forest are in the Southern RFA. About 80 per cent of this area was affected by the fires during 2019-20. About 173,000 ha is available for timber production, with the rest managed for conservation. About 81 per cent of the timber production area was hit by fires. • The State forests around Eden were subjected to a sub-

Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

stantial wildfire in the 1980s. The forests regenerated from this fire, but Forest Corp said the region was characterised by even-age regrowth forests. • There are 167,000 ha of native State forest in the Eden RFA, of which 74 per cent was affected by the fires. About 109,000 ha are available for timber production, with 79 per cent affected by the fires. VicForests was forced to issue force majeure notices to 10 contractors when it became obvious it could not fulfil certain contracts following they fires. “These (new) projects are different work because the contracts are built around us providing harvesting coupes,” ’’ VicForests’ CEO Monique Dawson said. “We are starting to collect the timber off the Princes Highway – about 15000 square metres – and some it is good saw logs so we will be to make arrangements for that to be delivered to customers, particularly those who are getting pretty tight on their supplies,’’ she said. www.timberbiz.com.au

In the news

NZ award leaves Warwick speechless W ARWICK Wilshier isn’t often lost for words. He’s the one that always steps up to speak, comes up with the new ideas and is quick to campaign for causes he believes in – especially if it helps someone else. But on being told he was being recognised as the inaugural Eastland Wood Council Industry Champion 2019 he was clearly taken aback. True to form, the four decade veteran of the forestry industry – who owns Williams & Wilshier and is in partnership with Calvin Paddon with the company Pacific Haulage – says that while he may be the one named as the recipient of the award, it is really about the “truly professional” team of managers and drivers at those two companies. “They might look at me every day to make decisions and be the leader, but really what I do is give them the confidence to decide for themselves,” he says. “It is truly rewarding when you see a staff member you have employed with no skills turn into a real achiever – their whole ap-

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• Warwick Wilshire with some of his company's trucking fleet in Gisborne, NZ. proach to the job becomes one of a true professional.” He understands only too well how hard each has worked to get there and as their self-esteem grows, so too does the rest of their world. “It is pretty cool to see them have the confidence

to buy their first house. I like to buy them a new lawn mower when they do because you can never afford one with your first mortgage!” Warwick started as a trainee log truck driver with the New Zealand Forest Service before buying his own truck

in 1982. That single truck soon became a fleet as he worked in partnership with other operators. In 2002 with Williams & Wilshier, he started operating in the East Coast forests. Then in 2006 the growing company, fondly known as Willy Willy’s, won a new contract with

Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

Hikurangi Farm Forests. In 2007 he made the strategic move of buying a shareholding in Pacific Haulage, deciding to concentrate on the Bay of Plenty and East Coast cartage requirements. Eastland Wood Council Forestry Awards chief judge Sheldon Drummond said Warwick had been “an absolute champion for the great forest industry cartage sector. He is a director and current member of the New Zealand Road Transport Forum which deals with national road transport issues and provides a link to Government while providing methodology to achieve things for the sector. He is a founding member and chairman – for the past 18 years – of the Log Transport Safety Council which is a platform for log transport operators to get together without competitive differences to achieve improvements for the common good of the industry. A prime example had been their work in reducing log truck rollovers which have statistically reduced year on year.

My view

• The benefits of prescribed burning.

Source – Garry Squires – Orbost, East Gippsland

Let foresters manage our forests W hen I studied Forestry at the Australian National University as an undergraduate it was a four year degree, the same time it took to study Law or Engineering. Australia’s forests are complex and understanding their differences takes a lifetime. After nearly 40 years working in Australia’s forest I continue to learn new things but one thing I am certain about, there is no “one size fits all” management regime. Mother nature and our forests have sent us a very big message over the last 6 months. Change our management systems or expect more of these mega fires and all the distress they cause. Forest fire management is not a job for amateurs, said Dr Kevin Tolhurst a

Rob de Fegely forester and Hon Associate Professor of fire ecology and management at the University of Melbourne in his opinion piece in the Weekly Times recently. Indigenous Australians developed a range of techniques based around cool

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fires that kept them and our abundant wildlife safe and thriving for around 60,000 years before Europeans arrived. Fire was a friend to Indigenous Australians while European settlers were scared of it and did not know how to use it strategically in our landscape. Foresters have a number of tools that work to limit the impacts of fires. This includes prescribed burning, thinning and mulching of debris to develop both mosaics of varying fuel loads and strategic breaks in vegetation. Prescribed burning is a fantastic tool when it is done well. A cool and slow burn removes enough vegetation to reduce the fire danger, while stimulating the forest and protecting the crowns of the trees. A prescribed burn may not stop a fire but it will lower the intensity of the fire, so it is easier to control. If prescribed burning is undertaken by inexperienced managers they often burn too hot and scorch the tree crowns and unnecessarily burn swamps and other wetlands. This is basically a contained bushfire which is ineffective as it creates more flammable fuels in the forest and germinates more fire weeds. The following photo taken by well known East Gippsland forester Garry Squires says it all. The fire to the left of the photo more or less cremated the forest but it stopped spreading within metres of burning into an area of forest that was prescribed burned 9 months earlier. The forest to the left has healthy unburnt crowns and there is evidence of course woody debris on the ground which suggests a healthy forest. The impact of this summers bushfire is limited to the immediate edge beside the road but is powerful example of the benefits of prescribed burning. Many of our forests are in urgent need of thinning. It is easy to see they are under stress, which makes the forest drier as each tree battles for moisture to survive. This is cruel to watch. When trees are under stress they are more prone to insect attack (and hence the bell miner affect) and their biodiversity values fall away. Most importantly, the forest is more vulnerable to fire. Professor Bill Gammage in his landmark book, The Biggest Estate

Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

on Earth – how aborigines made Australia, quotes early settlers who found Australia to be more like an English gentlemen’s park with large trees in open spaces. Often there were only 8 to 10 trees per acre, which is only 20 to 25 trees per hectare. I estimate the stocking of forests on the far south coast of New South Wales to be more likely around 300 trees per hectare. This is not including the shrub layers of ti-tree, wattle and pittosporum, which provides the perfect ladder to create a crown fire and the fire storms we have so vividly witnessed over the last 6 months. Irrespective of the stocking numbers it is clear to me as a forester that our forests are under severe stress. We need to change management regimes to improve forest health and biodiversity. The past 30 years of passive and/or hands-off management of much of our forest estate has failed miserably. It is time to let the foresters manage our forests. In turn they should be consulting and learning from Indigenous burning experts to utilise many of the systems they used to keep our landscape safe and healthy for 60,000 years before European settlers arrived. To use a medical analogy, foresters are the GP’s of forest health. We know lots of things about forests and how they work but not necessarily every detail about every species in the forest. There are plenty of ecologists and conservation biologists who specialise in a handful of species or a small section of forest, but many don’t look or understand how the whole forest works. Anyone would be rightly concerned if a heart specialist turned up to comment on a knee re-construction or a first aider was challenging your family doctor on the best treatment for your children. For a range of complicated reasons, we have allowed all voices on forest management to have equal weight. Sadly, the biggest losers have been our forests and many of the species that rely on them. The Black Summer of 2019-20 must make us re-think how we manage our landscape and Professor Bill Gammage summed it up in a quote from the back cover of his book – “If we are to survive, let alone feel at home, we must begin to understand our country. If we succeed, one day we might become Australian”. www.timberbiz.com.au

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Green triangle

Double win for MechLog T ASMANIA’S leading environmentally responsible forestry company, Mechanised Logging (MechLog), picked up two awards at the 2019 Green Triangle Timber Industry Awards (GTTIA). These awards recognise excellence in environmentally responsible forestry and were presented at a gala event attended by more than 500 guests, in Mount Gambier, South Australia. MechLog’s Chief Executive

and to show support for the industry. To win two of the main awards was a fantastic surprise. “Most of our team attended the awards, so we were so pleased they could see their Officer, Jillian Aylett Brown, hard work and commitment said that the company was to MechLog recognised by both proud and surprised to the forestry industry nationwin two of the main awards. ally. “We are immensely proud “This is the second time we have entered the Green of our Green Triangle ManTriangle Timber Industry ager, Ben Rosenthal, who won the ‘GTTIA 2019 Most Awards,” she said. “We entered to participate Outstanding Contribution to the Timber Industry (Male) Award’, sponsored by Qube Ports. “Ben is an outstanding member of the MechLog team and deserves his award,” said Jillian. “It is fitting recognition of Ben’s contribution to the industry and commitment to his career. The whole MechLog team is proud of Ben’s achievement.” MechLog also received the prestigious 2019 ‘Safety Excellence Award’, sponsored by OneFortyOne. Jillian Aylett Brown thanked the GTTIA and sponsors for hosting an exceptional night of celebration. “MechLog is proud to be

part of such a vibrant industry, which is ‘the ultimate renewable’,” she said. MechLog has been operating in Tasmania since 1994 and expanded its operations to the Green Triangle on the South Australian-Victorian border in 2014. MechLog is committed to environmentally responsible, best-practice forestry. Over the years, MechLog has built a strong reputation for building robust, long-term relationships with their clients. MechLog has adopted an innovative approach to forestry, based on utilising the latest equipment and technology; and a commitment to safety and ongoing training at the core of its operations across Australia. The Green Triangle region is recognised as Australia’s largest collective plantation and timber processing industry, with more than 355,000 hectares of softwood and hardwood plantations. It produces timber for local manufacturing as well as national and export markets. The industry provides employment for around 8,500 people.

•

Qube Ports Portland Operations Manager, David Bothe, presenting MechLog’s Green Triangle Manager, Ben Rosenthal with his award for GTIIA 2019 Most Outstanding Contribution to the Timber Industry (Male). Photos: Kinship Productions.

BRIEFS Green Triangle appointment THE Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub has appointed Liz McKinnon as its Executive General Manager. Ms. McKinnon, a resident of the region, is well known, having worked in economic development, tourism and communications for the Glenelg Shire Council since 2015 with prior experience as a media advisor to former Victorian Premier and Member for South West Coast Dr Denis Napthine. Monkton joins PFT DAVID Monkton has recently joined Private Forests Tasmania us for twelve months to manage its Private Forest Investment Project. David will be working closely with investors, growers and landholders and will play a major role in implementing PFT’s new farm forestry engagement plan. He will also be working closely with the N-NW Regional Forestry Hub as the project is highly relevant to the Hub’s “land access” theme. David comes most recently from the University of Tasmania where he taught Horticultural Business and undertook research and supervision in Agribusiness. He has a PhD on the subject of water use efficiency in agriculture from the University of Queensland, and has a diverse background including geotechnical engineering, international consulting in agricultural economics and marketing. David also brings with him considerable experience in management and policy development from his time working in both the Queensland and Federal Governments. New MTC chief

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OneFortyOne Executive General Manager, Cameron • MacDonald, presenting MechLog’s CEO, Jillian Aylett Brown with the GTIIA 2019 Safety Excellence Award.

Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

The Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) has appointed Wong Kah Cane as its Acting Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Wong, who joined MTC on 1 November 2019 as Deputy CEO, takes over from Richard Yu Tuan Chong. Mr Wong, who graduated with a degree in Business Administration from Universiti Utara Malaysia in 1992, started his career transforming SMEs into successful enterprises by bringing in experts for training programs which centred on strategic management, quality control, sales and marketing. www.timberbiz.com.au

While some things change in the forest… some things never change. Weiler Forestry. Weiler, Inc., an industry-leading manufacturer, has acquired the Caterpillar purpose-built forestry business. The new Weiler Forestry product line will include wheel skidders, track and wheel feller bunchers, track harvesters, and knuckleboom loaders. Weiler’s successful track record as a nimble, customer-driven, and responsive manufacturer makes it well positioned to meet the needs of the forestry customer. Caterpillar’s commitment to the forestry industry remains both through the Forestry excavators product line as well as dozers, excavators, and wheel loaders that support the forestry industry from road-building to the millyards. Another thing that isn’t changing is the world class dealer organization that will continue to support your existing Caterpillar and Weiler forestry purpose-built products. Your Cat® dealer will maintain genuine OEM parts to ensure your machines are up and running, optimizing your time, labour, fuel, and investment. You can count on your Australian Cat dealer to invest in forestry specific sales and support as part of a dedicated focus under the Weiler Forestry partnership.

To learn more about Weiler Forestry contact your local Cat dealer

QLD/NT Hastings Deering 1300 076 715

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Hydraulics

New app for hydraulics industry Forestry workers get more say and control

OA Hydraulics is giving forestry and civil workers more say and control in their daily work through an innovative new app. For the past five years, BOA Hydraulics, owned by brothers Simon and Greg Boakes, has provided contractors with everything they need to repair and maintain their own hydraulic hoses on-site in a container setup or workshop. They then took it one

step further with the invention of BOApod, a mobile hose repair facility on a trailer unit. But now, BOA Hydraulics has released a new app called BOAhub “The BOAhub is a truly multi-platform, multi-device application that allows you to select and build your own hoses requirements, order your hydraulic hose and fittings online, and accurately manage your inventory to assist

function called hosemaker. It all begins with selecting your ideal hose type, hose group and hose diameter. Once you have chosen a hose to assemble, you can choose the correct fitting by selecting the angle you require. You then measure the with asset management. It is thread physically with veavailable on both Apple and neers obtaining the correct Android phones and tablets, internal diameter measureas well as a web app,” Simon ment, which then means you can select from a list says. The app features a handy of available threads, intel-

ligently filtered to fit the hose you are building. The app also comes with a scanto-order function to reorder parts by merely scanning what they have in stock. Simon says this is just the first phase of the BOA hub. “We plan to offer features such as matching a hose assembly against an asset, which helps you to build up your database of asset recipes against a particular make and model.”

Using right hydraulic fluid essential

ydraulic systems used to transmit power efficiently over relatively short distances are complex and precise machines. Using the right hydraulic fluid is essential to achieving the optimum performance and lifetime from the system. But how do you know which is the correct fluid to use? Unfortunately many applications for hydraulic equipment are different and there are many differences between hydraulic systems, so choosing the right fluid is not easy. In addition to the type of equipment, the severity of the duty cycle and the operating temperature range are important factors. The first selection criterion is the type of pump. Vane pumps provide a steady fluid flow but can suffer high rates of wear between the vanes and the cam ring if a suitable antiwear oil is not used. Piston pumps are more durable and can produce much higher operating pressures but are relatively complex and expensive. Gear pumps

are less expensive, easier to lubricate, and can cope with higher amounts of contamination, but are the least efficient and can only provide relatively low pressures. Hydraulic equipment used indoors under normal service conditions generally use a conventional antiwear hydraulic oil with the appropriate viscosity. The most commonly used viscosities are ISO 32, 46, or 68, since these are able to lubricate and protect the system under the normal range of operating temperatures. Fluid viscosity should be low enough to optimize energy efficiency and fluid flow while high enough to minimize wear and optimize servo-valve operation. The viscosity should ideally be between 160 and 13 cSt over the operating temperature range, as many equipment manufacturers recommend this range of viscosity for full-load operations. Hydraulic equipment used outdoors—the majority of hydraulic systems—have different challenges. These systems tend to have higher

pressures, more severe duty cycles, and more extreme operating temperatures, in addition to having to cope with water, dust, and dirt. The hydraulic fluid needs to function well at low temperatures for easy start-up during winter while maintaining sufficient viscosity at high temperatures to protect during severe duty or in the summer. The ideal hydraulic fluids for these applications have a higher viscosity index (VI) than a conventional antiwear fluid, much like a multigrade engine oil. Conventional hydraulic fluids generally have a VI of around 100. By comparison, a multigrade hydraulic fluid should have a VI of at least 140. There are fluids with a VI higher than 200 for use in temperature extremes where the viscosity must remain steady. Antiwear Fluid Benefits There are several benefits of using a good-quality, highVI antiwear fluid, including maintaining a more consistent viscosity as temperature changes so the system contin-

ues to perform properly; having improved cold-weather operation so the equipment experiences fewer problems with cavitation, sluggishness, drift or shudder; and maintaining viscosity at high temperatures to protect system components and maintain overall efficiency. These fluids also provide greater mechanical and volumetric effectiveness, which improves energy efficiency and reduces fuel consumption and can be used year-round without needing to be changed. Most hydraulic fluids are based on good-quality mineral oils, containing appropriate antiwear, oxidation and corrosion inhibition, antifoam and, if required, VI-improving additives. Synthetic oils may provide better oxidation stability but are significantly more expensive. Occasionally special applications require special hydraulic fluids. Environmentally sensitive applications (forestry, agriculture, horticulture) may need to use biodegradable hydraulic oils: vegetable oil based for

Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

low pressures and temperatures or synthetic esters for higher pressures and temperatures. Where there are fire or explosion hazards (underground coal mines, steel works, glass-making), fire-resistant fluids are likely to be required: water-based fluids for low pressures and temperatures or phosphate esters for higher pressures and temperatures. Finally it is very important to follow hydraulic equipment manufacturers’ or major users’ specifications or recommendations. When choosing a hydraulic fluid, ask the supplier if it is approved or recommended by the equipment manufacturer. Also ask for performance information against the international or national specifications. The fluid should be delivered clean and water-free so it will perform at its best. It’s very important to conduct used oil analysis as recommended by the supplier to determine when the oil may need maintenance or replacing.

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Round table GTTIA awards get new manager A FORMER Green Triangle Timber Industry Awards committee member Lydia Mules has taken on the role of its Event Organiser. Ms Mules is taking over from Prue Younger who has handed over the reins after two successful years to focus on some exciting opportunities that have arisen from her involvement in the Timber Industry. The GTTIA will be presented this year at The Barn, Mount Gambier, on Friday, October 30. The awards recognise individuals and companies in the Green Triangle timber industry for their dedication to best practise, continuous improvement and excellence in their roles and businesses. The GTTIA committee consists of Adrian Flowers of Tabeel Trading (Chair), Marcel Griffiths of HVP Plantations (Secretary), Tammy Whitehead of Glenara Transport (Treasurer), Sharon Freyer of Qube Ports, Roland Freyer of South West Fibre, Paul Hartung of OFO Wood Products, Daniel Rosenthal of Timberlands Pacific, Hayley Elkington of C3 and Tim Benny of Qube Ports. With some new faces on the committee in 2020, they comprise a mix of timber industry and regional representatives that have come together to create a platform for celebrating the industry. The next stage for the committee is to finalise the award categories for 2020 which are being updated in response to industry feedback from 2019. From there the committee will once again be looking to secure sponsors for the industry event that stands to applaud its skilled workforce and business champions. “We are thankful for the sponsors who serve our forestry industry across the Green Triangle,’’ GTTIA Chairman Adrian Flowers said. “Without the sponsors enthusiastic support the event would not be possible and the many companies and individuals who nominated a business or person could not be recognised for the amazing contribution they have made to our industry.” 14

Equipment suppliers confronting challenges on all fronts AFTER a quick look at the Australian economy after the bushfires and the as-yet full impact of COVID-19, it would be easy to think it’s going to be a tough old year for forestry equipment suppliers. In this Round Table three of the big suppliers - Komatsu, Randalls and John Deere - discuss how the challenges, the influences new technologies will have on their industry and how they are looking after their customers.

RESPONDANTS

Brenton Yon

Davin Frankel

Simon Shackleton

Komatsu Forest National Sales & Marketing Manager

Randalls Sales and Service Manager

John Deere General Manager

hat do think are the biggest challenges facing the Australian W timber industry at present? Brenton Yon Komatsu Forest

The current catastrophic bush fires raise some immediate challenges with the extensive loss of eucalypt and pine plantations as well as prime native forest areas. Firstly, how to maximise salvage operations and secondly to implement changes for consistent wood flow during and following the salvage operations. On a general note, the ability to sell the “Good News” story of the forest industries to the general community and especially forest management issues relating to mitigating potential bush fire risks in the future. Also,

not forgetting the neverending challenge to increase plantation areas by Industry/Government in all states. Davin Frankel Randalls

There are multiple challenges currently and some uncertainty as to the long term affects. 1. The Victorian Governments desire to phase out what they call native timber harvesting by 2030. The renovation of Victorian Parliament House in 2018 utilising sustainable Victorian Mountain Ash shows the short sightedness and hypocrisy of this government’s decision. The de-

Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

cision places many jobs at risk over the next 10 years and turns it’s back on a wonderfully sustainable and renewable resource. 2. The fires that have devastated parts of Victoria and NSW plantations. It is going to take many years for the industry to recover in these areas and puts at risk the jobs of timber workers. It has the potential to have flow on effects to other parts of the industry in the short and long term. 3. As we know China is a critical market for our timber exports. Wood flows from Russia and Europe into China have the potential to reduce this demand. Other is-

sues such as the USAChina trade war and now Coronavirus have the potential to cause further instability. Simon Shackleton John Deere

Clearly the biggest challenges facing the industry today is the fallout from the bushfires, slow down of exports due to the coronavirus and the Victorian government threatening the closure of native logging. There also needs to be a national forum to discuss and produce specific legislation how to prevent more bush fire catastrophes occurring in the future. www.timberbiz.com.au

Round table New practices, new systems for forestry safety

ave your customers shown an increased interest in new H technologies? Brenton Yon Komatsu Forest

New technologies have been a continuing process over many years which have resulted in improved work safety, data gathering, machine and staff management all strongly driven by mill and forest owners. While improved machine quality has provided increased production through higher availability and faster production which have provided some benefit to the contractors.

Unfortunately, while embraced by the contractors these new technologies come with higher pricing most of which is carried by them. Davin Frankel Randalls

Yes and no depending on the application and the need. With regards to mechanised harvesting and forwarding, the demand for technology particularly with regard to log measurement and

stem optimisation has been there for many years. As manufacturers improve these technologies, Australian contractors will adopt them if that technology can improve their efficiency. Our experience has shown with other applications such as log loading, less technology is preferred particularly related to electronic systems and emissions standards on the engine. The reason for this is simplicity and ease of maintenance.

Simon Shackleton John Deere

John Deere, being a leading technology company, has ongoing programs to develop technologies to suite industries that Deere participates in. Forestry Customers continue to ask for the latest and the best and that’s why programs such as TimberMatic Maps and TimberManager, make Deere a leading supplier of telematics in their full range of forestry machines and attachments.

hat are your customers asking you to provide to assist their W businesses and how is this changing? Brenton Yon Komatsu Forest

Customers are always looking for increased productivity in trying to mitigate the increased costs of their operations as their margins are very tight these days. Therefore, the demands on we suppliers is to supply equipment which meets the demands of their particular contracts as they constantly change with demands from the market. From a Komatsu Forwww.timberbiz.com.au

est point of view to attain their requests a major issue is product support, provided by high spare parts availability and highly qualified service technicians in the field. Providing these services has been the crux to KF’s success over the last 30 years. Davin Frankel Randalls

Customers more than ever demand that we provide the best possible after sales and

parts support. There is a great deal of pressure on contractors to perform and we cannot and will not be the reason why they cannot meet their targets. Many contractors are requesting us to undertake full scheduled service and maintenance contracts on new machines for 6,000hrs and sometimes longer. This helps them to focus on cutting wood while we take care of their investment.

Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

Simon Shackleton John Deere

Customers require continued advancement of technology to be able to manage their businesses through fleet monitoring systems which supply full chain production data, running costs of the machines and remote diagnostics. Its all about uptime, productivity and lower operating costs.

THE Forest Industry Safety and Technology Conference in Melbourne and Rotorua in May showcases case studies, uptake and paradigm-shifting new practices, systems and tools for improving forest safety. The biennial industry leaders gathering, organised by the Forest Industry Engineering Association, will be held on May 20-21 in Rotorua and May 27-28 in Melbourne. Conference presenters are industry leaders who are focused on local and practical outcomes that are transferable across our forest industries in Australia and New Zealand. Among the principal speakers will be Roger Harris, Ombudsman, BC Forest Safety, Canada, and Lance Burdett, Founder and Director of WARN International, New Zealand Mr Harris has experience in many areas of the forest sector. He has worked as a dishwasher in a logging camp, been a board member for a Local of the IWA and has owned and operated his own phase logging contract business. He knows first-hand the importance of safety and the impact that injuries and fatalities can have on workers and their families. In 1986 while working as a falling contractor, his right hand was nearly severed when his chainsaw kicked back. His brother-in-law was killed in a forestry accident at age 18. “I have a passion for the woods becoming a safe place because I’ve been there,” he said. “I’ve lived the worst side of it, but I think it’s still the greatest occupation in the world. I want the Ombudsman’s office to be a vehicle that deals with issues before we have incidents.” Lance Burdett has 22 years critical workplace safety experience including time as a crisis negotiator, protection officer, and emergency responder, Lance brings a unique approach to workplace health and safety. For information contact the Forest Industry Engineering Association on (+64) 7 921 1382 or 1800 126 398 (from Australia). 15

Training

Understanding Wood Science Course – not to be missed T HE 2020 Understanding Wood Science course will run in June this year and it promises to be a great week of learning. Some places are still available in the week-long course and anyone interested is encouraged to book now. The popular course is delivered by experts in their respective fields – who generously donate their time to the Gottstein Trust to provide learning opportunities for people in our industry. A valuable feature is the new extended field trip. This will run over two days at the beginning of the course and is designed to give participants’ a first-hand insight in the intricacies of turning harvested tree logs into a range of products. The group will stay in Albury and visit four leading

timber processing operations in northern Victoria - covering hardwood sawmilling at Ryan and McNulty Benalla, Alpine MDF and Alpine Truss at Wangaratta and Xlam’s CLT plant at Wodonga. “This is a great opportunity for participants to see some leading operations”, said chair of the Gottstein Trustees, John Simon. Throughout the field trip, participants will have an expert on the spot. Dave Gover, the CEO of the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia will accompany the group for the whole field trip program. Three days of the course are held in Canberra in a partnership with the Fenner School of Environment and Society. An extensive session will be delivered by Dr Matthew Brookhouse, from ANU, on the biological properties

and anatomy of wood. This includes a laboratory session and if they wish, participants are welcome to bring along a wood sample to add to discussion. Among the many guest speakers donating their time are Matt Thomsen (Hyne), Professor Peter Kanowski (ANU) David Rowlinson (PlanetArk), Dr Bill Hurditch, Professor Jeff Morrell (University Sunshine Coast). Participants can also look forward to presentations on the findings made by the three people awarded Gottstein 2019 Fellowships, which enabled them to travel overseas pursuing various topics. There has been strong support forthcoming for younger people to attend this year’s Understanding Wood Science course with one fully sponsored place funded by

Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia CEO • Dave Gover. the Steve Stevenson Memorial Trust. This new partnership with the Gottstein Trust is intended to be offered on a rotating basis to different universities each year. The inaugural Steve Stevenson Memorial Fund Gottstein course place was awarded to Madeline Shelton who, after working in the industry, is now studying a Master’s degree in Forestry at ANU. Midway has shown great support in sponsoring a place for a recent ANU master’s degree graduate, Jaiyi Chew. Also, the IFA/AFG and the Future Foresters Initiative (FFI) is offering two sponsored places in the course. This is to assist students and early-career professionals

and early-career forestry researchers to attend. Participants will be supported across the week by two team members from Kurrumbene Projects & Advocacy, led by Helen Murray, which provides secretariat and course management services to the Trust. The course is held just once every two years, so this is an opportunity is not be missed. It will commence with the registration and field trip briefing at Albury, NSW on Sunday evening 21st June and it will finish in Canberra on Friday afternoon 26th June 2020. The course program is available at www.gottsteintrust.org Queries phone Helen Murray on 0419-991-424.

CO N TAC T D E A N O CO N N O R p. +6 4 21 8 42 413 e. doconnor@quadco.com

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Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

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Norfolk pines

Cook’s mistake a boon for Norfolk’s pines Philip Hopkins

HEN Captain James Cook became the European discoverer of Norfolk Island in 1774, he was particularly impressed with the local pine tree, noting that its large, straight trunks seemed ideal as masts for the British Navy. However, the trees, dubbed Norfolk Pines, turned out to be unsuitable. “Luckily they didn’t use them, otherwise we wouldn’t have any Norfolk pines on the island,” said Jeremy Watson, mindful that the British had chopped down their own forests for their navy. “They (the pines) weren’t suitable partly because there are so many branches in the tree, many knots. The branches go all the way right into the middle of the tree. The knots grow deep into the tree truck.” Britain’s loss became Norfolk Island’s gain; the family of Jeremy’s partner, Maria Christian, owns the island’s main sawmill, which Maria and Jeremy, a carpenter and joiner, operate. It supplies a good portion of the island’s timber. Maria is a fifth-generation descendant of Fletcher Christian, who led the infamous Mutiny on the Bounty. The mutineers and their families settled on Pitcairn Island,

• Christian Mills' Maria Christian and Jeremy Watson. from where they were repatriated to Norfolk in 1856 by Queen Victoria. About one third of Norfolk’s population of 1800, which swells by thousands in the tourist season, are Pitcairn descendants. Maria has ‘timber in her blood’. “I’ve been coming up to the mill since I was very little – four or five. I guess the mill’s formally the Christian Mill - it’s been like that for a few generations. We’ve got records back to the 1930s,” Maria said. What are the qualities of the Norfolk timber? “We use it everything from tables to doors, furniture to building houses. It’s a little

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bit soft for flooring, but it’s still fairly good wearing,” said Jeremy. “It’s at the soft end of hardwood and the hard end of softwood. It’s right on the border. In some of the old trees, the heart wood is very hard.” Maria said the volume of timber processed at the mill had varied a little over the past few years. “Volume wise, we probably do perhaps 3000-5000 cubic metres year on average,” she said. The average age of the trees harvested is 50-80 years old “before you get a decent log”, Maria said, although some were harvested at 20-30 years. However, some are older, particularly those near the air-

• The structure of the trees creates many knots, some of which are very port, which pose a danger to aircraft. “We’ve just recently cut down because they were there in the shadow of the airport, so they had to be removed. And we estimated them to be probably in the vicinity of 250 years old. And this is this is what came out of the centre of it,” said Maria, indicating a small round piece of metal embedded in one piece of wood.

“That’s a musket ball, which was found about five inches from the middle of the tree. The tree was 1900 millimetres in diameter. So, this musket ball is probably about 200 years old.” Norfolk Island is only five kilometres by eight kilometres in size, but the hilly terrain is heavily forested on both public and private land. Sustainability, however, was not an issue. Maria said the

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Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

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Norfolk pines

• A 200 year-old musket ball found buried deep inside a cut tree.

y big.

previous Norfolk government had done a fair amount of replanting about 30 years ago. “We – our family - personally usually try to plant 1000plus pines per year, just to keep the regeneration going because they are so slow growing. You’ve got to look after them, regrow for the next generations,” she said. “Chop all the trees down, and you’ll end up with a windswept island,” said Jeremy.

Maria agreed. “Pine trees are very important to the Norfolk ecosystem and environment. So, what we cut down we hopefully are replacing. We don’t seek any government input or funding for that. We just do it as part of our practice, and our business. And it’s all done for the local market. There’s no thought of exporting or anything,” she said.

Maria said the business had not exported. “We can’t keep up with the local market, so demand is such that we don’t export. It’s not worth the effort. It’s too hard to export with border security, the certifications that you have to go through, the freight costs - it doesn’t end up as an economically viable product,” she said. “Some of the old trees are very knotty, so we don’t cut them. It’s not worth it,” said Jeremy. Both agree that Norfolk pine is a lovely-looking timber, although Jeremy said if not ‘finished’, it went a little grey if left outside in the weather. “It has different finishes, clear finishes, which might change the colour a bit over time. The furniture goes a real honey colour, which is quite nice. Other finishes just go darker; again, it depends on the age when it was milled. You get a lot of grain and

beautiful colour,” said Maria. The structure of the trees creates many knots, some of which are very big, from big trees, but the timber is as hard as a concrete. “It’s a very heavy timber. You can’t nail it. When you get to the big knots, it’s like concrete; it flattens your blades very quickly because the grain goes both ways. It curls back on itself. We usually try and cut the knots out when they’re big ones,” said Jeremy. Maria said the knots were a lovely dark brown colour. It was hard, “but you can turn it and carve it”. The mill has just upgraded its machinery, getting rid of sawmilling equipment that was more than 25 years old. The new machine’s cuts are straighter and truer. New pressure treatment eliminates insects so that the timber can be used outside. “It makes it an External

Grade timber. It actually can be an in-ground timber for stumps and things. You can get to a Marine Grade but it’s not that great for inside saltwater,” Maria said. The workforce of 10 works across the entire process, from tree felling, milling and logging, to carpentry, construction and joinery. Chain saws are used to cut down the timber. It’s still a dangerous business. “Sometimes you don’t know exactly which way the tree is going to fall,” said Jeremy. Complex manoeuvring is required to get large heavy logs on to the trucks and on to the sawmill machine. Timber dried outside for up to one year before it’s processed. The new machine can take logs up to seven metres long, and which can weigh about 6-7 tonnes. Most sections of the timber are used, with less usable timber finding its way to the garden bed as mulch. “There’s so much demand. We’ve got two houses we’re doing this year. There are two more that a couple of other carpenters are doing as well. They usually use our timber for beams and exposed timbers,” said Jeremy. Maria said an advantage was that the Christian mill can maintain a cheap price. “Generally, our timber will be 50 cents per metre cheaper than the imported timber because of the freight. And probably it’s actually more than that now, because the freight costs have all just gone up,” she said.

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Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

Tyres and chains

New challenges for forest tyres N EW demands, new generation of tyres – Nokian Forest King TRS 2+ offers advanced features for six-wheel forestry machines, while new sizes extend the possibilities of Nokian Forest King F2 and Nokian Forest King TRS 2 For years, Nokian Tyres has been a global forerunner in forestry tyres. The latest addition to the product line is Nokian Forest King TRS 2+, an advanced tire that brings true next generation features for six-wheel forestry machinery – such as soil-friendly grip, durability and excellent support for chains and tracks. What’s more, the new sizes for Nokian Forest King F2 and Nokian Forest King TRS 2 tires make them available for a broader range of forestry machinery. Avoiding damage to the soil has become more and more important in forestry work all around the world. At the same time, mechanized harvesting of timber must be carried out even on the more challenging terrain, making the use of chains or tracks more common. The new Nokian Forest King TRS 2+ tires are designed to provide the widest possible ground contact, providing superb traction without tracks as well as improved support for chains and tracks. “The new Nokian Forest King TRS 2+ tyre certainly looks new, and indeed it is a true next generation forestry tyre”, says Teemu Vainionpää, Product Manager at Nokian Tyres. “I’m sure the users will like the improved mobility and versatility in their forestry work.” Stability and reliability For harvesting operations, stability is an important feature for a tire. “Good tyres give your work a solid foundation, improving precision and efficiency”, Teemu Vainionpää de-

scribes. “Nokian Forest King TRS 2+ features a 24PR bias structure that’s very efficient in absorbing swings and shocks.” For long operating life, the Nokian Forest King TRS 2+ tyres have extra rubber on the shoulder area. The tread pattern itself is protected with steel reinforcements. These add to excellent cut and puncture resistance, making the tire a safe choice for the most demanding terrains as well. With or without tracks When designing the Nokian Forest King TRS 2+ tyre, special attention was paid to best possible track support. The tyre’s deep tread pattern with track grooves and extra wing bars create optimal surface for track contact, minimizing track slipping and tyre damage. “For use without chains or tracks, the tire features sharp rib edges, extra wing bars and wide contact area to maximize grip even on demanding terrains” Vainionpää says. “This enables maximal grip with minimal damage to the soil.” Component compatibility An important economical factor for both OEM and replacement tyre users is that the new Nokian Forest King TRS 2+ maintains backwards compatibility with Nokian Forest Rider components such as chains, tracks, tubes and rims. Nokian Forest King F2 and Nokian Forest King TRS 2 tyre families expand In the versatile Nokian Forest King product series, there are some new sizes as well. Nokian Forest King F2 is the tyre of choice for heavy forestry machinery using tracks, while Nokian Forest King TRS 2 boasts the lug tread design for extreme grip.

• The Nokian Forest King F2 in action.

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• The Nokian Forest King TRS 2 in the forest. 20

For your nearest Nokian dealer call 1300 120 120. Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

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Tyres and chains

Tracking for forest successes C LARK Tracks Ltd, part of Nordic Traction Group, specialise in developing and manufacturing forest machine tracks to suit almost all skidders and Cut-to-Length forest machines. Clark build tracks with maximised performance and durability. Throughout the comprehensive range of tracks, innovative features and metallurgical know-how give long service life and the highest possible durability. The Clark Tracks range starts with super tough all season, all terrain tracks, like Terra85 for smaller machines (Harvester and Forwarder to 14t payload) and Terra95 and FX-track for heavier Machines (Large Harvester, 6WD Skidder and Forwarders up to 25t payload. Clark offer super aggressive climbing tracks, based on the Grouser High Traction model, these being CS for Harvesters and CX for

Medium Forwarders up to 18t payload. At the opposite end of the performance spectrum, we offer UltraFlotation tracks, suited to soft ground, sensitive soils and brash mat operations. TXL remains a best seller for such applications, with a profile that resembles and excavator track pad and available up to 1000mm wide. Clark Tracks are built with the best quality, boron steel available. The steels used and our in-house heat treatment result in tracks with exceptional hardness and toughness. The innovative Haggis-Link features special flanges to prevent link twisting, a common and rapid failure mechanism on older tracks along with a patented, Ovoid link pin. The round part of the Ovoid maximises contact

with the internal face of the C-Link, reducing pressure on the mating surfaces and decreasing the wear rate and thereby extending life and increasing the period between track re-tensioning. More reliable, longer life, less downtime. The Haggis link system achieves all these objectives. Right now, Clark Tracks operates from two adjacent factories in Dumfries, Scotland. By summer 2020, a third production unit will be occupied. With more automation and more powerful heaters. This 3rd factory will enable us to more than double our current production capacity. Clark partner with Randalls Equipment in Australia who stock a wide range of tracks to suit forwarders, harvesters and skidders of all brands. www.randalls.com.au

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Clark Tracks at work in the forest.

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Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

Logging contractors Looking Back 2019:

The Mangan family with Chris Mangan, Michelle Corby, Michael and Suzanne Mangan, Lisa Robinson and Matt Mangan. • Picture: Denise Yates, Five Hours West

Mangan logging a family affair Bruce Mitchell

HE bushfires will remain the focus of the timber industry for now and into the future, according to the Australian Forestry Contractors Association newly appointed director Michelle Corby. Ms Corby, the Oberonbased Mangan Logging’s company accountant, has a background in accounting and finance with a Bachelor of Business Accounting/ Finance and a Graduate Diploma of Charted Accounting and was appointed to the AFCA board in January. “I hope to be able to contribute where I can, not only the knowledge and skills that I have gained from tertiary education, but also the experiences, resources and knowledge gained from having being born into a logging family with the advantage of having all my family’s expertise in running a logging business behind me along with the practical experience of working as management accountant in the family business for just over 13 years,’’ Ms Corby said. Mangan Logging is a third generation family business that has specialised in efficient and effective forestry management and softwood plantation logging. Originally from the Wyong area north of Sydney, the family moved to Oberon, switching from hardwoods to softwood 22

and finding that regeneration is the key to operating a sustainable business. After 40 years of working in the plantation forests

The business is managed by family members each with their own expertise that drive hard work, professionalism and commitment.

“

The obvious problems our industry is facing currently is the present and future impacts of the bush fires that have devastated our industry and country. around Oberon the company is now logging areas that company founder Bert Mangan logged when he first moved into the area. The company is now run by Ms Corby and her siblings Matt, Lisa and Chris as Bert’s son Michael and his wife Suzanne begin their transition to retirement.

The business employs more than 60 local employees and subcontractors. The company has grown from one harvesting system to over 10 harvesting systems and over 20 B-Double units. “I only started my role in January this year, but have already experienced the pas-

sion, hard work and dedication that AFCA general manager Stacey Gardiner and the other board members have for both its members and the industry as a whole, which is why I know I have made the right decision in becoming a part of the AFCA team,” Ms Corby said. “The obvious problems our industry is facing currently is the present and future impacts of the bush fires that have devastated our industry and country.” The loss of income, loss of equipment, depletion of resources, salvage of resources and the uncertainty of the impacts on insurance and local employment was of major concern for the industry. “Along with all members of AFCA and the industry, we are all playing our part in trying to aid in the recovery of this disaster and minimise the negative impacts,” Ms Corby said.

• Bert Mangan in the early days of the company. Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

A New report exploring the long-term potential of establishing new timber plantations in Australia, indicates an additional 200,000 to 250,000 hectares of new softwood plantations would be required by 2050 to meet demand for softwood sawlogs. The Economic potential for new plantation establishment in Australia: outlook to 2050 report is based on a joint work program between Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) and the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES). The new ABARES report reveals that Australia needs to significantly increase the amount of softwood plantations over the coming decades if we want to meet this demand domestically. 2015: FOREST and forest product industries have applauded the Abbott Government for taking an innovative approach to fighting bushfires, which cost the industry hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost trees each summer. Speaking at the forest industry Gala Dinner in Canberra on 25 March, Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced a $1.5 million project to conduct a series of trials to physically remove some shrubs, smaller trees and undergrowth from state forests rather than solely relying on burning off in winter. The Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA), Ross Hampton said told the gathering that hotter and more frequent fires driven by a changing climate were costing the nation dearly. 2010: TASMANIA’S farmers are being offered the chance to plant trees to reclaim weed infested land, secure a new revenue stream, capture carbon and provide long-term habitat for the swift parrot. The chance comes under the Trees on Farms project that provides a low cost opportunity for individual farmers to joint venture with Forestry Tasmania to establish commercial woodlots on cleared land. Landowners will incur minimal costs and will share the income generated from the harvested timber with Forestry Tasmania.

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Scanning

Pollard blazing new trails with tecnhology P

OLLARD Lumber is once again blazing new trails with the technology for their recently upgraded bucking line. The sawmill in Appling, Georgia, has the world’s first next-gen JS-50 laser scanners up and running. The new Nelson Brothers Engineering (NBE) optimizer receives geometric data from a single overhead bank of 12 dual camera JoeScans. The scanners are arranged linearly in 12 zones with 65 inches between each zone. This setup allows for stems up to 65 feet long to be scanned with a very short infeed. It also allows for optimized solutions to be delivered before the stem reaches the saw. This speed is critical for the bucking line to keep up with the pace of the rest of the mill. Pollard Lumber vice president Andy Pollard is no stranger to the benefits of optimization technology. “There’s a misconception that bucking optimization is easy because the cuts are simple to make,” Pollard says. “But every other decision downstream depends on this first bucking solution.” Robert Cecil of Cecil Company provided the optimizer integration for the project. He very much agrees with Andy Pollard’s assessment. “If you buck a log to 10 feet, you won’t produce many 12 foot boards from it,” Cecil said. www.timberbiz.com.au

• The world’s first next-gen JS-50 laser scanners up and running in Alberta, Georgia.

Cecil and Pollard worked together to fine tune the price-driven optimizer algorithms so that a good mix of log lengths are produced. “Andy is a really sharp guy,” Cecil says. “It’s great for the optimizer to be able to include his intuition with the speed and precision of the new JoeScan heads. Overall, everyone has been extremely happy with the smooth start up. The optimizer produces very good decisions that even a veteran operator would miss. The new single cable Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) connectors and QuikLock mounting plates make the JS-50 easy to install and easy to work on. The Pollard Lumber team described the start up process as “plug and play.” Cecil and the Nelson Brothers Engineering team were impressed with the simplicity of the new scanners and how easy they were to interface with at the software level. So what’s next for the sawmill in Appling, Georgia? The speed and simplicity of the new JoeScans may lead to a second bank of JS-50s on the bucking line, or even upgrades to the edger and trimmer using the same model scanner. Pollard Lumber holds the title as the first sawmill in the world to run JS-50 scanners, but there are sure to be many more following in their footsteps in the near future. Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

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Scanning

Machine learning a game-changer F

OLLOWING the successful implementation of BioVision edger optimization, Hyne Timber again pressed USNR to upgrade its trimmer lines with vision scanning technology. Since the edger lines were upgraded this defect classification system has seen a major leap forward with the onset of machine learning. This new capability is a gamechanger in the quest for intelligent systems that far surpass human skill in grade determination. At Hyne’s Tumbarumba mill USNR has been a favored supplier for many years, and is currently involved in a phased introduction of BioVision technology along the mill’s edger and trimmer lines. The use of scanning and optimization to separate defective material is critical for Hyne. Though much of Australia’s radiata pine is good for use in structural applications, defects can inhibit that purpose, and excess processing of material that is unsuitable can adversely affect plant operations. Recently Hyne worked with USNR to add BioVision scanning and optimization to the mill’s edger lines to

assess knot size and location, and to help make better edging decisions. Based on this positive experience, Hyne contracted with USNR to add BioVision grading technology to the trimmer lines as well. “It was always part of the plan to add vision grade scanning to both edger and trimmer lines,” said Mat Thomsen, Tumbarumba site technical controller. “The success of the edger projects had a huge impact in the customer deciding to move forward with the trimmer project and to do it with USNR,” said Carl Thomas, USNR Regional Sales Manager. About half of the timber processed through the Tumbarumba mill ultimately yields good quality structural lumber, and the remaining lowquality fiber is used for lower grade products. Prior to installing the BioVision optimizers on the green mill trimmers, the operators were making the grade decisions with the help of an acoustic grader, but a significant amount of lower grade wood had been getting through to be dried and enter the dry mill. The mill uses a USNR Lineal High

• Hyne Timber has upgraded its trimmer lines with vision scanning technology. Grader (LHG) at the dry end of the process, which, before the green mill’s BioVision upgrade, would typically decide that a portion of the output of the planer wasn’t suitable for structural use. “The amount of non-structural product being processed as structural lumber presents a missed revenue opportunity,” said Mat. “The dimensions of non-structural products are typically different than the required dimensions of structural lumber.” For example, cutting a board to 100x38mm in the green mill, spending the effort to dry it and plane it and then realizing that it’s not capable of structural use, would yield a lower value industrial product. On the other hand, if it was determined in the green mill that the same raw board wouldn’t make a structural product such as 100x25mm for the pallet industry. In addition to the fact that the non-structural fiber stock yields more money if it is repurposed while green, the mill doesn’t need to dry it or plane it, which saves time and cost, and makes more dry-end capacity available to run structural product. The BioVision system uses machine learning (AI) defect finding, proven in the many installations where USNR has it employed, that takes automated grade scanning to a new level in grading capability. “The knot-scanning accuracy of the new scanners is nothing short of phenomenal,” said Mat. “Having BioVision on both the edger and trimmer systems absolutely gives us more control over the whole process.” Types of defects that can be detected and classified by the BioVision system include: thickness, width and length, wane and end-contour, warp (crook, bow), skip, knots and splits. BioVision is capable of detecting many more defects, but these are the ones that Hyne requires for its application. To supplement the visual analysis, Hyne chose to add Calibre Equipment acoustic graders to the line upstream of the BioVision scanners to augment the ones already downstream of the trimmer.

Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

The acoustic grader determines the MOE (modulus of elasticity) of each piece by weighing and thumping them with a pneumatic hammer, then listening for the echo response to determine the acoustic frequency. The acoustic grader shares information with the USNR optimizer for use in the final grade and breakdown solution. “Through past experience we know that in making structural grades, many of the factors disqualifying a board from being of structural quality are related to knots and an MOE that is too low,” said Mat. “So, without testing for MOE you can only recognize about half of the substandard material.” The main characteristics that define the structural grade for radiata pine are knot size and stiffness or MOE (modulus of elasticity). Using the appropriate scanning and optimization technology to identify those qualities early in the process can reduce costs, increase quality, and maximize mill output. The USNR product solution also included a PithFinder™ vision sensor, placed upstream of the trimmer scan frame that looks at the grain on the end of each board to determine where the board was located in its parent log. This information helps the optimization system determine knot connectivity within the board. The new Hyne system uses 2-sided vision scanning to target large knots on small board end sections, which may cause the board to fly apart in the planer. Prior to the installation of BioVision, a human operator would reject suspect boards before the planer if there was a chance of this happening. Safety considerations dictated that a board should be rejected if there was any doubt. By docking out large knots earlier in the process with BioVision, the operator-managed drop out at the planer has been reduced by about 70% and the mill has increased its good material run rate by about 5%. At the same time, with less human intervention required, the safety of the milling operation has improved dramatically as the number of material jams have gone down. www.timberbiz.com.au

Steep-slope logging

Search for lower cost and safer ways F OR years now, rubber tyre cut-to-length harvesters and forwarders have proven to be very suitable for steep ground logging in many Countries around the world. In these situations, traction assistance is becoming more widespread as contractors and forest owners search for lower cost and safer ways of logging steep slopes. Traction assistance is the term used for using a winch with a long cable to assist travelling up and down the slopes while working. A correctly set traction assistance winch coupled to the machine’s transmission control system enables slip-free moving of machines providing reduced ground disturbance, less stress to the drive transmission and parts, lower fuel consumption and of course a safer and more comfortable working platform for the operator. The Ponsse Traction Assistance Winch is installed on harvesters and forwarders as new equipment from the factory. This provides peace of mind knowing the winch is

factory approved and designed to work in harmony with other control systems in the machine and is covered by the same warranty as the rest of the machine. It can be installed on the largest machines that Ponsse manufacture, the 20t Elephant King Forwarder and the Bear Harvester as well as on smaller machines. Winch speed is synchronized to the machine drive transmission so that it automatically spools the cable in or out according to driving controls. The operator tethers the machine to an anchoring point whether that be a stump, tree or heavy equipment by using the handheld remote control to operate the winch unit. After pre-tensioning the cable, he sets the desired tension values or pulling power for uphill and downhill and switches the winch to automatic mode. While driving, the cable tension is maintained automatically. To make operating on steep slopes effective and safe, the winch is not the only option required. Ma-

• The Ponsse Traction Assistance Winch on a 20t Elephant King Forwarder. chines fitted with a winch also require tracks, a tilt crane pedestal, a levelling seat with four-point seat belt, camera systems and inclinometer. All of these options used together will improve the machine performance in steep terrain and add to the operator’s comfort and safety. Even a small variation in operational slope and in terrain layout can be an obstacle for an ordinary machine. Equipping machines with

the Ponsse Traction Assist Winch avoids the necessity and added costs of employing other steep slope logging methods, such as skyline yarding, hand falling and cable skidding along with their inherent safety risks. A traction assistance winch helps to mitigate productivity losses in forwarding too. No more limited load sizes, long detours back to the hilltop or forwarding only downhill. Additionally, forwarding capability does not

have to dictate log stack location and forwarding direction is free, uphill or downhill as required. The Ponsse Traction Assistance Winch is being used already in numerous countries around the world, with the biggest markets being Central Europe, Brazil, Western USA and China. It has proven to be a reliable way to harvest challenging terrain effectively, profitably and with minimal ground disturbance.

Trimble Forestry - Delivering the Connected Forest Logistics systems and services for timber haulage operations Trimble Forestry is one of the world’s largest providers of forestry logistics solutions in the world with demonstrable solutions for increasing productivity and maximising supply efficiency from timber harvesting. Trimble Forestry Logistics has been delivering over 50 million tonne annually to facilities all over the world, including in Australasia. Trimble Forestry’s Wood Supply Execution system (WSX) manages the planning and execution of the woodflow process for log harvest and haulage operations. In Australasia - Trimble Forestry Logistics is providing central dispatch services to a number of large forestry companies and haulage companies. This includes consortiums of haulage contractors that operate under a range of logistics models including Harvest and Haul, as well as comprehensive central dispatch services. Central Dispatch Management Systems allow contractors to plan, control, and manage operations in the following ways: Controlling uplift and delivery options, Providing a comprehensive web reporting platform with real time visibility of operating metrics, Mobile application for truck driver or loader operator on in-cab device, Paperless E-ticket solution that provides traceability for all users, integrates with their enterprise solutions and has a comprehensive reporting suite, Integrated In-cab Technology System (ICTS) and Chain of Responsibility support

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Trimble Forestry offers land, forest, fibre and mill management solutions that improve productivity and enhance operations for internationally recognized integrated forest product companies, forest land owners, timberland investment, conservation and government departments. The Connected Forest portfolio manages the full raw materials lifecycle of planning, planting, growing, thinning, harvesting, transporting and manufacturing. WSX is a key component of the Connected Forest portfolio. For further information: E: forestrysales@trimble.com PH: + 64 7 348 0308

Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

Harvesters Machinery Briefs Contra Flow Kiln for Tarpeena TIMBERLINK Tarpeena’s major upgrade project reached a key milestone on with the first load of timber rolling into our brand new Contra Flow Kiln, the second of its kind at the site. The kiln’s advanced drying technology assists with product consistency, reduced emissions, and streamlining the production process. The kilns use an ingenious system of circulating air through two 80 metre long kilns to continuously dry timber over 16 hours allowing the timber to be dried at an optimal temperature. The installation of the CFK is a part of the multi million dollar upgrade program creating a world class facility at Timberlink Tarpeena. ECHO online access Aussie professionals and tradies will now have access to the Australian versions of ECHO and Shindaiwa websites, with the exclusive distributor in Australia, Briggs & Stratton, announcing the website launches of the well-renowned Japanese brands. The ECHO website is available at https://www. echo-australia.com.au and the Shindaiwa website is available at https://www. shindaiwa-australia.com. au. The websites will showcase the products available in Australia, as well as local dealer information and pricing. The diversity of products across the brands are suited to a range of industries including forestry, agriculture and construction. Tigercat carbonator The 6050 carbonator is the first product offering from Tigercat’s new material processing equipment line-up.Unique, cost-effective and eco-friendly, the 6050 carbonator reduces wood debris volume onsite through an environmentally friendly carbon sequestration process with no material pre-processing required. Logs, limbs, brush, stumps, yard waste, pallets, clean lumber and other clean wood-based debris can be reduced by 90-95%. 26

• Shaun Doyle’s Timberpro TL775D/C283 harvesting bushfire damaged timber.

Komatsu Forest has all the options for harvesters H ISTORICALLY, Komatsu Forest has been a strong player when it comes to harvesters in the Australian market. It started with the Valmet 901 and 902 in 1985/86, the first purpose-built single grip thinnings harvester and twin grip harvester respectively. These were supported in the early 90’s with the introduction of the Timbco purposebuilt track carriers for larger heads such as Waratah and Logmax. The past 25 years has seen enormous changes with Valmet becoming Komatsu and Timbco morphing into Timberpro accompanied by enormous technical developments to meet the ever- changing demands of contractors, mill and forest owners. Today, the twin grip harvester has disappeared but the single grip Valmet 901 has developed in to a full range, starting with the Komatsu 901 providing another 5 models ranging up to the Komatsu 951. These harvesters can be fitted with a range of 14 Komatsu harvesting attachments to meet the various tree size and delimbing needs required. Due to tree weight and heavy limbing only the larger models i.e. Komatsu 931 & 951 are suitable for the Australia and NZ markets. The Komatsu 931 & 951 have

completely new designs, a new cab with a damping option, and eco-friendly Stage IV engine through a keyless system, a new hydraulic system with dual hydraulic circuits the like of which the market has never seen. The result is high production capacity and low fuel consumption per processed timber volume. The focus for KF was on the operator and every effort was made to maximize production from every possible angle. The new harvesters are built on the well-proven concept of a centrally-placed crane and cab and a swing axle that together with the cab’s tilt cylinders offers unique stability and operator comfort. These models harvest most thinnings from first to third and smaller clear fall with the most suitable being S132, C144, S162E, C164 and S172 . To complement the Komatsu wheel harvesters KF offer the full range of Timberpro track carriers both zero and medium tail-swing harvesters to handle the larger and rougher trees. Timberpro produce a diverse range of eight zero tail-swing (725D,735D, 745D &755D) and four medium tail-swing (765D & 775D) carriers, covering levelling and non-levelling options.

The new D Series offers much commonality between models, notably the all-new cabin with unparalleled vision, Cummins QSL9.0L Tier IIB engine and undercarriage components including Lohman Final Drives. These harvesters have the options of fitting the Komatsu S162E, S172, C283, Logmax 7000XT, 10000XT, SouthStar QS 450/500/600/630 or Wara-

tah 616/618/622/623/624/625 harvesting attachments. Grant’s new Komatsu 951 on Delivery ready to harvest Pine Harvesters’ Grant Phillips already operates two Komatsu 931 harvesters fitted with C144 heads working in Forest Corp thinnings in the Oberon/Bathurst area. Now he has added a new Komatsu 951 harvester to his fleet.

Luke Jones’ Timberpro TL755D/C283 harvesting a eucalypt • plantation in Tasmania.

Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

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Harvesters

• Grant Phillips' new Komatsu 951 ready to harvest.

Grant said the new 951 was performing better than he expected. It’s operating between Bathurst and Orange at an area called Macquarie Woods on the Mitchell Highway. Macquarie Woods covers an area of 600 hectares and was established in 1988 as a demonstration forest. Grant said the 951 was working in unthinned clear fall. It will end up in thinnings but it’s got to do small unthinned clear fall, as well as T1s. “But at present there is a shortage on saw logs,’’ Grant said. “It’s a nice machine and will hopefully do as well as the 931s.“In fact it could even do better because it is better suited to the bigger wood.”

The two 931s are coming up to two years old and Grant expects to hang on to the them. He will stick with the 931/951 mix he now has because the 931s handle the T1s so very well. Luke’s Timberpro TL755D/ C283 Luke Jones from Townsville-based Jones Forest Management does all the harvesting and silviculture for HQ Plantations in North Queensland, working on Caribbean plantation pine. “Cyclone Yasi in 2011 knocked a lot of the stuff on the coast around pretty bad,” Luke said. “But most of that has been re-estab-

lished.” The work in Townsville in ongoing, with about 12,500ha under plantation. Luke also operates in Tasmania where he started out in Scottsdale Tasmania working for Gunns, but when that company went “sort of pearshaped” moved to Queensland about 10 years ago. Today he has three harvest operations in hardwood plantations out of Burnie and late last year he purchased a Timberpro TL755D fitted with a Komatsu C283 head which is doing its job well. “We bought an older Komatsu 450 FXL and then we decided to upgrade to the Timberpro TL755D because I liked the longer boom, the better track frame,” Luke said. “It’s better on fuel and it’s stable which works well on our steep jobs.” Shaun’s Timberpro TL775D/ C283 harvesting Bombala burnt Pine Plantation

•

Shaun Doyle’s Timberpro TL775D/C283.

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Shaun Doyle took ownership of a new Timberpro TL755D fitted with Komatsu C283 harvester head as well as a new Komatsu 895 forwarder at the end of February after two months off work. When the fires ripped through the Eden area on January 4 Shaun lost all his equipment. “I lost a Komatsu 460 with a C283 head, a John Deere 909 with a 24 inch Waratah head, a Komatsu 895.1 forwarder, and a Komatsu 890.3,’’ Shaun said. “We lost everything we had.” Shaun has run Bassover Pty Ltd out of Eden since 2011

after working in private plantations in the Tumburumba area. At present he is running one crew with him on the harvester and two forwarders following up. He did at one point run two or three crews but found it wasn’t working for him so scaled back to one. Shaun has had a long run with Komatsu Forest. “Eight years ago I had a Komatsu 450FXL with a Logmax head, and after five years I bought a Komatsu 460FXL with a Komatsu head which was the same machine but a newer version,” he said. And now, after two months of no work because the fires, he is back in the forests. “The new forwarder is much the same as the one we lost in the fires which was only 12 months old. “But the harvester has got a lot more reach,’’ Shaun said. “It certainly seems like it’s going to be a better machine. “The visibility from the cab

is much better, the cab is bigger and it seems much more powerful. “The head has had a few little updates. The only troubles I had with the previous head they seem to have fixed up now so we will get a really good run out of it.” Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd being part of Komatsu Ltd group provides a global source with factories in three continents to select the various suitable products for the local market i.e. Komatsu Forest AB supplies purposebuilt wheel harvesters & forwarders, Komatsu America Corp supplies track log loaders, Timberpro Inc supplies purpose-built track carriers and Komatsu Ltd (Japan) supplies hydraulic excavators for forest conversion. In addition, Komatsu Ltd owned companies i.e. Logmax, Quadco, SouthStar and Komatsu Forest AB supply a large range of harvesting attachments.

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Harvesters

• Mark Blackberry, Sunchip Group’s Managing Director pictured with RDO Equipment’s Brian Daubney celebrating the handover.

Sunchip partners with RDO R

DO EQUIPMENT has delivered a fleet of brand-new John Deere forestry machinery to one of Australia’s largest forestry contracting companies, while supporting them with a full-scope service and parts support package for their Hervey Bay operations. Queensland-based Sunchip Group has accepted a fleet of John Deere feller bunchers, swing machines, skidders and forwarders over the past few weeks, with all machines backed by the service and support of RDO Equipment and the John Deere brand. RDO Equipment’s General Manager of Operations Mark Kuhn says Sunchip partnered with RDO because of their ability to deliver customised service solutions. “The word partnership means something to our

business, and we really thought about how RDO Equipment and John Deere could best support Sunchip with more than just machinery, but as a strategic business partner that finds new ways to deliver different opportunities,” he says. “We have set up a remote service hub in the area for Sunchip to access through an exclusive arrangement, with RDO service staff trained to specifically support Sunchip’s new machinery fleet. “We provided them a total support package, which includes financing alternatives, machine warranty and a customised support plan that aims to maximise Sunchip’s productivity and uptime and reduce daily operating costs.” Sunchip Group is one of

Australia’s largest standalone contractors, specialising in flat country unique harvesting and steep slope harvesting. The machines will be used in their recently awarded harvesting contract. Mark Blackberry, Sunchip Group’s Managing Director has a big vision to turn the local area into a well-known forestry training hub. “We’re working together with RDO to ensure our operators are comfortable and completely trained on all equipment and that they understand how to optimise them to their full potential,” he says. “The remote service hub we have set up with RDO will help us continue to train our operators, as well as assist with any immediate service or parts issues the fleet may

have.” The Sunchip fleet delivery has been supported by a team of forestry equipment specialists. Along with RDO’s forestry product, service and sales team, John Deere has sent a forestry technical support specialist from their unit in Dubuque, Iowa. The team is onsite to train and provide support for the new equipment during implementation and throughout the contract. In addition, all of the machines will be fitted with JDLink technology, John Deere’s telematics system that enables operators to manage their entire fleet from their desktop or mobile, and provides remote access to machine hours and location, fuel consumption, idle time and maintenance reminders.

“JDLink also comes with an alert function that lets Sunchip and RDO know immediately if there is a problem. We’ll then be able to read and clear diagnostic codes, record machine-performance data, and even update software without travelling to the jobsite,” Mark Kuhn says. “This will be very helpful for Sunchip as they’ll be using the machines across many forest locations in Queensland, so keeping track of them in one system that collects all machine data will assist in monitoring productivity and any other issues. “The John Deere forestry range is a well-respected, durable product and we’re hoping this is the first deal of many between Sunchip and RDO Equipment.”

Tigercat range expands harvester head range Tigercat continues to expand its range of harvesting heads with the new 568, a robust, productive four-wheel drive harvesting head for roadside processing. The new Tigercat 568 harvesting head offers excellent productivity and reliability. Optimized harvester head hydraulics maximize performance and efficiency, while robust, high quality components provide long term reliability. Large diameter hoses and large capacity valves provide ample strength to match the greater hydraulic flow and power of Tigercat carriers. Timed knife arms and triangulated wheel arms allow the operator to pick quickly from the pile and to maintain posi28

tive tree contact when feeding. The floating front knife and fixed back knife ensure good quality delimbing. Single or dual-track measuring wheels with a horizontally pivoting trailing-arm design, along with priority-flow length measuring, provide superior length accuracy. The patented 4WD – 2WD auto-shift drive system provides extra power and positive grip when feeding large trees, fast speed in smaller trees, and full manual control when needed. With Tigercat’s 4-2 drive system, you get speed and powerful feeding all in one. The 568 starts in 4WD, maximizing feed force for faster acceleration and to quickly power through bigger trees. As the load drops, it

automatically shifts to 2WD, improving efficiency and increasing feed speed. The system shifts back and forth seamlessly with no operator input required, all while maintaining precise and accurate length measurements. Best suited for processing applications, the 568 excels in tall straight softwood, or hardwood with few limbs, in the 150-550 mm (6-22 in) diameter range. Pair the 568 harvesting head with the 850 processor for an all-Tigercat roadside processing solution.

cies in real-time to ensure maximum productivity with a simple and intuitive Tigercat-developed user interface. The Tigercat D5 control system is available in three lev-

els of bucking control and reporting: Tigercat D5 Prio, Tigercat D5 Prio PC and Tigercat D5 Optimization, allowing operators to tailor the system to their needs.

D5 CONTROL SYSTEM The 568 harvesting head uses the Tigercat D5 control system. The system allows the operator to monitor lengths, diameters and spe-

Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

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Pesticides and herbicides

New policies impose rules on pesticides A

S part of the implementation of its revised Pesticides Policy, the Forest Stewardship Council has launched a public consultation on International Generic Indicators (IGIs) for the use of Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs). The revised Policy imposes restrictions on the use of particular chemical pesticides which FSC considers, on the basis of international criteria and indicators, to be highly hazardous. We are in a transitional period at present, but once the Policy is fully implemented it will only be possible to use a Highly Hazardous Pesticide if the relevant forest stewardship standard contains indicators for that specific chemical (although there are also provisions for emergency use and use of chemicals by government order). Those pesticide-specific indicators must be based on the IGIs for all HHPs (section 1 in the consultation draft)

and the HHPs for the relevant hazard criterion (sections 2 to 11 in the consultation draft). For countries like Australia that already have a forest stewardship standard, the IGIs will be adapted to local conditions and incorporated into the standard. Stakeholders will, of course, have the opportunity to comment on pesticide-specific indicators developed for Australia. Right now, though, you can comment on the draft international framework for those indicators. The consultation draft might look daunting at first. However, the structure is logical, with terms and definitions followed by proposed changes to indicators governing the use of all chemical pesticides, followed by indicators governing the use of all Highly Hazardous Pesticides, followed by indicators governing the use of HHPs by specific hazard criterion. The indicators themselves are quite short, but

there are extensive instructions for standard developers describing the sources of information which must be considered when adapting indicators to specific chemicals and national circumstances, as well as examples of medical biomonitoring or trigger values which may be appropriate for different hazard criteria, and an appendix summarising appropriate personal protective equipment and biomonitoring for each hazard criterion. You are free to comment on any aspect of the draft IGIs, but the consultation includes specific questions on issues such as definitions, recording requirements, and the availability and feasibility of medical biomonitoring methods. You may answer as many or as few questions as you wish. The revised FSC Pesticides Policy signifies a big step forward in how FSC regulates the use of pesticides in forests, and the IGIs are an important part of that. They

What’s On 7-8 April 2020 MobileTECH Ag Rotorua, New Zealand 20 April 2020 represent a fine balance between the needs of countries without a national standard development group, where they must be adopted as written, and countries where there is such a group, where they can be adapted to specific national conditions. They also need to provide enough concrete guidance on issues such as biomonitoring to ensure that they can be applied consistently. But the views of all stakeholders on whether the right balance has been struck will be very important in refining the draft, and FSC Australia would encourage everyone to take the opportunity to express their views. FSC International will be running a number of webinars to present the draft IGIs and to give you the opportunity to ask questions directly. We will let you know once dates have been announced. The consultation is open until 1 April 2020 CET.

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30 April - 2 May 2020 Women in Forestry Conference Whangamata, New Zealand 20-21 May 2020 Forest Industry Safety & Technology Rotorua, New Zealand 27-28 May 2020 Forest Industry Safety & Technology Melbourne, Australia. 11 JUNE 2020 Innovation in Action Conference – Wellington, NZ. 15 June - 16 June 2020 Timber Offsite Construction Conference (FRAME) Crown Promenade, Melbourne, Victoria. June 21-26 2020

New twist on old favourite DI-BAK G Herbicide is a new twist on an old favourite herbicide that offers new levels of environment and operator safety combined with high efficacy in providing control of over 30 species of shrubs and trees. This is achieved at dosages lower than previous methods of applying glyphosate. Di-Bak G is used primarily in vegetation management applications such as railroads, utility substations and roadside rights-of-way, among others. Di-Bak G may also be used for weed tree and wilding control in forestry plantations. It is very suitable for sensitive areas like riparian zones or parks. Di-Bak G is a dry formulation of the active ingredient glyphosate, which is recognised as one of the most effective and broad spectrum herbicides available. The herbicide is enclosed within a water-soluble capsule which is inserted into and sealed within the tree stem using a proprietary applica-

Australian Timber Importers Board meeting – Stora Enso Australia, Derrimut, Melbourne, Vic, Australia.

Wood Science Course Gottstein Trust www.gottsteintrust.org July 23-24 2020

tor (the Injecta system). Only the treated tree is affected. Once sealed within the tree, the sap dissolves the capsule and herbicide and translocates the herbicide throughout the vascular system of the tree to the sites of activity. Di-Bak G is a systemic herbicide that acts by interfering in protein production by inhibiting the enzyme 5- enolpyruv ylshikimate3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) which is involved in the synthesis of essential aromatic amino acids. “Di-Bak G is ideal for tree management customers seeking to reduce chemical use in an environmentally sustainable way combined with improved operator safety. It really offers a new approach for controlling problem trees and shrubs,’’ Peter Riikonen, CEO for Bioherbicides Australia said. “Only the Injecta/Di-Bak G’s technology allows treatment under many different weather conditions and in challenging terrain.

Doing Timber Business in Queensland Brisbane Marriot, Queensland. 27-28 July 2020 Annual Modular & Prefabrication Construction Singapore. 19-20 August 2020 WoodTECH 2020 Rotorua, New Zealand

• Cut stump treatment on Pine tree. “PPE requirements are very low and there is no special preparation or need to dispose of waste chemical. This means you will achieve targeted tree killing, with less chemical, than ever before, reducing your cost of doing business and your environmental footprint,” he said. Many herbicides are degraded quickly by sunlight if they remain on the soil surface before rainfall allows them to bind with soil particles. In contrast, Di-Bak G is protected from photodegra-

dation by sealing within the tree trunk. This application method allows great flexibility in application timing relative to rainfall. As long as the tree is actively transpiring then Di-Bak G should be expected to be moved within the tree. Di-Bak G offers vegetation management customers greater efficacy, improved safety and reduced environmental impact. Available in bottles of 1000 capsules, Di-Bak G Herbicide and the Injecta Applicator are available now.

Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

24-27 August 2020 World Conference on Timber Engineering Santiago, Chile 25-26 August 2020 WoodTECH 2020 Melbourne, Australia 1-3 September DANA New Zealand Forest Industry Status and Outlook Conference and field trip – Emerald Hotel, Gisborne, New Zealand. To be included in What’s On please send events listings to b.mitchell@ryanmediapl.com.au 29

Mill profile

• JCS Timber staff with Tony Poklar, middle, Eugene, far right.

Traditions set so long ago in Slovenia JCS Timber celebrating 33 years of endeavour spirited by the forest. Keith Smiley

ONY Poklar was born in an idyllic village below the verdant mountains of south east Slovenia, amid the splendour of tall green fir trees. Tony arrived in Australia in the late 50’s and immediately started working in the Snowy Mountains scheme, but later moved south to Lacola to cut mountain ash trees with a cross cut saw. Young strong and ambitious he moved to Gisborne cutting firewood at first and delivering to local councils around Melbourne. In the early seventies he was awarded a contract to supply pulp logs from the Otways to the Smorgon Paper Mill, which he did until the mid 80’s. During this time he purchased his Diggers Rest property, West of Melbourne, with Jacksons Creek running through it. Here the evolution of his passion with trees and timber went from harvesting to planting and milling. Ideally the forest would supply his logging needs but the truth lay with his love for trees. Once known as Jackson Creek timber, JCS Timber, is today celebrating 33 years of endeavour spirited by the forest. Tony planted more than 10,000 pine trees and some hardwood, to create a beau30

tiful setting among the hills off the Calder arterial. Using a network of forestry resources, mainly Vic Forestry and for hardwood from the Ballarat area, the business is thriving according to Tony’s son, Eugene Poklar, who began his career as a mechanical engineer. “Dad planted trees because he liked trees. He ripped the ground, planted and bagged them but there is little rainfall in this area, blocked off by the nearby You Yangs which split the clouds preventing rain, so the trees

have not grown that well,” said Eugene. Rainfall is below 500 mil but with more recent plantings of sugar gum, progress is being made. Tony started JCS with a 4-man bench and starting cutting timber on his own before employing casuals, and later, three permanents. He married his wife Ana in Australia although she had come from a village a mere two kilometres away from Podgraje village. JCS supply transport, steel, and pipe companies, and

land developers, with packing timber, like gluts, dunnage, boxes, truck bearers, and some structural timber. JCS use a Woodmizer with a multi rip saw and a semi automatic OptiCut docking saw, for most of their work. “We are always looking for ways to improve and expansion would be an option. For the future we could prepare the land where the trees are grown, ready for sale. But we are still planting trees.” The Poklars are wary of the state government and its close ties with the Greenies.

• The automated processes at JCS Timber. Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

“The Government of Victoria is causing uncertainty in the logging industry. We are managing the forests very well and Vic Forest are doing a good job, and we’ll still need hardwoods, despite the potential ban on native forest harvesting,” said Eugene. “We have the potential to better protect our forests from bush fires, increase CO2 absorption, and still generate a clean renewal material with planning and implementation.” They plant more than 1000 trees on average each year to aid the environment, but also to assist with erosion, removing noxious weeds, so the birds can enjoy their natural habitat. Customers can buy directly from their sawmill without paying a middle man, and their off cuts, like sawdust, go to the equine industry, and mulch for gardens they use every bit of the log and none is sent to landfill. Now in his eighties, Tony Poklar is not as well as he would want, but his eye remains sharp, still semi active in the business he built from the ground up. Everything you see at JCS is from the heart, Tony would tell you. Eugene is proud of his father, for who he is and what he has built - a tradition set long ago in the forests and mountains of Tony’s beloved Slovenia. www.timberbiz.com.au

Sell your used equipment, advertise your tender, offer your real estate or find your next employee. For rates and deadlines call Gavin de Almeida on (08) 8369Â 9517 or email: g.dealmeida@ryanmediapl.com.au

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FOR SALE USED Tigercat M726 Feller Buncher

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$295,000 +GST

$195,000 +GST Waratah 622C

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$295,000 +GST

Hyundai R250LC-9HC + Waratah HTH616C

TimberRite head only system, 2800 Hours, New Softwood spec feed wheels, Full Rotation, 3/4 Auto tension Main saw, 404 topping. As is Price $80,000.00

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Cat 320 CU Harvester, SP processing head, Has been working but no longer required, Good working condition. $80,000

Contact Wayne on: 0427 44 55 02 NEW Hidromek HMK600MG

NEW Striker HQR907

Grader $349,000 + GST

$$415,000 + GST

Waratah 622B TimberRite Head only. Softwood spec. Ready to go As is price $36,000.00

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Tigercat M726 Mulcher

Komatsu PC350LL

$365,000 +GST

$190,000 +GST

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ECO LOG 594D Forwarder Tigercat H822

NEW Tigercat 480B Mulcher

$120,000 +GST

$895,000 + GST

Used 616C Debarker 616C Debarking Head TimberRite PC system, 3/4 Main saw, 360 deg full rotation, Reversible Fabricated debarking wheels. $71,142 + GST

4600 hours Very Clean Condition Selling due to no further use.

$320,000 ONO Contact: Dale Mitchell 0428 597 992 dale@alpinelogging.com.au

NEW Dressta TD9S

NEW Tigercat 635G

$POA

Skidder $POA

Waratah 618C Used 6000 hour 618C debarking head only with TR100 automation, will need a midlife rebuild

Hidromek Log Loader.

NEW Tigercat 610E

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Skidder $POA

1300 727 520 www.onetrak.com.au All Prices exclude GST

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As is price $55,300.00 *prices exclude GST and are valid for a limited period.

Waratah Forestry Equipment Brendon Satchwell +61 43 844 5550 www.waratah.com Australian Forests & Timber News APRIL 2020

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The NEW Generation…

NEW Komatsu 931 The new Komatsu 931 is a powerful and robust mid-sized harvester coupled with the C144 or S132 heads meets the demanding logging conditions found in first and second thinnings. Komatsu’s latest technology provides increased production capacity and operator comfort through features such as; • New 3-pump hydraulics regulated with the engine for more power and work capacity. • New power-optimised transmission and bogie for improved climbing and crawling speeds. • New noise reducing cab with superb visibility, keyless system,media hub and auto level. • New Stage 4/Final engine with low emissions and fuel consumption. (Stage IIB for Aust & NZ).

The NEW Generation Komatsu harvesters are leading the way in Australia.

www.komatsuforest.com.au

Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd. 11/4 Avenue of Americas Newington NSW 2127 Australia T: +61 2 9647 3600 E: info.au@komatsuforest.com