Australian Forests & Timber - May 2022

MAY 2022

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I n c o r p o r a t i n g A U S T R A L A S I A N F O R E S T L O G G E R & S AW M I L L E R

Making the most with the right machinery

NATION'S SHORTAGE OF TREES THE BIG POLL ISSUE CARBON FORESTRY AND THE JOURNEY TO NET ZERO

“Leads “Leads the Way” Way” “Leads thethe Way”

Election 2022

$219.5m industry promise, but no talk of more jobs or more trees Key Points The Morrison Government’s plan for forestry includes: million to • $100 establish an Australia-

Assistant Forestry Minister Senator Jonathan Duniam, Tasmania’s Premier Jeremy Rockliff, Prime Minister Scott •Morrison, Tasmania’s Resources Minister Guy Barnett, AFPA CEO Ross Hampton, Neville-Smith Forest Products’ James

Neville-Smith, Senator Wendy Askew and Federal MP for Bass at the Government’s $219.5 million timber industry policy launch in Tasmania.

T

HE $219.5 million key timber industry promise by the Federal Government to help secure the forestry industry’s 73,000 jobs and invest in new technologies to expand the sector has been wide welcomed by the industry. However there have also been questions, with the CFMEU claiming the package does nothing to address timber shortages, and Timber Queensland saying a major gap still exists for new plantation investment in a number of growing regions.

And Opposition Forestry Shadow Minister Julie Collins says that one of the disappointing legacies of the Morrison Government is the lack of focus on growing Australia’s future timber supplies.

“The shame is we’ve lost almost ten years of growing new trees in Australia because the Morrison Government has not done the work to drive the necessary reform,” she said.

“Three years ago, the Prime Minister visited Somerset in Tasmania promising to plant a billion trees by 2030 “Wind the clock forward to 2022 and the question is how many trees has the www.timberbiz.com.au

Prime Minister delivered?

“So far he has only managed to meet little more than one per cent of his target since 2019.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said as the country tackled building material shortages and uncertainty around global supply chains, the jobs and skills in Australia’s forestry industry in regional areas were critical to a stronger future.

The Prime Minister said under the Liberals and Nationals, the Government would never support shutdowns of native forestry and would work with state government to create permanent timber production areas.

“Global demand for wood products is set to quadruple by 2050 so this investment in the jobs and future of the forestry industry is critical,” he said.

“The pressures on the building industry and the uncertain international trade situation has made it clear that local wood products and local skills are crit-

ical. Just ask any tradie who has been trying to get wood products.”

Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries and Senator for Tasmania Jonno Duniam said the National Institute for Forest Products Innovation would be centred at the heart of Australia’s forestry industry in northern Tasmania.

“We want to increase our self-reliance when it comes to wood supply and that means more job opportunities, more research and more manufacturing processing right here in Australia,” Senator Duniam said.

“Instead of importing products from overseas, we want to grow the trees here, process them here and add value to them right here in Australia.

“On our watch we’ve set up programs to make plantation expansion easier, we’ve invested $40 million to help the sector recover from the Black Summer bushfires, we’ve committed to planting 1 billion trees, and we’ve beefed up our moves to stop illegal timber imports from undercutting Australian producers.

“Australia’s forests aren’t just the basis of a critical industry supporting 73,000

jobs. They also store around 22 billion tonnes of carbon.

Our investments are good for jobs and good for the climate.

“Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party have been silent while the Victorian and WA Labor Governments shut down native forestry.

“No matter what they tell you at this election, their actions speak louder than words and they’ll sell out regional communities at the first opportunity.”

Forestry Australia CEO Jacquie Martin said the announcement recognised the need for sustainable forestry in Australian society.

“Sustainable forestry is key to a prosperous and healthy future for Australian society and the environment,” Ms Martin said.

“Forest management decisions need to exist outside of election cycles, and Forestry Australia calls for all parties to prioritise active and adaptive management of all forests so they can continue to benefit society and the environment in multiple ways for decades to come,” she said.

“We look forward to hearing how other parties plan to support long-term, scientifically-backed forest management policies.”

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

wide National Institute for Forest Products Innovation, including a central host hub located in Launceston and up to five regionally-located Centres of Excellence across Australia

million to extend • $6.6 funding for the 11

Regional Forestry Hubs that help local industry and business connect with cutting edge research

million in • $112.9 grants to accelerate

adoption of new wood processing technologies in Australia’s manufacturing and processing businesses that will maximise log recovery, process smaller diameter logs and create new and innovative wood products

That plan builds on recent Budget measures including: million in • $86.2 a new Plantation

Establishment Program to help reduce the upfront costs of establishing new plantations and get more trees in the ground in key regions around the country $4.4 million to strengthen Australia’s illegal logging system and stop illegal timber imports from undercutting Australian producers

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Election 2022

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Election critical for future of industries nation wide Ross Hampton Australian Forest Products Association CEO

I

T might sound like a cliché, but this federal election is absolutely critical for Australia’s forest industries.

It’s not just critical for our industries, but the decisions made, and policies delivered by both major sides of politics for forest industries this election, will have far reaching impacts on other sectors, like the building and construction and housing sectors, in the decades ahead.

The fact is that Australia is on the path to a future without adequate timber and fibre supplies if things don’t change very quickly and we get more production trees planted and growing in the next few years.

This is the major focus the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) during this 2022 federal election campaign.

As difficult as it has been for the country, the COVIDpandemic has provided a useful warning of what the future will be like if we don’t act quickly to secure our timber and fibre supply. The housing construction boom over the last two years has strained our local timber

supplies, while imported product we foolishly thought we could forever rely on, failed to reach our shores because of crunched international supply chains and now worsened by the tragic war in Ukraine.

Anyone wanting to buy timber, including tradies, builders and sole home renovators could tell you stories of 3 to 6 to 9 month waits for product we used to think would be forever in plentiful supply from the nearest hardware retailer or wholesaler.

Well, this will be the normal future if we don’t have adequate, federal government led action to secure our timber and fibre supply for the future. Our recent analysis with Master Builders Australia showed as a country we would be 250,000 house frames short of demand by

2035, if no action is taken.

That’s a horrific outcome.

This election we need real action from both sides of federal politics and this election AFPA has launched ‘Our Plan for Growth’, a suite of policy requests that forest industries need to thrive into the future and service an increasingly carbon conscious world.

The policy requests are divided into four broad sections: • Delivering one billion new trees • Providing certainty for native forestry • Turbocharging job creating innovation • Unlocking the potential of paper and packaging Delivering on each of these policy groupings will be essential for our forest industries to flourish.

In 2018 the federal government committed to delivering one billion new trees by 2030. We need to see a real uptick in progress on that front and the government and opposition need to drive planting towards that goal by committing to effective car-

bon policy and farm forestry policy.

Our native sector is essential, but under attack from state governments in Victoria and Western Australia.

Whichever side of politics forms government after this federal election must ensure the native sector can continue to operate and invest with confidence.

On the innovation front, we need a National Institute for Forest Products Innovation (NIFPI) to drive the R&D investment needed to make Australia a world leader in new timber and fibre products creation.

Finally our pulp and paper sector needs to be at the heart of Australia’s sovereign manufacturing capability. It will be an ever increasingly important sector as world demand grows for sustainable paper and packaging products.

However, without access to resource, the rest of our supply chain cannot follow.

So we must address future timber shortages by ensuring one billion new trees are planted by 2030.

Otherwise, Australia won’t be able to build new houses, create sustainable packaging and realise our potential in the global imperative of fighting climate change.

trees in the ground an ongoing

F

OR Australia’s timber industry, this year’s Federal Election will be more about the future than the past.

The big questions are being asked about the nation’s shortage of trees in the ground.

An interim report by Forest & Wood Products Australia has found that our reliance on imported timber will double by 2050 if our nation falls short of the plan to plant an additional one billion production trees.

Three years ago, the Prime Minister Scott Morrison promised to plant one billion trees by 2030.

The question now is how many trees has the Prime Minister delivered?

It’s a line of questioning the Opposition and the timber industry in general is asking

in the run-up to the Federal Election.

But it is a bit of an issue for the Opposition as well which has said publically it supports the native timber industry.

That Opposition pledge is tainted by two Labor state governments - Victoria and Western Australia – which are restricting access to hardwoods at a time of growing desperate need by shutting down their respective native timber industries.

In WA a $350 million investment for the expansion of the softwood estate was announced, but no new land has been secured and no new trees have been planted.

And in Victoria, it has been

reported that Government’s $110 million plan to transition the native forest timber industry to 50,000ha of plantations is struggling to deliver, with just 550ha of trees planted to date.

On top of that it has scrapped the proposed $2m Nowa Nowa native timber nursery in Gippsland which the Government touted as the solution to the impending shortage of native timber.

In Queensland there are also concerns that a major gap still exists for new plantation investment in a number of growing regions.

A lot of meaningful questions lacking, in a lot of cases, meaningful answers.

Meanwhile in Victoria, which will head to the polls in November this year, it’s hats off to the Wellington Shire Council for uncover-

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

ing that Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews went to the last State election without disclosing his intention to shut down the native timber industry.

The FOI documents, finally released to the Council after years of requests and appeals, clearly show Mr Andrews signed off on Labor’s 2030 ban on native timber in April 2018 – nearly two years before the government’s announcement in November 2019.

Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Minister for Agriculture Peter Walsh believes Mr Andrews knew Labor’s end goal but then spent 18 months gaslighting Victorian timber workers and contractors with lies that their future was secure.

It looks like he may be right. www.timberbiz.com.au

Election 2022

One billion new trees vital to service demand

I

N my 30 plus years involved in forestry advocacy, politics and government policy, I’ve seen our industry bounce back and thrive after having to weather major setbacks and proverbial storms.

All that has been totally worth it. Not only for the businesses we run, the hardworking people they employ, the essential products, like timber houseframing we create and the regional centres and communities we underpin – but now we are approaching a sunrise opportunity that could transform Australia’s forest industries once again and I’m glad we’re here to position ourselves for that.

MY VIEW Greg McCormack Australian Forests Products Association

As the world starts fighting climate change more seriously, the global de-

mand for sustainably produced timber and fibre products is booming. That demand will grow even further in the decades ahead and Australia is in a prime position to take advantage of that. The World Bank estimates that the demand for wood fibre will increase 400% by 2050.

However, we need the resource to service that demand and sadly at the moment we’re staring down the barrel of not being able to service our own demand! For example we currently need to import some 20% of our house framing material.

This is why this 2022 federal election is so impor-

tant and the national policy to ensure one billion new trees are planted by 2030 is critical. If we can secure our sovereign supply for the decades ahead, we can also stretch our wings towards international supply advantages of sustainable product.

Not only does it make good social and economic sense. With significant deforestation occurring across much of the globe, one could argue we have a moral obligation to increase our supply of sustainable timber and fibre resource for the world to tap into, not to mention the increased sequestration of carbon in our expanding

forests and forest products.

Securing sovereign supply of timber and fibre is as important as our national security, fuel security and food security. The supply chain slowdown of the pandemic and increased instability caused by the war in Ukraine shows we cannot readily rely on imports and that we must shift focus to shoring up local supply.

This federal election campaign, the major political parties need to realise this and make sure the policy settings are right after the election to make sure Australia is in the box seat to take advantage of the coming sunrise for forest industries.

Forestry training system in desperate need of overhaul T HE Forest Contractors Association wants any incoming Government to overhaul the traditional training system for the forestry industry and develop an industry led nationally coordinated career pathway.

AFCA general manager Carlie Porteous said that industry training model as it is, was lacking on deliverables.

“I think one of the key issues is the bottleneck of qualified and experienced trainers to deliver national competencies,” she said “Registered training organisations are challenged to attract sufficient trainers with the right qualification to deliver the training.

“Our industry is unique, it’s regionally dispersed and therefore the traditional delivery model doesn’t work” she said.

Ms Porteous said that training delivery needed an overhaul and a rethink “If you’re an electrician, or a plumber, you can come out of school and do an apprenticeship at relatively low cost to the business owner.

“With a highly asset-intensive business like forestry trying to put an apprentice for example, or a trainee, into a $1.2 million piece of equipment just doesn’t work. www.timberbiz.com.au

The AFCA believes there is bottleneck in the delivery of qualified and experienced •trainers to deliver national competencies. united way to attract and retain workers in the industry as well as providing them with the growing level of skills and competencies to complete their role effectively.”

The industry was well “It needs to be operating at 100 per cent efficiency and aware of what the skills gaps are. Numerous studies had production to turn a profit.

Ms Porteous said the prob- identified that the industry had a gap in skills. lem was Australia-wide.

Ms Porteous said that fund“Members from every state have reiterated the same is- ing dedicated to assessing sues and frustrations,” she the skills gap in the current budget could have been betsaid.

“They need a clear and ter spent on actually filling

the skills gap by development of an industry-specific and industry-led approach to competency and vocational training.

She said ForestWorks still has a vital role to play.

“A lot of what they’ve done in the past is to develop the courses required for industry and ensure there relevance.

“But again, it’s not the courses that are the issue.

It’s the delivery method and Australian Forest resourcing the RTO with Contractors Association qualified and experienced general manager Carlie trainers to deliver it.

Porteous.

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

•

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Election 2022

PM must accept billion trees policy has failed

Lack of focus on growing future timber supplies

F

EDERAL Labor is a proud supporter of the forestry sector. We understand the value of the forestry sector and the jobs and communities it supports.

We are committed to growing Australia’s forest plantations and to further value-add on to Australia’s fine forest products.

Federal Labor is also committed to the native timber industry.

At this election Labor has a plan to grow the forestry sector.

Forestry is a key component of Labor’s $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund. We’ve gone one step further and reserved $500 million of the fund for agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food and fibre, to encourage investment in value adding for both domestic and export markets.

The fund will help diversify the sector and open up new possibilities for trade.

Julie Collins Shadow Forestry Minister

And, importantly, it will also create more jobs and economic activity in the regions.

We know there are workforce issues across the forestry sector. There are shortages of skilled workers right across the economy, and forestry is no different.

An elected Albanese Labor Government will establish Jobs and Skills Australia as a national partnership to drive VET education and strengthen workforce planning by working together with employers, unions and the training and education sector.

We will also create 465,000 new

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Fee Free TAFE places in areas of demonstrated labour shortage.

These Fee Free TAFE placements will help rebuild industries hit hardest by the pandemic, like hospitality and tourism, as well as meet current and future needs in the care economy, including jobs like child care, aged care, disability care, nursing and community services.

The Fee Free TAFE places will also provide more opportunities for apprentices and trainees, and fill skills shortage gaps like those in trades and construction, resources, digital and cyber security, new energy and advanced manufacturing.

One of the disappointing legacies of the Morrison Government is the lack of focus on growing Australia’s future timber supplies.

The shame is we’ve lost almost ten years of growing new trees in Australia because the Morrison Government has not done the work to drive the necessary reform.

Three years ago, the Prime Minister visited Somerset in Tasmania promising to plant a billion trees by 2030 Wind the clock forward to 2022 and the question is how many trees has the Prime Minister delivered?

So far he has only managed to meet little more than one per cent of his target since 2019.

In February this year the Prime Minister was back in Tasmania with a re-jigged tree planting policy.

The Prime Minister promised to plant just 150 million trees by 2027 - 850 million less than what he committed to in 2019.

But there’s also a hitch this time.

States and territories and industry must do most of the heavy lifting.

The question is how do you go from a billion trees to 150 million trees in just three years? The Prime Minister is 850 million trees short.

How can he be trusted to support timber workers?

Australia is in the grip of a severe timber shortage.

It’s being felt right across the Australian economy. Empty shelves, construction sites void of enough wood to build frames and DIY jobs on hold because there isn’t enough

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

timber.

In the mix too is that Australia is a net importer of timber.

A Master Builders Association and Australian Forest Products Association report released in September last year concluded Australia was heading towards a timber deficit of 250,000 house frames by 2035.

There’s a lot at stake when you consider Australia’s construction industry and the jobs it supports across the country.

The lack of action on this issue from this nine-year-old government is a big deal because trees take a long time to grow.

Harvest time can be 20 to 30 years.

Inaction puts these timeframes back further and further.

It is also disappointing to know that the Prime Minister has excluded forestry fibre from his Modern Manufacturing Strategy funding opportunities.

The fact is that the Liberals and Nationals have had almost a decade to do something about this timber shortage.

But all that exists now is the Prime Minister’s re-jigged, watered down announcement that is policy on the run.

The Prime Minister was back in Tasmania in April making another announcement, this time to fund a National Institute for Forest Productions Innovation that will be established in Launceston. This is something Labor will support but the Institute won’t be realised for another five years. Again, this could have been done years earlier so as to set the forestry sector on a different time frame. It is another example of too little, too late.

We know this Prime Minister has a plethora of announcements that have amounted to nothing.

The Prime Minister must accept that his policy to plant a billion trees has failed.

For the sake of timber workers and their families the Prime Minister should have shown stronger leadership and delivered policies with real results.

Be assured an elected Albanese Labor Government will work closely with industry and all levels of government to help grow our forestry industry.

We look forward to working with the forestry sector not only to ensure we plant Australia’s future timber supply but also that we support the forestry workers and the communities they call home. www.timberbiz.com.au

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Election 2022

Major gap still exists for new plantation investment

Q

UEENSLAND’S timber industry welcomed the recent announcement by the Prime Minister and Assistant Minister for Forestry, Jonno Duniam, of a $219.5 million package to invest in R&D and new technologies to expand the sector.

“We welcome the Coalition package to reinvigorate R&D capacity and look forward to an opportunity to boost research in tropical forestry and wood products development in northern Australia,” Timber Queensland Chief Executive Officer, Mr Mick Stephens said.

“In addition, we value the contribution of the forestry hubs to developing pathways for further growth which can be supported by the program to accelerate wood processing technologies.

“However, a major gap still exists for new plantation investment in a number of growing regions. This package is like supercharging the engine

room for value added timber products, but leaving the handbrake on for new plantations”, said Mr Stephens.

This is the so-called ‘water rule’, which prohibits new plantations from accessing carbon markets in the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) in areas above 600mm annual rainfall.

No other revegetation projects are subject to this restriction.

“If this restriction is not lifted, we are likely to continue to see no new investment in plantations in Queensland, given high up-front costs and the long time-period for timber returns.

“The water rule has been progressively removed for a number of plantation regions across Australia, but remains in place in North Queensland, South and Central Queensland, South-East NSW, Central West NSW and the Northern Terri-

tory,” Mr Stephens said.

“This barrier should be removed for all regional forestry hub regions within the first three months of the next Australian Government.”

“We would also like to see greater federal support for recruitment and training pathways that are better suited to the needs of the forest and timber industry, which are often not met by national agricultural or manufacturing sector programs.”

Timber Queensland also said the Australian Government must act on ensuring regulatory compliance of native log exports from Queensland, with these activities putting at risk the long-term availability of private native forest resources and opportunities to develop a larger and more sustainable domestic processing industry.

Chair of the Hardwood Division, Curly Tatnell said over the past few years over 360,000 cubic metres of native hardwood logs had been exported from

the state. Timber Queensland has raised concerns with the Australian and Queensland Governments over the risks of breaches of state and federal environmental regulation from opportunistic native log export operators.

“A native log exporter has recently been fined for unlawful tree harvesting in the Rinyirru National Park in Far North Queensland, with this incident simply lending more weight to our legitimate concerns,” said Mr Tatnell.

Mr Tatnell said this sort of rogue activity does not represent the responsible behavior of the broader hardwood processing industry who work under strict forestry and environmental management regulations. The industry would therefore like to see stronger action by the Australian Government on this issue, including: • amending the Commonwealth illegal logging regulation to cover Queensland native

Stephens. hardwood log exports, to ensure greater due diligence and additional regulatory power for federal enforcement; • adequate resourcing for compliance monitoring and coordination across relevant Commonwealth and state agencies; and • the undertaking of compliance audits of export operators and export permits on a regular basis, rather than simply relying on ‘whisteblower’ information for any suspect activity.

Poll result could have major impact on Victoria Deb Kerr VFPA CEO

T

HE upcoming Federal Election has the potential to greatly impact the state of the wood and wood fibre sector in Victoria.

Unlike the current Victorian Government, the Federal Government and the opposition have signalled broad support for a domestic timber industry that extends to both native hardwood and plantations.

In Victoria, we face three main challenges. The first is our lack of sovereign timber capability, which is crippling our construction sector. Our processing sector has significantly increased wood supplies, however we simply cannot meet the current demand. Over the past two years, builders and homeowners have experienced how fickle imports and the international logistics supply chains can be. Instead, Victoria must establish a long-term strategy to improve our plantation wood and wood fibre supply capabilities.

We also need to ensure that native hardwood supplies continue for uses where appearance and longevity are critical factors for private and public infrastructure. For that to happen, we must avoid locking up public forests earmarked for sustainable harvesting.

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Timber Queensland •Chief Executive Officer Mick

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

The next Federal Government can guarantee this through changes to the Regional Forest Agreement regulatory environment.

Secondly, investment in research and technology will help guarantee the future of our sector. The recently announced National Institute for Forest Products Innovation (NIFPI) in Launceston will support the creation of jobs and value-adding across the nation, including the NIFPI Centre in Gippsland.

And, lastly, the next Federal Government can enhance our world-leading pulp, paper and packaging sector by helping Australia move towards being a circular economy. In 2019-20, Victoria exported 0.42Mt tonnes of paper and cardboard overseas for recycling and 0.56Mt to landfill . The key challenge for paper and cardboard recycling in Victoria is market failure along with contaminated paper and cardboard through the municipal waste stream. Cleaner waste streams and resolving market failure ahead of the ban on the export of paper and cardboard for recycling in 2024 should be a priority for the incoming Federal Government. www.timberbiz.com.au

Election 2022

Policies must prioritise forests management to benefit society T HIS election cycle, Forestry Australia is calling for a commitment from all parties to prioritise active and adaptive management of Australia’s forests so they can continue to benefit society and the environment in multiple ways for decades to come.

At the time of writing, the coalition had just announced its $219 million funding package to increase innovation and research in the sector. We await to hear how Labor and other parties plan to support forestry in Australia.

The coalition’s announcement is most welcome, and is a strong acknowledgement of the need to reduce Australia’s reliance on imported timber and turn to our own backyard where Australia has a long history of first-class forestry skills, experience and people needed to care for our forests.

To complement innovation and research funding of this nature, we would like to see an increased focus on policy commitments which address issues in forest management.

Government policy in

Bob Gordon

President, Forestry Australia.

Australia has been guided by the National Forest Policy Statement (NFPS), which was signed by the Australian and all mainland state and territory governments in the early nineties. At the time there was bi-partisan support for a national forestry policy statement adopted by all governments. A revised vision and a contemporary NFPS to guide future forest management in Australia should now be a priority action, to accommodate the many issues that have emerged or become more prominent in subsequent decades.

Those issues include notable key themes: mitigation of and adaptation to the impacts of climate change, noting that sustainable forest management has an important role to play in mitigating the impacts of climate change, but also

transitioning to a lower carbon economy; social lic e n c e issues; and establishing shared governance models that strengthen recognition of the culture, knowledge, values and rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, through Traditional Owners and Registered Aboriginal Parties.

Simply setting aside native forests in conservation reserves does not guarantee protection of biodiversity, particularly from the broader threats of wildfires, invasive species and climate change. Where natural ecosystems have been disturbed, or are at risk of anthropogenic impacts, active forest management by those trained in the science of forest land management is required to maintain

structural forest diversity and resilience and a capacity to recover from this range of threats.

Many diverse policies and regulations at all levels of government carry the prospect of unintended consequences for the forestry and forest products sector – for example, trade; infrastructure; environment; water; and land use planning. We would like to see a framework introduced whereby forestry professionals, growers and processors are consulted wherever a policy or regulation may have an impact directly or indirectly on the sector.

Another issue facing forestry is the transition from public to private investment models. Increasing reliance on private investment to replace over 100 years of mostly government ownership and management of forestry in Australia requires governments to provide a long-term stable policy environment for this long-term industry, and to avoid unexpected disruptions to policy stability.

Regarding climate change, the design of car-

Forestry Australia wants key performance indicators for •Australia’s national bushfire management goals. www.timberbiz.com.au

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

bon accounting systems, carbon trading schemes and other policy incentives to mitigate and adapt to a changing climate should consider the needs and opportunities for small-scale forest growers, as well as the value of harvested wood products, the carbon storage benefits of wood as a construction material, and the opportunities for fossil fuel replacement by forestsourced bioenergy.

Finally, when it comes to fire management, although progress is being made, much more needs to be done. With the election taking place in the lead-up to winter, and following widespread flooding over summer, it is easy for forest fire management to fall off the agenda. We can’t afford for this to be the case.

We need a greater focus on improving overall, yearround land management, rather than focussing only on fire suppression, for all land tenures including forests, parks and reserves.

We need to introduce key performance indicators for Australia’s national bushfire management goals, which will help monitor progress and help direct ongoing research priorities, guide political debate, public consultation and engagement and inform funding for fire research and operational implementation.

We need to decentralise land management, so managers are living and working in the areas under their control. This should be part of a broader investment in people and skills, which includes specialist training in fuel-management burning and greater investment into forest fire research funding.

To conclude, forests are managed over very long timeframes and long-term vision and planning is required.

That is why bipartisan support for proactive measures which focus on active and adaptive land management are so important if we are to achieve the social, economic, environmental and carbon capture potential of Australia’s forest estate, and ensure it can benefit the nation for generations to come.

9

Election 2022

Coalition’s funding in stark contrast to WA Gov shutdown T HE Federal to forestry are warmly welcomed and stand in stark contrast to the WA State Government’s recent decision to cease native forestry by the end of 2023.

During his campaign, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has publicly thrown his support behind sustainable forestry, including native forestry, with a significant $219.5 million dollar pledge in federal funding and a vow to see the industry continue and thrive.

The Federal Coalition has successfully recognised challenges facing industry, as well as its potential, importance and value to the nation moving forward.

Global demand for wood and wood products is at record highs and looks set to increase even further, so it makes sense to invest in the future security of the local timber industry rath-

Adele Farina

Chief Executive Officer FIFWA

er than rely on overseas imports from unsustainably managed forests.

Federal Labor needs to step up to, at least, match the Coalition’s commitments and to state, in unequivocal terms, its support of native forestry and outlay a plan of how it will work with state jurisdictions to grow plantations.

On a local scale, the State Government’s announcement that native forestry would cease by the end of 2023, has rocked the industry.

The announcement came with no scientific backing, leaving impacted businesses to fight tooth and nail for

a fair and just compensation package.

Behind those businesses are wonderful, strong, hardworking people who now face an uncertain future for themselves, their families and their employees.

The decision shows the State Government’s lack of understanding of the industry and that positive environmental outcomes are achieved through sustainably managed forests.

It also has little regard for how growing consumer demand for timber will be met in the future.

The announcement to cease timber production

in native forests, came with a $350 million investment for the expansion of the softwood estate, an attempt to soften the blow.

That pool of funds remains idle and as these words were written, no new land has been secured and no new trees have been planted.

It may be that the State Government is falling victim to its own lack of policy when it comes to prioritising plantations.

Allocating funds alone is simply not enough, it needs to be aligned with the implementation of appropriate policies to facilitate the expansion of plantations and to ensure plantation forestry has a secure future.

FIFWA has been campaigning strongly for a State Planning Policy on Plantations, urging Government to recognise the

importance of consistent planning processes for plantation development and expansion.

Currently, establishing a new plantation can be simple in one local government but extremely challenging in another. There is no consistency.

The benefits do not just come from a timber resource perspective, plantations also drive employment and economic development for regional WA and the State, as well as carbon sequestration, improved water quality, biodiversity and soil conditions.

If the State Government really wants to support a strong and sustainable forestry industry, as it claims, then it needs to set some meaningful policy to complement the allocated funds.

Share your expertise with the industry ForestWorks will shortly commence three new skills standards projects: •

Skills for timber and wood products processes

•

Skills for vegetation clearing operations in bushfire zone

To register your interest or for more information contact forestworks@forestworks.com.au or 03 9321 3500.

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WA timber workers protest in Bunbury over the State Government's •decision to shut down the native timber industry

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News Forestry sector treated ‘like fool’ VICTORIA’S Premier Dan Andrews has been accused of treating the forestry sector “like fools”.

The comment by Timber Towns Victoria chair Karen Stephens follows a report in the Weekly Times that Mr Andrews signed off on phasing out native forest timber harvesting in Victoria in April 2018, but waited until 12 months after the November 24 State Election that year before making his government’s intentions public.

Cr Stephens said confirmation that Mr Andrews went to the last election and did not disclose the state government’s intention to shut down the native timber sector was blatantly misleading.

She said evidence that the Premier had signed off on a timber phase out before going public had treated the forestry sector “like fools”.

Nationals Leader Peter Walsh said “if they’d agreed to it (phase out), they should have taken it to the election and been honest on what they intended to do”.

Freedom of Information documents just released to Wellington Shire Council, after more than two years of requests and appeals, showed the Premier opted for the 2030 harvesting phase out in a two-page briefing paper he signed on April 9, 2018, titled Native Forestry industry Transition Approach.

The Premier then waited until November 6, 2019, to announce “all logging in native forests across the state (is) to stop by 2030”.

“The Victorian government knows the devasting flow-on impacts in small regional communities where there are limited alternative employment opportunities, low chance of re-skilling, and when 35% of log sawmilling are sole income earner for their household,” Cr Stephens said.

She said Victoria had the capacity to maintain a financially viable and sustainable native timber industry supporting thousands of workers, their families and businesses.

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Carbon Forestry and the Journey to Net Zero N ET Zero’ is an ambitious goal many countries, including Canada, have set themselves.

Reaching Net Zero means balancing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with actions to remove an equal amount of GHG from the atmosphere.

Under the Paris Agreement, an international treaty on climate change, signatory countries set goals to reduce their emissions at the national scale.

Many countries have committed to and are moving toward net-zero emissions by 2050.

Some individual companies are going beyond Net Zero and committing to ‘Net Negative’ or ‘Carbon Negative,’ promising to take actions to remove more GHG from the atmosphere than they produce.

There are many ways to remove carbon from the atmosphere, but the first and perhaps most obvious solution that jumps to mind is planting and protecting trees.

Plants remove carbon dioxide, the dominant GHG in our atmosphere, through photosynthesis, sequestering carbon as they grow and storing it as biomass above

and below the ground.

Forests can be carbon sinks, storing away carbon for the life of the plants within them and sometimes beyond, depending on the use.

Forestry, an industry in the business of planting, managing and harvesting trees, plays a key role.

However, reaching net zero is far more complex than planting and counting individual trees. Every decision we make at every scale has consequences and trade-offs.

Carbon Complexity

Specialist carbon modelers like James Steenberg do the complex carbon calculations behind these decisions. In his role as a forest carbon and climate change analyst with the Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forestry, James calculates and models the path of carbon into the forest, through the forest and back into the atmosphere.

“It’s not as simple as counting how many trees and adding up how much carbon each tree removes from the atmosphere through photosynthesis,” James explains, “It’s critical to understand

the carbon with a full lifecycle approach.”

The biggest challenge is the sheer scale of forest carbon and knowing how to include the less tangible sources and sinks of carbon in the forest in calculations.

James talks about three ‘pools’ of carbon in the forest. The first two pools are living biomass, the trees themselves, and harvested wood products, including lumber, pulp and energy products. But the third, less apparent but significant pool is the carbon stored in the dead organic matter, including the soil. There is more carbon in the soil than there is in all the forests.

“One percent of the soil carbon in Nova Scotia’s forests is equivalent to, roughly, the total emissions from the entire economy of Nova Scotia on an annual basis,” says James, “So you can see how it’s important to not just manage that carbon but also to understand how it’s modeled and the assumptions around that.”

Assumptions James’ role at NS Department of Lands and Forestry is relatively new, driven by an increasing need to address carbon and climate change in forestry. A crucial

part of this role is building models of different climate and management scenarios to inform policies and decisions to administer forests and lands in NS. The overarching goal is to manage forests in a way that improves their ability to fight climate change.

Over the past 150 years, various factors have driven decisions in forest management at different times. At first, the focus was on yield and access: where is it and how much. Then came an increasing desire to balance yield with the socio-economic needs of communities and people working in the sector.

Then, the push in the past few decades has been toward balancing these other drivers with biodiversity.

“More recently, we realized that we need to add another forest value, and that’s carbon,” said James. “We need to be considering it at all points and understanding synergies between forestry and carbon and its role in climate and mitigating climate change.”

Models To do this, James builds carbon budget models for forests and forest products that bring together all the assumptions and equations

can be carbon sinks, storing away carbon for the life of the plants within them •andForests sometimes beyond, depending on the use.

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News from previous studies to understand how carbon moves through forests at different scales. Using Remsoft’s Woodstock optimization technology, James can go beyond measuring carbon and examine the trade-offs between carbon storage and other ecological and socioeconomic indicators.

Another key requirement is tracking and recording the many assumptions that go into forest carbon models, from how metrics are measured to what indicator is used and how it is modeled forward under different management scenarios.

“More often than not, those assumptions are the critical pieces when you’re bringing in a new policy,” says James, “Those assumptions can be more influential than anything you’re doing in the woods, in terms of their impact on long term trends in forest carbon.”

NS Department of Lands and Forestry uses Natural Resources Canada’s Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBMCFS3), a framework to simulate the dynamics of all the carbon stocks identified as necessary by the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change and aligns with carbon accounting guidelines provided by the IPCC. The model uses much of the same information that is required for forest management planning activities (e.g., forest inventory, growth and yield curves, natural and humaninduced disturbance information, forest management schedule, and land-use change information), supplemented with information from national ecological parameter databases.

“We’re fortunate that the Canadian Forest Service is one of the leaders interna-

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tionally in accounting for forest carbon,” says James.

The CBM-CFS3 model uses much the same information as is required for forest management planning (e.g., forest inventory, tree species, growth and yield curves, natural and human-induced disturbance information, forest harvest schedule and land-use change information), supplemented with information from national ecological parameter databases.

Optimization The challenge, says James, is working with the enormous volumes of data and incorporating all the available data into the forest carbon models. Nova Scotia, for example, has permanent sample plots that date back to 1965, generating years of valuable data used to build base natural yields for modeling, combined with new yield and inventory data.

In addition to this forestry data, James’ role is to build carbon emissions, removals and sinks into these models.

“We use Remsoft software to create the outputs and indicator needles to track not just how much carbon is in these big pools, but also the emissions of carbon from the forest, the net removal of carbon from the atmosphere and the total net balance,” says James.

Building the models is just the first step. With Remsoft’s Woodstock technology, James connects to CBM-CFS3 and other carbon models through dynamic link libraries and can build carbon constraints into optimization models and make adjustments to maximize the sustainable harvest level, considering biodiversity, policy and legal constraints, and ensuring the forest is a net sink of carbon.

“But we want to go further than that,” James says, “By building carbon into objectives and constraints in the optimization, we can maximize both the removals of carbon in the forest and at the same time we’re maximizing sustainable harvest levels with all our biodiversity, legal, policy and wildlife constraints.”

The goal is to understand and maximize the net removal of carbon at the ecosystem level, rather than only focusing on the sequestration of carbon by trees from the atmosphere. This means looking beyond carbon sequestration to include the dead organic matter in soils and consideration of the uses and forest products.

However, there are tradeoffs: a modification to forest management practices that is better for carbon might have impacts on biodiversity and conservation or on fibre production and harvest levels. Remsoft Woodstock can make slight modifications to individual factors and model how these changes will influence other factors, particularly as they may be amplified across large land bases and across long time horizons.

“It’s key to understand those nuances,” says James.

In recent modeling, James has included climate change vulnerability indicators around the shifting ranges of tree species as the climate changes, attempting to balance the preference for tree species that may be better suited to climate but are less favourable ecologically or economically.

“We’ve included that in the optimization, and there are some direct trade-offs between reducing climate vulnerability and maximizing the carbon sink in Nova Scotia,” says James.

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

13

News

Uncertainty over coupe access forces veteran to shut down M ICK Johnston has had enough.

The Taggertybased forests contractor says ongoing uncertainty over access to coupes, protester interruptions and court injunctions against VicForests have led him to leave the industry.

“VicForests are trying really hard to keep the industry going but they’ve got their hands tied,” the owner of Johnston Logging said.

“And they feel bad about it too.

“They do a lot of work setting up a coup, marketing, doing animal surveys and then just when the contractor is ready to start they get knocked back.”

To many, Mick is known as the Grandfather of Victorian forestry. To his good mates, well, they still call him “Mildew’’.

He has spent more than 50 years of service in the industry, beginning his time working during school holidays for his uncle’s business, carting fuel by horsepower to their harvest operations.

Mick began life in the forests in 1965 doing his “apprenticeship’’ and in 1973 in partnership with Terry Higgins began work as a contractor for the Heyfield Logging Company for around nine years.

In 1996 he went out on his own, logging in Orbost, until he was “kicked out by the Greenies”, then to Colac in the Otways where the same thing happened.

In 1999/2000 Mick moved to Marysville and was offered a contract to become a steep country logging contractor.

However in December last year, just before Xmas, he was stood down, and “the future wasn’t looking bright’’.

Justice Richards in the Supreme Court had granted an order to stop native timber harvesting in the Central Highlands and East Gippsland.

The court order cited that any coupe with one or more

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• Gippsland forests contractor Mick Johnston with his mate Kev.

The Johnston Logging trucks are being sold off. At its •peak Johnston Logging five trucks on the road. greater glider sightings or a greater glider observed within 240 metres of a coupe would be shut down.

“Unfortunately for my crew the uncertainty was too much and they moved on to other employment,” Mick said.

“Which left Johnston Logging unviable.

“The Labor government has been forcing this for years. I’ve weathered many uncertainties over my 50 years but this time it finally beat me.”

At its peak Johnston Logging five trucks and six logging crews on the go.

“Probably a month ago I put the last three off,” Mick said.

“The lack of coupes is

what put an end to it all.”

Mick says he worries about the future of his mates and other contractors.

“My time may have been cut short, but at least this way I walk away with my dignity, some money in the bank and on my terms.

“I’ve loved my time in the industry but when you’re dealing with a government who’s against sustainable logging, there’s really no hope.

“I was stood down from a coupe recently because a sighting that was made five years ago,” Mick said. “I’m sick of going backwards.”

“We’ve eventually become unviable” “As soon as they give you a coupe, it goes out on out

Johnston: “I’m sick •of Mick going backwards.” on the (conservation group) ‘telegraph’. And then they find something.

“I was stood down from a coupe recently because a possum sighting that was made five years ago,” he said. “I’m sick of going backwards.”

Mick said the industry was repeatedly told that the business was good.

“Well, there’s still a lot of blokes working but they can’t survive. They are paying a stand-down rate,” he said.

“Those still paying off equipment are finding it hard to keep going.”

Mick plans to retire in Sale with his wife Sue, surrounded by his children and grandchildren.

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

Forest cleanup begins THE Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation is partnering with VicForests to assist in restoring Country in the Wombat Forest following the June 2021 storms.

In June 2021 a significant storm caused widespread damage across large areas of Victoria, impacting around 1.97 million hectares of public land, across 34 local government areas, with even more damage done after further storms on October 29.

One area that was severely impacted was the Wombat State Forest and surrounding areas west of Melbourne.

VicForests will assist with recovery works to restore Country in disturbed areas of the forest and contribute to reducing fuel loads and reducing the fire risk to communities.

“Our goal is to ensure that we continue to care for Country. As Traditional Owners we have the responsibility to conduct ourselves respectfully when interacting with the landscape, the animals, and its ecologies after it has been impacted by severe weather. This guarantees a healthy relationship for both Djaara (People) and Djandak (Country) when managing and healing Country,” Dja Dja Wurrung Group CEO Rodney Carter said.

AUSTimber liquidation dividend paid CREDITORS of the failed Austimber Events company have received a final dividend following an investigation and winding up of the events company.

Liquidator Matthew Jess of Worrells Solvency Accountants declared a dividend in March of 2.15% of creditors accepted debts.

Claims were predominately from exhibitors relating to the AUSTimber event which was postponed and ultimately cancelled during the Covid pandemic. www.timberbiz.com.au

Chainsaws

Chainsaw protection starts from the ground up in the bush W

ORKING in the forest in a timber processing environment does not come without risk, particularly when chainsaws are involved.

We all know that 100 per cent protection against cuts from hand-held chainsaws is not fullproof by any means.

However, experience has shown that it is possible for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to be designed so as to give a very high degree of protection.

Among other strategies, the protective effect can be achieved by the following functional principle: slowing down the chainsaw through the use of PPE. This is done by using high cut resistant fibers in safety footwear to absorb the chainsaw speed’s kinetic energy.

A cut-resistant shoe of class 2 can withstand a chainsaw speed of 24 m/s and must always be used in conjunction with other safety measures, such as overlapping pants with the shoes.

For all the resilient folk that work in the forestry industry, German made ELTEN Arborist Safety Work Boots are up to the task.

Not only do they offer these cut-resistant qualities as described above and certified according to KWF Standard (German organization for silviculture and forest management), but they are also built to handle the toughest conditions and hazardous materials they are faced with.

Also referred to as chain-

saw safety boots, the Arborist work boot helps those in the forestry industry stay comfortable and protected from any potential foot injuries or punctures, utilising a heavy-duty safety toe insert.

These protective boots are also designed to be versatile and manoeuvrable, offering loggers the ability to tackle the most uneven terrain or hazards on the forest floor.

In addition to cut resistant qualities, other important aspects to consider when buying a Forestry suitable safety footwear include those that are designed to have a protective steel toe cap to prevent falling objects from damaging your feet.

You also want to ensure they are climate protected, and water-resistant. Waterproofing is even better.

Some of the best have a slipresistant bottom that helps ensure that you do not have to worry about slipping on wet surfaces when working with a chainsaw.

Subtle design features such as smooth-threading

lacing, Double protection lining, Deep-tread outsole with profile and Waterresistant leather make the boot even more suitable for the forestry work application. ARBORIST by Elten meets these criteria.

This robust, hard-wearing shoe is suitable for particularly tough outdoor conditions as the chunky HERCULES deep-treaded double-density sole with profile provides a very good grip on uneven surfaces and is insulated from the cold.

In combination with the breathable Gore-Tex climate membrane, it is a safe companion, even in adverse weather conditions and a perfect solution for the Forestry Industry Worker.

For more details visit https://www.stitchkraft.com. au/products/arborist-forestry-work-boo

Big Brands, Exclusive Prices Chains, Bars, Files, Logger Tapes, Lumber Crayons, Wedges, Clogger, PPE, Sharpening Tool and Accessories

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0458 302 572 15

Grinders

Clearing the way with Vermeer’s horizontal grinders I F you’re looking for a horizontal grinder that can power through large materials like whole trees and large stumps, look no further than Vermeer’s HG6800TX horizontal grinder.

According to Vermeer Australia’s National Specialist Technical Advisor, Steve Batchelor, the HG6800TX is built for land-clearing and pipeline right-of-way operations and offers a highhorsepower engine on a tracked machine with a compact design.

“It’s a fairly powerful machine, and due to its functionality and features, it can handle both big and small materials,” Steve says.

“The low side walls on the grinder are well-suited for feeding whole trees and other large objects with less restriction, which reduces the need for operator interaction with the material, a great safety feature.”

The feed roller in the HG6800TX can climb up

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to 1.27 metres, helping the machine to crush logs or stumps that need to be rolled, and allowing operator flexibility with different material types.

Steve also says that one key thing that operators need to think about when using the HG6800TX is choosing which tips to use, as different types of material need different tip types.

“Vermeer Australia has a broad selection of grinder tips which allows you to choose the right tip to meet the demands of your specific job — processing waste faster and more efficiently.

“Wide block tips are the most common within the industry and can be used for a

variety of applications such as general land clearing, regrind and green waste.

And the best part is they can be flipped over and used on the other side, basically giving the tip double the lifespan,” Steve says.

“Wing tips on the other hand have quite a unique design, with an overlay of a carbide compound that helps with processing large-diameter woody material, mostly over 2ft. The narrow centre section helps the tip pierce the log, then the wings clean out the remainder.”

“A common configuration is wide block tips on the outside of the walls, then wing tips in the middle. If you have green waste with a lot of chunky wood, it’s better to have wing tips to grind down the larger material more effectively.”

To find out more about Vermeer’s HG6800TX Horizontal Grinder, contact your local team on 1300 VERMEER or visit www.vermeeraustralia.com.au

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Grinders

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Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

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Machinery

Forwarder most powerful yet T HE Ponsse Elephant King forwarder is the most powerful machine in our forwarder range.

The most productive forwarder on the market, offering a superior level of comfort, is particularly economical and efficient when transport distances are long or transported trees are large.

“Elephant King’s technology, tested in extreme conditions in the Russian cold and the Brazilian heat, improves productivity and helps the operator keep going,” Juha Haverinen, Product Manager, Forwarders said.

“This forwarder’s cabin offers an enjoyable work en-

vironment for professionals who appreciate comfort, safety and ergonomics. The powerful engine and the 20-tonne load carrying capacity guarantee that trees are transported efficiently,” When Elephant King is equipped with Ponsse Active Crane, a loader control system for forwarders, productivity in demanding conditions will improve even further.

With the Active Crane system, the operator controls grapple movements instead of individual functions, lightening the opera-

tor’s workload. Active Crane is easily controlled using two levers, one of which controls the grapple height from the ground and the other controls the direction of movement.

The Elephant King forwarder with the K121 loader is the most powerful combination at worksites where load handling takes up a large part of working hours.

The K121 loader also makes working easier at sites where large trees are handled and on steep slopes where the loader needs to be powerful.

The high slewing and lifting power, longer reach, new loader geometry and good controllability speed up loading and unloading.

Growing line of Tigercat grapples T IGERCAT is steadily growing its line of grapple attachments in an effort to provide endto-end Tigercat branded solutions that integrate seamlessly with Tigercat loggers, loaders and shovel loggers. The new butt-ntop and shovel clam grapples are built with durable boxed style jaws fabricated from high strength steel.

Replaceable tine tips are made from abrasion resistant steel.

High quality, heavy duty components are used throughout. Cushioned cylinders, and a soft-start and stop slew hydraulic circuit prevent structural shock loads and promote extended grapple life while providing ample speed and torque for excellent performance.

Hydraulic hoses are routed on top of the boom and under the connecting pin to best protect the hoses from damage. The BT08 and SC08 grapples are simple to maintain with easy access to daily service points and critical components. A sealed electrical box protects electrical components from the elements.

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Butt-n-Top With a 0,7 m2 (8 ft2) load capacity area, the BT08 buttn-top grapple is designed to match up to the 865, 875E and 880E series loggers.

The overall design provides exceptional control of treelength timber. The jaw profile rolls the logs into the load area to maximize load size and minimize cycle times.

Shovel Clam The new Tigercat SC08 shovel clam grapple is designed for the LS855E and LSX870D shovel loggers.

Also with a 0,7 m2 (8 ft2) load capacity, the shovel clam grapple provides an alternative to dangle style log and bunching grapples. The SC08 can enhance shovel logger functionality and productivity by increasing control of the trees and the speed at which the operator can gather and manipulate the bunches.

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

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A CUT ABOVE THE REST CONTACT + 64 21 842413 OR GO TO QUADCO.COM

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Grinders

Relationship fed by a synergy

Komatsu/Peterson deal a growing business

T

HE origins of what has developed into a fruitful relationship between Komatsu Forrest and Peterson, and how its product range has expanded from Peterson Chippers to include their Grinders began when Komatsu Forest developed a keen interest in the Peterson chipper

and Peterson were convinced to appoint us their dealer for both Australia and New Zealand,” said Brett Jones Komatsu Forest’s Managing Director.

Steps were taken to en-

• A Peterson 5710C grinding timber waste

distribution for the Australian market.

That interest began in the late 90’s due to the close association of their products with the forest and timber industries.

“Unfortunately, there was an existing dealer at that time, which prevented us from becoming involved with the Peterson products. We were persistent

sure a beneficial changeover with a smooth transition of spare parts transfer, sales history, and technical support was established with the previous dealer.

This was obviously new technology for KF so it was important to maintain continuity with Peterson customers. Therefore, Peterson retained the services of Mal Windrim as

their factory Area Manager for Asia Pacific region responsible for sales and technical support which has complemented the KF team.

“After many successful years with the KF team, Mal thought it was time to retire, this decision wasn’t taken lightly but Mal want-

and the first orders for machinery followed shortly after, these being the 2710C for Tripodi Transport and the 5710C for Davis Earthmoving, both delivered in early 2011. These early sales lead to a good first year, with another two grinders and three chippers being delivered across

Forest Sales & Marketing Manager.

• 3 Stage Grinding Process for a superior fracturing process.

• Impact Release System, incorporating a Patented Air Bag protection for contaminated feed stock.

• Impact Cushion Sys-

ed to see if the fish were still biting,” Brett jokes.

“KF have been fortunate enough to maintain Mal’s services on a consultant basis where his skills and long product history are invaluable.”

Australia. The grinder business has continued to increase over recent years with a strong emphasis on recycling products such as waste timber and green waste.

“Peterson has a broad model range from the 2710D (780HP) to the 6710D (1100HP), all with the same unique features,” said Brenton Yon, Komatsu

tem protecting the mill from catastrophic damage from large items.

Brenton adds that all models sold in Australia are tracked grinders, with the most popular model being the 2710C/D, with 18 units sold across the country of which 5 have been sold to Snell Contracting in the Northern Territory.

The 5710 D is the second

The Growing Grinder Business The partnership was up and running by late 2010

• Tabeel Trading’s Peterson 6800 & 6910 in the Green Triangle 20

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Grinders

• A Peterson 5000H operating in the Green Triangle most popular unit in the Peterson range.

“Most Peterson owners have multiple units, testifying to the quality of the product and back-up support which we have,” Brenton says.

The Chipper Business Keeps Expanding The disc chipper application is primarily to produce an export quality chip in bark content and chip size.

It’s also capable of producing a product suitable for biomass and pellets. The drum chipper is used to produce a product suitable for medium-density fibreboard manufacturing, panel board, biomass, garden products and with the change of drum can pro-

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duce poultry and equine bedding.

The most popular chipper unit being the Peterson 5000H Whole Tree Disc Chipper, with KF delivering 22 units since 2011. Its popular demand is based on its combination as a flail, debarker, chipper, its suitability for softwood or hardwood operations and its ability to handle whole trees up to 56cm diameter.

“There are several owners with multiple units including LV Dohnt, Tabeel Trading, Kevin Morgan Group, Les Walkden, Ashers, Bluewood Industries and Tiwi Islands’ Aboriginal Community,” said Brenton .

“The machine is capable of producing export chip quality at up to 90 tonnes

per hour, depending on tree size and characteristics. It also has a selfloading crane with a high position cab, providing great vision for operators,” continued Brenton.

For larger production requirements a stand-alone Peterson 6910 Disc Chipper can accept a 69cm diameter trees producing up to 180-200 tonnes per hour again depending on chip size and wood characteristics. In the past it was feed by the Peterson 6800/ 6830 Flail Debarker. For smaller volumes and tree sizes Peterson manufacture a 5910 Disc Chipper with units working in Australia very successfully and can be supported with the smaller 4810 Flail.

Peterson have a full range of grinders, flails and chippers including drum and disc models, depending on customer requirements. Since 2011 KF have delivered 64 Peterson units and currently hold orders for a further 10 units for delivery over the next 12 months.

“Something both Companies have worked hard to achieve and are very proud,” commented Brenton Yon. “We expect to continue and expand the momentum created by our partnership” he added.

The Peterson Pacific Corporation was incorporated in 1981 by Neil Peterson with a takeover by Astec Industries Inc in 2007.

Since that date Peterson

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

has continued to operate as an independent subsidiary company within the Astec Group of companies.

In 2021 Astec changed its structure, rebranding and look of its various companies which lead to the new company name of “Astec” for all products and companies.

Astec has acquired nearly 20 subsidiary brands across the forestry, road building, aggregate and other industries.

“The Astec-Peterson products are well built, and the range complements our factory owned forest products,” Brett says. “Peterson is now a significant contributor to our annual turn-over in both unit sales and after-sales-support.”

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Machinery

Sunchip has a focus on safety

Committed to growth and development Kevin Orfield

A

USTRALIA boasts the seventh largest forest area of any country, with 134 million hectares, representing three percent of the world’s total forest.

Almost two million hectares of Australia’s forest area is sustainable commercial plantation. Most plantation harvesting occurs on the country’s coasts.

Sunchip Group’s main harvesting operation is on a pine plantation in the Tuan Forest in Queensland on Australia’s East Coast, where approximately 4000 trees are harvested and processed each day.

The company also runs a steep-slope operation in New South Wales and another operation in Queensland. Established in 1997, Sunchip Group has grown

to become one of the largest timber contractors in Australia. Today the company employs 150 people while harvesting and hauling up to 1.5 million metric tons of wood annually.

Managing Director Mark Blackberry is committed to the growth and development of the Australian forestry industry, and in 2016 he was inducted into the Australian Forestry Contractors Association Hall of Fame. He also emphasizes a strong focus on the safety of his workers and suppliers.

In 2014, Sunchip Group was the first logging company to be a finalist when it was runner-up for the 2013 TruckSafe John Kelly Memorial Award.

The Queensland opera-

tion runs all John Deere equipment, including two 953M Tracked Feller Bunchers with FR24B felling heads. It also runs four Deere skidders including two 948L-II Skidders and two preproduction 768L-II Bogie Skidders, which haul logs to four 3156G Processors with Waratah 624C heads at the landing.

The full trees are processed with the main product being 18-meter stems for the mill, which are loaded onto trucks using two Deere 3156G Loaders.

Sunchip also has two Deere 1910E Forwarders used for sorting and loading the logs that are an export byproduct from the stem operation.

The company was impressed by the new John Deere 768L-II Bogie Skidder after demoing it. Combining excellent tractive ability and flotation with

low ground pressure, the six-wheel machine’s bogie axles allow operators to navigate wet terrain not accessible with four-wheel skidders, adding more days to the work calendar. “During our four-month rainy season, we need a skidder that can still be productive,” says Blackberry.

The 768L-II is designed to carry big loads over long distances.

“On long hauls, this machine really comes into its own,” says Blackberry. “It can pull heavy loads and travel fast to help us maximize productivity.”

Operators appreciate the reduced machine vibration and smooth ride. “With six wheels, the bogie skidder rides much better,” says Blackberry. “It’s comfortable and easy on the operator over mounds and stumps.”

The balanced bogie axles

improve stability, which allows the operator to confidently pull heavy loads and manoeuvre on hillsides.

The machine’s long wheelbase and large boomarch envelope boost the reach and lift capability of the boom and grapple.

“If you’re on a hill with the bogie skidder, you don’t have to get as close to the bunches because it’s got the longer boom,” says operator Logan Hughes. “There’s more room to manoeuvre.

If you’re on a four-wheeler, you have to get right up to the bunches, which isn’t always easy.”

The machine’s arch design provides an expansive rearward view to the grapple and jobsite behind the machine.

“Visibility is good, especially toward the grapple,” says Hughes. “I like the cab.

Similar to other John Deere skidders, it’s spacious and

• The Sunchip Group John Deere gear on the job in the Hervey Bay district in Queensland 22

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

www.timberbiz.com.au

Machinery

has ample legroom.”

The 768L-II’s durable bogie axles are designed to help keep the front bogie tires fi rmly in contact with the ground, maximizing tire and axle-component wear life. “It’s been a very reliable machine,” says Blackberry.

“We’re confident it’s going to be available every day.

Access to service points and components is wide open for daily maintenance or any repairs. We have a service contract with our dealership, RDO Equipment Australia, and their techs always alert us when periodic maintenance is coming up. We also have a very close relationship with their sales professional, Brian Daubney, who handled the initial sale and manages our account with RDO.” Blackberry believes the new 768L-II Bogie Skidder makes a good permanent addition to Sunchip Group’s fleet.

“Most of the time here, we are doing long drags over wet, tough ground. This machine is perfect for that application, so much so that we bought the first machine and have since added a second bogie skidder to the fleet.”

Sunchip Group is serviced

by RDO Equipment Australia, which opened a service depot in Maryborough, Queensland, specifi cally for the equipment sale to Sunchip Australia.

www.timberbiz.com.au

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

23

022 and receive with an extended Machinery arranty.

Henson a family affair and growing Choice of machinery vital to success

H

ENSON Sawmilling was founded in the mid-1970s and it continues to be family owned and operated to this day.

In 2005, it purchased a mill in Grafton on the mid-north EC220D excavator and a Volcoast2022 of New Wales.2022. vo L70F loader,” Allen n 1st March and South 31st August Offerwheel available on Volvo Located on 100 ha, it pro-EWR130E, said.

250EL/ELD, EC300D, EC300EL/ELD, EWR150E, EW160E, cesses over thirtytospecies addiy. The warranty is limited three years“They’re or 6000 invaluable operating hours, of logs that mostly end up tions to the fleet of Volvo mages are for illustration purposes only. CJD Equipment reserves the as railway sleepers, bridge machines, which now comdecks, garden timber and prises of: six L70F loaders; firewood. three EC220D excavators; Employing more than 35 an EC210CL excavator; an people and operating three EC240CL excavator; a L60F twin edges, four saw bench- loader; a L90F loader; a es and three firewood dock- L70BM loader; and a L70C ers, Henson Sawmilling has loader. They’re essential, expanded its operations without them we couldn’t over the years and, as its operate,” he said. grown, CJD Equipment has “One of the things the guys continued to support it as a love about their new EC220D reliable equipment supplier. is the hydraulic system – “The relationship with they’re smooth and great to

TO CARE

CJD and Volvo is great – it’s always been that way, to be honest. We’ve been using their equipment for twenty years and it’s been faultless.

You get to know the machines inside-out, back-tofront and all our guys love to operate them,” Allen Henson said.

Henson Sawmilling first acquired two L70 Volvo wheel loaders back in 1999 and they’re still in use today.

It recently added two new machines to its Volvo fleet.

operate.”

The Volvo EC220D excavator features provides operators with the power, controllability and versatility they require.

The electro-hydraulic system and main control valve (MCV) use intelligent technology to control ondemand flow and reduce internal losses in the hydraulic circuit. This provides shorter cycle times and improved fuel efficiency.

“The low fuel usage is one of the bigger benefits, parVolvo EC220D excavator ticularly these days with ris“In the last year, we’ve tak- ing fuel prices,” Allen said.

The Volvo EC220D boasts en delivery of a new Volvo 24

adapts to the operator’s style and – because it always selects the right gear – saves fuel.

Volvo’s patented lift arm system TP-linkage combines high breakout torque and excellent parallel movement throughout the entire lifting range; it provides the operator with good control of heavy loads all the way Volvo L70F wheel loader up when loading.

One of the Volvo L70F Allen said that the recently acquired Volvo L70F wheel wheel loader’s other noloader does general work table features is its intelliaround the mill and that the gent, load-sensing hydraurange of Volvo attachments allows his operators to tailor the machine to the application and conditions.

“It’s a versatile, highperformance machine. We mostly operate it with log grabs and fork attachments, but one of the things we

loader comes standard with Volvo Care Cab, which is essentially an ergonomically designed workplace.

All instruments are easy to read and all the important information is grouped in front of the operator, while several seats and adjustable features make it easy to find a comfortable operating position.

The forward-reverse function is available both in the lever to the left of the steering wheel and in the hydraulic console for the

lic system, which provides exact distribution of power when and where it’s needed, regardless of the engine rpm. The system makes the wheel loader easy to operate, saves fuel and assists the operator in controlling both the machine and the load. “There are certain things that you might say we take for granted with the Volvo machines,” Allen said.

“You know when you jump into a Volvo excavator or wheel loader that it’s going to be comfortable. It’s clear that Volvo’s thought about operator comfort – it’s quiet and comfy and I can’t even tell you how important that is when you’re sitting in these machines day-in-dayout.”

The Volvo EC220D excavator has prioritised allaround visibility and the spacious and safe environment has been built strong.

It includes slim cab pillars, large expanses of glass, an adjustable seat and easy to access controls for reduced fatigue and increased productivity.

Similarly, the L70F wheel

right hand. With lever steering, Comfort Drive Control (CDC) – which is an optional extra – allows the operator to handle steering, shifting forward-reverse and kickdown with controls in the left armrest to avoid static muscle loads.

“From a servicing and maintenance perspective, one of the great things is that between the loaders and excavators a lot of the parts and filters – the oil and fuel filter, for example – are the same, which really streamlines things,” Allen said.

“For a business like ours, it means we don’t have to hold tens of thousands of dollars worth of stock. Again, it’s just one of those things that makes Volvo and CJD Equipment a really valued partner.”

CJD Equipment has a network of branches and service centres that stretch across the nation, from Australian capital cities to regional country towns. This comprehensive network takes advantage of local knowledge, combined with the passion to provide quality support its customers.

a ten percent improvement in fuel efficiency compared to the previous model. It features Volvo’s state-of-the-art D6 diesel engine, which is seamlessly integrated with all the excavator systems.

The premium six cylinder engine delivers high performance and low fuel consumption.

love about it is that it gives us flexibility – it’s a great all-rounder. Whenever we need it, we know we’ve got a reliable machine,” he said.

The Volvo L70F wheel loader’s environmentallyfriendly engine has high torque near the idle speed, which delivers exceptional rimpull, low fuel consumption and minimal emissions.

It also features Volvo Automatic Power Shift (APS): the operator simply chooses forward or reverse and APS selects the right gear based on the task and operating conditions. Moreover, APS

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

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enjoy extra support with volvo ce

EXTENDED 3-YEAR/6000 HOUR WARRANTY

available now Purchase a new 14 - 30 tonne Volvo excavator between the 1st of March and the 31st of August 2022 and receive extra peace of mind with an extended 3-year/6000 hour warranty.

Visit cjd.com.au for more information or call 1300 139 804 enquiries@cjd.com.au | Find us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram Bonus upgrade to 3 year/6000 hour warranty offer is valid for every new 14-30 tonne Volvo excavator purchased between 1st March 2022 and 31st August 2022. Offer available on Volvo excavator models EC140D, EC140EL, ECR145EL/ELD, EC200EL, EC200D, EC220D, EC220EL/ELD, ECR235EL/ELD, EC250D, EC250EL/ELD, EC300D, EC300EL/ELD, EWR130E, EWR150E, EW160E, EWR170E, EW180E and EW240EMH. Machine must be delivered by 31st October 2022. Warranty is valid on component only. The warranty is limited to three years or 6000 operating hours, whichever occurs first, commencing from the date of delivery. Normal manufacturer’s warranty terms and conditions apply. Images are for illustration purposes only. CJD Equipment reserves the right to withdraw this offer at any time without notice.

BIG ENOUGH TO TRUST SMALL ENOUGH TO CARE www.timberbiz.com.au

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

25

Machinery

Clear perspective a good basis for comparison of machinery T HOMASSEN Logging is based in Taupo, close to the centre of New Zealand’s north island.

Nine logging crews work a triangular area roughly bound by Tokoroa in the north, Rotorua to the northeast and Turangi to the south of Taupo.

The crews are similarly configured and the Tigercat brand features prominently in the mix; company owner Ron Thomassen has over twenty Tigercat machines.

Each crew has a trackbased felling machine. In most cases, it is a Tigercat 855 series levelling carrier equipped with either the 5195 directional felling saw or the 5185 fixed felling saw. The full-length trees are skidded to roadside.

Due to terrain conditions and tree size, 75% of Ron’s skidder fleet consists of sixwheel machines.

Ron has several 625 and 635 series six-wheel skidders, as well as a new 632H four-wheel drive model.

Processing is performed roadside with the equipment choice dependent on piece size and products that the crews are producing.

Ron has several Tigercat loggers including 875, 880

and 890 models matched with large processing heads. The fourth machine on the crew is a loader used for sorting and organizing at the deck area, and loading trucks.

Ron’s operations can have as many as ten sorts.

“When the wood comes out of the processor, it is sorted but the ends are not flush. The loader operator re-fleets in an area where the trucks can move the logs out,” he said.

Traditionally in New Zealand, the loading function has fallen to 25 or 30 tonne class excavators converted for forestry use with guarding and other modifications.

Weighing in at around 32 tonne, Tigercat’s new 865 logger aims to fulfill the requirements for this important function, offering a premium-build forestry machine that many New Zealand contractors have long envisioned.

“We’ve been talking to Tigercat about it for a long time,” says Ron.

• Ron says the 865 is easily lifting the six tonne trailers.

26

As such, he was excited to try one out, purchasing the second 865 to enter the country. (Whisker Harvesting, also based on the north island, took the first machine. Owners, Colin Wroe and Nick Whisker are extremely impressed by its performance.)

On Tigercat’s side, it was a challenging project to get the right features and build quality while staying within an acceptable price point, all the while competing against high volume excavators.

Ron explains that he has placed the 865 in a road lining crew.

“They go ahead of the main logging crews and they open the roads up and make them wider. Sometimes they will form the basis of a new logging road.

The 865 is doing all the fleeting and stacking of the logs and the loading of the trucks,” says Ron. “So once the logs are processed, the 865 will fleet them and load them.”

In terms of reach, lift and stability Ron says that as a log loader and fleeting machine, the 865 is sized to handle all types of logs and products that the company

• Ron Thomassen in front of the new 865 logger. normally encounters.

“It is lifting the big sixtonne trailers off easily enough. The operators like the long reach. The reach is important to put the stack over that little bit further,” Ron said.

“And they do like the high cabs. The beauty of the big, high cab is being able to look down at the trucks when you are loading them.”

Care was taken in the design process to ensure clear operator sightlines in all directions, especially beneficial for site safety when workers are on the ground manually hooking up the trailers.

The cab height, window size and placement, and the hooked profile of the main boom all contribute, allowing the operator to see everything that is happening in the decking and loading area.

Safety and operator ergonomics are important factors for Ron. “The rear entry for the cab is another good feature that the operators like. Climbing up the side of a loader in dark and slippery conditions is not ideal, so we are going away from that type

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

of machine. The rear entry cab is a lot safer. And for us, it is just a lot easier to have a finished product from the factory. The compliance has been ticked off. The cabs are safe.”

Thomassen Logging has more than 55 employees and is quite self-sufficient.

“We do a lot of our own maintenance. We have good mechanics and some of our boys have had some AB training. We don’t have too many problems because the boys are out servicing daily and staying on top of problems. They have found the 865 to be easy to work on and very user friendly.

And the operator is like a dog with two tails. He absolutely loves it. There has only been the one person on the machine for the 750 hours. It is his home. And it looks like the day we got it.”

With so many Tigercat machines in his stable, Ron has a clear perspective and a good basis for comparison.

“I go back and look at my first 875 and it works hard in big trees. Structurally nothing went wrong with it.

You would like to think as a log loader, the 865 should be really good.” www.timberbiz.com.au

Harvester Heads

New head for debarking W ARATAH Forestry Equipment has announced the H225E – a new generation of its H215E head purposebuilt for single-pass eucalyptus debarking. Designed for use on large, wheeled harvesters and excavators, the H225E is a powerful, high-capacity debarking head that productively dominates in the harsh application. “The H225E redefines what it means to be a workhorse, with improved features that facilitate enhanced debarking productivity and durability,” said Brent Fisher, product marketing manager for Waratah. “Building on the highperforming H215E model, the H225E is built to work with unparalleled excellence and efficiency.” Increased productivity With a weight at 1690 kg (3,720 lb.), this new 200 Series head features a higher performance valve that al-

lows for better oil flow and greater hydraulic working pressure capabilities (35 MPa or 5,076 psi) for more feed power. It also boasts reduced frame friction for straight or curvy trees. Improved measuring wheel log contact enables more accurate measuring while a new find-end laser sensor reduces the need to saw.

The H225E also includes patented variable angle feed rollers for better bark separation cutting as well as debarking initialization and efficiency, improving debarking for varying diameters. Redesigned swept cast arms improve delimbing in harvesting or processing applications with lower knife improvements for reverse delimbing. The H225E features Waratah’s

TimberRiteTM H-16 measuring and control system for increased efficiency, accuracy and productivity.

Improved durability Built to master debarking, the H225E features new delimb arm profiles, which improve delimbing and durability in plantation stands of consistent diameter or variable diameters of big timber. The length measuring system has been improved for more durability and placement on the log – or with optional measuring from the feed motors.

The new valve includes anti-cavitation protection for feed motors, and additional guarding protects the main frame and roller arm cylinders. Additionally, a new hose bulkhead bracket reduces hose wear and interference on tracked carriers. Extra protective elements have been added to the rear knife hose routing and tilt cylinder base-end

Control freak?

bearing for increased part durability.

Lower operating costs With more efficient hydraulic operation, the new H225E valve design allows for higher working pressure to reduce oil flow needs and provide more torque with reduced fuel consumption. This also decreases the need for hydraulic oil cooling. Additionally, an improved hose layout promotes uptime by minimizing potential hose failures.

Easier serviceability access to the roller arm cylinder, new valve bank and hose layout, also contribute to enhanced uptime and lower daily operating costs.

The Waratah H225E head is currently available to customers in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Asia Pacific, Brazil and Latin America.

For more information about Waratah, please visit Waratah.com

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Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

27

Silviculture

BRIEFS New truck ADR rules

HVIA has welcomed two new Australian Design Rules (ADR) mandating Advanced Emergency Braking (AEB) on heavy vehicles.

Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister Kevin Hogan said mandating both technologies will help save lives and prevent injuries on the nation’s roads.

“Mandating this technology for heavy vehicles is expected to save around 100 lives and avoid over 2,300 serious injuries over 40 years,” Assistant Minister Hogan said.

HVIA Chief Executive Todd Hacking said the legislation package is a major milestone.

“The incorporation of advanced safety features into new heavy vehicles is irrefutably one of the most effective proactive strategies for improving road safety,” he said.

“Our industry is unrelenting in its quest to develop and promote the adoption of technology solutions to make heavy vehicles safer.”

A 30-year study: Sustaining forest productivity: F OREST ecosystem nutrient levels and forest productivity have been monitored over a complete forestry rotation

by Scion researchers.

The results show that soil nutrient levels and forest productivity can be maintained with site-specific management – specifically through the retention of forest harvest residues and the forest floor at low-fertility sites.

Around 15 per cent of New

ductive into the future.

A series of six trials were installed in New Zealand to understand the impact of harvest residue removal on long term site productivity.

Three core harvest removal treatments were installed, removing the stem only, removing all forest residues (or the whole tree) and removing the whole tree and

floor were generally able to supply adequate amounts of nutrients and, with time, the nutrient stocks were replenished.

Very large amounts of nitrogen fertiliser that were experimental in nature were also applied during the trial to counteract any nutrient limitations caused by the harvesting treatments.

Adding fertiliser increased early rotation productivity, especially effective at sites where soil nitrogen stocks

soil resources as the global demand for wood increases. New Zealand is the first country to complete and report on a full rotation of the Long Term Site Productivity harvest removal experiments, largely due to the rate at which radiata pine grows in this country.

The results from this work are already being used by the forestry industry to develop and implement sitespecific nutrient management plans. Understanding

Feller buncher upgrade Tigercat has released the LX830E track feller buncher with the latest features and upgrades, including a redesigned debris management system and an upgraded operator’s seat.

The LX830E is a powerful and stable leveling feller buncher with a compact tail swing and a high performance closed loop track drive system, well suited to steep slope thinning and final felling applications.

The updated E-series cab includes a new parallel action air ride seat with integrated heating and cooling. The reclining seat is fully adjustable with seat angle and seat extension adjustment. The wider seat cushion and lumbar support provide operator comfort.

The HVAC controls feature a new infinitely variable fan speed control, adjusted on the control panel or the machine control system touchscreen, adding to operator comfort. Multiple convenient storage locations with nets have been added to the cab to keep items secure.

28

in the late 1980s at the Long-Term Site Productivity harvest removal •trialSoilatsampling Woodhill Forest, North of Auckland.

Zealand’s planted radiata pine forests are now in their third or fourth rotation. A consistent supply of nutrients is essential to ensure the long-term productivity, health and sustainability of these forests. This is not a new issue, with concern being raised more than 40 years ago.

Harvesting a forest includes removing the main stem but can also include removal of harvest residues (slash) and even the forest floor, a scenario which is becoming increasingly more plausible as biomass for bioenergy and biofuels are emerging as ways to diminish our reliance on fossil fuels. Understanding the consequences of these practices from one rotation to the next is necessary to ensure our forests stay pro-

the forest floor. Soil, forest floor and tree nutrient levels were measured before harvest, at age 5 years and for some sites at mid rotation and again when the forests were ready to harvest again.

Soil nutrient levels varied considerably from site to site. As expected, more carbon and nutrients were removed when the forest floor was disturbed, which can happen during harvesting and preparation for planting. However, by the end of the rotation, the forest floor had recovered, with one exception – when the forest floor was removed at a low nutrient site. The removal of large amounts of nutrients in harvest residues and forest floor had no effect on wood quality. These results suggest the soils and forest

were initially low.

Other outcomes of the three decades of work include: Site-specific management recommendations to support the use of residue for bioenergy.

Contributing to the development of a New Zealand planted forest specific Nutrient Balance Model (NuBalM).

Insights into the effects of different harvesting treatments and fertiliser addition on soil biodiversity.

Underpinning data for planted forest carbon accounting.

This work is part of the global “Long Term Site Productivity” trials investigating the sustainability of intensive forest management harvesting practices and the pressures placed on

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

the potential effects of forestry residue removal on some sensitive sites allows for site specific harvesting (and preparation) plans that ensure residues are retained and evenly spread.

They are also essential for public acceptance of commercial forestry and to meet the requirements of external bodies such as the Forest Stewardship Council.

The forestry industry can be confident it can sustainably supply timber, fibre and energy into the future.

The shared knowledge generated has led to changes in forest management and strengthened Scion’s relationship with the industry.

Beyond the day-to-day, the raft of academic papers published has reinforced Scion’s reputation as a leader in forestry science. www.timberbiz.com.au

Doing their best to keep the dream alive

Mill Profile

• Bryan and David Farrell Keith Smiley

B

RYAN and David Farrell of Bendemeer Sawmill are never sure where they stand with Forestry Corporation of NSW, while being confronted by the vagaries of weather, and their clients ‘screaming out’ for more hardwood timber.

You have to admire the constancy of the Farrell family, who continue to hewn trees from the forest making them into princely objects, no less, supporting structures of thousands of homes. Seventy five years of the Farrell touch means a lot to Bryan and his brother David. Their great granddad hauled logs to the mill using bullocks, establishing a long heritage and pride of achievement, despite the rigours required today.

“We can’t get hardwood, we can get only radiata pine. Customers are screaming out for product and I can’t supply. With clients buying an average of $600 of timber a day, we are disadvantaged by the larger companies getting priority,” said Bryan Farrell.

Bendemeer Sawmill has

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an allocation of so many cubic metres a year, agreed to by Forestry Corporation of New South Wales, but the big corporates carry a monopoly with which the smaller mills daren’t upset the balance.

“We are just a number, even though Boral sell on to us if they have enough in their yards. We need the good hardwood but they send us a lower grade but durable tree for fencing.

We can move it, but our clients want hardwood,” said Bryan.

Now that the forests have opened up again, the large corporates still hold sway.

The more things change, the more they stay the same, define their current situation. “The buck stops with us. They stopped us from getting logs from private property about 10 years ago to protect frogs and bugs and now we must buy our logs from Boral via the state Forestry Corporation.

“I get the dirts about it when they change the rules, in spite of our agreement.

We cannot get to it because of the weather, the Forestry Corporation say, yet they

close off the regions far too long.”

The Farrell brothers say they have poured blood, sweat and tears into their enterprise, building new sheds, installing a Grey unit, while keeping the old sawmill operating, thus value adding to the tune of $100,000 in machinery and equipment. “We bought a carriage from Mt Beauty with a good deal, but it’s just sitting in the shed, underutilised,” said Bryan.

The brothers can take some comfort in their beautiful surroundings: Bendemeer is a small wellpreserved hamlet hugging the Macdonald River, and taking its name from a Persian river; a scooch between Tamworth and Armidale.

The local pubs are a showcase of what Bendemeer Sawmill can do with wood.

The bar tops are beautifully finished, with some of the sawmill’s finest. The town is also decked out with outdoor tables and chairs built with Bendemeer furnituregrade hardwood timber.

Bryan does not want to be the one who shuts the mill down. There is so much ‘family’ built into Bende-

meer, with a mill here or there, aiming for its first century of service to New Englanders.

“Everyone cuts their teeth in our sawmill. It’s their first job. With brother David and cousin Nigel Skewes and another employee, we work with what we have. I can’t see a future, despite help we have received from local MP as well as the Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce.

“At 51, that’s all I know.

I pick myself up, and dust myself off. I want to stay at the mill. I do not have children but I had a longterm relationship with a local woman, and that was enough for me. We are still friends just the same.

“We are doing our best to keep the dream alive,” says Bryan, in a reflective diversion. Bryan asks little for himself but he is keen to keep the lifestyle going, even though that dream is at odds with an incompliant state government. Bryan and David Farrell’s story may not have ended yet, hoping for something special to come along, even a reprieve from the corporation, even a change of heart towards this vital venture.

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

LOOKING BACK 2019 IT has taken time and money but the Jubilee Highway Sawmill is now totally compliant with stringent environmental air quality emissions.

No-one can deny the importance of local timber mills for regional jobs and the economy, however, the often-ageing infrastructure has, in the past, presented challenges with air pollution and quality.

Even before purchasing the Jubilee Highway Sawmill last year, OneFortyOne was in discussions with the South Australian Environment Protection Authority on air quality to meet legislative requirements for the site.

2016 EACH member of Federal Parliament’s votes on issues affecting the forestry and forest products industry will now be monitored and recorded on a new website in the lead-up to the next election.

The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) launched the website called ‘Build the Vote’.

The website provides a snapshot of the voting decisions made by each individual member of the House of Representatives and Senate in relation to issues of concern for the forest industries of Australia which were decided over this term of government.

The policy platforms the major parties are taking into the 2016 election will also be featured and evaluated.

2011 ONE of the greatest costs in the production of forest products is the expense of harvesting and transport.

These operations must be efficiently planned and implemented to ensure that they are cost-effective and safe.

The CRC for Forestry has developed a number of tools aimed at helping forest businesses optimise their harvesting and transport activities, resulting in improved efficiency, effectiveness and safety.

FastTRUCK is a logistics optimisation planning tool for forest operations running in-field chipping operations.

29

Classifieds

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) 8369 9517 or email: g.dealmeida@ryanmediapl.com.au

a

Onetrak

FIRST WITH INDUSTRY NEWS STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

Tigercat H822C Harvester with Waratah HTH618 $150,000 + GST

SUBSCRIBE ONLINE TIMBERBIZ.COM.AU

CBI Magnum Force 604 Flail Debarker $290,000 +GST

MING SOON! COTigercat LH855D

Tigercat 845C Feller Buncher $175,000 + GST

Harvester with Waratah HTH624C Head $575,000 + GST

Valmet 425EXL Feller Buncher $49,950 + GST

Tigercat H860C Harvester with Waratah HTH622B or HTH624C $155,000-$175,000+ GST

Tigercat E625C Skidder $155,000 + GST

Rotobec Forwarder Grapples From $5,700 + GST

australasian

magazine

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I n c o r p o r a t i n g A U S T R A L A S I A N F O R E S T L O G G E R & S AW M I L L E R

MOBILE SAWMILL

FOR SALE

$52,000

Breast bench, engine/tractor driven, right hand Trewhella gauge, built on 150x100 RHS

COMING SOON!

Tigercat 1075C Forwarder $312,500 + GST

Tigercat DT5003 Bunching Saw $45,000 +GST

Both breaking down and rough sawing done with one saw.

COMING SOON!

Initial saw size was 50” (four of) + live feed rollers and dead roller return + blower for sawdust extraction.

This mill has been used for cypress post and framing production.

There is an automatic sharpener/gulleting unit supplied with the mill.

Tigercat 1075C Forwarder $287,500 +GST

Tigercat 570 & 575 Harvesting Heads Available for immediate delivery!

Valmet 890.3 Forwarder $137,500 +GST

Waratah HTH624C $55,000 + GST

Very reliable mill. Cuts logs up to 6.0m long x 65 cm diameter.

It has an axle that is placed under the centre and a retractable tow hitch on the benchman’s end for transport.

The breaking down trolly folds over the top of the bench to pass the saw for the spot cut. Photo can be supplied upon request

CONTACT DOUG: 07 466 87 175 0427 354 360 30

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

1300 727 520 www.onetrak.com.au

www.timberbiz.com.au

Classifieds

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) 8369 9517 or email: g.dealmeida@ryanmediapl.com.au

NEW PRODUCT H215E debarking head suitable for Tracked & Wheeled carriers 15 to 25 ton.

Priced from $94,738.00 Call Brendon for more information 0438 445 550

Waratah H215E Debarker

NEW ATTACHMENTS

Waratah 623C

Waratah H212

Waratah H219X

Waratah 616C SIII

Priced from $249,805.85

Priced from $138,303.00

Priced from $184,636.60

Priced $165,472.27

Waratah 622B SII

Waratah 616C SII

Waratah 616C SII

Waratah 618C Debarker

Fully rebuilt 622B SII Softwood spec. Priced from $204,000.00

Rebuilt with 6 months parts warranty. Priced from $100,000.00

Low hours with 6 month Warranty

Priced $122,500.00

Brand New TR100 Controller Priced $64,000.00

600 Series 10T Sprocket Kit

H425 60CM Top Saw Chain loop

WA134518 $399.00

F700106 $36.76

USED ATTACHMENTS

PARTS - New Ordering Site - partscatalog.waratah.com

PVM Manual Activation WA104404

$49.80

FL85 Saw Chain 45’ Bar WA114587

$219.00

*prices exclude GST and are valid for a limited period.

Tasmania South Australia Queensland Tas Auto Air Autocare Mount Gambier Champion Contracting MR & JA Gray Mechanical SE Forest & Hydraulic Ctr

Victoria C.F.H Hydraulics

New South Wales AB Diesel R & D Forest Services

Western Australia Waratah Bunbury

Contact Waratah Foresty Equipment on 03 9747 4200

www.timberbiz.com.au

Australian Forests & Timber News May 2022

31

Komatsu PC300HW

WG Boom Set Internal Hose Routing

Forestry Cab Options • Komatsu • EMS • Active • Ensign Komatsu HD Cooler Package Options

Komatsu Integrated Control System

Komatsu High/Wide

Optional Guarding Packages

Komatsu Forest working closely with Komatsu Ltd Japan have developed two new Forest Xtreme models the PC270HW & PC300HW. These two models feature unique forest specifications from the Komatsu Osaka factory; • High & Wide undercarriage / Forestry Boom Set / Forestry Cabin Options supplied from KF are; • Large HD Cooling / Guarding Packages / Forestry Cabins

Komatsu’s unique ‘Forest Combinations’ Komatsu Forest Pty Ltd. 11/4 Avenue of Americas Newington NSW 2127 Australia T: +61 2 9647 3600 E: info.au@komatsuforest.com