issue 235 timber & forestry e news

19
Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] 1 ISSUE 235 | 20.08.12 | PAGE Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] 6825 ISSUE 235 | 20.08.12 | PAGE 1 Workers fight ‘eco-terrorists’ Cont Page 3 Grand finish for Hoo-Hoo Bashers • Logging Bill passes House of Reps • Multi-million-dollar bailout offer to CHH THIS ISSUE New grassroots gathering defends industry against anti-forest attacks Eco-terrorism .. a growing threat to forest industry. By JIM BOWDEN FOREST workers and their communities have bandied together in Victoria to defend the state’s sustainable timber industry against “slander” and a new wave of anti-forest terrorism. More 100 residents from timber towns such as Kinglake, Toolangi, Yarra Junction, Millgrove, Lilydale and Healesville – many of them still recovering from the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009 – last month formed a new grassroots organisation, Friends of Forestry, “out of frustration”. The group, defending the industry’s integrity against “willful misinformation”, faced a more serious threat last Wednesday when five masked anti-forestry activists entered a public safety zone in the Toolangi state forest in the early hours of the morning to dangerously disrupt harvesting operations. “Such incidents are happening daily,” Friends of Forestry vice-president and logging contractor Jacqui Commans told T&F enews. “Every Australian has a right to work in a safe working environment and go home to Ph 02 9609 5911 Complete solid timber processing systems MicroPro ® Copper Quat Visit: www.osmose.com.au or phone: 1800 088 809 Osmose® and MicroPro® are registered trademarks of Osmose, Inc. or its subsidiaries. A Better Earth Idea from Osmose sm and Treated Wood Just Got Greener sm are slogan marks of Osmose Inc and its subsidiaries. MicroPro timber products are produced by independently owned and operated wood preserving facilities. GREENGUARD ® is a registered trademark of GREENGUARD Environmental Institute. * See MicroPro fastener and hardware information sheet. © 2011 Osmose, Inc. T r e a t e d W o o d J u s t G o t G r e e n e r s m A Better Earth Idea from Osmose sm ® Now Approved For Aluminium Contact* MicroPro ® MicroPro is GREENGUARD ® Children and Schools Certified Greenguard ® Children and Schools Certification indicates that a product has undergone rigorous testing and has met stringent standards for VOC emissions. In the USA, products certified to this criteria are suitable for use in schools, offices, and other sensitive environments. AFS/01-10-01 www.forestrystandard.org.au

Upload: industry-e-news-llc

Post on 28-Mar-2016

221 views

Category:

Documents


1 download

DESCRIPTION

Weekly news for the Timber & Forestry Industries

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] 1issuE 235 | 20.08.12 | PAgE

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected]

6825

issuE 235 | 20.08.12 | PAgE 1

Workers fight‘eco-terrorists’

Cont Page 3

Grand finish for Hoo-Hoo Bashers

• Logging Bill passes House of Reps

• Multi-million-dollar bailout offer to CHH

This issuE

New grassroots gathering defendsindustry against anti-forest attacks

Eco-terrorism .. a growing threat to forest industry.

By JIM BOWDENFOREST workers and their communities have bandied together in Victoria to defend the state’s sustainable timber industry against “slander” and a new wave of anti-forest terrorism.More 100 residents from timber towns such as Kinglake, Toolangi, Yarra Junction, Millgrove, Lilydale and Healesville – many of them still recovering from the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009 – last month formed a new grassroots organisation, Friends of Forestry, “out of frustration”.The group, defending the

industry’s integrity against “willful misinformation”, faced a more serious threat last Wednesday when five masked anti-forestry activists entered a public safety zone in the Toolangi state forest in the early hours of the morning to dangerously disrupt harvesting operations.“Such incidents are happening daily,” Friends of Forestry vice-president and logging contractor Jacqui Commans told T&F enews.“Every Australian has a right to work in a safe working environment and go home to

Ph 02 9609 5911

Complete solid timber processing systems

MicroPro®

Copper Quat

Visit: www.osmose.com.au or phone: 1800 088 809Osmose® and MicroPro® are registered trademarks of Osmose, Inc. or its subsidiaries. A Better Earth Idea from Osmose sm and Treated Wood Just Got Greener sm are slogan marks of Osmose Inc and its subsidiaries. MicroPro timber products are produced by independently owned and operated wood preserving facilities. GREENGUARD® is a registered trademark of GREENGUARD Environmental Institute. * See MicroPro fastener and hardware information sheet.

© 2011 Osmose, Inc.

Trea

ted

Wood Just Got Greener

sm

A Better Earth Idea from Osmose sm®

Now

Approved For

Aluminium

Contact*

MicroPro®®

MicroPro is GREENGUARD® Children and Schools Certified Greenguard® Children and Schools Certification indicates that a product has undergone rigorous testing and has met stringent standards for VOC emissions. In the USA, products certified to this criteria are suitable for use in schools, offices, and other sensitive environments.

AFS/01-10-01

www.forestrystandard.org.au

Page 2: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] PAgE | issuE 235 | 20.08.122

ForestWorks performsa range of industry

wide functions acting as the channel

between industry, Government and the Australian Vocational

Education and Training (VET) system

VICTORIAPO Box 612, North Melbourne 3051Tel: (03) 9321 3500Email: [email protected]

NEW SOUTH WALESPO Box 486, Parramatta 2124Tel: (02) 8898 6990Email: [email protected]

TASMANIAPO Box 2146, Launceston 7250Tel: (03) 6331 6077Email: [email protected]

BRISBANEPO Box 2014 Fortitude Valley 4006Tel: (07) 3358 5169Email: [email protected]

SOUTH AUSTRALIAUnit 2/191 Melbourne Street, North Adelaide 5006Tel: (08) 8219 9028Email: [email protected]

LearningSkills

ResearchAdvice

Innovation

INDUSTRY NEWS

What’s the futurefor Queensland’sforest industries?

HAVE YOUR SAY

TIMBER Queensland and the state government have undertaken to develop a plan that will establish a road map for the future of the forest and timber industries from 2012 to 2040.If you’ve got some ideas about the challenges facing industry and ways to manage them this is an opportunity to have a say.Development of the plan is one of the initiatives in the government’s July to December 2012 Action Plan to grow a four-pillar economy.There are three key inputs shaping the content of the industry plan – results of the industry survey; direct consultation with key industry organisations, industry specialists and individual businesses; and a vision and planning forum involving invited industry leaders.These inputs will be crafted into a draft industry plan that will focus on detailing a vision for the industry in 2040, identifying

the challenges to be faced by businesses – both now and in the future – and determining what actions are needed to address those challenges.This draft will form the basis for more extensive consultation with interested parties and the resultant Forest and Timber Industry Plan will be completed by the end of 2012.The survey represents an opportunity for all interested parties to have their say about what the future of the Queensland forest and timber industry should look like, what are the key issues facing the individual businesses and the broader forest and timber industry, and importantly, what can be done about it.To complete the survey (by August 31) or to find out more about the plan and its development visit www.timberqueensland.com.au

TASMANIA’S rail operator is preparing to transport logs for the first time in a decade.TasRail is in talks with Forestry Tasmania and two private firms about its goal to move at least 100,000 tonnes of logs a year. The company’s CEO Damien

White says trials between Burnie and Hobart in the past six months have gone well and volumes may increase.“I don’t know what the very upside is, but we know it’s far beyond 100,000 tonnes,” Mr White said.

Tasmanian logs back on track

Page 3: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] 3issuE 235 | 20.08.12 | PAgE

their families at night,” Mrs Commans said.“Many Australians have fought hard for better working conditions on the worksite. This may include a building site, a shearing shed, a supermarket, a school, an office and it definitely should include our official workplaces on harvesting coupes in our state forests.“This is not an issue of whether you support or don’t support harvesting in native forests, this is a simple issue of workplace safety and we call on the government to take swift decisive action against these masked eco-terrorists who breached OHS standards.“Someone is going to get killed if we don’t watch out.”Three truck drivers including Brendan Roberts were on the harvesting coupe at 5.45am last Wednesday when the five men stormed the workplace shining torches in their faces and threatening them before being ushered from the site.“One driver was loading a truck and had a 500kg-plus log in the grab high up in the air when the fully masked men invaded our workplace,” Mr Roberts said.“I have a right as an Australian to work in a safe work place and I am fed up with these continued breaches which not only threaten our safety but stop us from earning an honest quid.“As far as I am concerned it is illegal to wear a mask in public and to be honest it was really frightening as it was dark. There were five masked men and we had no idea whether they had weapons or what they were going to do.”Friends of Forestry has demanded that authorities, including police, government departments and Worksafe Victoria take swift action and

prosecute the offenders and ensure workplaces are kept safe.Friends of Forestry president and Wesburn logging contractor Brett Robins said the atmosphere at the group’s foundation meeting was positive and full of factual information.“We are group of like-minded people representing a broad spectrum of the community from timber workers, communities, business owners, tourism operators, 4WD enthusiasts, deer hunters and other bush users,” he said.“Our mission is to provide factual information which will improve public awareness and education about the importance of our sustainable native timber industry and the importance of keeping our forests open for all users and activities.“People claiming to be environmentalists are distorting the facts, photo shopping images, providing incorrect

information about our forests and, worst of all, invading a designated workplace putting the safety of timber workers at risk.”Mr Robins said no Australian deserved to work in an unsafe environment and the actions of the forest protesters were threatening the safety of timber workers who had a legal right to work and support their families.“We urge communities to explore the truth about our sustainable timber industry and

to understand that we are not harvesting old growth forests and furthermore that we truly care about the future of our industry and environmental benefits of our forests,” he said.“If people want to protest, then they should take their argument to the politicians, rather than holding up weekend tourists at their regular protests at Healesville’s Main Street traffic lights, breaching OHS practices and persecuting hard working honest people.”Chief executive of the Victorian Association of Forest Lisa Marty said that although it was understandable some people would have different views on forestry, it was unacceptable for them to enter a high-risk workplace in the early morning with covered faces and intimidate workers.“I think everyone would agree that actions which are aggressive, threatening and compromise people’s safety at work should not be tolerated,” Ms Marty said.“Forestry workers are skilled professionals who are trained to operate machinery in a safe way. Activists who invade these work sites when operations are under way put both themselves and hardworking people who are just trying to do their job in harm’s way.“It is important that the cowardly perpetrators of these risky and senseless acts are held accountable.“The industry calls on environmental groups to oppose illegal and unsafe protest activity and engage with forest managers and industry on their concerns.“We call on the police, Worksafe Victoria and the state government to act with the full force of the law against those acting illegally and to endanger people’s safety at forestry workplaces.”

‘This is a workplace safety issuethat calls for government action’From Page 1

INDUSTRY NEWS

Lisa Marty .. hard-working people put in harm’s way.

Forest industry defenders .. Friends of Forestry committee back row, left to right, Brett Robin (president), Jan Adams, Margaret Robin, Mark Andrews, Kersten Gentle, Graham Taylor and Angus McMahon, and front, Leah Bannerman (secretary), Martha Chandler, Cheryl Chalmers and Jacqui Commans (vice-president).

‘We urge communities to explore the truth about our sustainable timber industry and to

understand that we are not harvesting old growth forests and that we truly care about

the future of our industry and the environmental benefits of forests’

– Brett Robins

Page 4: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] PAgE | issuE 235 | 20.08.124

THE South Australian government has offered a multi-million-dollar bailout to the state’s major southeast timber processing plant operated by Carter Holt Harvey Australia at Mount Gambier in a bid to prop up an ailing industry.Treasurer Jack Snelling has confirmed an offer similar to the Holden bailout in a deal that included $50 million of state taxpayers’ money.Mr Snelling said he would leave the public to speculate on the size of the offer but would not counter suggestions the deal is likely to be in the order of about $20 million, according to a report in the Adelaide Advertiser.He also said a buyer for forward rotations of the forests was likely within weeks.The Opposition has called for the state government to abandon the deal, needed to prop up the ailing Budget.The high cost of raw timber is a major pressure on Carter Holt Harvey’s business model. The company has sent an open letter to employees saying its future in South Australia is in the hands of the state government.The company wants a new long-term timber supply deal and a reduction in log prices.Shadow Economic Development Minister David Ridgway told an ABC program the company had met with workers and unions last week. He says CHH is not just posturing and that a thousand jobs are at risk.Mr Ridgway is calling for the Premier to intervene in what he describes as a fight to the death between Carter Holt Harvey and the Treasurer Jack Snelling.CHH says its mill facilities

are losing millions of dollars because it cannot compete against cheap imported timber.The company has sent a letter to its employees saying imported timber has gained a substantial slice of the market, leading to a significant decrease in timber prices. It says the government-owned Forestry SA has a monopoly on local logging rights and has continued to increase the price of raw timber.David Ridgway says management and union representatives had met with employees.“They locked the gates and ceased delivery so they could actually talk to the staff and laid it on the line that we are facing a very serious set of circumstances,” Mr Ridgway told the ABC.“The government just seems to be oblivious to it; they’re hell-bent on selling the forests, taking the cash and turning their back on the people of the south east. They’ve actually

gone to the government with a proposal to link the log price to the price of sawn timber, and the government has rejected that.“Now we see there are 1000 jobs at risk, direct jobs, and many other flow-on jobs at risk. It’s time for the Premier to intervene.”CHH says it has started discussions with the forestry union (CFMEU) and Australian Manufacturing Workers Union about the future of the mill.Treasurer Jack Snelling says the government has been working with the company since April to develop an assistance package.“In the past we’ve made significant financial commitments to companies such as Holden in order to protect jobs and we’re prepared to do that again with Carter Holt Harvey,” he said.“We hope we’re in a position very soon to go back to Carter Holt Harvey with another offer

of assistance.”Mr Snelling insists the situation has nothing to do with a state plan to sell Forestry SA’s assets.“This is entirely related to market conditions for structural timber in Australia and those market conditions are caused by the high Australian dollar, a flood of cheap imports of structural timber from overseas and the slow housing market,” he said.Mr Snelling says it is not the role of Forestry SA to slash log prices because companies are struggling.“Forestry SA has an independent board. Like most government enterprises, they operate at arm’s length from government and they have a statutory obligation to run their business on a commercial basis,” he said.“They can’t go discounting their timber, their saw log, in a way that is uncommercial.”Mr Snelling claims he cannot direct ForestrySA, a semi-autonomous government corporation, to change prices.Meanwhile, SA Opposition leader Isobel Redmond says the sale of the state’s forests should be cancelled and negotiations resumed with millers.A mass meeting of angry southeast forest workers has threatened immediate industrial action unless the government abandons the sale process amid threats of major job losses.Abput 700 CFMEU members met last Thursday after reports that CHH was threatening to cut 1000 jobs.CFMEU forestry and furnishing

INDUSTRY NEWS

Carter Holt Harvey wrestles withdecision on Mount Gambier mill

Cont Page 7

Jack Snelling .. working on assistance package

David Ridgway .. thousands of jobs at risk.

Seeks long-term supply and reduction in log prices

‘This is entirely related to market conditions for structural timber in Australia

– the high Australian dollar, a flood of cheap imports of structural timber from overseas

and the slow housing market’

Page 5: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] 5issuE 235 | 20.08.12 | PAgE

EVENTS

WHAT’S ON?Australia’s forest, wood, pulp and paper products industry now has a stronger voice in dealings with government, the community and in key negotiations on the industry’s future, as two peak associations have merged to form a single national association.

The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) has been formed through the merger of the Australian Plantations Products and Paper Industry Council (A3P) and the National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI).

AFPA was established to cover all aspects of Australia’s forest industry:

- Forest growing; - Harvest and haulage; - Sawmilling and other

wood processing; - Pulp and paper processing; and

- Forest product exporting.

For more information on the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) or to enquire about membership , please call (02) 6285 3833.

AugusT13-15: Australian Window Association’s annual conference and exhibition. Fenestration Australia 2012 at The Esplanade Hotel, Largest gathering of local and international organisations associated with the window industry, bringing together more than 300 delegates from right across the value chain. Inquiries to conference secretariat on (08) 9381 9281 or email [email protected]: Carbon Forestry2012. Auckland NZ. Forestry is New Zealand’s largest potential carbon sink and, as the ETS continues to grow in importance to NZ businesses,so does its investmentfuture. A raft of new legislation,a dramatic drop-off in carbon trading and pricing during 2011, thsome international emissions units and uncertainty around the future alignment of New Zealand and Australia’s trading schemes has changed the landscape significantly. It’s led to uncertainty in the marketplace about the immediate future and opportunities that exist in carbon forestry.Visit www.carbonforestryevents. com29: Chopper-roller field day. Miva on the Bauple-Woolooga road. Turn west off Bruce Highway, about 17 km to Munna Miva Road. (Look for the ‘field day’ signs. Time: 9 am-3 pm. Tel: (07) 5483 6535 or email pfsq @bigpond.com SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER

FWPA R&DWorks seminar series: Coffs Harbour, NSW, September 4; Maryborough, Qld, September 6; Brisbane September 7; Albury, NSW, October 4; Oberon, NSW, October 31; Sydney November 1; Hobart November 29.OCTOBER2-4: Future Build 2012. Melbourne Exhibition Centre. Contact Australian Exhibitions and Conferences (03) 8672 1200 or email: [email protected]: Joint ISCs and Skills Australia conference: The Future of Work In 2011, Australia’s 11 industry skills councils and Skills Australia held their inaugural joint conference. Join MC Kerry O’Brien, Q&A panel moderator Tony Jones and a range of industry identities to explore the future of work, and its implications for building Australia’s human capital. Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Drive, Darling Harbour, NSW.4-6: Malaysian Timber Council’s (MTC) Global WoodMart 2012, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia. For further information go to www.globalwoodmart.my. For information about complimentary hotel accommodation and other assistance, including sponsorship invitation and application forms contact John Halkett at [email protected] or +61 (0)2 9356 3826.14-17: Australian Forest Growers conference. Gympie Civic Centre, Gympie, Qld. More than 50 speakers will present at 20 sessions. Three concurrent

streams will feature growing, products and markets and integration. The middle day will feature six field trips heading in all directions from Gympie to examine local growing and processing in action. This will be followed by the presentation of the national Tree Farmer of the Year Award at the conference dinner. Visit www.afg.asn.au for further information or contact Terry Greaves on (02) 6162 9000 or email [email protected]: ForestWorks and First Super 5th annual Industry Development Conference In 2011, Hyatt Hotel and Parliament House. Canberra. This is an important opportunity for all current and aspiring leaders of the forest, wood, paper and timber industry to engage in strategic and political debate on critical issues affecting the whole industry in Australia. This year’s conference will consider the future opportunities and challenges for manufacturing timber, wood and paper products in an advanced and multi-speed economy. The conference has been specifically scheduled to coincide with parliamentary sitting week, providing a great chance for industry players, union representatives, policy makers and MPs to gather, network and share ideas on positive future directions for the industry. Registration inquiries contact: The Events Manager at [email protected] or phone (03) 9321 3500.For further information, including announcements of speakers and topics, visit www.forestworks.com.au/conference2012

Page 6: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] PAgE | issuE 235 | 20.08.126

INDUSTRY NEWS

Fears failed imported sleepershave entered Australian market

Cont Page 7

IMPORTED hardwood sleepers similar to those now rotting on New Zealand’s KiwiRail network are believed to have entered the Australian market.NZ rail authorites have admitted a fungus is rotting the sleepers which appear to have contributed to two derailments.Some 7000 of 100,000 sleepers imported from Peru in the past decade have been found in varying states of decay. Many of them are on bridges or in tunnels.Chief executive Jim Quinn said all sleepers showing signs of advanced decay had been replaced at a cost of between $250 and $1000 each.Industry observers contacted this week believe significant amounts of the untreated

product have been imported from Peru by an Australian resident and masquerade as carrying FSC certification.They say there is every possibility the sleepers could be used in crossarms and other structural applications which makes them a “ticking time bomb”. “Here, again, is another example of the consequences of using products that provide no chain of custody documentation and fail to meet Australia’s high standards of timber treatment certification,” they said.KiwiRail expects the replacement program for the imported sleepers to be completed early next year. But New Zealand First says all the inadequate sleepers need to be replaced right away.This comes among recent revelations that KiwiRail’s fleet of trains is plagued with faults, including 500 Chinese rail wagons that have all had their brake pads replaced.“I’ve got three photos of sleepers with growth sprouting

Fungus rot blamed for derailments in New Zealand

They say there is every possibility the sleepers could be used in crossarms

and other structural applications which

makes them a ‘ticking timebomb’

On wrong track .. New Zealand rail system threatened by South American hardwood sleepers.

Brendan Horan .. worried about major derailments.

The rot sets in .. rail sleepers need replacing.

Page 7: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] 7issuE 235 | 20.08.12 | PAgE

INDUSTRY NEWS

www.tanalised.com

Southeast forest workers threatenindustrial action over sale proposal

From Page 4

products division official Brad Coates said the meetings resolved to take industrial action if this did not happen and warned “the future of the region” is at stake.“While we prefer a negotiated outcome, our members and communities are disappointed

it has come to this. We want to continue to play a positive role and are prepared to take any steps to sort this issue out,” he said.Mr Coates said that relief on log prices was critical, citing factors such as increasing amounts of illegally dumped structural timber from overseas flooding the market, high log costs and the declining housing market.“We believe that with the right pricing in place, our region can be leaders in value-added timber production nationally. That should be everyone’s

aspiration,” he said.“But we need some serious and positive discussions, we need some relief on log prices and we think the forward sale should be deferred until all of this is sorted out.“It is vital to take a stand on this issue. It is one which is being mirrored right across the country.”The CHH Woodproducts business in Australia comprises 15 manufacturing sites and eight distribution / administration and sales centres in Australia.

Brad Coates .. need serious and positive discussion.

‘We need serious and positive discussions, we need some relief on log prices and we think the forward sale

should be deferred until all of this is

sorted out’ – Brad Coates

From Page 6

Sleepers fail inNew Zealand

out of sleepers,” NZ First MP Brendan Horan said in parliaments.Mr Brendan claims KiwiRail purchased a “dodgy” lot of South American timber railway sleepers because they were cheaper than the traditional jarrah and says those sleepers are now rotting.“The biggest cause of derailment is track spreading, and where you get mud coming in it needs to be cleared out and replaced with ballast straight away, because otherwise the track spreads,” Mr Brendan said.“What we have is rotting sleepers, mud slides and ballast that are not replaced. Every week there are minor derailments.”Mr Brendan says he has been contacted by concerned KiwiRail staff from all over the country worried about the prospect of a major derailment occurring.

Page 8: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] PAgE | issuE 235 | 20.08.128

HOOP pine plywood benches and wall linings were stand-out building features at the official opening of Brisbane’s new $570 million Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law.Although it will be weeks before a court case is expected to be heard in the new district and supreme courts building, the opening by the Premier Campbell Newman featured all the pomp and ceremony

that are hallmarks of the legal profession.Featuring what Queensland Governor Penelope Wensley called a “plethora” of sustainability features, the next door neighbour to the new Magistrates Court on George Street has been billed as a purpose-built facility designed to streamline legal processes.Many of more than 300 guests at the opening were keen to examine and touch the benches and seating created from 12,000 sheets of Multiply by Austral Plywoods, Brisbane, which use a revolutionary cross-banded engineering process.The 2400 x 1200 sheets used for all benches and seating in every court room are thick12 mm seven-ply AC hoop pine, which was also used for the walls.Austral Plywood sales manager Gary Holmes said the revolutionary cross-banded plywood was produced on an Italian 1.2 m lathe, representing the best of European technology.“We used 32 mm Multiply for the seating while the benches were three layers of 18 mm Multiply making up 54 mm thick benches. With the three layers we made the middle sheet as a cross-banded ply so that when the ply was cut and joined it looked like one sheet of 54 mm ply,” Mr Holmes said.“Combined there were about 40 sheets of 1.5 mm Multiply,

ENGINEERED WOOD

Law building courts ‘plethora’of sustainable timber featuresPlywood puts its case to rubbernecks of legal aristrocacy

Cont Page 11

Combined there were about 40 sheets of 1.5

mm Multiply, which gave a beautiful edge

to the work

Joint chief executives of Austral Plywoods Scott and Stuart Matthews with sales manager Gary Holmes (right) inspect the company’s Multiply wall linings at Brisbane’s new Courts of Law.

Page 9: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] 9issuE 235 | 20.08.12 | PAgE

EVENTS

Timber & Forestry e-news is the most authoritative and quickest deliverer of news and special features to the forest and forest products industries in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region. Weekly distribution is over 6700 copies, delivered every Monday. Advertising rates are the most competitive of any industry magazine in the region. Timber&Forestry e-news hits your target market – every week, every Monday!

HEAD OFFICECustom Publishing Group

Unit 2- 3986 Pacific HighwayLoganholme 4129 Qld, Australia

PUBLISHERDennis Macready

[email protected]

CONSULTING EDITORJim Bowden

Tel: +61 7 3266 1429Mob: 0401 312 087

[email protected]

ADVERTISINGTel: +61 7 3266 1429

[email protected]

PRODUCTION MANAGERKerri Michael

[email protected]

Opinions expressed on Timber & Forestry e news are not necessarily the opinions of the editor, publisher or staff. We do not accept responsibility for any damage resulting from inaccuracies in editorial or advertising. The Publisher is therefore indemnified against all actions, suits, claims or damages resulting from content on this e news. Content cannot be reproduced without the prior consent of the Publisher- Custom Publishing Group.

Gateway to international wood markets .. chief executive of the Malaysian Timber Council Cheah Kam Huan promotes Global Wood Mart 2012.

The inaugural MTC Global WoodMart

in 2010 was a great success

attracting more than 100 exhibitors from

19 countries

WoodMart 2012:you get marketsand a bed in KL

THE Malaysian Timber Council’s Global WoodMart 2012 will once again take centre stage at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre providing a premier one-stop selling, buying and networking opportunity for local and international temperate, boreal and tropical timber suppliers and buyers from October 4 to 6.Among products featured will be sawn timber, plywood and panel products, timber flooring and decking and doors and windows, mouldings, furniture components and logs.Timber supply chain company representatives and buyers from Australia and New Zealand attended in 2010; early indications suggest another Down Under delegation will be heading for Malaysia this year.

The Malaysian Timber Council is offering complimentary hotel accommodation and other assistance subjected to some terms and conditions. More information is available at www.globalwoodmart.my. Details about more on-ground assistance to prospective buyers and e-copies of the sponsorship invitation and application forms are available from John Halkett on +61 (0)2 9356 3826 or email [email protected] inaugural MTC Global WoodMart in 2010 was considered a great success attracting more than 100 exhibitors from 19 countries and visitors, buyers and sellers from about 50 countries.The Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme is endorsed by the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes, the world’s largest forest certification scheme. The MTCS was the first tropical timber certification scheme in the Asia Pacific region endorsed by the PEFC.

Page 10: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] PAgE | issuE 235 | 20.08.1210

AMID yet more assertions that they failed to “submit to laws effective in our country”, Greenpeace is facing a grim future in Indonesia, as lawmakers and government officials in Jakarta consider taking measures to “freeze” the group, a move that would seriously imperil their very existence there.The Consumers Alliance Greenpeace Monitoring Project (CAGP) has been in place for two years now, and has been reporting on Greenpeace’s efforts to kill jobs and efforts by developing nations to bring their citizens out from the depths of poverty.“This latest action by the government of Indonesia is a step in the right direction, and

we applaud it,” says the CAGP.

“Greenpeace’s effort to kill Indonesian jobs looks like it

is finally coming to an end. Greenpeace has consistently sought to greenmail local business and vilify Indonesians’ livelihoods through campaigns that are funded on the backs of foreign donations.“What’s most egregious about Greenpeace’s actions in Indonesia isn’t their campaigns – it’s their disdain for the rule of

law and local customs.”Officials claim that Greenpeace has received, and failed to report, foreign funding – mainly from governments and gambling companies – which are illegal in Indonesia.“As a foreign funding source, this is a stunning violation of Indonesian law and there is now the very real possibility that Greenpeace could see its permit revoked,” Andrew Langer, spokesman for the CAGP said.“Indonesians have fortunately shown much courage in recent years standing up to Greenpeace,” Mr Langer said.Patrick Moore, one of the original co-founders of Greenpeace, said in a Washington Times interview this month that Greenpeace’s efforts were largely counter-productive and parasitical on political agendas such as trade disputes.“Their vision of a world run on wind and solar energy is a green dream that is actually a green fantasy that is rapidly turning into a green nightmare for ratepayers in the countries that have provided exorbitant subsidies for these technologies which don’t even work most of the time, and then they claim nuclear energy is too expensive.“I have said many times that the task of successfully incorporating environmental values into the economic and social fabric of civilisation is far more difficult than popularising those values in the first place.“Sustainable development, or sustainability, requires finding solutions for environmental issue that do not compromise our ability to feed ourselves, provide the energy required for transport, industry, and infrastructure, and obtain the materials (timber and minerals) to build the infrastructure.”

issuEs

greenpeace outed in indonesia

You can expect superior outcomes from Austbrokers Premier in the following key areas:• Focus on premium value and insurer security• Expert advice for Business Interruption• Premiums + claims + deductibles – self insurance option analysis• Committed claims management & settlement negotiations.• On-going service and advice, not just at renewal time.

Call Alan Jones 0419 754 681 or Scott Hastings 0406 382 582 today.

Freecall 1800 803 180ABN 95 010 576 324 AFSL 238123

Insuring it all stacks up.

Selecting the right equipment to maximise your production output is similar to selecting the right people to maximise your insurance protection.

Austbrokers Premier has been working with the timber industry for over 25 years and we know what insurance best suits your industry and risks. Whether it’s a complicated business interruption loss or a burnt out frontend loader we work hard to get you the right outcome.

InSurAnce..It’S All In the SelectIon

Disdain for the rules of law and local custom

Greenpeace activists display a banner outside the Forestry Ministry building in Jakarta during a protest urging the government to stop converting forests into plantations.

Patrick Moore .. Greenpeace’s efforts parasitical on political agendas.

Greenpeace has sought to greenmail local business and vilify Indonesians’

livelihoods through campaigns funded on the backs of foreign

donations

Page 11: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] 11issuE 235 | 20.08.12 | PAgE

Sustainable plywoodfeature of law courts

ENGINEERED WOOD

From Page 8

Section of the new Brisbane Courts of Law featuring sustainable timber fittings.

Leading edge technology .. three layers of 18 mm Multiply plywood combined to make up 54 mm thick benches in the new Courts of Law building.

which gave a beautiful edge to the work.”Mr Newman thanked the contractors “whose sweat” created the building, the architects who designed it and, in a throwback to his past career, implored, “Let’s not forget the engineers.”The 19-floor complex, which has a capacity for 45 courtrooms and accommodation for 68 judges, took almost four years to construct.In front of 300 guests, including some from the United Kingdom and New Zealand, Queensland’s honoured judiciary and the legal community, Governor

Wensley declared the court house, named in honour of Her Majesty in her Jubilee year, opened.Austral Plywoods has chain of custody certification linked to the Australian Forestry Standard, which was awarded through an independently audited process carried out by the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia.Manufacturing to Australian/New Zealand standards, Austral Plywoods maintains a process quality control system in compliance with the EWPAA-JAS-ANZ product certification scheme. A-bond products are super E0, the lowest formaldehyde emission rating.

Page 12: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] PAgE | issuE 235 | 20.08.1212

Getting into the action ..Brisbane Timber Industry Hoo-Hoo Club 218’s ’77 Holden Kingswood is ready for the 2012 Queensland Variety Club Bush Bash from Dalby one the Darling Downs to Mackay in North Queensland.

The Governor of Queensland Penelope Wensley ‘flags’ the start of Brisbane Timber Industry Hoo-Hoo Club’s Variety Bush Bash project for children’s charities during World Forestry Day celebrations in Brisbane. Looking on are committee members Alan Jones (club president), Don Towerton and Tim Evans.

Brisbane Timber Industry Hoo-Hoo Club 218 has entered the 2012 Variety Club of Queensland Bush Bash to raise funds for disadvantaged children and has purchased a veteran Bush Bash performer – a 1977 Holden Kingswood.The Variety Bush Bash in the club’s major children’s charity event this year.Please support it and show how the forest and forest products industry can enrich the lives of underprivileged children.Your sponsorship will attract wide media coverage and is tax deductible.We sincerely thanks the following sponsors:Gold sponsorsPeter and Carolyn Mort, The Palms.Silver sponsorsKennedys Timbers, Queensland Sawmills (John Crooke).Bronze sponsorsAlan Jones, Trade Builders, Thora Wholesale Timbers, HQPlantations Pty LtdContributing sponsorsJohn and Lorraine Muller; Bill Philip; CGU Insurance, Brisbane; Colin Wilson; Bank of Queensland, Ashgrove and Sunnybank; Austbrokers Premier Insurance, Brisbane; Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Timber Industry Club 218 Inc; Tim Evans (Coast to Coast Pacific); Timber&Forestry enews; TimTech Chemicals; Wilson Timbers; Asian-Pacific Marketing; A Class Business Finance; RACQ Caloundra; Contract Electrics Pty Ltd; Eden & Son Body Works; Advanced Timber Systems (Ian Watkins); Pacific Premium Funding Pty Ltd; Chancellors Chartered Accountants; Mark Kapper; Tableland Timbers; Skyline Building Supplies; Zenith Timber; Colin Galley; Steel Pacific; ITreat Timber; Frank Withey; Anderssen Lawyers; IVS Australia; Ringwood & Ply; Slacks Hardwood; Bobbie Thomson; Independent Verification Services Pty Ltd.

For more information and to discuss sponsorship options contact one of the committee members:Alan Jones 0419 754 681 Don Towerton 0428 745 455 Tim Evans 0417 726 741 Jim Bowden 0401 312 087

EVENTS

Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Timber Industry Club 218 president Alan Jones makes a night time check of the club’s 1977 Kingwood Holden while camping in central Queensland.

Home and hosed .. Tim Evans hoists the flags after washing Hoo-Hoo car No 253 on its return from the Dalby-to-Mackay Variety Bush Bash.

Hoo-Hoo car co-pilot Tim Evans didn’t go undetected in a clown’s wig as he welcomed entrants to the Hoo-Hoo camp fire on the Bush Bash run.

Country school children flock to the fun and games during visits by cars in the 2012 Variety Bush Bash.

Page 13: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] 13issuE 235 | 20.08.12 | PAgE

By JIM BOWDENPhotos by TIM EVANSSPIRITS were high and there were memories aplenty of the happy, smiling faces of hundreds of grateful outback children when Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Timber Industry Club 218 drivers crossed the finish line in Mackay after a 4000 km journey in the Queensland Variety Bush Bash.The club’s 1977 Holden Kingswood entered the sugar city on August 11 after a 10-day run from Dalby on the Darling Downs in an adventure that so far has raised more than $18,000 for underprivileged kids.“Sure, it was a lot of fun, but really when you see the faces of these children light up as you drive into the towns you realise what it’s all about,” said Alan Jones, club president and co-driver.“And the teachers from the schools and the country folk from the show societies, rodeo committees, pubs, town halls who came out to welcome us in grand style touched our hearts.”The Hoo-Hoo car No. 253 was finally garaged at Caboolture north of Brisbane with 5148.2 km on the clock.“It was a sensational experience; Variety really does get to the ‘coal face’ of doing it for kids,” said Tim Evans who swapped piloting roles with Alan Jones on the journey.“I saw more than one adult fighting back tears as ‘liberty swings’ and teaching aids were handed to the children.“Will we do it again next year for the kids? You bet!”The Variety Club of Queensland has congratulated all fund-raisers on the Bash effort from Cunningham Street, Dalby, to Blue Water Quay, Mackay.Mackay was reached after a beautiful drive inland from

Clairview to Grasstree Beach

where Alligator Creek school provided lunch and a fantastic crowd enjoyed the opening of an all-ages playground.Organisers said without doubt the 2012 Cotton and Cane Variety Bash had been an intrepid, extraordinary and fantastic adventure with a heart.“Variety, the children’s charity, thanks everyone involved – XXXX Gold, the RAAF, the RACQ, Eventrans, Fusion Water, the Moultrie Group, our officials, the schools we visited, the P&C Associations who fed and watered us, the pubs, showgrounds, town halls and communities who welcomed us and last but by no means least our bashers,” they said.“It has been an amazing 4000 km journey and we thank you from the bottom of our heart for joining us in it.”

Alan Jones said he was happy

to announce the first gold sponsorship of $3000 from Club 218 members Peter and Carolyn Mort of The Palms on the Sunshine Coast which would add to an impressive list of industry sponsors and

take funds raised by the club to more than $18,000.“What about people like this? They’re terrific. All our sponsors deserve all the accolades for contributing to this worthy cause at a time when the timber industry is doing it tough,” Alan Jones said.Welcome back home, brothers. You did us proud.Gold sponsor ($3000): Peter and Carolyn Mort, The Palms.Silver sponsors ($2000): Kennedys Timbers, Queensland Sawmills (John Crooke).Bronze sponsors ($1000): Alan Jones, Trade Builders, Thora Wholesale Timbers, HQPlantations Pty LtdContributing sponsors: John and Lorraine Muller; Bill Philip; CGU Insurance, Brisbane; Colin Wilson; Bank of Queensland, Ashgrove and Sunnybank; Austbrokers Premier Insurance, Brisbane; Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Timber Industry Club 218 Inc; Tim Evans (Coast to Coast Pacific); Timber&Forestry enews; TimTech Chemicals; Wilson Timbers; Asian-Pacific Marketing; A Class Business Finance; RACQ Caloundra; Contract Electrics Pty Ltd; Eden & Son Body Works; Advanced Timber Systems (Ian Watkins); Pacific Premium Funding Pty Ltd; Chancellors Chartered Accountants; Mark Kapper; Tableland Timbers; Skyline Building Supplies; Zenith Timber; Colin Galley; Steel Pacific; ITreat Timber; Frank Withey; Anderssen Lawyers; IVS Australia; Ringwood & Ply; Slacks Hardwood; Bobbie Thomson; Independent Verification Services Pty Ltd.Sponsorship options are still open and can be discussed with committee members Alan Jones 0419 754 681, Don Towerton 0428 745 455, Tim Evans 0417 726 741, or Jim Bowden 0401 312 087.

Grand finish for Hoo-Hoo BashersCar 253 completes 4000 km Variety charity run

Made it .. Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Car No. 253 passes the finish line in Mackay with drivers Alan Jones and Tim Evans on board.

Enjoying a community-hosted ‘bush bash’ dinner somewhere in the outback .. Hoo-Hoo pilots Tim Evans and Alan Jones.

EVENTS

‘Sure, it was a lot of fun, but really when you see the faces of these children light up as you

drive into the towns you realise what it’s all about’ – Alan Jones, president, Brisbane

Hoo-Hoo Timber Industry Club 218 and Bush Bash co-driver

Page 14: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] PAgE | issuE 235 | 20.08.1214

AUSTRALIA’S House of Representatives has passed a bill aimed at stopping illegally-logged timber imports.The passing of the Illegal Logging Prohibition Bill in the lower house has been welcomed by the Greens Party, but Opposition deputy leader and foreign affairs spokesperson Julie Bishop told parliament the government bill was “all well and good”, but it raised foreign relations and World Trade Organisation compatibility questions.Ms Bishop said Indonesia was rightly concerned about lack of consultation.Canada had complained about unreasonable burdens being imposed on its industry and New Zealand had warned that its industry, which is based almost entirely on plantation timber, could be hurt.Papua New Guinea and Malaysia were also unhappy.Ms Bishop said the coalition would support the bill in principle, but would move an amendment to delay its implementation until 2015 so stakeholders could be consulted properly and regulations developed.She feared the lag between the basic measure and the development of regulations meant prosecutions could be launched – with fines up to $33,000 for individuals and $165,000 for corporations – before the offences had been defined.While Ms Bishop and environment spokesman Greg Hunt said they’d support the bill in principle, South Australian Liberal Jamie Briggs said it was “a terrible, terrible piece of legislation” which he couldn’t support.Mr Briggs said the measure

was part of a “Green crusade through trade policy”, with another example being the disruption of the live cattle trade to Indonesia.He said the government should stop acting like “a green deputy sheriff in the region”.Green Adam Bandt said half the logging in vulnerable areas of the world was believed to be illegal. He said the practice hurt the environment, encouraged corruption and restrained development.Mr Bandt said the bill was a significant and welcome step, which needed more clarity, and the Greens might move amendments in the Senate.Greens Senator Christine Milne says the legislation needs to be strengthened. She says for too long consumer countries, including Australia, have contributed to illegal logging in vulnerable forest regions.“Both the timber industry and environmental organisations agree that the definition of illegal logging should be better explained,” Senator Milne said in a statement.

“We need due diligence so that corruption doesn’t allow logging to continue. We need regular compliance audits in the bill to ensure that our standards are upheld.”The Opposition says the government needs to consult further with Indonesia and other trading partners before passing the bill, which is likely to pass the upper house with the support of the Greens.CFMEU national secretary Michael O’Connor says thousands of timber, furniture and pulp and paper workers, whose jobs are under threat, are relying on the illegal logging bill to pass without delay.“Workers, their families and their communities are holding on for grim life in the face of imports that unfairly undercut them. They expect urgent action from their representatives,” Mr O’Connor said.“The cost advantage that imported manufactured illegally logged wood products unfairly enjoy over manufactured products that utilise legal timber is conservatively estimated

to be 20% of the total cost of production.“Wood products represent the second largest sector in Australia’s manufacturing industry and cheap, imported products are costing workers their jobs and killing their communities.“We had bipartisan support for taking action on preventing imports of illegally logged timber and imported wood products that utilise it. We have had three separate inquiries, each of which has recommended action.“Further delays are not acceptable and not feasible for timber processing and wood products manufacturing workers, their families and their communities. Their livelihoods are on the line.“The CFMEU expects members of the Lower House to take a stand and pass this bill for sake of the people in the community who need decisive action on this issue before it is too late.”

JULIA BISHOP

INDUSTRY NEWS

Logging Bill welcomed but stillseen as a threat to foreign tradeIndonesia, other traders must be consulted: Julia Bishop

MICHAEL O’CONNOR CHRISTINE MILNE

‘Thousands of timber, furniture and pulp and paper workers, whose jobs are under threat, are relying on the illegal logging bill to pass

without delay’ – Michael O’Connor

Page 15: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] 15issuE 235 | 20.08.12 | PAgE

WHEN it comes to predicting and reducing the threat of wildfires in Canada, there’s something the maps and satellite and aerial pictures that detail British Columbia’s expansive forests don’t show.Below the forest canopy sits the so-called fuel for forest fires – the grass, branches, dead trees, needles and other materials that will burn if the forest ignites.But it’s difficult to assess the fire risk without knowing how much fuel, and what type, exists in a particular area – a problem researchers in Vancouver hope an experimental smartphone app could one day help solve.University of British Columbia graduate student Colin Ferster is testing an app (application software) he designed that will let smartphone users – from landowners to hikers to local park officials – document the fuel risks while in the province’s forests.The app shows users pictures of various fuels and asks them to compare those pictures with their own observations. They’ll also be asked to snap photos from their smartphone camera.The entire package is then sent back to Mr Ferster, along with GPS data he can use to create detailed maps of potential fuel risks.“We’re normally using satellites and air photos to make maps of forests, and those are providing a really good picture from the top looking down, so we’re getting the tree tops but we’re not getting a big picture of what’s happening at the ground level,” Mr Ferster explained.“That’s why measurements with

smartphones could be a really useful source of information.”He has been field testing the app this summer in the province’s Okanagan region, which is among the areas of BC that face a perennial threat of forest fires.He said volunteer testers have been able to use the app, currently written for the iPhone, to identify potential fire risks.Mr Ferster hopes his research will one day put it in the hands of the public, which he said will accomplish two things.First, such an app could help improve existing data on

fuel risks, allowing everyone from community foresters to provincial fire officials to better assess and mitigate forest fire threats.“Fire managers need to decide where to use their resources, and that’s why better fuel maps can be beneficial, to provide more information for those types of people to make effective decisions,” he said.Second, he hopes the app

would serve as a public engagement tool, teaching users to identify forest risks and take steps to reduce them, particularly for landowners.“I think different users would use the app differently, depending on whether it’s someone using it in their own backyard versus a park manager,” he said.“There’s a homeowner who can maybe cut the grass, clear brush and branches, maybe hire an arborist to do some thinning. And then there are community foresters, so these maps could provide another sort of information for them to effectively consider these kinds of things at the community level.”Mr Ferster notes the app is currently experimental and he can’t predict when the technology might be available to the public.British Columbia’s wildfire seasons vary widely from year to year. Last year was one of the slowest on record, while the year before saw 331,000 ha scorched by nearly 1700 fires.The most expensive season in the past decade was in 2009, when more than 3000 fires cost the province more than $383 million to fight.And this isn’t the only province or territory to deal with major forest fires. In Ontario, for example, fires burn an average of 128,000 ha of land each year.Last year, 1300 fires burned more than 630,000 ha of land across the province. It marked the largest area burned in the past 50 years, costing that province $230 million — more than twice the yearly average.

Forest watch .. satellites don’t provide the bigger picture on threat of fires.

Smart phone .. a new way to dial in build up of forest fuels.

Canadian student calls in a smartway too reduce forest fires threatLandholders, hikers can snap pictures of fuel build-up

‘satellites and air photos are providing a good picture from

the top looking down, but we’re not getting

a big picture of what’s happening at the

ground level’

Page 16: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] PAgE | issuE 235 | 20.08.1216

A TALL building with a structural frame fashioned from wood?If this is indeed a dream, it may be about to come true in the Canadian province of British Columbia.In the northern town of Prince George, for example, the provincial government plans to raise a 10-storey tower intended to demonstrate the viability of using forest products to do the job of heavy lifting monopolised, until now, by steel and concrete.And last spring, Vancouver architect Michael Green (a key Canadian student and promoter of new wood applications) unveiled a scheme for a 30-storey tower held aloft by a timber frame.Mr Green is convinced that putting up a safe, sturdy large building of this kind in Vancouver is now possible, given recent advances in the fabrication of very strong wooden structural members. And he believes that doing so is also ecologically desirable: Trees, at least in Canada, are resources that are almost infinitely renewable.Interest in these engaging matters is hardly limited to British Columbia. Over the next several months, the three principals in the Toronto-based office of Williamson Chong Architects (WCA) will be travelling in Europe and Asia to scout out what leading-edge researchers, manufacturers

and designers abroad are doing with wood.The journeys of WCA’s Shane Williamson, Betsy Williamson and Donald Chong will be powered by the $50,000 grant from the Canada Council’s prestigious 2012 Professional Prix de Rome in Architecture, which they won earlier this summer.[The council’s other important architectural prize this year, the $10,000 Ronald J. Thom Award for Early Design Achievement, went to Toronto-based Paul Raff Studio, a firm noted for its environmentally sustainable projects]. “Our interest in wood follows from a real contemporary stream associated with notions of sustainability,” Shane Williamson says.“To see even the most general charts of the embedded energy of wood, compared to materials such as concrete and steel, is to be immediately [persuaded] that it’s a renewable resource with the lowest carbon footprint – a really fantastic material.”The nuts-and-bolts work of Michael Green, and the increasing availability of super-muscular wooden building components that rival

concrete and steel in strength and grace under pressure, also inspire WCA’s upcoming investigations.Mr Williamson has high hopes, especially, for the future of cross-laminated timber, a powerful product that resembles plywood.“It’s what people are talking about right now,” Mr. Williamson said. “It is produced in manufacturing plants with great precision. You end up with a fairly extraordinary system that can produce the equivalent of homogenous wood panels at tremendous scales – more than

15 m, for example.“Manufacturing may be away from a building site, and [CLT elements] are assembled in a very dumb way. There are very large screws, for example, 305 mm long, and the whole system is clipped and screwed into place, reducing the construction time to days or weeks, compared to months.“What’s very interesting about CLT is that it is a material with a much lower embedded energy, a smaller carbon footprint, than concrete, and you also get a much lighter system.”Of course, WCA’s enthusiasm is not just theoretical; the principals hope their conversations with designers and manufacturers elsewhere will nourish their labour back home in Canada.Mr Williamson explained: “What’s exciting about these new wood technologies is that they are being utilised [abroad] at really large, institutional scales. This is a work that, even as a small practice, we hope to get into. We’re actively looking to expand the body of our work to a larger field, and we’d love to do so through the lens of our own interest in technology.”Mr Williamson readily admits that he and his partners have a lot to learn about wood, which is exactly the reason they are going to places where the use of industrial-strength forest products in large-scale contemporary architecture has been a focus of research and successful experimentation for some years.“Although this is new terrain,” Mr. Williamson says, “we are looking to find our place within it.” – The Globe and Mail

Architects now at the cuttingedge of high timber buildings

COPYRIGHT NOTICE Items provided in this section of Timber & Forestry E news are drawn from a number of sources. The source of the item is quoted, either by publication or organizations in line with the practice of fair reporting.

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

‘What’s exciting about these new wood

technologies is that they are being utilised abroad at really large,

institutional scales’

Enthuisastic about the ‘muscle’ of wood .. Canadian architects Shane Williamson, Donald Chong and Betsy Williamson.

Connected to wood .. William Chong Architects connects floors in this award-winning design using a sculpted, curving stair formed of thin, CNC-cut plywood panels.

Page 17: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] 17issuE 235 | 20.08.12 | PAgE

 Chopper Roller Field Day Wednesday 29th August 

A demonstration of  cost‐effective  thinning  in over‐stocked  spotted  gum  regrowth  forest. The  chopper roller is used to cut and flatten woody debris in strips through dense regrowth forest, creating access for management activities between the strips. The main advantage of the chopper roller is improving access for thinning out the retained forest between strips. In the right circumstances the chopper roller can also improve the economics of thinning, improve access for fire management and speed‐up the breakdown of large woody  harvest  debris.  The  chopper  roller  is  highly manoeuvrable  and, with  appropriate  forest management  practices  can  help  landholders  improve  the  productivity  and  health  of  their  regrowth 

Location: Miva  on the Bauple Woolooga Road, turn west off Bruce Hwy , approx 17km to Munna Miva Road. (Look for the ‘Field Day’ signs on Bauple Woolooga Road )   Time: 9.00am ‐ 3.00pm 

RSVP: pfsq @bigpond.com or  Ph: 54836535 What to bring: Bring along a packed lunch, a water bottle and a chair. Morning tea will be provided.  You will also need to wear closed shoes. 

Page 18: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] PAgE | issuE 235 | 20.08.1218

Nominations Nominations

Excellence :: Recognition :: CelebrationExcellence :: Recognition :: Celebration

The Queensland Timber Industry Awards are an important means of highlighting excellence in our industry and rewarding organisations who are leading the way in terms of service, innovation and commitment to improving both their business and the industry as a whole. The gala evening when these awards are presented is the only event of its kind; it provides a platform to celebrate our industry, our state and recognise our top performers. This evening is set for Saturday 3 November 2012 at Victoria Park Function Centre, Brisbane.

To maintain the credibility of these awards and therefore the prestige and honour they represent for finalists and winners, the judging criteria for 2012 have been adjusted to reflect recent ideals and trends as well as give greater weight to operational areas of importance. The criteria for each category is available to view on the website, www.tabma.com.au - Queensland - Information Sheets - 2012 QTI Awards Criteria.

Award Categories 2012Award Categories 2012 Best Specialist Timber Merchant

Best Building Materials Centre (Metro)

Best Building Materials Centre (Regional)

Best Timber Wholesale Operation

Best Specialist Service Operation

Best Training Culture

Best Wholesale Sales Representative

Best Frame & Truss Operation (Metro)

Best Frame & Truss Operation (Regional)

Best Timber Manufacturing Operation

Best Sawmilling Operation

Trainee of the Year

Apprentice of the Year

Recognising Women In Forest & Timber

If you wish to nominate please visit www.tabma.com.au - Queensland - News and Events - 2012 QLD Timber Industry Awards Nomination Form and complete an entry for each nomination. All nominations will be kept confidential and only be seen by TABMA Queensland management and judges. Nominations close 15 June 2012.

Introducing the Sponsor’s...

Sponsorship packages are still available.

Page 19: Issue 235 Timber & Forestry E News

Advertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] 19issuE 235 | 20.08.12 | PAgEAdvertising: Tel +61 7 3266 1429 Email: [email protected] 15ISSUE 203 | 12.12.11 | PAGE

Advertising SalesCustom Publishing Group

e: [email protected]

ProductionT: 0439 417 671e: [email protected]

www.industrye-news.com

Timber & Forestry e news is publishedby Custom Publishing Group.

Timber & Forestry e news is a full colour e magazineemailed every Monday to Decision Makers withinthe Australian and New Zealand Timber and Forestrysectors.

Advertising is booked with a minimum 4 weekbooking with discounts for 12, 24 and 48 weekbookings.

12 week- 7.5% Discount24 week- 10% Discount48 week- 15% DiscountClassified ads can be booked in a per issue basis.All advertisements link to customer websites oremail address with an option for rich text (flash).

BENEFITS:

DIRECT PENETRATION via email.WEEKLY opposed to monthly alternatives.NEWS that is up to date that will ensure readership.COST EFFECTIVE advertising rates.

All prices quoted plus GST and based on Art being supplied.We can create artwork if required – Eighth/Quarter $44 Half $66 which will be billed if complete art is notsupplied to our specifications.

Video: Maximum 3 meg swf file.

Due to the regularity of timber & forestry e news and the tight deadlines no customer proofs can be sent.

SDisplay Ads

Rate Size Specificationsper Issue + GST Height x Width

Full Page Bleed $380 303mm x 216mm Half Page Vertical $210 254mm x 93mm Half Page Horizontal $210 125mm x 190mm Third Page Horizontal $165 73mm x 190mmQuarter Page Vertical $138 125mm x 93mmEighth Page $83 60mm x 93mmFront Page Third Horizonal $203 73mm x 190mmFront Page Masthead $90 33mm x 45mm

ClassifiedsHalf Page Vertical $182 220mm x 93mm

Quarter Page Vertical $120 107mm x 93mm

Eighth Page Horizontal $72 51mm x 93mm

Full Page Bleed $330 303mm x 216m

Display Ads Minimum 4 issue booking

Classified Ads per week

Extras: Video Available

Artwork Specifications: Please supply all artwork as High Resolution (300dpi) Pdf’s or jpegs.Send artwork to [email protected]

DISPLAY DEADLINES Booking – Noon Wednesday for Monday edition. Material – Noon Thursday

Terms: Account Clients- 14 days New Accounts: Payment on Booking All Classifieds- Payment on booking (Credit card preferred)

RATES

T: (07) 3266 1429

Video next to front cover $200 per issue. Within the magazine $165 per issue.

Banner Ads & Classified AdSalese: [email protected]

CLASSIFIED DEADLINES Bookings & Material – Noon Friday