Australasia's home for timber news and information

Canterbury farmers fear drought

Canterbury, New Zealand is on the verge of drought with the southern region the driest it has been in a decade, forcing farmers to sell surplus stock and leading to restrictions on irrigation as the area waits for rain. Source: Scoop Soil moisture in eastern and southern Canterbury is
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New Years’ honour for NZ foresters

Geoff and Gill Brann had no experience in forestry before they bought their property at Roydon Downs in 1963 but today they are being honoured for their work in the industry. Source: Bay of Plenty Times The couple has received the Queen’s Service Medal for their contribution to
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A snapshot of NZ forestry and timber business

The evergreen forests of Pinus radiata on New Zealand’s landscapes stand as an undeniable testament to sustainable industry. Forestry contributes a gross annual income of NZ$5 billion, which amounts to 3% of New Zealand’s GDP. Source: The New Zealand Herald, Element Magazi
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Forestry course for high school

A unique new Lincoln University forestry course will be delivering cutting-edge training in a New Zealand, Northland school next year. Source: Voxy NZ Subject to funding, LincolnFirst Telford, a division of Lincoln University, will run the inaugural course at Kaikohe’s Northland Colle
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Teamwork expert signed up for safety conference

Forestry teamwork expert Steven Falk from British Columbia, Canada has been confirmed as a keynote speaker for the forest safety conference series run by the Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA). Source: Timberbiz The conference runs at Rotorua’s Distinction Hotel on 3-4 Mar
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Steep learning curve at HarvestTECH 2015

Analysis by Future Forests Research indicates that the proportion of the forest harvest from steep hill country in New Zealand (over 20 degrees slope) is currently 44% of the total wood harvest. Source: Timberbiz This is forecast to rise to 53% by 2016 and to over 60% by 2025. Nationa
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Nelson Forests’ data repository

Nigel Brabyn drills in on a key asset of Nelson Forests – its data repository, which is set to grow exponentially as digital tools are used in logging production. Source: CIO When Mr Brabyn took on the newly created role of business performance analyst at Nelson Forests Limited (NFL),
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NZ to export wood without methyl bromide

After a successful trial last summer, a program aimed at reducing the use of methyl bromide has been opened up to exporters. Source: Radio New Zealand Methyl bromide is an ozone depleting gas used to fumigate logs and other timber products and is the main treatment for exports to Aust
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Inquest into Murupara forestry worker’s death

The death of a Murupara forestry worker has been described by the Rotorua coroner as the “most unfortunate and tragic accident” at an inquest held in Rotorua into the death of 63-year-old father of four David Charles Beamsley. Source: New Zealand Herald Mr Beamsley, who wa
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China’s demand to pick up in 2016

China put the brakes on log imports this year after excess supply resulted in a build-up in its ports. Source: Radio New Zealand The report, by the market analysts AgriHQ, said migration from rural to urban areas in China would maintain the demand for construction. Analyst Ivan Luketi
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