The forest and wood processing industries are moving quickly on a strategy to transform the sector. The Wood Council in New Zealand (Woodco) has just given the go-ahead to a NZ$400,000 ($311,651) research-based initiative that aims to get the highest value out of every cubic metre of timber harvested. Source: Scoop (NZ), Radio New Zealand
The Wood Council of New Zealand (Woodco) represents the interests of the forestry and wood processing sectors and includes forest owners, wood processors, pine manufacturers, farm forestry and forest industry contractors.
Known as Woodscape, the initiative is modelled on a major study carried out for the Canadian forest products industry in 2009.
“In the next decade we will see an increase in the harvest. We are determined to extract the best value we can from this resource and reinvigorate our sector,” said
Woodco chair Doug Ducker.
Woodco members are already moving on several market development initiatives designed to maximise returns for traditional forest products. These include a campaign to actively promote NZ timber in Australia, the development of a national timber quality assurance scheme and active promotion of timber to Christchurch homeowners as the material to be used in the post-quake rebuild.
The Canadian ‘Bio-Pathways’ study concluded that much higher returns will come from integrating new technologies into traditional wood processing, including the conversion of forest biomass into bio-energy, bio-chemicals and other bio-materials.
As a result, Canadian sawmills are now expanding into bioenergy and pulp mills are converting into bio-refineries for production of pulp, bio-energy and bio-chemicals.
Because of the many differences between Canada and New Zealand, Ducker said that the strategies emerging from Woodscape would not be carbon copies of those adopted by Canada.
A 12-strong team at Scion crown research institute leads Woodscape with technical support from the industry and the universities.
Funding comes from major industry players, Scion, NZ Trade & Enterprise, EECA, the Bio-energy Association and the Ministry of Primary Industry.
Promising technologies will be identified, costed, ranked and presented to sector workshops by the end of October.
Development scenarios for five regions will be explored and workshopped during December. Final recommendations will be made to the Wood Council board in autumn next year.
