According to Justice for Myanmar, U.S. companies imported nearly 1,600 metric tons of teak between February and December of last year reports Sebastian Strangio, The Diplomat.

American companies continue to import teakwood from military-ruled Myanmar in apparent violation of U.S. sanctions, an advocacy group said in a report released yesterday. Justice for Myanmar (JFM), a Myanmar-based human rights group, found that U.S. companies have imported nearly 1,600 tons of teak from Myanmar since the military’s seizure of power, purchases that are helping to fund its “campaign of terror.”

Since the coup in February last year, Myanmar’s military junta has met mass public protests with bloody repression that has killed at least 1,461 people and displaced tens of thousands.

The U.S. government has responded with a raft of economic sanctions targeting the military leadership and enterprises linked to it. Among these were the state-owned Myanma Timber Enterprise (MTE), which has sole control for the sale of timber in Myanmar, including auctioning logs to private companies for export. As the Treasury Department noted in announcing the sanctions in April, MTE is one of the “key economic resources for the Burmese military regime that is violently repressing pro-democracy protests.”

Despite these sanctions, JFM’s report, which is based on shipping records from global trade database Panjiva, claims that a number of U.S. companies were importing teak from Myanmar as recently as December.

In particular, the report counted 82 timber shipments from Myanmar to the U.S. between February and November 2021, which “largely consisted of teak board and scantling that are used for shipbuilding, outdoor decking, and furniture.” This amount of trade, JFM said, was “consistent” with previous years. In 2020, there were 85 such shipments, following 104 shipments in 2019.

The shipments involved multiple U.S. timber wholesalers and manufacturers. Around half of the imports were made by the South Carolina-based East Teak Fine Hardwoods, but purchases were also made by J. Gibson McIlvain, Kingsley Bate Warehouse, Lumberbest, and World Panel Products, among other companies.

“The evidence shows that the sanctions have not stopped the flow of teak to the U.S., and therefore have not stopped the flow of funds from the timber trade to the illegal military junta,” stated the report. “The companies who are aiding the Myanmar military and trading with the entities it controls, are complicit in the crimes committed by the Myanmar military.”

In its coverage of the report, Mongabay cited statistics from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, a global watchdog group, claiming that Myanmar’s government received almost $100 million in revenue from taxes and royalties on the timber trade in the 2017-2018 financial year.

According to JFM, the U.S. firms “are evading sanctions by not buying directly from MTE,” instead buying timber from private companies acting as brokers in Myanmar. “These private companies include major teak traders, some of which have reportedly placed winning bids at MTE auctions since the attempted coup,” the report states. After winning MTE bids, they export their timber to the U.S. either directly or via third countries like China. As a result, “the overall amount of teak exported since the attempted coup is expected to be significantly more” than the amount that shows up in the official statistics.

JFM argues that it would be relatively straightforward for the U.S. government to enforce the Lacey Act, which prohibits the importation of illegally sourced timber. It might be hard to determine how Myanmar-sourced timber is harvested, given the opacity of the industry, but “when a company exercises due care in tracing the origin of its timber, it should easily uncover MTE in the supply chain.”

Whether or not these firms are purposely seeking to circumvent sanctions remains unclear, but the report demonstrates the difficulty that the U.S. government faces in ensuring broad compliance with its sanctions. While the development of global financial networks centered on the U.S. financial system has in theory given Washington powerful leverage over its adversaries, the very complexity and attenuation of these networks often throws up barriers to effective enforcement.   Sebastian Strangio is Southeast Asia Editor at The Diplomat. 

Image credit: Environmental Investigation Agency

https://eia-international.org/

“Nisula Forest Oy and SB Forestry Ltd have signed a dealership agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, SB Forestry will sell Nisula Forest products and parts and offer customer service in United Kingdom.

““We are very excited about our new cooperation with SB Forestry! Scott Burton and his team have a lot of experience in the forest machinery sector.

“Located in Lauder and Melksham, our new distributor will guarantee the satisfaction of our customers in UK.

“If you are in the need of Scandinavian quality forestry products and looking for top-notch customer service, call SB Forestry right now!”, says Timo Savornin, Sales Director at Nisula Forest Oy.

Scott Burton
Managing Director at SB Forestry Ltd
Edinburgh Road, Lauder, UK
+44 7795 438341
sales@sbforestryltd.co.uk

Norske Skog at Saugbrugs, in collaboration with Nortømmer and Viken Skog have established the company Tømmerterminal Hauerseter AS, a privately owned railroad terminal for loading timber by rail. On Wednesday 19 January, the official opening will be attended by Norwegian Minister of Transport Jon-Ivar Nygård.

The green transition requires that our inbound and outbound transport from the mills takes place with emission-free transport solutions. While we achieve lower carbon emissions and costs, there will now also be fewer heavy trucks transporting timber on our roads. A further development of the railway network and the terminal structure until 2050 will be a prerequisite for the implementation of the green transition in the industry and the fulfillment of Norway’s emission obligations in the Glasgow agreement, says Sven Ombudstvedt, CEO of Norske Skog.

Between 100,000 and 150,000 cubic meters of timber will be transported annually via the timber terminal, mainly spruce pulpwood to Norske Skog Saugbrugs in Halden. This amounts to somewhere between 2,500 and 3,750 timber truckloads a year.

Geographically well located 

The terminal at Hauerseter is located just north of Gardermoen. It is thus geographically well located compared to other timber terminals. Hauerseter will relieve the other terminals, contribute to a sharp reduction in the number of timber trucks on the roads and reduce the transport distance from the forest in the area around the terminal.

The background for the establishment of the terminal is, among other things, a challenging capacity situation at Norsenga timber terminal in Kongsvinger. In addition, there are bottlenecks with driving a large number of timber trucks via Oslo.

First timber delivered 

The terminal, which is located at Hauerseter in Ullensaker municipality, has been established by a private initiative. Recently, we have put in place the necessary approvals from both Jernbanetilsynet and BaneNor to be able to load and transport timber by railway, says general manager Tor Henrik Kristiansen in Viken Skog.

The first timber transporters delivered timber to Hauerseter on 23 December, and the first timber train is scheduled to run during January.

Now we are looking forward to the official opening, and we are very happy that the Minister of Transport comes to attend, says Kristiansen.

This €2.5 million investment is based on growing Ponsse’s market share and machine base in Eastern Finland as well as a desire to better serve their customers

The modern service centre in Joensuu will further improve the quality and efficiency of maintenance and service in Finland. The ca. 1,000 m² service centre includes field and information system maintenance, spare parts and machine sales, technical support as well as a well-stocked spare parts storage and Ponsse Shop. The maintenance shop and spare parts storage are in the same facility to ensure a quick turnaround and thus the most uninterrupted harvesting services possible.

There are a total of 13 employees at the Joensuu service centre. Along with the new facility, they will focus more on personnel training with an option to increase their volume of personnel if necessary.

“The new service centre allows us to provide an even better level of service to our customers and ensure a fast turnaround for machine maintenance. On the spare parts side, we can now provide a delivery service, making it possible for our customers to sign a service agreement on equipment purchases,” explains Ponsse Finland’s country director Jani Liukkonen.

The service centre is located in Joensuu’s Papinkangas, near route 6, roughly six kilometres south of the city centre.

“We chose a location that is easy for our customers to access from any direction,” adds Liukkonen.

There are a total of 24 locations in Finland, with roughly 190 professionals in total working for them. Ponsse’s market share in Finland is currently 45 percent.

The international Ponsse maintenance network consists of 235 service centres. All PONSSE service centres are situated in central locations considering it’s customers’ operations and logistics.

Ponsse Finland, Jani Liukkonen, country director,
Tel. +358 40 095 3847, jani.liukkonen@ponsse.com

Jartek Invest Oy delivers a modern sorting facility to Junnikkala Oy’s sawmill in Oulu. The delivery consists of both green sorting and dry sorting plants with peripherals. Automation installation for the sorting system is delivered by Jartek AI Oy.  The delivery is the biggest domestic project in the company’s history, being worth about twenty million euros. When finished, the need for pine and spruce logs of Oulu sawmill is about 700 000 cubic meters.

Both green sorting and dry sorting lines are equipped with the latest mechanics, automation and machine vision innovations. The delivery will utilize solutions based on artificial intelligence. The plant represents modern technology, including automatic load and stick transfer equipment.

“It is an honour to be able to participate in construction of a new Finnish sawmill with such a large delivery. Junnikkala clearly appreciates a local partnership. Jartek would like to thank for your trust!”, says Kari Puustinen, Sales Director of Jartek.

The project was quickly taken from the initial concept to the contract phase. “Jartek was helping us since the initial plant concept, which was a big factor for us. The choice of Jartek was supported by good domestic references and local expertise”, says Kalle Junnikkala, CEO of Junnikkala Oy.

The project has got off to a fast start and the design phase has already started. The installations will begin in the last quarter of 2023. It is also planned to saw the first log as early as 2023.

Additional information: Kari Puustinen

Picture. On the left, Kalle Junnikkala, CEO, Junnikkala Oy. On the right, Teemu Uimonen, Chairman of the Board, Jartek Invest Oy.

In the past year 2021 JARTEK INVEST OY signed a contract for delivery of green sorting and dry sorting lines for Segezha Group which has begun a complete modernization of JSC Onezhsky LDK wood processing facility in Arkhangelsk Oblast.

The preliminary planning has been completed in January this year and the designing is under way.

New green sorting and dry sorting lines handle 300,000 m3 of lumber per year.

The lines are fast and modern – a symbiosis of mechanics and automation. The lines are equipped with e.g., the necessary equipment for the careful handling of timber and machine vision equipment.

According to plans of Segezha Group, a large-scale investment in a modernization project that includes new green sorting and dry sorting lines is to make operation more efficient, develop wood processing and improve product quality.

“For Onega LDK, the decision to implement the project is a long-awaited development. Modern technology is developing quickly and the use of old sawmill techniques with high production costs have a negative impact on the company’s competitiveness”, says Alexander Varakin, CEO of Onega LDK.

John Deere has introduced new additions to its attachment family for excavators with the ME36 and ME50 Mulchers, and the RE40 and RE50 Rotary Brush Cutters.

The ME36 and ME50 mulchers are equipped with knife-style cutting teeth on a split ring rotor. The spiral, double helix tool pattern and innovative tool shape allow for fast, efficient cutting for mulch up to 5-inch material. A controlled and metered cutting depth allows the operator to maintain high rotor revolutions per minute (RPM) and a productive mulching rate. The teeth may be sharpened and easily flipped for a fresh cutting edge, extending the tool’s life. The mulcher attachments are ideal for right-of-way maintenance and fire/fuel reduction, clearing standing or felled trees and brush along fencerows, roadsides, waterways, and other hard-to-reach places.

The RE40 and RE50 brush cutters bring more versatility for excavators. These brush cutters are ideal for embankment and ditch management, over-fence brush management, rail right-of-way maintenance, and otherwise difficult to reach areas. Three swinging blades mounted to a blade carrier can fell and cut material up to 6 inches in diameter. A heavy-duty hinged debris shield retracts when the head is engaged with trees and brush, exposing the blades, and allowing for aggressive cuts.

The RE40 and RE50 brush cutters directionally beveled blades push material into the head of the cutter, creating fine debris for recycling. The blades are also reversible, so when the leading-edge wears, they can be unbolted and flipped over for a fresh cutting edge. An automatic hydraulic braking system quickly stops the blade rotation after the machine is turned off, so operators can exit the cab.

Equipped with a bolt-on mounting system, the RE cutters offer flexible configuration to a variety of coupling systems. If coupling requirements change, units can be quickly and easily reconfigured.

“Both attachment lines offer customers a means to step into the growing vegetation management segment of machine use,” said Jason Simmons, Project Manager of Global Attachments at John Deere Construction and Forestry Division. The features of the mulchers and cutters deliver value to customers so they can achieve high productivity, uptime and low operating costs. These attachments are tested in the toughest applications, ensuring they will get the job done and are durable enough to last.

The attachments are tested and optimized to work with John Deere excavators, but the mulchers are also compatible with many competitive 5–10 ton excavator models, and the brush cutters are also compatible with many competitive 3–10 ton excavator models.

For more information about John Deere attachments, as well as the full range of construction equipment and technology solutions, visit https://www.JohnDeere.com.

Contact:
Bria Rooney
Vice President, PR, imre
briar@imre.com

Photo: The mulcher attachments are ideal for clearing standing/felled trees and brush

On December 22, Kamps acquired Gorgo Group (“Gorgo”). The Gorgo Group is a collection of companies that provide pallet, packaging, and logistics solutions across the North-East. Gorgo has two asset-based locations in Southern New Jersey, and one in Harrisburg, PA. The acquisition of Gorgo expands Kamps footprint in the North-East and builds upon their core mission of providing customer-centric pallet solutions on a national scale.

Headquartered in Vineland, NJ, Gorgo began as a single pallet division in 1979, with Anthony Gorgo as the founder. Gorgo was sold to Louis Chini in 1994, who then ultimately sold to partners Bryan Kruysman Jr. and Nick Biagi in 2011. Gorgo Group’s Pallet Division specializes in full-service pallet recycling and custom pallet manufacturing. The packaging and logistics divisions provide auxiliary support for supply chains in the region.

Across the three divisions, Gorgo employs over 200 individuals and operates close to 400 trailers. All employees, along with the owners, will stay onboard.

Gorgo Group’s facilities are located in:

• Vineland, NJ
• Millville, NJ
• Harrisburg, PA

Bryan and Nick have grown Gorgo Pallet significantly over the past decade due to their entrepreneurial spirit, uncompromising customer service, and ability to build a strong team. We appreciate their additional product and service offerings which have provided extra value for their customers. We look forward to parlaying these additional services to our customer base in the North-East region and beyond.

Kamps, Inc. President, Mitchell Kamps

Kamps’ commitment to maintaining a family atmosphere, while having such a large footprint intrigued us the most. As the industry continues its move towards national versus regional coverage, choosing a partner who aligns with our core values and local focus was of the utmost importance

Gorgo Group Vice-President, Nick Biagi

Joining such a great organization, that shares the same principals, will ensure we continue serving our communities and allow our employees to grow in their careers. We are looking forward to continued success within the North-East market.

Gorgo Group President, Bryan Kruysman Jr.

The addition of the Gorgo Group grows Kamps’ national presence to 45 asset-based locations across five regions. The additional assets, inventory, and systems, will provide customers in from both organizations with a superior experience. The acquisition also allows them to reach more supply chains directly with its customer-centric approach to pallet solutions.

About Kamps, Inc.

Kamps, Inc. is a full-service national pallet company delivering innovative pallet solutions to customers since 1975. Kamps specializes in supplying high quality recycled pallets, new custom pallets, and comprehensive pallet recycling services to diverse supply chains across the nation. With over 400 locations in its pallet network and over 40 asset-based locations, Kamps is the national leader in customer-centric pallet solutions.

To learn more about Kamps, Inc. visit https://www.kampspallets.com/

About Gorgo Group

Gorgo Group, based out of vineland, NJ, is a collection of companies providing pallets, packaging, logistics services and landscape mulch throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. Gorgo has two locations in Southern New Jersey, and one location in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Gorgo is the largest pallet recycler in the Philadelphia/Baltimore region, and services most of the fortune 500 companies in its service area from retail and foodservice distribution centers to E-commerce companies.

To learn more about Gorgo Group, visit https://gorgogroup.com/

Photo: Kamps Inc.

Forest Research has launched a new citizen science app combining England and Scotland windblow data to increase the knowledge of the full impact of Storm Arwen.

The app is easy to use and allows anyone to validate and improve the information available.

Confor members are urged to sign up and give the feedback requested, which can include verification of windblow  identified using satellite imagery. The app also offers the option to state if it is the correct area, whether new or old, what extra felling area will be required up to the windfirm edge and what species are involved.

Richard Hunter, Confor’s Technical and Industry Support Manager, said: “This is an opportunity to identify some windblown areas that might have been missed, and to enhance what we know already. This will be very important as we try to manage the situation and maintain as stable a market for timber crops as possible.”

The app will remain open until 23 January and the information collected will be turned into a report to support the industry.

The app launched on Friday 17th December at 4pm and by Monday 20th December at 9am, already had more than 100 hectares validated, much of that removing false positives produced by satellite imagery. New information is fed back into the algorithm that reads the satellite data and turns it into a shape file. The system learns and  therefore the next imagery reading is more accurate – so the more area validated, the more accurate it becomes.

Mr Hunter thanked Confor members who provided valuable information through a windblow questionnaire sent out recently, adding: “This has now been superseded by the new app – produced by Forest Research, with the support of Scottish Forestry, Forestry Commission and Confor. We encourage members to engage fully with this app.”

Mr Hunter also reminded members to work with clients to understand that tackling windblow is potentially dangerous work – and should be mechanised wherever possible, by competent and experienced contractors.

This is the latest collaborative effort between Confor and the public forest bodies in response to Storm Arwen, which caused intensive damage to Scotland’s woodlands – especially down the east coast, across the Borders and East Lothian, stretching into Galloway. Another swathe of damage runs through Aberdeenshire, Angus and into Perthshire. There was also significant damage in northern England.

Scottish Government Environment Minister Màiri McAllan said: “Storm Arwen provided a salutary lesson of the power of nature and the challenge of climate change. Our people suffered and so, too, did our natural environment.

“The impact is evident in the distressing images of flattened forests and woodlands which will take decades, if not centuries to recover from. Their loss reminds us of the significant role trees play in our lives, communities, economy and wellbeing.

“Behind this is a monumental clear-up operation which is being undertaken by large and small woodland owners. Whilst this is being carried out, the message to the public is not to enter into affected forests until they are made safe.

“Forestry might be a long term business, but getting to grips with managing the windblown timber has already begun. As more accurate information becomes available, Scotland’s forest industry will be taking decisions on handling the extra volumes of timber that needs to be harvested.

”Through Scottish Forestry, advice, information and assistance is being made available to woodland owners and the forestry sector to help manage the aftermath of Storm Arwen.”

Andy Leitch, Deputy Chief Executive of Confor, said: “With new information emerging every day about the impact of Storm Arwen – from satellite data, localised aerial surveys and on-ground observation – it is vital that the industry and the public forestry bodies work together as closely as possible.

“The most effective way to ensure windblown trees are removed safely and quickly is to share information, identify opportunities for joint approaches – and deploy resources where they are most needed.

“The clean-up after the storm – and the work needed to remove the windblown timber, make safe the remaining trees and get the timber to wood processors – will take time and effort. However, Confor is fully committed to working in partnership with the public forestry bodies to make that happen in a speedy and efficient manner.”

Scottish Forestry, Confor and FLS will continue to work closely at both national and levels, taking into account the different timber markets.

Scottish Forestry has already deployed its staffing resource to the areas most affected, anticipating that woodland owners in the areas affected will require advice.

Action to fast track and simplify the paperwork around Felling Permissions and Forest Management Plans has been undertaken to help woodland managers tackle trees that were affected by windblow.

FLS began discussions with its timber customers straight after Storm Arwen hit to determine market availability, volume requirements and species demand. The agency, which manages the national forests, is also compiling more detailed information on areas, volumes, species and damage types in order to prioritise areas for harvesting and sale.

Most of the trees that have been flattened will be removed over the next year and sent to wood processors across Scotland. In time, the forests will be replanted.

Confor has reacted positively to the forestry funding announced in the new Scottish Government budget.

The budget describes “a further £69.5 million to be invested in woodland creation and sustainable management of Scotland’s woodlands” – and links the money directly to the target of planting 15,000 hectares of new woodland annually.

This figure is due to accelerate towards 18,000 hectares a year by 2024-25.

The funding was part of the Budget for 2022-23 announcement by the Scottish Government’s Finance and Economy Secretary Kate Forbes MSP. She said it was designed to make Scotland “more prosperous, fairer and greener”.

Stuart Goodall, Chief executive of forestry and wood trade body Confor, said: “I’m delighted to see the Scottish Government putting the additional money on the table required to meet its commitment to expand sustainable woodland creation in Scotland.

“Scotland is planting 80% of all new woodland in the UK – and it is doing so with a clear purpose. Scotland’s tree planting locks up carbon while creating jobs and economic growth in rural areas, as well as providing the future supplies of wood we need to build new, zero carbon homes and much more.”

Two Scottish Government Ministers, Mairi Gougeon MSP and Patrick Harvie MSP, visited the Zero Carbon House at COP26. Read more about it here.

Mr Goodall continued: “Scotland had been facing a reduction in wood supply in the run-up to its net zero target of 2045, but the continued creation of new productive woodland that also delivers places for people and wildlife will enable us to build more with home-grown wood. It’s great to see a real understanding of the multiple benefits of modern forestry at Government level – and the resources to support this.”

He said that Confor would continue to work closely and constructively with ministers and public forest bodies to help deliver a low-carbon, high value future for rural Scotland.

Photo:  Stuart Goodall, Chief executive of forestry and wood trade body Confor