North Lincolnshire-based timber importer and timber products manufacturer Arbor Forest Products has begun production on its new sawmill planing line – thought to be the most advanced system of its kind in the UK.

Last year the company announced it was investing £6 million in the new facility which features unique timber scanning technology, allowing Arbor Forest Products to eliminate defects in lengths of timber – reducing waste and saving time for Arbor Forest customers.

The planing line was developed in conjunction with Swedish company System Hall AB, which designs, manufactures and supplies many different types of mechanical handling systems and conveyors for the woodworking industry, primarily – up to now – in its neighbouring Nordic countries.

Arbor Forest Products collaborated closely with System Hall to devise the production line that best suited its needs, and which would offer the best possible value to end users – which would include shed manufacturers, those building farm and equine facilities, and the general construction market.

Phil Yell, operations director at Arbor Forest Products, and Phil Bott, sawmill production director, worked closely with System Hall’s Jaokim Blixt to agree the design and layout of the facility, travelling to Scandinavia in late 2019 to see how similar sawmills, where facilities operate with faster line speeds and higher levels of automation than has hitherto been available in the UK.

With the line now fully operational, it is now processing up to 200m of timber per minute. The technologically led process involves each piece of timber being scanned as it runs through the line, allowing defects such as splits and knots to be identified and trimmed out, with the result being more useable lengths of timber in each load that arrives with customers.

Commenting on the new line, Phil Yell said: “This new facility represents a significant investment for us at Arbor Forest Products, and a large leap forward in terms of the standards being achieved in the UK timber market. Technology like this has so far only existed overseas, and we’re very proud to have worked with System Hall to bring this level of processing power to the UK for the first time.

“We are now able to accurately assess each piece of timber that passes through our facility and can therefore guarantee a specified level of quality for each batch, in line with our customers’ expectations. With some industrial users  reporting wastage levels of around 10 per cent due to faults with the timber, this is a genuine game-changer for UK timber.” This is the first phase in the company’s biggest investment in a single year, with upcoming plans for additional storage taking the total investment to around £12 million.

Source: Timber Construction

New, comprehensive, online tool helps landowners build their biodiversity and net zero carbon strategies, as well as navigate post-EU subsidy regimes.

(Oxford, March 2021) New tools help to identify and measure the natural capital of assets to develop future carbon strategies and access post-Brexit environmental subsidies.

As landowners, estate managers, renewable energy and traditional farm businesses adapt to the new post-EU subsidy regimes across the UK, they must prepare to provide robust evidence of environmental improvements and enhancements. To demonstrate this, they need an accurate natural capital baseline.

To meet this need, Oxford-based NatCap Research Ltd. has launched NatCapMap, the first comprehensive online environmental mapping tool in the UK to help landowners, estate managers, farm businesses and others to quickly and easily identify and measure their natural capital assets, and then report improvements over time. This baseline then provides a rock-solid basis for the development of ESG, biodiversity and net zero carbon strategies.

NatCapMap can be accessed at https://www.natcapresearch.com/latest-tools

Created by internationally reknowned academics using world-leading modelling and data techniques, the online tool enables users to map their natural capital assets, and receive the information in a downloadable report. The tool also maps the ‘ecosystem service flows’ provided by those assets – that is, the benefits for human wellbeing provided, such as carbon storage, CO2 sequestration, flood risk reduction, recreation, biodiversity, and others.

New subsidy frameworks require robust evidence

According to Professor Kathy Willis, founder and director at Natural Capital Research, “Post-EU subsidy arrangements are still evolving across the UK, but it’s already clear that landowners, estates and farmers will need the highest-quality evidence of natural capital assets and ecosystem system flows to access public funding. NatCapMap provides such evidence for land across England, Scotland and Wales, providing a powerful environmental business planning tool for estates and farms of different sizes.”

One key focus of the team at NatCap Research is to help landowners and land managers prepare for the Agriculture Act 2020, which sets out the new post-Brexit approach for agriculture support in England. For landowners and farmers in England, it represents the biggest change to the subsidy regime since the 1970s, with the EU’s per hectare basic farm payment (BFP) being superseded by the principle of “public money for public goods” and the transition to the Environmental Land Management Scheme in 2024. NatCapMap also then sets a solid baseline for the development of landowners’ environmental enhancement strategies going forward.

Professor Sir Dieter Helm, founder and Chair of Natural Capital Research, continues, “Under this new framework, landowners will need to evidence their natural capital baseline to claim subsidies effectively. The private sector too – from shareholders to ESG investors to carbon markets – as well as NGOs and other stakeholders will increasingly want rock-solid evidence of natural assets and environmental baselines and enhancements. With our reports providing accurate detail down to 25 metres, NatCap Map provides the credible evidence base that is needed for all these different audiences. And it then provides the credible starting point for initiating and monitoring environmental enhancements over time.”

Adrian Dolby, Head of Agriculture at Buccleuch, adds, “Buccleuch recognises the importance of applying robust evidence to underpin our environmental and land use strategies.  Through Natural Capital Research we have expertise that substantiates our environmental, carbon and biodiversity enhancement plans to external observers.”

Key benefits and features

NatCap Map has been created for a range of users from landowners and land agents to property developers, allowing them to:

• understand their natural capital assets and best options for environmental enhancement and improvement
• prepare for new subsidy opportunities, such as England’s Sustainable Farming Incentive and Environmental Land Management Scheme
• report robustly to government departments and agencies in England, Wales and Scotland, and to investors and other stakeholders

Key features of the tool include:

• downloadable baseline reports of natural assets and ecosystem service flows, with options for opportunity mapping and valuations
• mapping covers any user-defined area in England, Scotland Wales, to 25m resolution
• report details include landcover; forest, trees & hedges; and topographical variations
• service benefits mapped range from carbon storage and CO2 sequestration to flood risk prevention, landscapes important for biodiversity and pollination services

For further press information, please contact Josephine Ornago at josephine@outspokenpr.com or call: +39 3662250305

James Jones & Sons Ltd has launched a new fencing app to help customers with their fencing projects.

The new app guides users through an easy step by step process, from choosing the fence design to working out an exact specification of the fencing components needed and creating a 3D model of their fence, through to listing their nearest James Jones & Sons stockist.

Graham Blyth, Sales Director of James Jones & Sons, said “When it comes to designing a garden fence, working out the number of fencing components that are needed can be quite complex and time consuming. The new app has been developed with both the end user and merchant staff in mind, making it a much easier process for users of the app to quickly and easily specify what is required.

The app also uses geographical location, so directs the end user to their nearest stockist of James Jones & Sons materials, thus generating sales enquiries for fencing and merchant customers. The app can be adapted to incorporate additional applications and further enhancements are planned”.

James Jones & Sons Ltd has announced the acquisition of GT Timber Ltd, the holding company of Taylormade Timber Products Ltd and Kerr Timber Products Ltd which operate sawmills at Sherburn Hill, Durham and Annan respectively. The acquisition will increase James Jones & Sons Ltd’s annual sawn output to 800,000m3 thereby consolidating its position as the UK’s largest privately owned sawmill, timber engineering and pallet manufacturing company.

“We are delighted to have concluded this transaction,” commented Tom Bruce-Jones, Chairman of James Jones & Sons Ltd, “and are really pleased that the existing management team are staying on within the enlarged group to provide continuity, facilitate the integration and to help realise our long term strategic plans.The sawn output from both mills will complement our portfolio and will allow us to offer increased product opportunities for our existing, and newly expanded, customer base.”

“On behalf of our shareholders and employees, I am very pleased that GT Timber Ltd will become part of the James Jones Group.” said Jilly Wentworth, Managing Director of GT Timber Ltd, “Their extensive timber industry experience and financial strength will allow the investment programme that we have already started to reach a successful conclusion. The sale process was completed quickly and smoothly, reinforcing our long-held views that James Jones & Sons Ltd is a family company, who shares the same values, ethos and philosophy. We are very excited about the future.”

The combined group will now operate eight sawlines, supplying the most technologically advanced secondary processing facilities in the UK, offering quality, value added products and employing 1,225 people. The Group’s Timber Systems Division manufactures JJI-Joists from its operation at Forres and has the capacity to supply engineered floors for 200,000 new house builds per annum.The Pallet and Packaging Division has 16 sites located across the UK and manufactures pallets and packaging as well as inspection and repair sites for each of the major pallet pools in the UK.

China is the world’s largest importer of softwood and hardwood logs, and for many decades, Russia has been a significant log supplier for them. This relationship may change in 2022 if Russia implements their proposed ban on exports of softwood logs and valuable hardwood logs, while also introducing export taxes on green lumber. All these policy changes are designed to encourage increased domestic production of higher-valued forest products.

The Russian parliament has not yet announced the final legislative proclamation, so it is not clear if there will be a complete or phased-in ban, a significant export tax, or even the possibility of a state-owned export monopoly. However, a signal has been sent to the marketplace that Russia will no longer be a major supplier of softwood and hardwood logs.

One consequence of this decision is that Chinese wood manufacturers will need to explore new long-term log supply regions.

In 2020, China imported almost 6.5 million m3 of logs from Russia, predominantly softwood species. The trade was substantially less than in any year during the past two decades. Nevertheless, Russia was still the largest supplier of hardwood logs to China in 2020 (more prominent than any other source of temperate or tropical logs) and the third largest supplier of softwood logs.

It is crucial to keep in mind that China has shifted from sourcing logs from Russia to European suppliers the past few years as insect-infested timber in Central Europe has been in temporary abundance. From 2018 to 2020, softwood log imports from Europe increased from 1.3 million m3 to 12.3 million m3, while Russian-supplied logs fell from 7.8 million m3 to 4.2 million m3. However, shipments from Europe are not sustainable long-term.

According to the just-released study by the consulting firms Wood Resources International and O’Kelly Acumen (Russian Log Export Ban in 2022 – Implications for the Global Forest Industry), China is expected to source more sawlogs from Oceania, Europe, and the US short-term. Longer-term, the study anticipates that China is likely to shift further from importing logs to lumber, thus creating opportunities for lumber manufacturers, mainly in Europe and Russia, to increase shipments to this growing market.

The excerpt above is from the just-released Focus Report “Russia Log Export Ban in 2022 – Implications to the Global Forest Industry”, published by Wood Resources International LLC and O’Kelly Acumen. For more information about the study or to inquire about purchasing the 60-page report in easy-to-read slide format, please contact either Hakan Ekstrom (hakan@woodprices.com) or Glen O’Kelly (glen.okelly@okelly.se). A Table of Contents of the report is available on our website. 

Contact Information

Wood Resources International LLC
Hakan Ekstrom, Seattle, USA
info@WoodPrices.com

At a meeting held on 24 March 2021, the Supervisory Board of Metsä Group’s parent company, Metsäliitto Cooperative, elected Nina Pärssinen, Bachelor of Law, as a new member of the cooperative’s Board of Directors.

Pärssinen has extensive work experience from various labour market organizations. She was the labour market director of the Finnish Forest Industries Federation in 2015-2019. She is currently working as the administrative director of the city of Alajärvi.

METSÄ GROUP

For further information, please contact:
Miika Arola, Group General Counsel, Metsä Group, tel. +358 10 465 4205

Metsä Group
www.metsagroup.com

Metsä Group leads the way in the bioeconomy. They invest in growth, developing bioproducts and a fossil free future. The raw material for its products is renewable wood from sustainably managed northern forests. They focus on the growth sectors of the forest industry: wood supply and forest services, wood products, pulp, fresh fibre paperboards, and tissue and greaseproof papers.

Metsä Group’s annual sales is approximately EUR 5.5 billion, and has around 9,200 employees in 30 countries. It is an international Group with its roots in the Finnish forest: its parent company is Metsäliitto Cooperative owned by 100,000 forest owners.

Metsä Group’s innovation company Metsä Spring and Valmet are building a demo plant in Äänekoski. The plant will manufacture new 3D fibre products for food packaging and other purposes.

The demo plant reached its full height on 23 March 2021 with construction work proceeding as planned. The main equipment delivered by Valmet will be installed in the autumn 2021, and the first test runs should begin at the end of 2021 – approximately 12 months after the start of the construction.

“The demo plant will test the production of new 3D fibre-based packaging. New packages will be tested with different partners to receive feedback on their market feasibility,” says Veli-Matti Hulkko, Technology Manager at Metsä Spring.

The advanced production process is efficient and flexible. Wood fibre from Metsä Group’s mills could be used to produce large volumes of completely ready packages for different purposes.

“We’ve chosen technologies that help us minimise the consumption of raw material and energy in production. The plan is that nothing goes to waste. The demo plant is located in an industrial production site operating in Äänekoski, which ensures the availability of the raw material and entirely fossil free energy. It also enables the wise use of water and other resources. And there is no need to transport materials from distant locations,” says Hulkko.

The combination of Metsä Group’s expertise in production and packaging design, Metsä Spring’s innovative organisation and Valmet’s experience as a technology supplier enables the demo plant to create a foundation for significant future business.

“Metsä Group has expertise in packaging materials, production requirements and growing markets. As a leading global equipment and machine manufacturer in the forest industry, Valmet is capable of delivering a highly automated, resource-efficient manufacturing process to the demo plant using the latest technology,” Hulkko continues.

“It’s been great to see how bold visions of the future have rapidly turned into practical measures with Metsä. Seamless cooperation with the partners has been crucial in rapid product development. We’ll be able to receive results at the end of the year thanks to the successful demo start,” says Sampo Immonen, head of Line R&D at Valmet.

The demo plant will manufacture wood-based packages, which can replace plastic and aluminium packages. Products are renewable, recyclable and biodegradable, and their raw material comes from sustainably managed forests, which are primarily owned by Finnish families. There is already now significant demand for the products, and the demand is estimated to grow in the future.

If it is possible to prove that the manufacturing method and the product function well, a larger production unit could be built next to Metsä Group’s bioproduct mill, for example.

For further information, please contact:
Juha Laine, Senior Vice President, Communications, Metsä Group, tel. +358 10 465 4541

For Lunawood, safe working environment and sustainable business growth are key factors in building the future and ensuring customer satisfaction. As a result, Lunawood will invest in automatic fire extinguishing system at the beginning of the year, as well as in rebuilding and increasing production capacity.

An automatic fire extinguishing system covering all production departments will be installed at both Lunawood mills in Iisalmi and Kaskinen during the spring of 2021. The extinguishing system at Iisalmi plant will be commissioned by the end of March, and the extinguishing system at the Kaskinen plant will be completed during May. The main supplier of the equipment is an expert company Afire Oy from Lahti.

A new sticking and stacking plant will also be completed at Kaskinen plant in the spring, with Lunawood’s long-term partner BioCone Oy as the main supplier of the equipment. The actual building facility will be built by the City of Kaskinen. Production at the new sticking and stacking plant is scheduled to start in mid-May.

In addition to these large investments, the thermo-treatment capacity of the Kaskinen plant increased by one kiln during the winter, and production at Iisalmi plant will restored when, in addition to one repaired kiln, one new kiln will start its production during May. The kilns are supplied by Jartek Invest Oy from Lahti.

The combined value of the mill’s extinguishing systems and sticking and stacking plant investments is over EUR 4 million and they have a significant impact on both the fire safety of the Lunawood mills and the availability of increased thermo-treatment capacity.

More information:

MATTI LEHMUSKORPI
Vice President Operations+358 50 583 7822
matti.lehmuskorpi@lunawood.com

The convincing overall performance of Siempelkamp’s No. 1 plant leads to a “remake” of the successful concept: Once again, the Brazilian wood-based materials producer Guararapes Paineis, S/A. placed an order for an MDF plant with its German partner.

Top availability and low production costs – Guararapes, one of the most important MDF producers in South America, is fully satisfied with the performance of its first Siempelkamp plant. For its Caçador location, the company therefore currently ordered an almost identical copy of its successfully operating existing plant. Guararapes thus represents the largest MDF site in America.

The core component is a ContiRoll® Generation 9 for MDF in the 9′ x 48.7m format. The daily capacity of the plant is designed for 1,500 m³ and thus exceeds that of the first Siempelkamp plant, which was ordered in 2014 and started up in 2016, by 400 m³. The scope of supply for Guararapes includes all components from the debarking and chipper line to the packing line. Also included is the EcoResinator glue blending system for MDF, which convinces with high glue savings and low operating costs.

The expanded production range of the company, founded in 1984, will be supplied mainly to the domestic market, but also to export markets. Assembly in Caçador is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2022.

“The overall performance of our first Siempelkamp plant is absolutely convincing. So there is no question that we will realize the new investment again with our German partner,” says Ricardo Pedroso,  CEO of Guararapes Paineis, S/A. Jürgen Philipps, Spokesman of the Management Board of Siempelkamp Maschinen- und Anlagenbau GmbH, adds: “We are proud to be able to support our Brazilian customer with the increase of its production capacities through another plant and are looking forward to the upcoming cooperation.”

Photo: Guararapes site in Caçador

Höglands Såg & Hyvleri invests in two continuous kilns from Valutec for its sawmill at Anundsjö, Sweden. After the investments, the company’s drying capacity will reach 375,000 cubic meters (158,916 MBF) annually.

“With the sawmill in full operation, we have experienced the lumber drying kilns as a limiting factor. This investments main benefits are the improved flow on our production line and the increased quality of the finished product,” says David Markusson, CEO of Höglands Såg & Hyvleri.

Höglands Såg & Hyvleri is a family-owned company comprised of the sawmills, Höglandssågen and Anundsjösågen, in addition to the grading department located at Domsjö. The sawmill saws both fir and pine, mainly for use as construction lumber and primarily sold on the Swedish and UK markets. Together, the sawmills produce approx. 320,000 cubic meters (135,608 MBF) of lumber products annually.

“Valutec has a long-standing collaborative relationship with Höglands and has previously supplied kilns to both Anundsjö and Höglands. It’s an honor for us to be able to supply the new kilns for Anundsjösågen. It’s an excellent testament to our collaborative relationship and we look forward to starting the project,” says Jon Lindberg, Sales Manager at Valutec.

Anundsjösågen invested in two similar kilns from Valutec as late as in 2015, which helped facilitate their choice of supplier this time around.

“The kilns we bought in 2015 have worked well and, of course, the operators having experience in using and operating the machines has its advantages,” says David Markusson. “We know Valutec and how they work, while at the same time we feel a sense of security in knowing that the company, like us, has its headquarters up in the north of Sweden.”

The kilns Anundsjösågen invests in are FB continuous kilns, built in stainless steel with an annual capacity of approx. 50,000 cubic meters (21,118 MBF) per kiln. They are equipped with pressure frames, for minimal deformation of the uppermost lumber layer, and Valutec’s heat recovery system. The delivery also includes the Valmatics 4.0 control system.

Installation of the new lumber kilns will begin in August 2021.

More information

Jon Lindberg, Sales Manager, Valutec
jon.lindberg@valutec.se
+46 910 879 50

David Marcusson, CEO, Höglands Såg & Hyvleri AB
david@hoglandssagen.se
+46 340 66 65 60