Bruks Siwertell, has won a contract to supply a back-on truck dump receiving system for Douglas Pellets LLC. It will be used to efficiently unload dry peanut hulls at the company’s facility in Pearson, Georgia, in the US, and is planned for delivery in January 2020.

Bruks Siwertell has supplied various truck dumpers as well as chippers and other equipment to Douglas Pellets’ network of pellet plants and sawmills in Georgia.

“The contract demonstrates the strength of Bruks Siwertell’s business relationship with Douglas Pellets as a preferred supplier and the trust that it has in our equipment and services,” says Bruks Siwertell Americas Area Sales Manager, Christopher Duffy. “We are delighted that Douglas Pellets has opted to continue this partnership and we hope to support its continued growth in the coming years.”

The new contract calls for Bruks Siwertell to supply a back-on truck dumper with a receiving hopper and dust collector. The system comprises a platform and a set of hydraulic cylinders used to lift the entire truck and allow the free-flowing cargo to dump out of the back of its trailer and into the receiving hopper. The new truck dumper will have the capacity to unload dry peanut hulls at a rate up to 85t/h. Once they have been unloaded the peanut hulls will later be compressed into pellet form.

Controlling dust emissions from handling dry materials is an important concern at such facilities. “Our truck dumper systems are designed to minimize dust emissions by utilizing a covered receiving hopper and dust collection system,” he notes. “The complete system helps Douglas Pellets to protect the environment.”

In addition to the back-on type of truck dumper ordered by Douglas Pellets, Bruks Siwertell’s unique truck unloading portfolio also includes a drive-over version.

“Chip trucks are used throughout North America as an efficient and flexible way to transport pellets, hogged fuel, wood chips and other cargoes,” Mr Duffy explains. “Our truck dumper systems are by far the most effective method for receiving materials and are relied upon throughout the North American wood products industry.”

Bruks Siwertell design, produce and deliver systems for loading, unloading, conveying, storing, and stacking and reclaiming dry bulk materials, alongside equipment for chipping, screening, milling and processing wood for the biofuel, board, saw mill, pulp and paper industries. All equipment is designed to ensure environmentally-friendly and efficient cargo operations.

Siwertell is part of Bruks Siwertell Group.

Ken Upchurch, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Bruks Siwertell Americas tel. +1 770 905 6023 kuh@bruks.com

Sales Manager / Engineer – BRUKS Siwertell

Georgia-Pacific has announced two major investments that will contribute significantly to its facility community in Gurdon, Arkansas, and the region.

Georgia-Pacific is investing $70 million for upgrades to its plywood and lumber operations in the community. The company is also making its largest contribution ever to Gurdon and Clark County schools, committing $100,000 over five years to help install a multi-use playing field that will be used by the three schools and the city for community events. The pair of investments are a great example of GP’s belief that strong communities are good for business and strong businesses reinvest into the community.

What Impact Will $70 Million Make?
In addition to extending the ability to meet the growing needs of customers for lumber and plywood, this investment will increase the mill’s efficiency and capacity, sustaining the more than 700 jobs at the two facilities.

“We are making state of the art improvements that will transform our Gurdon facilities, greatly improving the utilization of raw materials and overall operating efficiencies, making jobs more meaningful, and turning us into an even stronger competitor,” said Mike White, Western Regional Operations Manager.

“This investment is validation of the work, commitment, and loyalty of our employees and the support Gurdon and Clark County have demonstrated for years,” said White, who started as an electrician at the plant when it was built in 1979. “And as any facilities manager will tell you, the quality of the workforce is the critical factor for success. All the latest technology isn’t nearly as important as having the calibre of competent, responsible, conscientious employees we have.”

GP’s investment will have a ripple economic effect in the southern Arkansas region, generating $169 million in overall impact, according to Dr. Gauri Guha, Associate Professor of Economics at Arkansas State University.

Georgia-Pacific is investing $70 million into its Gurdon lumber and plywood operations that will greatly improving utilization of raw materials and overall operating efficiencies.

“Any large investment in an economic sector is amplified by regional economic multipliers due to direct, indirect and induced effects of the expenditures,” Dr. Guha said. “This means a direct investment of $70 million ends up generating an economic value of $169 million within the year.”

In addition to meeting the growing needs of lumber and plywood customers, the investment will increase efficiency and capacity, sustaining the more than 700 jobs across the two Gurdon plants.

Some of the improvements include the install of an advanced merchandiser that determines best end-product use, new panel assembly stations with state-of-the-art scanning systems, an upgraded power plant and software and security enhancements. Work on the projects began earlier this summer and will be completed by 2020.

The Work Doesn’t Stop at the Mills
Georgia-Pacific’s contribution for a $100,000 multi-use playing field provides a setting for students to participate in extra-curricular activities, helping them to expand their social skills– a benefit for finding career opportunities after graduation. This contribution along with the investment into the mill provides a foundation for a solid community that will be ready for the generations to come.

“The Gurdon schools have been such a cooperative, helpful and successful partner in ensuring we have the talented people we need,” said Carrie Wilkins, Regional Human Resources for GP’s Plywood and Lumber divisions. “We want and need them to continue to be successful, so our aim is to contribute meaningfully to our schools every year.”

Pölky’s Sales Director Mikko Luikku is leaving the company. Pölkky Oy has nominated Ville Liimola as the new Sales Director. Mr. Liimola will start in his new position on 7.1.2020.

Pölkky Oy is the largest private wood processing company in northern Finland. Pölkky Oy uses 1.4 million cubic metres of raw timber annually, across its four sawmills in Finland.

Derome, Sweden’s largest family-owned timber company, has acquired wood trading company Woody Anderstorp, Derome has announced.

“Anderstorp and its environs is a viable and expansive market which is interesting to us. We are already a major supplier of roof trusses in the region and buy forest raw material from here to our sawmill in Kinnared,” said Johan Winroth, CEO of Derome.

Per Enocson and Victor Svensson, who have been developing and operating Woody Anderstorp since 2012, look forward to running the business under Derome’s management.

“This is positive for our employees and customers. Victor Svensson and me look forward to becoming part of Derome. They have the industry’s best customer concept and logistics, which now benefits the customers,” said Per Enocson.

Photo: Johan Winroth, CEO of Derome.

Building upon the positive momentum of the original launch of TimberMatic™ Maps and TimberManager™, John Deere has announced the expansion of the technology offerings to full-tree equipment, including feller bunchers and skidders. These streamlined software solutions offer loggers enhanced machine visibility and communication for a productive work day.

“The addition of full-tree machines to the TimberMatic Maps and TimberManager offering is an example of how John Deere continues to lead the way in innovation and arm our customers with smart, streamlined solutions to optimize their efforts and ultimately increase productivity,” said Matt Flood ForestSight product manager, John Deere.

TimberMatic Maps and TimberManager provide loggers with the ability to plan work that needs to get done in a day. The map provides the precise location, estimated volume or mass, and up to two species of timber. As timber is moved, operators can update the map for improved team visibility. Loggers can also add items of interest to the digital maps such as points, areas, and lines. These features are shared in real time with all crew members for a better understanding and opportunity to optimize jobsite awareness and production as a system of machines.

One of the biggest feature improvements over the former TimberNavi™ system is the accommodation of all map formats, ranging from a simple map drawn in by hand to an elaborate shape file or PDF file. The design of TimberMatic Maps also allows for standard satellite imagery or topography to be loaded directly through the JDLink™ cellular connection. In addition to a simplified map creation tool, TimberMatic Maps now provides tools for estimated production awareness. With TimberManager, the online, cloud-based solution optimized for mobile devices, owners can create or alter map features and share updates to all machines in real time without the need to visit each machine and operator. Managers can also view jobsite summary data and production efficiencies through TimberManager.

“I’ve seen a big increase in production from basically out of the gate with TimberMatic Maps and TimberManager,” said Thomas Johnson, owner of Thomas Johnson Logging. “It lets me map out, in the machine, the area that I’m working, my job sites, and it counts the stems that the tracked buncher is cutting … It also lets the skidder know where the wood is at on the ground … I don’t have to guess anymore or ask an operator how much wood’s left on the ground — being able to see everything in realtime is a big help.”

The technology system is now available in skidders, wheeled and tracked feller bunchers, wheeled and tracked harvesters, forwarders, and swing machines. Data is collected by the sensors on the equipment, while the location of the production is gathered through the GPS technology. Information is then transmitted to the TimberMatic Maps and TimberManager systems. “[With TimberMatic Maps and TimberManager], the skidder and the feller buncher are working together instead of guessing where each other are at. In a way it adds a safety aspect to it. You can see a lot more [of the job site] without having to walk ahead,” Johnson said.

From the office, managers can access the data from the machines using a PC, tablet or mobile phone and follow the progress of the work site. This solution offers ultimate insight into the operation from land harvested to the machines at work, streamlining communication and increasing efficiency when shift planning. “I can be in a meeting or off-site somewhere and pull up TimberManager on my [cell phone], and see my skidders are here, my buncher is here, and there’s been this much wood dropped off in the landing already today … I know what I have by looking at TimberManager on my phone … It makes my life a lot easier,” said Johnson.

Confor has urged the new ministerial team at Defra to work with the industry to drive up tree planting rates significantly to tackle the damaging effects of climate change.

New Forestry Minister Zac Goldsmith MP has a track record of environmental activism and Confor hopes that he will push for rapid increases in tree planting to help tackle the climate emergency.

His new boss, Secretary of State for the Environment, Theresa Villiers MP, has also shown support for tree planting. In a Westminster Hall debate on Forestry in England in January 2018, she said: “A key goal for all of us who recognise the benefits of woods and forests is not just protecting what we have, but planting more trees.”

She went on to express the wish that the private sector should do more to help achieve the long term goal of 12 per cent afforestation in England by 2060.

Confor Chief Executive Stuart Goodall said he hoped for early meetings with both the Secretary of State and the Forestry Minister.

He added: “We very much look forward to working with Theresa Villiers and Zac Goldsmith to continue pushing forestry and wood products up the political agenda. The imperative to plant many more trees – especially productive forestry at scale – is greater than ever. Successive reports from the Committee on Climate Change have identified a vital role for large-scale tree planting in removing atmospheric carbon and mitigating the damaging effects of climate change, while using wood locks up that carbon.”

The letter to Theresa Villiers says: “Confor and its members look forward to working with you to drive up tree planting in England. A significant increase is necessary to meet national targets and make a critical contribution to alleviating the global climate emergency – but it is very achievable through constructive partnership working.”

Mr Goodall said he was especially keen to discuss positive progress made in areas like Northumberland. “There are a number of initiatives coming together which make me confident that with political support, we can really see a step change in planting and woodland management – which would be a positive investment in a cleaner, greener future for the UK,” he said.

“It is also crucial in these meetings to gain further clarity on how funding for forestry will work after Brexit.”

As well as his appointment as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at Defra

(Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), Mr Goldsmith is a Minister of State at the Department for International Development.

Mr Goodall added: “This is a very interesting combination of portfolios and I hope to raise the issue with Zac Goldsmith of how planting more trees at home can reduce the long-term need for imported timber. We need to do everything we can to stop exporting our forest and carbon footprint.”

Mr Goodall also paid tribute to Michael Gove MP and David Rutley MP.

“Michael Gove really pushed the climate change and environment brief up the political agenda and David Rutley developed a real understanding of the benefits of more tree planting and the greater use of home-grown wood. We worked very closely with him and one of his final ministerial visits was to see forestry and wood processing in Northumberland. We are very keen to work with Defra officials to get Zac Goldsmith on a similar visit soon to start delivering on the real potential of the forestry and timber sector.”

Confor has extended a similar invitation to Theresa Villers.

Photo: New Forestry Minister Zac Goldsmith MP

This satellite image provided by NASA on Aug. 13, 2019 shows several fires burning in the Brazilian Amazon forest. Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, a federal agency monitoring deforestation and wildfires, said the country has seen a record number of wildfires this year, counting 74,155 as of Tuesday, Aug. 20, an 84 percent increase compared to the same period last year. (NASA via AP)

Huge tracts of the Amazon, which serves as the lungs of the planet by taking in carbon dioxide, storing it in soils and producing oxygen, are ablaze. Smoke from the widespread fires has turned day into night in Sao Paulo, and intensified a controversy over the Brazilian government’s land use policies.

The Brazilian Amazon has experienced 74,155 fires since January, according to data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, known by the acronym INPE. That’s an 85 percent increase from last year and significantly higher than the 67,790 blazes since by this point in the year during 2016, when there were severe drought conditions in the region associated with a strong El Niño event.

“There is nothing abnormal about the climate this year or the rainfall in the Amazon region, which is just a little below average,” INPE researcher Alberto Setzer told Reuters. Speaking of the fires, he said, “The dry season creates the favourable conditions for the use and spread of fire, but starting a fire is the work of humans, either deliberately or by accident.”

The fires have covered Sao Paulo in dark smoke, and they are raising concerns that the rainforest, which is one of the most biologically diverse regions on Earth, may be suffering from land-clearing operations and other activities intended to transform the land for agricultural use.

Source: oregonlive.com
https://www.oregonlive.com/nation/2019/08/amazon-rainforest-is-ablaze-turning-day-into-night-in-sao-paulo.html

New Zealand’s wood processors say the international log price war and protected overseas economies are crippling the New Zealand trade. The Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association told a meeting in Nelson that distortions in international trade were starting to make it difficult for local processors to be competitive globally.

The industry worked to add value to New Zealand’s raw timber and supported 25,000 jobs nationwide, but it was fighting to survive. The association’s chief executive, Jon Tanner, said the global playing field was tilting less in New Zealand’s favour.

That was because international competitors were playing by a different set of rules. “And all this, we believe, is being caused primarily by subsidies that are being paid out across the world, and that are supporting the industries we are competing with,” Mr Tanner said.

“MFAT (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade) likes to call them non-tariff barriers – let’s just call them the covert world of subsidies because they’re really, really, really hard to see.” They were focused on finding ways to tackle the problem, but the elephant in the room was log supply and prices, he said. The global manipulation of pricing was hurting New Zealand processors and timber growers.

The government recently commissioned an inquiry into the log market, which was looking into barriers to fairer international competition. Mr Tanner said it was a good start.

“We’ve certainly made the case for the issue. What officials are doing now is drilling into what we can understand about the sector and what’s supporting it around the world because we really don’t – as a global industry, understand that.”

The government was also working on securing a range of trade agreements, but warned it would not be a quick-fix. The Minister for Trade and for Export Growth, Damien O’Connor said agreements in principle with ASEAN member countries – from South East Asia – were expected to be in place by the end of the year.

“We won’t get all the things we want but if we can get in place rules of trade that all those countries have to adhere to, around e-commerce, around investment and around goods, then we’ll be in a safer space,” Mr O’Connor said.

Source: WPMA

August 2019 saw Port of Tauranga and Tainui Group Holdings (TGH) subsidiary Port Ruakura LP announce a long- term partnership to support the development of the planned Ruakura Inland Port at Hamilton.

The agreement allows Port of Tauranga’s cargo trains running between MetroPort Auckland and Tauranga to service Ruakura Inland Port, giving Waikato-based importers and exporters direct access to fast international shipping services calling at Tauranga. Tauranga is the only port call for the biggest container ships visiting New Zealand.

Port of Tauranga Chief Executive, Mark Cairns, says the planned Ruakura Inland Port offers significant cargo handling capacity and scope to meet future needs. The 480 hectare Ruakura estate has 192 hectares earmarked for logistics and industrial uses including the planned 30 hectare inland port.

“The Ruakura development will provide a highly efficient rail hub in the Waikato by utilising our existing train services linking our MetroPort Auckland inland freight hub with Port of Tauranga, which is New Zealand’s international hub port and the main cargo gateway for the upper North Island,” he says.

“It’s an excellent example of Port of Tauranga’s partnership approach to providing supply chain infrastructure beyond our Bay of Plenty hinterland.”

Tainui Group Holdings Chief Executive Chris Joblin welcomed the long-term partnership on behalf of Port Ruakura LP.

“The agreement will see Port of Tauranga trains initially call at Ruakura four times daily and this is likely to grow. This service will underpin the significant supply chain savings we have been modelling with prospective customers and tenants of Ruakura,” he says.

About Ruakura – Ruakura is a visionary logistics hub designed to help importers and exporters unlock the golden triangle. Offering genuine scale, the core of the development is a 30ha inland port which will offer direct access to major seaports via main trunk rail services and the Waikato Expressway.

Complementing the inland port is a 192ha logistics and industrial precinct offering room to grow for businesses seeking a substantial footprint, and adjoining precincts for commercial, residential and retail use.

Ruakura is long-term project by Tainui Group Holdings (TGH) and its business partners. TGH’s track record includes quality developments at The Base, one of New Zealand’s largest shopping centres, and hotels at Auckland Airport and Hamilton as part of the $950m diversified portfolio it manages on behalf of 76,000 Waikato-Tainui iwi members.

Photo: Port of Tauranga Chief Executive, Mark Cairns (left) and Tainui Group Holdings Chief Executive, Chris Joblin (right).

RDO Equipment is the world’s largest Vermeer and John Deere dealer, and in Australia RDO have an investment and strong partnership with the Vermeer brand which Julie will oversee.

Julie has a strong track record in operations and management, having spent the last nine years working for oil and gas company Senex Energy Limited, firstly as their CFO, then managing their strategic planning portfolio and most recently, running coal seam gas projects, from exploration right through to start up.

In her new role, Julie will continue to establish the RDO Equipment business in Australia and set the strategy and goals to cement our place in this market, ensuring resources are in position to meet the needs of our new customer base.

“I have big goals for RDO to become the best dealership business in Australia and am excited to support the growth of the John Deere Construction and Forestry range throughout our RDO dealerships,” Julie says.

For Vermeer, her goal is to continue to grow the brand across the country and ensure their existing customers are well looked after from sales to service and parts support.

“Vermeer is already a well-established brand in Australia, and I’m looking forward to working with a team that I’ve seen is motivated and engaged with the products to help support their growth.

“Both RDO and Vermeer are two incredible companies with the raw potential to become market leaders. I’m excited to start just as RDO comes into the Australian market, provide focus and be the glue to get everyone firing in the same direction and get the business to be what it can be,” she says.

Julie’s first few weeks have seen her visiting the eight RDO and Vermeer dealerships across Australia to meet the teams behind the great brands. Her focus will be to work with the wider leadership teams and forge plans for the next 12 months for both businesses.

Photo: Julie Whitcombe has joined RDO Equipment and Vermeer as their new Chief Operating Officer across both companies.