New Zealand’s wood supply chain is a NZ$1billion cost centre. Currently, it’s estimated that, as an industry, it is leaking around NZ$150m each year. Neither the forest owners nor service enterprises are capturing this loss. This declining level of industry financial performance is not sustainable with New Zealand forestry’s international competitiveness seriously at risk. Resin[…]
Tembec is imposing a temporary shutdown for a period of at least three months at its Béarn sawmill located in Quebec, Canada, effective March 31, 2008. The shutdown decision was based on the lack of reasonably priced logs in the region and the overall depressed lumber market. “This shutdown is a reflection of the severe[…]
The Polish Forest Certification Scheme has been endorsed by the PEFC Council following a rigorous assessment process. The Polish system is the second new forest certification scheme to achieve PEFC endorsement this year after Estonia. Forest cover in Poland is 8.6 Mha, almost 28% of the country. About 82% of the forests belong to the[…]
Australia’s CSIRO is collaborating in a NASA-funded project, using a CSIRO-designed instrument, to help develop new methods of measuring forest carbon stores on a large scale. Forests are the world’s main above-ground carbon store and are therefore critical in controlling the global carbon cycle. But estimating the amount of carbon stored in forests over a[…]
This paper gives an overview of the concerns, perceptions and reactions surrounding ‘Conversions’. Given the universal appreciation of the importance of forests, especially tropical forests, and concern at their potential demise the solution appears to be to simple – either leave them alone or replace the trees that we use. So why has the debate[…]
Wayne Keith has converted his pickup to run on scraps of wood from his Alabama (US) sawmill. The heart of the wood-powered vehicle is a gasifier, which basically converts solid fuels into gaseous ones. Though the fuel in their tanks is liquid, gasoline and diesel engines actually run on vapour. Thus, the wood gas produced[…]
The world’s second- largest papermaker, Stora Enso, posted a bigger-than-expected loss in the fourth quarter on rising wood prices and costs to close mills, according to a Bloomberg report. The loss was 135.3 million euros ($197 million), compared with a year-earlier profit of 263 million euros. Analysts estimated a loss of 81 million euros. Sales[…]
A new report has outlined how an emissions trading scheme can maximise the benefits of using wood products as carbon friendly materials and help address climate change. The report prepared for Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) by Monash University Researcher Alison George, has identified the areas an emissions trading scheme must address in order[…]
The Federal Minister of Agriculture Horst Seehofer has accepted to be the patron of the15th KWF-Tagung and voiced his recognition of KWF’s achievements in Germany. “With its tradition and wide acceptance, the Kuratorium is an important institution for the promotion of collaboration between the Federation and the states for sustainable forestry practices,” Seehofer said. Particular[…]
Forestry Tasmania said its wood supply contract for Gunns’ proposed pulp mill is the most significant deal it has ever struck, according to an online ABC report. Forestry Tasmania agreed to supply Gunns with 1.5 million m3 of plantation and native forest timber a year for 20 years for about $350 million. Hans Drielsma from Forestry Tasmania told[…]