Friday Offcuts – 11 March 2016
Click to Subscribe - It's FREE! Often we see claims and counter claims - more often than not with their own particular bias or take on the research - from suppliers of building and construction materials. We cover an interesting story this week on research that’s going to compare wood and concrete buildings - the cost and duration of construction work, the carbon footprint, and the comfort of living. Together, two wooden and two concrete apartment blocks are being built alongside each other in Finland. This is meant to be the first research of its type but the buildings aren’t expected to be completed until late 2017. From previous research, it appears that wood comes out on top by most measures. Something to keep a watch on.In our technology basket this week we have from Australia the announcement of AU$1.5 million that’s being set aside (finally) by the Australian and NSW Governments to fund three mechanical bushfire fuel reduction trials. The aim is to look at tools that can be used to mitigate the outbreak and severity of bushfires across the country. We also cover stories on the need to tighten up on recovering building and construction wastes, the announcement by one of Australia's largest suppliers of forestry equipment of a record sales year and we've got a story about a team from the University of Adelaide that has been helping US officials with forest DNA forensics to help convict timber thieves in the US. In New Zealand, the forestry research grouping Scion has just signed a research collaboration agreement with Finland’s VTT Technical Research Centre for joint research and commercialisation of products made from forest biomass. Research funding has also been secured by the University of Canterbury to continue on with the excellent work that's already been done on post-tensioned timber technology which has been used in commercial and industrial timber structures as part of the Christchurch rebuild. The new research will be looking at hybrid timber-steel shear wall systems for mid-rise light timber frame buildings. Finally, hats off this week to Landcorp, New Zealand’s largest farmer. Having cleared a significant area of forestry plantations in the central North Island to convert to dairy, they’ve pulled the plug on further dairying. Milk prices being paid to farmers have slumped markedly. Early economic assessments for the Wairakei estate were based on prices of around $7 per kilogram of milk solids. Wednesday this week saw a 9.3 per cent fall in the global dairy auction with Fonterra cutting its pay-out to farmers for 2015/16 to $3.90 per kilogram of milk solids. Environmental pressures on waterway run-off from the farming venture have also been mounting. As well as it being a brave decision, it shows perhaps that compared to forestry, under the current environment, the conversion just hasn’t stacked up either financially or environmentally for the State-owned Enterprise.
Our Partners & SponsorsFriday Offcuts is made possible through the generous support of the following companies. 
This week we have for you:
Funding for Australian bushfire fuel reduction trialsFight against bushfires finally using all of the tools in the shed The fight against bushfires has taken a step forward with the Australian and NSW Governments on Monday announcing an AU$1.5 million national tender to fund three mechanical bushfire fuel reduction trials.The Australian forest, wood and paper products industry has applauded the Federal Government for taking an innovative approach to fighting bushfires, which cost the industry hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost trees each summer, as well as the millions of dollars to the economy in damages to homes and property and often tragic loss of lives. The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ross Hampton, said "There is more than one way to reduce the fuel load in our bush. Matches and fuel reduction burning has its place, but so do mulchers. Removing fallen timber and lower level scrub, known as 'mechanical fuel removal' is a widely accepted bushfire mitigation tool which we have not been utilising in this country." A report by Deloitte Access Economics (DAE) into the economics of 'mechanical fuel removal' found that removing fuel from the bush, in combination with fuel reduction burning, could dramatically reduce the damage caused by bushfires and save the community tens of millions of dollars each year. “In the United States, for example, there is a 10 year, $400 million program into mechanical fuel reduction to improve forest health and reduce bushfire risk,” Mr Hampton said. Source: AFPA Changing how we market and sell treated wood
Over 220 wood treatment and timber manufacturing companies participated in the last Forest Industry Engineering Association’s Wood Innovations event. It ran in both New Zealand and Australia in mid-September 2014. Feedback to the series was overwhelming. To build on the 2014 event, a wide cross section of industry on both sides of the Tasman have been involved in providing input to the design of this year’s Wood Innovations 2016 technology series. In addition to preservative wood treatment and modification, the Wood Innovations series this year will also be looking at timber durability, engineered wood products and some of the new technologies being developed to mitigate environmental issues around wood treatment. Automation and robotics are changing the face of the manufacturing environment and wood producers around this region are already starting to explore options to integrate this now into their own operations. New manufacturing options will be discussed this year as part of Wood Innovations 2016. Mobile communications and the uptake of smart phone and tablet technologies by the consumer is also changing at breakneck speed. The monthly internet usage in New Zealand has gone from 10 GB of traffic in 2010 to 55 GB in 2015, this year, 3.75 million Kiwis will be mobile internet users, smartphone ownership has gone from 13% to 77% in 4 years with tablet growth over this same period climbing from 4% to 44% and New Zealand is second in the world for social media usage and daily use of tablets. This same trend is being seen in Australia. There are currently 32 million subscriptions for mobile communications in Australia and typically, the volume of data is now doubling every year, Australia is one of the top four countries in the world for mobile subscriptions per head of population and smartphone use is around 90 percent of the population at the moment. The question being posed now for wood producers is has the marketing, promotions and channels to educate and work with the consumer kept pace. “A focus for other recent FIEA events, mobile communications will again provide a major focus for the Wood Innovations 2016 event” says FIEA Director, Brent Apthorp. Randall Cameron, Managing Director Australia for Mobile Mentor will be covering an array of new mobile communications technologies that are being rolled out and just how they are changing how we do business. Gary Converse, VP Koppers, USA touched on this subject with a presentation on US Big Box Store operations in 2014 and will, along with a presentation on the changing face of digital communications, be exploring just how local companies can be more effective in connecting with the wood treatment consumer. Wood Innovations 2016 will provide local companies with a unique opportunity to assess best practices to improve on-site processing and manufacturing systems, trends and issues from around the globe that will impact on local operations. It will also be profiling an array of new wood treatment and engineering innovations that have the potential to change how business in this region is conducted. Full details on the event including programmes for both Rotorua and Melbourne can be found on the event website, www.woodinnovations.events  Deal between Scion & Finland research & tech company
A research collaboration agreement signed by Scion and the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland gives New Zealand better access to global opportunities in the bio-economy says Scion CEO Warren Parker. “This agreement sets a clear path for us to focus on co-invention and commercialisation of technologies that will contribute to increased use of climate friendly, lightweight, high performance materials made from forest biomass. We have complementary science and technology capabilities and a good history of joint work. Under this agreement, we will also jointly target EU funding and approach global opportunities in the bio-economy, particularly in Asia.” “Scion and VTT are collaborating on exciting research at the leading edge end of global trends, such as novel carbon materials, nanocellulose applications, bio-refineries and pulp, paper and packaging – areas of huge interest to high – value manufacturers,” says Dr Parker. The first project conducted under the agreement will adapt VTT technology for hardwood trees and apply it to New Zealand radiata to develop a new bio-based film for the packaging industry. VTT CEO Dr Antti Vasara says, “The bio and circular economy are global hot spot areas with huge technology potential where VTT and Scion can combine their competences and work together to open up new commercialisation opportunities. With this agreement we are also happy to see Scion as our partnering organisation in New Zealand better serving industry for the benefit of all.” The signing of the Umbrella Research Collaboration Agreement took place at a business innovation forum in Auckland on 3 March 2016 attended by the Foreign Affairs Ministers of Finland and Estonia and the New Zealand Business, Innovation and Employment Minister, the Foreign Affairs Minister and the Trade Minister along with business representatives from all countries. Photo: Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini (L) and Paul Stocks, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, (R) watch on as John Kettle, Vice President of VTT (second L) and Warren Parker, CEO of Scion, sign a collaboration agreement between the companies in Auckland on 3 March 2016. AFP Photo by Michael Bradley. Source: Scion Eastland Port records busiest-ever monthA record 260,000 tonnes of logs were exported from Eastland Port during February, almost as much as an entire year’s throughput a decade ago. In the past month, 259,081 tonnes of logs and 5,580 tonnes of squash were handled by the port, a total cargo of 264,608 tonnes.“That’s our best month ever,” says Eastland Port general manager, Andrew Gaddum. “Incredibly, this month’s log volume is only 54,000 shy of the entire year’s volume in 2006.” Mr Gaddum says 13 log ships, two squash ships and four cruise ships visited during February. “Our busiest previous month was October 2015, when 232,000 tonnes went across the port. August last year was also busy, with 234,000 tonnes,” he says. Eastland Group bought the port from Gisborne District Council in 2003 and has steadily grown export volumes – mostly raw logs – from 480,000 tonnes in 2003 to a record 2.8 million tonnes in 2014. Group chief executive, Matt Todd, says the company has spent around NZ$75 million on capital enhancements since 2010, and plans to invest just as significantly over the next five years to accommodate customer projections for forestry harvest. Recently-completed projects include the NZ$11 million redevelopment of the upper log yard and the introduction of a world class water treatment system. Landcorp confirms forest-to-dairy back down
Landcorp had been in the process of clearing forestry land north of Taupo in the central North Island for conversion to dairy farms for about 30,000 cows. Landcorp chief executive Steven Carden said the company would significantly reduce its dairying footprint at the Wairakei Estate.RNZ News earlier reported that Landcorp had come to the realisation that the environmental impacts of its conversions in the Waikato were simply too great. Mr Carden said 14500ha of former forestry land earmarked for dairy farming at the estate would now have alternative uses. He said this would reduce the risk of phosphate and sediment loss and bacterial contamination, and should also result in a significant reduction in nitrogen leaching. Landcorp needed to exceed the environmental expectations of consumers, he said. Almost 40 dairy farms were planned for the land leased at Wairakei Estate, where Landcorp currently runs 13 dairy farms with 17,000 cows. Landcorp said it was exploring other land uses, such as sheep milking, to reduce its environmental footprint. Sawmilling resources posted on-line
Over two weeks in mid-September 2015, FIEA’s WoodTECH conference series achieved a record turnout of sawmiller’s from Australia and New Zealand. Over 350 delegates from sawmilling companies and leading technology providers from throughout Australasia, North America and Europe converged on Melbourne, Australia and again in Rotorua, New Zealand. To remain internationally competitive, local sawmills increasingly were looking at technologies that can be used to increase lumber yields, improve grade recoveries and get higher production speeds out of their saw-lines. Lowering the service or maintenance requirements of equipment and reducing the sawing costs for their operation were also high on the list of “must haves”. As well as new innovations around sawing and wood scanning systems, case studies of companies investing and bedding in some of this new equipment was a key focus for the FIEA event. There was also a much greater emphasis on the practical issues around selecting, installing, commissioning and running saws. Renowned sawmilling experts from around the world led sessions on how saws within the mill are best aligned, maintained and operated to improve both sawing performance and a mill’s productivity. Some of the trends being projected for future sawmilling were; simpler, high production mills with reduced manufacturing cost replacing complex mills, single pass sawmills becoming more commonplace, high speed 4 sided canters with multiple profilers and vertical arbor gangs were expected to process the majority of the wood under 400mm in diameter and high speed edgers were increasingly expected to be replaced by high speed board profiling. All delegates were able to access and download presentations post event. FIEA members, in addition to a wide library of resources from recent technology events, can now access each of the presentations below from the Tech Updates section of the FIEA website, www.fiea.org.nz. Using Precision Optical Alignment Tools to Improve Sawing Performance Carl Baines, International Sales, Brunson Instrument Company, United Kingdom Steve Addington, Alignment Specialist, Brunson Instrument Company, United States Selecting Scan Heads: What every sawmill needs to consider Joey Nelson, President, Joescan, United States Sawmill Equipment Design & Developments Ron McGehee, Founder and President, WaneShear Technologies, United States Saw Design, Troubleshooting, Performance, Alignment and Maintenance Joe Shields, Machinery Support Technician, USNR, United States Harry Penn, Sales & Service Rep, USNR, United States Investing in Automation: What can the latest technologies do for local wood processors? Ben Blower, Sales & Marketing Manager, Design Energy, New Zealand Domestic & International Overview of Lumber Markets Rob de Fegely, Director, Margules Groome Consulting, Australia Building in Scanning and Optimisation into your Mill Mat Thomsen, Site Plan Controller, Hyne Timber, Australia For FIEA members who have lost or can’t remember their access code to the tech resources, please email jeannette.dekker@fiea.org.nz New Forests to invest US$150M in conservation forestrySustainable real assets investment manager New Forests has announced a new target for the firm’s US-based timberland and conservation finance investment program. The statement was issued this week at the White House Roundtable on Conservation Investment as part of a collective announcement of more than $2 billion in private-sector investments to protect natural resources.New Forests’ roundtable commitment stated, “Over the next two years, New Forests plans to invest $150 million in conservation forestry and in increasing carbon sequestration on working forest land in the United States. Our forestry investments aim to support rural livelihoods through sustainable timber management, to increase carbon sequestration on working forest lands, to protect wildlife habitat from fragmentation, and to improve water quality outcomes.” The roundtable, convened by the White House Council on Environmental Quality, sought to highlight actions by the private sector in the growing area of conservation finance. The event included private sector and NGO representatives who are active in innovative financial efforts for sustainable forest management, ecological restoration, water quality, and wetland and habitat protection. Following the roundtable, New Forests’ Brian Shillinglaw said, “We are pleased to join our timberland investment and conservation finance colleagues in meeting with senior White House officials to discuss how private-sector investment in the sustainable management and restoration of forests, land, and water resources can restore natural capital while delivering market-rate investment returns. We believe that this event and the commitments issued in it are a positive signal as the capital markets increasingly look to place capital in sustainable real assets.” Shillinglaw leads New Forests’ US business, which was established in 2007 to manage investments in environmental markets. Over the past year, the company has increased its US resourcing to a team of seven forestry and finance specialists at San Francisco-based New Forests, Inc. in line with the growth of the company’s timberland and conservation finance strategy. Source: New Forests Pty Ltd Record sales for Australia's forestry equipment supplier
Globally, Komatsu Limited turns over US $26 billion each year and its forestry arm, Komatsu Forest is the single biggest player in forestry machinery in the south-east of South Australia. The company said whilst the down turn in mining and economic slowdown in China was causing problems for its global operations, its forestry arm was booming. The companies National Sales Manager, Brenton Yon said the company would beat last year's record breaking sales by a significant margin. "We'll beat last year by about 25 per cent," he said. "For us, it's been quite strong and quite huge." The Japanese company said its always had a 50 per cent market share in the supply of forestry equipment in Australia, which in the context of a booming industry, puts the company in a strong position. "The weakening of the Australia dollar has helped wood exports out of Australia into China, Japan and Korea," he said. "Since 2013, the industry has been on a really strong incline." Source: ABC News Forestry Tasmania makes good progress on FSC certificationForestry Tasmania has released its FSC Forest Management audit report confirming the organisation is meeting more than 90% of the indicators required for FSC certification. Forestry Tasmania’s CEO Steve Whiteley welcomed the positive progress report and said the organisation was well on the way to addressing the remaining issues.“FSC Forest Management certification is a complex process with more than 200 separate indicators, and while we have certainly made good progress in meeting the requirements, we recognise we still have some more work to do. We remain strongly committed to achieving FSC certification and our people should be commended for their ongoing work and focus to implement the changes necessary to achieve it.” Mr Whiteley said Forestry Tasmania’s Board had recognised the significant public interest in Forestry Tasmania’s FSC certification journey and had therefore taken the progressive step of releasing the full audit report. FSC audit reports are typically only made publicly available once certification is achieved, however in the interests of openness and transparency we want our stakeholders to be fully informed about the process we are undertaking”. As anticipated, the media led this week with the story “Forestry Tasmania fails to gain crucial certification to aid overseas marketing” going on in the coverage to point out that “ Auditors have found Forestry Tasmania (FT) has failed on 10 key criteria in its attempt to gain crucial Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certification”. While Forestry Tasmania has not achieved certification in its first attempt, FSC Australia CEO Adam Beaumont said the state-owned forest manager had now been provided with a detailed roadmap for improvement. “It’s rare that forest managers the size and complexity of Forestry Tasmania achieve full forest management certification on their first attempt. This is reflected in the length of the process to date” Beaumont said. “But by putting their operations under the microscope of independent auditors they now know what’s required to meet the standard. This is really a great example of the FSC system at work.” “Forestry Tasmania should be commended for their commitment to improving their forestry practices in line with the FSC’s rigorous standards, while other natural and plantation forest managers around Australia are yet to even begin their FSC journey” said Mr Beaumont. In Australia, 14 forest managers have successfully achieved voluntary full FSC certification. Vic Forests and the WA Forest Products Commission are the only other state-owned forest managers that have publicly committed to pursue FSC certification. Genetic profiling helps convict timber thievesUniversity of Adelaide forest DNA forensics research has helped convict National Forest timber thieves in a landmark case in the United States. Four defendants prosecuted for stealing Bigleaf maple wood from the Gifford Pinchot National Forest have pleaded guilty, in a case that marks the first time the US government has prosecuted for illegal interstate trade of wood products under the Lacey Act. The Lacey Act is a US wildlife protection law that was amended in 2008 to include plants, making it illegal to trade in illegally sourced wood products.DNA evidence developed by a consortium of experts led by the University of Adelaide was an important element of the government’s case against the timber thieves. Researchers from the University’s Environment Institute developed DNA markers for the Bigleaf maple population. They joined the US Forest Service and timber-tracking specialists Double Helix Tracking Technologies, with help from World Resources Institute, to develop the first DNA profiling reference database for the species. It’s the only one of its kind for trees that has been validated for use in court proceedings. Just like individual humans, each tree has a unique genetic fingerprint, making it possible to match pieces of sawn wood with the stumps of the trees from which they were cut, using a technique called DNA profiling. “With this technology, wood buyers can verify whether or not Bigleaf maple has been legally harvested,” says Professor Andrew Lowe, Chair of Conservation Biology at the University of Adelaide, and Chief Scientific Officer of Double Helix. “Our database indicates that, with these markers, the likelihood of two trees having the same DNA profile is as low as one in 428 sextillion; there are thought to be approximately 70 sextillion stars in the universe.” Within the United States, the theft of Bigleaf maple from public lands in the Pacific Northwest has been a persistent problem. Distortions in maple wood grain can create patterns prized by woodworkers and used particularly in the musical instrument trade to make unique guitars. When milled, a single log of maple can be worth more than $100,000. University of Adelaide Research Fellow Dr Eleanor Dormontt manages the University’s timber tracking activities. “This project has been a fantastic team effort here at Adelaide and we are all really proud that our work has helped secure such a landmark conviction,” Dr Dormontt says. “Illegal logging is a significant problem across the world, contributing to the destruction of the world’s forests and oppression of many of its most vulnerable people. DNA profiling and tracking of timber provides a means to help curb this illegal activity and support legitimate forest industries.” Timber theft and illegal trade affects a large proportion of the world’s trade in forest products. In the case of Bigleaf maple, an inability to definitively match seized timber back to suspected theft sites have made previous prosecutions difficult. Source: NewsMaker Closing the loop on building wastes
It was good news to read recently that a local carpet tile manufacturer has taken the opportunity in building a new factory to provide space for recycling their product at end of life. The company is reportedly investing AU$1.4 million in research and development to reprocess old carpet domestically - an encouraging signal that, with the latest technologies, the recycling market can be sustained under local cost structures. The Australian building and construction industry is increasingly recognized for its commitment to the use of sustainable materials and practices. The sector’s ability, however, to cost effectively recover, separate and recycle – particularly, locally – its waste materials needs to be a key part of that journey. Supply chain collaboration, innovation and education provide cues for the future of building product waste markets. The Australian government reports that the construction and demolition (C&D) sector generates the greatest amount of waste in the economy (2010-11) and it has the highest recovery rate, at 66 per cent, of the three main waste stream sectors (C&D, municipal, and commercial and industrial). The potential for reducing waste generation and further improving recovery and recycling of C&D waste is good, but the market faces some major barriers. Issues raised at a recent gathering of building products value chain representatives included the relatively low cost of landfill levies, which act as a deterrent to waste recovery and the disinterest of major waste sorting facilities and recyclers to separate commingled lightweight materials such as plastics for local reprocessing. Those in the recycling value chain reported a lack of engagement with Tier 2 building projects when it comes to recycling and the current patchwork of local policies and programs has not yet been effective in grabbing their attention. Australia also currently faces comparatively high costs for reprocessing and product development due to greater difficulty in achieving economies of scale in the recycling industry. In Europe, population and therefore waste density provides a level of scale which can support better returns on technology investment for plants and processes. It has been reported that the rise of PVC recycling alone in Europe has created around 1,000 direct jobs across the region as well as led to investment in development of new technologies for reprocessing traditional and composite materials. More >> Source: Sourceable Hybrid timber-steel shear wall systems focus of new research
New research involving the University of Canterbury funded by the Earthquake Commission will improve understanding of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, seismic building design, and enhance risk management and risk communication. These four pieces of research are among 15 projects being funded by NZ$1 million in grants made available through EQC’s 2016 Biennial Research Funding Programme. Overall, EQC contributes NZ$16 million to research annually to build knowledge about New Zealand’s natural hazards and how to manage them. A leader in Engineering and Forestry, UC has a long history of world-class research excellence in timber structures. This includes the innovative post-tensioned timber technology, invented by UC’s timber research team led by Professor Andy Buchanan, Professor Stefano Pampanin and Associate Professor Alessandro Palermo, which has been successfully used in building commercial/industrial timber structures, including extensively in Christchurch’s rebuild. The 2016 Biennial Research Funding Programme recipients at UC include “Seismic design of timber-steel hybrid shear wall systems for mid-rise light timber framed buildings”, Minghao Li, University of Canterbury with Tongji University, China. UC Lecturer of Timber Engineering Dr Minghao Li joined the team in 2014 after 10 years’ research experience in structural timber engineering in Canada. “I’m interested in using my timber expertise to contribute to UC’s timber research excellence and help build more timber buildings with better performance in New Zealand,” Dr Li says. In many countries including New Zealand light timber frames (LTF) have dominated low-rise house construction due to their cost-efficiency and structural efficiency. Considering high seismicity in New Zealand, conventional LTF shear walls may not be sufficiently strong for taller LTF buildings. The aim of the research project on seismic design of hybrid timber-steel shear wall systems is to provide a cost-effective timber-steel solution for mid-rise LTF buildings suitable for New Zealand’s built environment. Source: University of Canterbury Kinks in GE laws need ironing out
New Zealand forest owners say kinks in the laws covering the release of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) need to be ironed out. They say it’s no longer clear what’s a GMO and what’s not. Also, the decision by some regional councils to regulate GMOs in their regions is “simply unworkable”. Forest Owners Association technical manager Glen Mackie says the Forest Owners and Farm Forestry Associations have decided to support Federated Farmers’ appeal about a rule in the draft Northland Regional Plan that will allow the council to regulate GMOs in their region. He says foresters also support a change to the GMO regulations to clarify the definition of a GMO. This follows a 2014 High Court decision which changed the commonly accepted definition, making many crops and animals bred in New Zealand technically GMOs and therefore illegal. “These legal kinks have got to go,” Mackie says. “Forest owners totally accept that GMOs need to be regulated, but it needs to be the responsibility of one authority, by people with the right skills, using a risk-based definition of a GMO.” GMO orchard trees, including virus-resistant papaya, are widely grown in the United States and elsewhere. But with the exception of insect-resistant poplar trees in China, no GM forest trees have been released internationally for commercial use. “This will change. Sooner or later someone will come up with a straighter, stronger, faster growing pine tree – one that is sterile and doesn’t produce pollen. When that happens, the decision whether or not to release it needs to be made by people who can analyse complex scientific data,” says Mackie. “Clearly, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is best equipped to do this. That’s what it’s set up to do. But the Environment Court has recently decided that regional councillors should also be given the power to regulate GMOs in their regions. “This means, if a superior forest tree, a disease-resistant tamarillo, a psyllid resistant potato or drought-tolerant ryegrass was developed using GM technology, it would need the approval of the EPA as well as each of the councils where the cultivar might be planted.” Mackie describes this as “bureaucracy gone mad”. He also scratches his head about people in the regions wanting to giving this power to the same councillors they criticise for their planning and resource management decisions. To add to the head-scratching, the definition of a GMO was been changed by a 2014 High Court decision. “GMOs are regulated by the EPA, which has never allowed transgenic animals or plants to be released into the environment. However it does permit a wide range of crops – including grapes, fruit trees and grasses – to be bred using sophisticated chemical and radiation treatments,” he says. “Basically if a technique was in commercial use before 1998, the EPA has been giving it the green light. This includes those propagated and bred by tissue culture, artificial insemination, clonal propagation and other in-vitro treatments. The High Court ruling says that’s wrong. It says that unless a sophisticated breeding technique is listed as exempt in the GMO regulations, the resulting organism is a GMO.” The EPA is now proposing a change in the regulations so that all organisms created using treatments in use before 29 July 1998 are not treated as GMOs. Organisms resulting from treatments developed after this date would continue to be regulated as GMOs. Mackie says these changes restore the status quo. But in a submission to the EPA, the FOA argues that this fails to take into account scientific progress and innovation since 1998. “Regulation should be based on the risks posed by a technology, not how old it is. That’s illogical. Indeed, modern GMO technologies tend to be more precise and potentially pose less risk than those being used more than 18 years ago,” he says. “Australia and the USA, two of our major trading partners, define a GMO as one created by the introduction of genetic material from an unrelated species. Such as introducing a jellyfish gene into a kumara or a human gene into a dairy cow. “That definition needs to be adopted by New Zealand. It’s one that I’m sure most members of the public would be comfortable with. Our failure to do this is already stifling innovation and in the long-term will make our exports less competitive with countries that have embraced GMOs such as Brazil, China and the United States.” Mackie says the forest industry has immediate use for herbicide-resistant plants, sterile plants, lignin-modified plants and disease-resistant plants. Their development is being delayed by the current legislation for no logical reason, he says. Wood and concrete go up against each other
In Helsinki, similar wooden and concrete buildings are being constructed next to each other. The aim of the construction project is to compare the cost and duration of construction work, the carbon footprint, and the comfort of living. In terms of comfort, a wooden apartment block is felt to be quieter and have a better indoor air quality than a concrete building, even if the values measured in the buildings are almost identical. Construction of a wooden apartment block takes about two-thirds of the time needed for a concrete one. It is estimated that the construction costs of wood and concrete are very much the same. The advantage of wood is the rapidity of the construction work, but it is a more expensive material. A disadvantage of wood is the requirement for an automatic fire suppression system in every apartment. For access to the complete article see Finnish Forest Association Source: Wink Sutton AU$30 million for added manufacturingSouth Australia and Victoria’s manufacturing industry will receive an AU$30 million injection to support capital investment in high value manufacturing capability. Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science Christopher Pyne has announced Round 2 of the Next Generation Manufacturing Investment Programme is open for applications.“This competitive grants round will support more businesses to invest in manufacturing operations driven by technological innovation, advanced processes, and a highly skilled workforce. Eligible businesses will be able to compete for grants between $500,000 and $2.5 million, to up to a third of their total project costs” Mr Pyne said. Applications to Round 2 of the programme are open from 29 January until Monday 18 April. More information is available at business.gov.au/NextGen. Source: VAFI, The News Mill Jobs
Buy and Sell
... and one to end the week on...preaching to a bear
A Catholic Priest, a Baptist Preacher and a Rabbi all served as Chaplains to the students of Northern Michigan University at Marquette in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. And on that note, have a great weekend. Cheers. Brand PartnersOur Partners & Sponsors Friday Offcuts is made possible through the generous support of the following companies.
Copyright 2004-2024 © Innovatek Ltd. All rights reserved
|
