Friday Offcuts – 16 August 2024
Click to Subscribe - It's FREE! Welcome to Friday Offcuts.This week, resilience takes centre stage. Pan Pac Forest Products is enhancing its forestry infrastructure in Hawke's Bay to better withstand future cyclones—a crucial move as extreme weather events become more common. Local communities must adapt to these changing conditions. Meanwhile, the rising energy costs have led to the likely shutdown of several New Zealand manufacturers. In response, the Bioenergy Association is promoting domestic biogas production as a cleaner, more efficient alternative to importing natural gas, a solution echoed at the recent FIEA Residues2Revenues 2024 event. In NSW, the timber industry is pushing back against the plan to replace wooden power poles with UV-coated fibreglass and resin alternatives. The industry is rallying public support through a petition to maintain traditional hardwood poles. Additionally, the State has invested in improved bushfire resources, and Gippsland is emerging as a key region for cultivating durable eucalypt timbers. On the technology front, Scion has welcomed the government's gene technology reforms, which will allow New Zealand to harness genetic engineering for environmental and productivity gains. Swedish forestry cooperative Södra has won the 2024 Red Dot Award for its innovative precision planting machine, and researchers have developed a new type of "super-black" wood. And finally, Carbon Forestry 2024 is running in Rotorua next week. NZ's ETS is once again in the spotlight, and we look forward to another packed event. Read these and more in another packed edition of Friday Offcuts. Enjoy.
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This week we have for you:
Lessons from Gabrielle: Building greater forest resilience
Following the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, Pan Pac
Forest Products in Hawke’s Bay is building more
resilience into its forestry operations, with larger culverts and new
single span bridges to withstand future severe weather events.The company lost around 3% of its forest estate as well as roads and surrounding infrastructure in the cyclone that hit the North Island’s east coast in February 2023. The damage to the forestry side of Pan Pac’s business cost around $40 million. One of the key learnings from the disaster was the awesome power of water, says Damon Wise, Forests Manager – Operations. “Pre-cyclone, our infrastructure was designed to cope with normal winter storms, not catastrophic events,” says Wise. “No one really appreciated the damage big volumes of water could do. Water dissolves roads, floats concrete blocks and woody debris and acts in direct competition with the blocked culverts and multispan bridges. While the power of Gabrielle meant in some cases damage was unavoidable, we are now designing our infrastructure to cope with much more severe weather events than normal. “We need to allow more space for water to flow through. At some point, culverts will block, so you have to think about where the water goes and what damage it could do downstream. Water cascading over the road will quickly eat it away. You only need to have one or two culverts in a row block up to lose a section of road. As well as investing in better infrastructure, you also need to be regularly checking it. Preventative maintenance is the key to minimising damage associated with bad weather.” Pan Pac’s Forests Operations team has added more culverts in certain soil types and high rainfall areas. “We know through experience what each catchment can now produce in terms of water and debris. There’s no point investing heavily in roading infrastructure just to lose it all because the culvert pipe was too small.” Culvert installations lost to the cyclone that were traditionally designed for a 5% AEP (Annual Exceedance Probability) storm event are being replaced with larger pipes that will cope with a 2% AEP storm event. This equates to a 20% – 25% increase in pipe size. A 5% AEP storm event has a 5% chance of occurring in any given year and is likely to occur once every 20 years. The lower the percentage, the more intense the rain and associated flood event. Therefore, a 2% AEP event is equivalent to a 1 in 50-year storm event. Between March 2023 and June 2024, Wise says Pan Pac has built or replaced 247 culverts and restored access to over 200 roads. In some cases, single span bridges have replaced large culverts to allow more area for water to flow. “You might say we’re over engineering, but we understand the ramifications of not being prepared.” In other cases where the cost of building a bridge would be prohibitive, the team has installed box culverts with concrete armoured decks that will withstand overtopping in high flows. “Catastrophic weather events are quickly becoming the new normal and often involve large volumes of water,” says Wise. “We’ve learnt water will always find a way and when contained has little regard for infrastructure as it travels. Providing a route with as few restrictions as possible minimises damage and mitigates disruption.” Source and image credit: Pan Pac Forest Products NSW industry fight against new power poles
The timber industry has stepped up its fight against the phase-out of
wooden power poles across NSW, demanding proof that the manufactured
ones won't melt in bushfires. The NSW branch of the Australian
Forest Products Association has launched a new website
urging people to sign a petition against Essential
Energy's shift to UV-coated fibreglass and resin poles.The government-owned power infrastructure company, which services 95% of NSW, says the change is necessary to boost its network's resilience to events like the Black Summer fires. During that disaster over the summer of 2019 and 2020, more than 104,000 customers were affected by power outages across the company's network, and more than 3,200 power poles were damaged. But the shift has upset some in the timber industry, which supplies the wooden poles that have long been used. James Jooste is the NSW chief executive of the Australian Forest Products Association and has called on the government to direct Essential Energy to continue using hardwood poles. He says there's an absence of evidence to show composite poles are more fire-resistant than wooden ones. More >> Source: South Coast Register Image credit: AFPA NSW NZ domestic biogas is a faster solution than imported LNG
The solution to New Zealand’s gas shortage sits on the
country’s doorstep and can come on stream far quicker
than imported LNG options suggested by government ministers this week.
Brian Cox, of the Bioenergy Association, said importing Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) fails to provide New Zealand communities with the economic and wellbeing benefits that can come almost immediately from investing in this country’s own long term biogas production. Biogas is sourced from amassing waste streams including the likes of food, crop and wood, and when broken down, releases gas suitable for combustion, usually methane. Methane can also be captured from existing landfills and is often wasted by being burnt off into the atmosphere, also contributing to global warming in the process. “Indications are that the production and supply of gaseous biofuels is likely to be a similar cost to imported LNG. Even the gas produced from existing landfills can be refined and simply injected into our existing gas pipeline,” he said. Importing LNG would mean New Zealand steps away from being self-sufficient for its gas supply and immediately becomes reliant upon overseas market prices, supply routes and availability in an increasingly energy-hungry world. Cox said biomethane produced from the likes of food waste and agricultural crop residues meets the same quality standards as gas extracted from the ground as a fossil fuel. “Anywhere natural gas is used it can be used without any conversion costs for consumers. Any current natural gas equipment can continue to be used.” Estimates are that almost 10% of New Zealand’s current renewable energy could be sourced simply by taking the biogas from waste processes and piping it into the gas grid. This would be split evenly between both the North and South Islands. The recently commissioned Ecogas Reporoa Organics Recycling facility in the central North Island is proving the viability of biogas as a high value energy option. “Last month Ecogas sold its first supply of biomethane to Nova Energy. The sector is well on the path for expansion, and support from the Government would speed this up significantly.” Cox said an investment in domestic biogas not only saved valuable dollars being invested offshore. It also integrated well with other policies including waste minimisation, job creation, and climate change response. “If tapped, it means NZ could produce enough biogas to represent a reduction of 3.7 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, and equates to as much as 27% of NZ’s lower end of targeted gas reduction of 14m tonnes of CO2. None of these benefits would be achieved by importing LNG.” The Bioenergy Association has calculated 40% of fossil gases in New Zealand could be replaced by biogases by 2050. Cox said New Zealand has been slow to adopt the waste policies widely employed in many other countries which involve food waste being processed to make other products, rather than left for landfill. More >> Source: Bioenergy Association  Support for NZ gene technology reforms
Scion is welcoming the gene technology reforms announced today by the Government for
their ability to advance research and create a cleaner, greener and more
prosperous New Zealand. Scion is leading New Zealand in
industrial biotechnology, which includes GE, under the
experienced stewardship of Dr Alec Foster, who heads
Scion’s Bioproducts and Packaging portfolio.A vocal advocate for regulatory reform, he says New Zealand can no longer afford to shy away from the transformative potential of cutting-edge genetic technologies. “A bill that allows for greater use of gene technology will enable New Zealand to embrace gene technologies as a key tool for achieving important environmental and societal goals whilst also improving productivity. “Gene technologies offer enormous opportunities for tackling challenges like reducing methane emissions from agriculture or reducing emissions and achieving net-zero targets. “The world around us is rapidly evolving and today’s announcement is a step change in New Zealand being able to solve these challenges using biotechnology as well as support various industries to deliver new high-value products and be more competitive on the international stage.” Through favourable biotech regulations, other countries are already well ahead of us. By 2040, Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, projects a $19.2 billion benefit and 31,200 new jobs from GE in the food and agriculture sectors alone. The United States is investing billions and aims to replace 30% of chemicals and 90% of plastics with biotechnology-derived alternatives by leveraging genetic engineering and bioengineering tools, using various biomass streams as feedstock. Even the European Union, long cautious about genetically modified crops, has followed the UK and recently voted to ease regulations to maintain crop yields, reduce chemical inputs, and bolster food security amid climate change. In New Zealand to date, gene technologies have been used, but restrictive rules and time-consuming processes have made research outside the lab almost impossible. Today the Government has announced its support for new legislation to allow for greater use of gene technology, while ensuring strong protections for the health and safety of people and the environment. The bill will be introduced to Parliament by the end of this year. The decision to update New Zealand’s gene technology rules follows consultation with industry and guidance from a Technical Advisory Group. Dr Foster says New Zealand now stands to reap economic advantages comparable to Australia, given the similarities in our agricultural sectors. Beyond agriculture, gene editing and genetic engineering hold promise in sectors like forestry, where Scion is at the forefront of pioneering research. One of Scion's key projects involves developing sterile pine trees that cannot reproduce sexually, addressing the long-standing issue of wilding pines invading and degrading our natural ecosystems. This innovative approach could enable us to enjoy the economic benefits of plantation forestry while mitigating its environmental risks. More >> Source & image credit: Scion  Win for council over Gisborne forestry companies
Sweeping new controls on a forestry block responsible
for slash and debris that washed off Gisborne hills during Cyclone
Gabrielle are to be enforced, in a ruling an
environment group hails as “a clear message” to the
industry.Gisborne District Council, in a bid to prevent further damage to the region’s landscape and swathes of woody debris covering its coastline, went to the Environment Court seeking an enforcement order requiring China Forestry Group New Zealand Company Ltd. (CFGNZC) to cease discharging forestry debris and sediment and to deal with about 16,000 cubic metres of woody debris from the company’s Kanuka forest block in the Waimata valley. In a decision released last week, the Court has granted enforcement orders sought by the council. The orders require debris removed from the forest under a remedial plan by October 15. It requires the installation of water controls at all skids/landings and on all tracks and roads to “eliminate or minimise the risk of erosion, skid site collapse, track collapse or road collapse”. More >> Source: Stuff 2024 Red Dot Award for innovative planting machine
Swedish forestry cooperative Sodra is developing a precision-based machine, BraSatt, to accelerate innovation in planting, increase plant survival and forest growth. Södra continuously develops innovations that benefit forest operations, but uniquely for this project, they have also developed their own technology. With BraSatt, Södra aims to accelerate innovation in planting, as it contributes to significant improvements for forestry by increasing plant survival and forest growth. "We have created unique technology for both ground preparation and planting. Through constructive dialogue and an open mind, together with a group of experts, we have quickly moved from concept ideas to showing a prototype in the field. With our investment, rejuvenation technology takes a significant step forward. Going forward, we would like to find more partners to take the next step," says Anna Wallner, project manager for BraSatt at Södra. For a more sustainable solution to planting, the consortium has designed a precision-based machine with a focus on user experience to guide the project to ensure that the technology is well received by forest owners. The machine's unique design also reflects the advanced technology inside. With the help of AI and sensors, the machine handles different conditions consistently and efficiently with high precision. Each seedling is planted with exact coordinates, building a knowledge bank for the future. "Our design philosophy was that the machine should convey the same calm and confidence as a colleague in the field. Predictability is crucial when it comes to automation. Therefore, the machine has a calm and responsive design language, while its diagonal cuts give a clear direction. We have ensured that the operator can easily guide and plan the robot's work with a route planner and an intuitive interface, creating a reliable companion in the forest," says David Lamm, Creative Director at Boid. BraSatt was showcased at the international forestry fair IUFRO on 23-29 June 2024, at Stockholmsmässan, Sweden. In addition, Anna Wallner, Project Manager for BraSatt at Södra, will be updating foresters across Australasia on progress and trial results from this autonomous planting machine as part of the of the ForestTECH 2024 series running in Rotorua, New Zealand on the 20-21 November event and 26-27 November 2024 in Melbourne, Australia the week after. Programme and event details can be found on the ForestTECH 2024 website. 
Health and safety changes at NZ ports
On 1 July 2024, Maritime NZ became the primary
regulator for health and safety across New
Zealand’s 13 major ports. Maritime NZ already
regulated the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) on ships, and ship to
shore operations. This has been extended to include the landside of port
operations at the 13 major ports in New Zealand.Maritime NZ's goal is to support the many businesses on ports that carry out high-risk activities to improve safety culture, embed new health and safety practices, and ultimately help reduce harm to the people employed at ports. This will impact all logging truck deliveries and ship loading/unloading. What does this mean for the port sector?
Click here to find more about the Safer Ports Programme. Source and image credit: Maritime NZ  New RFS trucks & technology rolled out
The Minns Labor Government is preparing for the upcoming bushfire season
with the rollout of new firefighting tankers and cutting-edge
satellite technology to keep crews connected
and safer during emergencies.In a significant upgrade, RFS vehicles will now be equipped with Vehicle as a Node (VaaN) technology to ensure RFS personnel can communicate during a disaster in the most remote locations or if communication systems go down. The Starlink satellite technology will enable the use of radios, mobile phones, and other handheld devices anywhere and at any time— even in remote areas or if communication infrastructure has been damaged during a disaster. The upgrade will provide an important backup to communication systems and location-finding technology already in use. It will also give crews the capability to live stream video of fires from anywhere in the state, providing command centres with the latest intelligence about an incident. More than 5,000 RFS operational vehicles will be equipped with the new technology over three years under the $69 million VaaN project. The RFS is partnering with the NSW Telco Authority to deliver the communications upgrade, with installations beginning this year. The satellite upgrade comes after the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) delivered 143 new and 69 refurbished firefighting tankers to brigades across the state over the past year. Most new trucks have been deployed to regional areas across the state, benefiting communities from Balranald to Eurobodalla and Armidale to Gilgandra, with the state’s south receiving the largest uplift following the devastating 2019/20 Black Summer fires. Category 1 tankers, which are the most used on the fire front, make up the highest number of trucks dispatched across the state. The refurbishment of 69 existing trucks will also make them safer for crews, with a halo sprinkler system for the cabin, custom-fitted heat curtains, electric hose reels, and portable Public Safety Network and fireground radio chargers. To meet strict RFS firefighting requirements, the new trucks are being assembled locally at facilities in Kirrawee, Minto, Tomago, and South Windsor. This follows the NSW Government’s commitment to a new contract for the aerial RFS fleet, which provides certainty and a shift to a predominantly NSW-based crew over the coming decade. The Bush Fire Danger Period for northern parts of the state commenced on 1 August, and the statutory period for the entire state begins on 1 October. More >> Source: NSW Rural Fire Service Forest360 NZ market update - August 2024
Opinion Piece: Marcus Musson, Forest360Double dips are great when we’re talking about chocolate dip, chip’n’dip and lotto but not so good when talking export log prices, but here we are. Quarter three kicked off with August prices down around NZ$4/m3 from July, following a very slight rally from the low in April. Prices vary between ports but for the Southern North Island and Northern South Island you’re looking at around NZ$113/m3 for A grade shorts with Tauranga up a few on that, Lyttleton breaking into triple figures at NZ$101/m3 and similar numbers for the more southern ports. Interestingly, the three-year average price has dipped into the sub NZ$120/m3 range for the first time since May 2018. Depending on whether you’re a glass half full or empty person, you could argue either way that current stickiness is a supply or demand problem, and to be fair you’d be right on both counts. Demand has reduced primarily due to the Chinese construction implosion, but this has been exacerbated by the traditional off season plus heavy rain and severe flooding in Northern China restricting uplift. Meanwhile, supply has dutifully carried on at around 55,000m3 per day, even in the face of ugly pricing, resulting in only a very small reduction in China on port inventory of 50,000m3 taking the total inventory position to 3.15 million m3. This is basically a Mexican stand-off, but the difference is we are pointing our own guns to our heads. Until we can get inventory well under 3 million m3, we’re unlikely to see much in the way of price increases. The scenario in NZ isn’t a lot rosier in the construction space, with framing lumber demand looking decidedly average. There is a glimmer of hope with the talk of OCR reductions, but there will need to be a significant change in sentiment before housing starts return to 2023 levels. Domestic sawmills have been hitting the papers lately, with a number of sawmills and pulp mills temporarily closing while spot electricity prices leap higher than Hamish Kerr. WPI shut both its sawmill and pulp mills, Oji closed its Penrose mill, Panpac shut its Napier mill and Donnelly’s shut its Reporoa sawmill. Shutting a sawmill or pulp mill takes a lot of consideration, as it’s not just a case of flicking the switch off. There’s a massive cost to both shutting down and restarting these assets. More >> Source and image credit: Forest360  Hardwood driving durable eucalypt timber in Victoria
Durable eucalypt timbers are hard, strong and naturally resistant to
decay, so can be used without any chemical treatment – and
Gippsland farmland has emerged as a key region to grow this
valuable timber. The importance of this trend has been
underlined by the state government’s decision on the native forest
industry, the traditional source of durable hardwoods.Of Australia’s approximate 900,000 hectares of eucalyptus plantations, less than five% have a natural durability ratings of Class 1 and 2 (above-ground). Enter Heartwood Unlimited, founded in 1995 – a boutique management company based in Gippsland that researches, plants and harvests native durable hardwoods. It manages about 2000 hectares (ha) of plantations – about 40 properties ranging in size from 10-20ha to 100ha – and is probably the largest grower of such timbers in Victoria. Heartwood is driving a new plantation model that encompasses genetics, silviculture, harvesting, nutrition, biodiversity and agroforestry. More >> Source & image credit: Gippsland Times Canterbury West Coast Forestry Industry AwardsThe Canterbury West Coast Wood Council (CWCWC) held its second ever awards night on Friday 2nd August at the stunning Te Pae Convention Centre in Christchurch. It was a sellout event with 420 guests attending from all parts of the industry. CWCWC is unique in that its membership welcomes all those from across the supply chain, including nursery growers, forestry companies, contractors, distributors, sawmillers, timber retailers, local port businesses and councils.Opening the night was Glenn Moir, chair of CWCWC, who highlighted the importance of forestry to our local regions and the 2000 plus jobs it creates. He attributed this mostly to the benefits of growing Pinus radiata. Local MP for Selwyn Hon Nicola Grigg and Minister of State for Trade, Minister for Women, and Associate Minister of Agriculture spoke of the improvements the new government aims to make for the industry. Also in a video presentation, Forestry Minister Todd McClay talked on current forestry initiatives and promoting economic growth in the regions. The Canterbury West Coast Forestry Awards showcases the exceptional skills of the local workforce and acknowledges those businesses that are accomplishing notable achievements. This year there were 40 nominations received that went on to be judged by John Hawkins, Dr Elizabeth Heeg and Mark Grover. The judges were impressed by the high standard of nominations. Winners were selected for each of the ten award categories:
To delight the crowds MC Jackie Clarke was back to perform her magic on stage. She provided a lively show and had the audience laughing throughout the evening. Special mentions were also given to all the sponsors that contributed significantly towards the night, making the event possible. The Canterbury West Coast Wood Council was thrilled to see the people of the regions coming together for this very important occasion.  Source and image credit: Canterbury West Coast Wood Council (CWCWC) FEA China log inventory quarterly updateChina’s Softwood Log Inventories at Ocean Ports – FEA industry sources in China report that softwood log inventories at the country’s main ocean ports totalled 3.33 million m³ on July 27, 2024, up 5% (+158,000 m³) from late June, as follows:
 Overall, log inventories saw an upward trend in July, rebounding after three consecutive months of decline. This increase was driven by higher stocks of radiata pine logs and European spruce logs, while North American log stocks decreased. In late July, wholesale market prices at Taicang and Lanshan saw a slight turn downward, with radiata pine log prices dropping by RMB10-20/m³ and hemlock and European spruce logs down RMB 10/m3 versus late June. In terms of sales, the average daily sales volume was recorded at 51,500 m3 for the month, versus 72,500 m³ in July 2023 and 69,200 m3 in July 2022.  For more information on FEA’s China Bulletin where this data is reported monthly, please visit the FEA China Bulletin, or contact Matt Robertson at mrobertson@getfea.com. Source: FEA Super-black wood invented
Thanks to an accidental discovery, researchers at the University
of British Columbia have created a new super-black
material that absorbs almost all light, opening potential
applications in fine jewellery, solar cells and precision optical
devices. Professor Philip Evans and PhD student Kenny Cheng were experimenting with high-energy plasma to make wood more water-repellent. However, when they applied the technique to the cut ends of wood cells, the surfaces turned extremely black. Measurements by Texas A&M University’s department of physics and astronomy confirmed that the material reflected less than 1% of visible light, absorbing almost all the light that struck it. Instead of discarding this accidental finding, the team decided to shift their focus to designing super-black materials, contributing a new approach to the search for the darkest materials on Earth. “Ultra-black or super-black material can absorb more than 99% of the light that strikes it – significantly more so than normal black paint, which absorbs about 97.5% of light,” explained Dr. Evans, a professor in the faculty of forestry and BC Leadership Chair in Advanced Forest Products Manufacturing Technology. The UBC-developed super-black wood inherently prevents light from escaping rather than depending on black pigments. Super-black materials are increasingly sought after in astronomy, where ultra-black coatings on devices help reduce stray light and improve image clarity. Super-black coatings can enhance the efficiency of solar cells. They are also used in making art pieces and luxury consumer items like watches. The researchers have developed prototype commercial products using their super-black wood, initially focusing on watches and jewellery, with plans to explore other commercial applications in the future. More >> Source & image credit: University of British Columbia  Jobs
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