Forest Talk

The 22,000th Ponsse forest machine manufactured at the company’s Vieremä factory was delivered to Irish customer G&G Timber Harvesting this month. The milestone machine is a Ponsse Elk forwarder, valued for its agility, productivity and suitability for a wide variety of forestry work.

“This is a significant milestone in our cooperation with G&G Timber Harvesting. Along with the Ponsse Elk, a Ponsse Scorpion Giant harvester, which is one of our flagsh..... more

This month our Iron Test team visits DK Logging's stems crew in the mighty Matahina Forest near Kawerau to test the capable and innovative new Tigercat LH 857 running a Satco 3L2 and tethered off a T-Winch 10.3 where required. 

"It drives better and has more lift power than the previous 855 - better cab, wider seat and that swept up tail makes a big difference in the steep country," says owner, Kevin O'Malley. 

Kevin started out as a ..... more

Crowning the nation’s top rookie axeman, the New Zealand Rookies Championship, presented by the New Zealand Axemen’s Association will be part of the Ford Ranger New Zealand Rural Games on the 13th March. 

“There’s a strong connection between woodchopping, forestry, and sawmilling – it’s all about skill, respect for timber, and mastering a craft,” says Alexa Vorster, Marketing Manager for Wood-Mizer New Zealand which is sponsoring the Championshi..... more

Compounds from native trees contribute distinctive properties to propolis, a natural substance produced by bees, according to a recent study by apicultural scientists and a Māori land trust in the native ngahere of Te Urewera.

Propolis is a resinous substance honey bees create from plant materials including sap and leaf buds to protect their hives. For centuries humans have used propolis as a natural or herbal remedy, being widely recognised for..... more

The Bravo contingent of 20 firefighters experienced in arduous conditions, plus two liaison officers, departed recently to support firefighting efforts in Victoria, Australia.

This second Fire and Emergency New Zealand deployment followed a formal request from Emergency Management Victoria for an exact replacement of the current Alpha deployment which arrived back in New Zealand earlier this month.

Deputy National Commander, Brandan Nally, says..... more

As the eradication response effort on Auckland’s North Shore continues to accelerate, radio tracking technology has enabled the detection of ten yellow-legged hornet nests.

Biosecurity New Zealand’s Commissioner North, Mike Inglis, says the technique - attaching tiny radio transmitters to worker hornets and tracking them back to their nests - has quickly become a core tool in the response programme.

“Our capability with the equipment is growing..... more