Forest Talk

In a first of its kind trial, Metsä Group, a leading Finnish forest industry group whose operations span pulp, paperboard, tissue, and wood products, has started operating a carbon capture pilot plant at its Rauma mill, in cooperation with technology company Andritz, which supplied the plant. The pilot will test the capture of carbon dioxide from pulp mill flue gases, an application not previously trialled in the industry. 

Various operating mod..... more

Is the standard, off-the-shelf control system in your forestry machinery a weak link in your safety chain? In an industry where operators navigate treacherous terrain and extreme weather, the one-size-fits-all approach to equipment control is no longer just inefficient - it’s a liability, says Justin Mahendra, Director of Sales and Product Management for Bailey International, manufacturer of custom hydraulic and electronic solutions. True operational safet..... more

Along with a New Zealand Timber feature this month, we take a trip back in time with Ross Lockyer to his Ecological Survey days as a Forest Ranger back in 1964. Ross writes:

“In our third year training in 1964 when we were based at the Forestry Training Centre in Rotorua, we got involved in some serious bushwacking in the native bush, known as Ecological  Survey or just Eco. 

“It was early spring and the weather was wet most of the ti..... more

In research published earlier this year, the Bioeconomy Science Institute released the first height-diameter model for tōtara (Podocarpus totara). To date there have been no growth or yield models available for any individual indigenous tree species in New Zealand.

As an endemic, high-value indigenous conifer species of great cultural significance, Tōtara can be found throughout New Zealand. It has naturally durable heartwood and can grow in a w..... more

Entries are now open for the Competenz Most Valuable Coach (MVC) award - a new nationwide search to honour the mentors, trainers, and workplace legends who go the extra mile for apprentices and trainees.

Every skilled trainee or apprentice has had someone teaching, backing, or inspiring them - the coach who has quietly shaped their success in the forestry sector. 

“These are the people who inspire, teach, and back our learners ev..... more

When it comes to bunching grapples, big is good and tough is even better. The new Duxson BX1100 is both. It’s hooked up to a John Deere 2156G XD LC at Nathan Taylor’s Mechanised Cable Harvesting (MCH) windthrow salvage operation near Nelson. 

First impressions when our Iron Test team arrives are that this grapple is an armoured vehicle.

Iron Test writer, Tim Benseman continues: “Having used and accidentally abused a few bunching grapples i..... more