Forest Talk

 
Loader and landing vehicle enlist

Loader and landing vehicle enlist

Posted on 17-May-2023

A converted 20-tonne CAT938K loader and Beach Preparation Extraction Vehicle (BPEV) have been successfully trialled as beach landing equipment in an overseas environment for the first time by the New Zealand Defence Force.

Operation Mahi Tahi, recently concluded in Fiji, involved military sealift vessel HMNZS Canterbury, trained personnel for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief support in the Pacific, practising air, sea, and amphibious train..... more


New tools to fight Myrtle Rust

New tools to fight Myrtle Rust

Posted on 17-May-2023

Scientists at Crown Research Institute, Scion, have found a way to quickly detect myrtle rust days before plants show signs of infection, providing hope that nurseries in the future can start control treatment much sooner and stop disease outbreaks in their tracks. 

Working in a containment laboratory, the Scion team, led by data scientist Elizaveta Graevskaya, used high precision equipment to detect myrtle rust infection in leaves of rose apple..... more


Skills shortage a handbrake on economy

Skills shortage a handbrake on economy

Posted on 17-May-2023

The 3.4% unemployment number coupled with ongoing rises in wage rates highlight that the pressure remains on the employers, says the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA).

"When you link those numbers back to our recent Skills Shortage Survey, it shows we are still very short of people and skills in New Zealand," says the EMA’s Head of Advocacy and Strategy, Alan McDonald.

"Those skills and people shortages are a significant handbrake o..... more


Slash Inquiry recommendations lacking

Slash Inquiry recommendations lacking

Posted on 17-May-2023

The Ministerial Inquiry into Land Use in Tairāwhiti and Wairoa Report, Outrage to Optimism, released last week, with nearly 50 recommendations post the cyclone devastation has elicited strong responses on all sides.

The recommendations are wide-ranging with potential major impacts on the forestry industry. They include: a call for an immediate halt to wide-scale clear felling of forestry, to be replaced with ‘a mosaic’ of staged logging; to transitio..... more


Smooth power in a tough forest

Smooth power in a tough forest

Posted on 17-May-2023

Venturing into the Dart Valley West of Nelson with Willie Waldron of C and W Logging to test the Sany SY330H excavator running a Duxson grapple, is quite an experience, says Iron Test writer Tim Benseman. 

“These guys often need to use helicopters to shift ropes, have had to lower breaker-outs down hills on ropes, and they are frequently attacked by ferocious sandflies. She’s all on.” 

C and W Owner, Willie, says, “We’ve actually been..... more


A winner all-round

A winner all-round

Posted on 12-Apr-2023

First impressions of Gaddum Construction’s new Hyundai HX140 forest roading excavator are that it’s a pocket rocket, says our Iron Test writer Tim Benseman: “Very powerful for its size, compact, strongly built and multifunctional with the rotating tilt, thumb, buckets and rake it travels with. The zero tail is obviously going to be a winner pushing through tracks and clearing slips where you have to frequently change positions from bulk-out to lo..... more




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