Forest Talk

Conventional seed banking alone isn’t enough to conserve all of Aotearoa’s endemic plants, says Dr Sarah Wyse, who lectures in the School of Forestry at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha|University of Canterbury (UC).

She says protection of te taiao (the environment) is the first line of defence for plant conservation with the preservation of native plant species in artificial seedbanks – known as ex situ conservation — as an important back-up. more

“We have seen a reduction in firewood purchase across the district over this winter period,” says Tiri Johnsen, Director of The Firewood Company. “This could be due to various factors, including the amount of free firewood on offer around the region, including old vines and construction timber, or sadly, it could be a direct cause of the cost-of-living crisis.”

The Firewood Company is urging Marlburians and all New Zealanders to consider stocking up ..... more

Nelson engineered timber solutions company, Prolam, has given an 80-year-old sawmill on Little Sydney Road, Motueka a new lease on life.

The first logs in more than five years have been milled at the restored sawmill, Motueka marking a new chapter for the region’s timber industry.

Closed in 2017, Nelson family-owned business Prolam has been working to reinstate the 80-year-old mill to support the production of its structural timber solutions. &..... more

The Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association (WPMA) has announced the appointment of two new Directors, Ian Jones and Ben Campbell.

Mr Jones is the General Manager of Fletcher Wood Products which includes the operating businesses of Waipapa Pine and Renewable Wood Fuels. He is responsible for the strategy and construction of the new $275m wood panels plant in Taupo. He has a long history with Fletcher Building, working in businesses across ..... more

Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s Bravo strike team arrived home late last month after assisting with the response to wildfires burning across Queensland.

Thanks to recent rainfall and a significant drop in the number of wildfires across the state, Bravo will be Fire and Emergency’s last deployment to Queensland for the foreseeable future.

Two deployments made up of a total of 53 personnel from Fire and Emergency, the Department of Conservation ..... more

Forestry adventurer, Ross Lockyer is back in the February edition of NZ Logger with an account of his years in Burma. Who needs skidders when you’ve got elephant and buffalo? Never a dull moment with Ross. Here’s a taste:

“In mid-1984, I was offered a consultancy with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as Logging Engineering Consultant for the Project Completion Mission pertaining to the ADB Burma Forestry I Loan Project. My job was to travel ..... more