Forest Talk

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

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

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

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

Hydrogen, electric and dual-fuel are all future fuels solutions that are going to work for the entire heavy transport industry. Those involved in wood transport are right at the forefront of this conversion. 

While soaring fuel prices and greener policies have given electric vehicles (EVs) a serious boost in recent years, now the attention is turning to trucks, but manufacturers still face a dilemma over which technology can best do the job. Some companies ar..... more

Competenz Te Pūkenga is set to launch a new forestry programme, New Zealand Apprenticeship in Silviculture, in the second quarter of 2023. 

The purpose of this programme is to equip the forestry industry with individuals who have the skills and knowledge required to be employed in a commercial forestry operation in a silviculture role, and contribute to operational planning. They will have decision-making abilities in silvicultu..... more