Forest Talk

Businesses, organisations and self-employed people affected by the recent increase to Alert Level 4 can still apply online for the COVID-19 Resurgence Support Payment (RSP).

“The RSP is intended to help businesses with costs like rent or fixed costs during higher alert levels and is one of a suite of measures to support firms and workers and provide certainty,” says Labour’s Grant Robertson.

“To qualify for the RSP, applicants must experience at least a 30% ..... more

In 2011, Amy Robinson graduated with first class Honours from Canterbury University’s Forestry Science faculty. 

She took to forestry like a chainsaw to a log, landing her first job with Rayonier Matariki Forests (RMF) as a Log Production Coordinator in Whangarei, Northland with her sights firmly set on becoming the company’s first female Production Manager.  

It took her 10 years of hard work, strong learnings and earning the respect of her workma..... more

Methyl bromide gas will be phased out by 2033, says the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). The ozone-depleting gas is used in New Zealand to kill pests from trade cargo, almost exclusively in the sterilisation of logs and export timber. The EPA says New Zealand’s use of the toxic gas increased by 66% between 2010 and 2019, and that New Zealand is out of step with other countries which are lowering use. 

“Methyl bromide is toxic to humans and damaging t..... more

Most people probably think the stand-out feature of the Ecoforst T-Winch tethering machine is that it doesn’t have a cab.

That makes it quite unusual among winch-assist set-ups in New Zealand, but it’s not the most interesting aspect of the T-Winch. What really stands out is the versatility and how it can improve extraction.

The Austrian-built T-Winch wasn’t originally designed to tether a felling machine. Like most other winching equipment in Europe, its ro..... more

The first set of highly accurate 3D mapping data for the Bay of Plenty has been released as part of the Provincial Growth Fund LiDAR elevation data capture project, improving Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s ability to more accurately model natural hazards and climate change, design better infrastructure and improve environmental outcomes for the regional community.

The data, which covers a significant portion of the western half of the region, is the second set t..... more

After a series of setbacks, including the loss of crew boss William ‘Hoot’ Knowles, Gisborne-based KFT Logging is now back on track with a new generation taking charge.

As they look ahead, the crew has needed to upgrade some of their equipment to meet a set of fresh challenges facing them, which included a new shoveller to bring stems down the hill to their skid site for processing. The choice was one of the latest Hitachi 5G-series excavators that come partly pre..... more