Forest Talk

Two recent worker deaths involving vehicles, two serious incidents involving dangerous gasses and a serious injury incident the previous month are disturbing, says MinEx, the mining and quarrying sector’s health and safety council.

In late August a man died in an incident involving mobile plant at a Balclutha work site; the next day a person died at the scene after being hit by a vehicle in a logging yard in Palmerston North. Earlier in the month, tw..... more

There are no skidders or tracked feller bunchers within the 20-piece logging fleet owned by Prince George, Canadian, B.C.-based Freya Logging. Their fleet consists primarily of wheeled harvesters and forwarders—and that’s by design.

Company forester, Liam Parfitt, describes the majority of their harvesting activity as “selective logging where most of the merchantable wood is removed”. 

Overall, they leave more standing structure and unders..... more

Towering over the south Waikato village of Atiamuri, the mountain that Knight Logging is harvesting is proving a bit tough. The skyline is about a metre off the ground before any chokers are hooked up to logs and there’s a couple of truckloads of stems to be dragged off this spot and around the hill to the landing. 

In a classic case of when the going gets tough, the tough get going, Knight Logging’s owner, Zane Knight is breaking out by himself..... more

The world economy is transforming out of a dependence on fossil fuels which accelerate climate change. Renewable resources, such as wood, are vital to powering the global bioeconomy,” says the new Chief Executive of the Forest Owners Association (FOA), Dr Elizabeth Heeg.

Ms Heeg replaces long-serving Chief Executive, David Rhodes. She was previously working at Te Uru Rākau New Zealand Forest Service.

She says New Zealand for..... more

“Tradies face a range of challenges across their working lives – from job uncertainty to financial pressures, intense physical demands, and workplace culture issues,” Mr Sakr explains. “In an industry where stigma is high, these pressures can build up and impact mental and emotional wellbeing for tradies if they don't feel they can talk to others about their struggles,” says R U OK? Community Ambassador, Andre Sakr (44), a construction project manager in S..... more

The Brandt Group of Companies has announced its 18th location in New Zealand with the acquisition the assets of Wairarapa Machinery Services, effective last month.

“We are excited to welcome our 18th location in New Zealand, uniting the entire North Island under one dealer brand for Agriculture, Construction and Forestry equipment,” says Brandt CEO, Shaun Semple. 

“This will ensure customers have access to the industry’s broadest support i..... more