Forest Talk
50-tonne titan
The mountain men of logging is what first crossed Iron Test writer, Tim Benseman’s mind when the team arrived at NAB Contracting’s steep and "bluff riddled" Manawatu block, needing a four-wheel drive just to get to their container. Then he saw that the gun loader operator was a woman named Caitlyn Thomsen. Perhaps Mountain Wo/Men of logging?
“Best loader op I have ever had actually,” says NAB owner, Nick Bunn. “She doesn’t seem to crack under pressure like some of..... more
Climate change compounds wildfire risk, says study
A new report titled Adapting and mitigating wildfire risk due to climate change: extending knowledge and best practice, predicts climate change will significantly increase wildfire risk in New Zealand. It has been released by Scion’s Rural Fire Research Team and Dr Nathanael Melia, Victoria University of Wellington’s adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the National Climate Change Research Institute and director of Climate Prescience.
Highly detailed climate model si..... more
Maximising the benefits of mechanisation
The New Zealand forestry industry has seen a huge shift from manual to mechanised harvesting in the past few years, greatly reducing risks to manual fallers and breakers-out. However, mechanised harvesting creates its own critical risks, particularly if machines and the people who operate them are working on steep and more difficult terrain.
With winch-assisted technology now widely used around New Zealand, the forestry industry identified the need for a NZ Winch-..... more
New Hitachi medium excavator range
After years of development, the new range of medium excavators from Hitachi is officially available in New Zealand.
The next generation of Zaxis-7 medium excavators, including the ZX130-7, ZX135US-7, ZX160LC-7, ZX210LC-7, ZX225USLC-7, ZX260LC-7 and ZX360LC-7 Stage-V compliant models, prioritise comfort, safety, reliability, efficiency and productivity – all providing owners with opportunities to increase profits and reduce costs.
Hitachi’s TRIAS III and HIOS..... more
Pay-as-you-go perpetuates potholes, says NRC
New Zealand has badly potholed roads because road maintenance is inadequately funded from pay-as-you-go road user charges (RUC) levied on trucks instead of being well-funded and built as core infrastructure from the outset, says National Road Carriers (NRC) COO, James Smith.
“We fund our roads on a consumption model rather than an investment model, so we are constantly falling behind,” he says.
Mr Smith says a recent opinion piece in The Northern Advocat..... more
Pine pollen promises profits
Pine Pollen New Zealand, trading under the name Bio Gold, has received $288,500 in Government funding through the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund (SFF Futures) to lay the foundations for a pine pollen industry in New Zealand.
“Pine pollen has been consumed for health and wellbeing in China, South Korea and Japan for more than 3000 years,” says Bio Gold founder Carl Meyer.
“It’s been found to contain a naturally occurr..... more
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