Clarky's Comment - October 2010
The October NZFOA (New Zealand Forest Owners Association) and ForestWood 2010 Conferences in Wellington were again very well run and attended.
READ MOREThe October NZFOA (New Zealand Forest Owners Association) and ForestWood 2010 Conferences in Wellington were again very well run and attended.
READ MOREManaging workplace hazards in the forest is an ongoing challenge, but one we can not afford to ignore – the mechanisms of injury and the potential for serious harm are great. PF Olsen and its contractors are committed to eliminating hazards and providing a safe and healthy work environment.
READ MOREStructural lumber that is near dry (<20% moisture content) can be segregated into three groups - those that are super-stable, average boards and the real problem-making "rouges".
READ MOREAnnouncement On Friday 3rd September, the Government released discussion documents to start the public consultation process that industry hopes will lead to the introduction of a "National Environmental Standard (NES) for Forestry".
READ MOREAs mentioned earlier in Clarky's Comment, presentations by Gerry Van Leeuwan and Russ Taylor on both Russia and China wood markets were a highlight of the recent ForestWood conference in Wellington in October.
READ MORETrading on the domestic market continues to be light with a lack of supply of NZUs and sellers holding off for higher prices.
READ MOREThis month's Wood Matters has a focus on safety. I thought I'd comment on a related matter that can help contribute not only to safety, but also to better commercial and environmental outcomes – the significance of clear work processes and procedures, and the importance of sticking to them.
READ MOREFFR has just completed a round of member meetings in Nelson where the outcomes of the research programmes across all four themes were presented to members.
READ MOREThe Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) is now accepting applications for the pre-1990 forestry allocation and less than 50 hectare exemption. This is a one-off opportunity to claim the allocation and/or exemption.
READ MORELast month we reported that in mid August we were getting strong signals that CFR prices had stabilised in China at USD120/JAS m³. We are pleased to further report that August was in fact a trough from a decline in price that commenced in April of this year.
READ MOREAccidents and injury cause measurable loss to investors and business and immeasurable loss to individuals and their families. Regrettably the accident and injury rates in the forestry sector are relatively high.
READ MORESteve Williams, Health and Safety Inspector – Forestry, of the Department of Labour (Te Tari Mahi) recently visited Sabre Logging working for PF Olsen in the Southern North Island (SNI) region.
READ MORELast week I presented at the 6th Australia – New Zealand Climate Change and Business Conference in Sydney. The take home message was despite residual opposition from the farming sector, we are fortunate in New Zealand to have a pragmatic ETS in place.
READ MOREForest Stewardship Council(FSC) is very important for forestry companies who are supplying logs to customers who require independent certification that their wood products are sourced from well-managed sustainable forests.
READ MORETrees growing on the edge of a stand can grow quite differently compared to trees within a stand. Obvious differences include branch size and height, however the differences extend to important wood qualities.
READ MOREAugust has seen continued reductions in wharf-gate prices around New Zealand. Export log prices fell some $2-6/JAS m³ as ocean freight costs rose and CFR prices continued to drop (CFR prices are the US$ denominated prices in destination ports).
READ MOREDomestic prices for NZUs has strengthened marginally since last month in line with slight firming of CERs. However the prospect of a big increase on the supply side from pre-1990 forest allocations, fisheries and trade-exposed industries is keeping price expectations down.
READ MOREI joined a senior business delegation to Seoul this month to assist the Prime Minister and MFAT breathe life into the Free Trade negotiations with Korea.
READ MOREOn the 1st of July 2010 the energy, transport and industrial process sectors joined the NZ Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
READ MOREThe pre-1990 Forestry Allocation Plan is expected to be released next week, along with the mapping standard. This will allow the processing of applications of the free allocation/partial compensation NZUs for pre-1990 forest owners from the 1st of August 2010.
READ MORE