This market is very much at a possible point of inflexion. November saw some export at-wharf-gate (NZ port) prices rise considerably as high C&F US$-based prices (at Asian ports) coincided with rapidly declining shipping costs and a declining NZ$/US$ exchange rate.
READ MORELate last month PF Olsen was successful in being awarded management of 27,000 hectares of plantation forest currently trading as Timberlands West Coast Ltd (a State-Owned Enterprise).
READ MOREWQI is a forestry industry based research company with the objective of developing tools and techniques to better assess wood quality to drive better allocation decisions along the supply chain (e.g. the right logs or timber going into the right process or end-use) and improving processing methods and technology (e.g. how do we minimise the damaging effect of checking and cell collapse during timber drying).
READ MORESometimes less is more. In the Information Technology realm this is becoming more so.
READ MOREThe challenging aspect of "real-time" communication for an electronic newsletter such as Wood Matters is that no sooner than you have material to distribute, then the world changes.
READ MOREOn Carbon Forestry
READ MOREPF Olsen held a successful Carbon forestry seminar in Ohaupo (just North of Te Awamutu) earlier this month. A total of 83 participants, many of whom had travelled from well outside of the district to attend, filled the Windy Ridge Conference Centre.
READ MOREAs a consequence of the uncertainty now surrounding the ETS, we have decided to postpone our planned Carbon Forestry seminar in Taupo next Tuesday 25 November.
READ MORESome big news last week was the deferral of the planned increase in Russian log export tariff to €50 or 80% from 1st January 2009. Apparently the press release coincided with key negotiations between Russia and the Norwegian timber industry.
READ MOREIt's hardly worth repeating that we are living in turbulent times and seeing unprecedented volatility in asset prices, capital and financial markets. And as we observe the spectacle, we know full well that there will be further flow-on effects into the NZ economy and our livelihoods.
READ MOREThe Emissions Trading Scheme was passed on 26th September 2008 with numerous amendments. Which of these affects the forestry and wood processing sectors and how?
READ MOREThe Afforestation Grant Scheme (AGS) is one of the new initiatives announced by the government to address the effects of climate change.
READ MOREA successful harvesting seminar was held on Wednesday 10th September at Alexandra Park, Greenlane, Auckland. Our Kawakawa and Rotorua offices jointly organised the seminar which was attended by 55 clients, forest owners and would-be forest owners.
READ MOREThe Hawke's Bay Farm Forestry Association's (HBFFA) "Carbon - Ready or Not" seminar was held in Havelock North Thursday 18 September 2008.
READ MOREExport log prices rose again in October by an average of $4/JAS m3 extending their 5th consecutive month of price increases. Notable was the wide range of price changes with some traders staying more or less flat and some posting larger increases - a function of their exchange rate and ocean freight rate exposure in a highly volatile market.
READ MOREThe trend of significant drops in break-bulk ocean freight rates has intensified since reported in last month's Wood Matters.
READ MOREWe often field enquiries from woodlot owners concerned they are paying too much for their pruning. Frequently it turns out that the problem is related to the basis of payment.
READ MOREThe NZ forestry industry was featured in the September/October issue of the ACC's Health and Safety Guide. A pleasing trend has been the steady decrease in serious injury claims to ACC from forestry accidents over the past five years.
READ MOREWe have had a tremendously positive response from readers of Wood Matters. Thanks for the feedback - your ideas and suggestions are listened to and are valuable to us.
READ MOREOur forest industry has been through a decade of declining log values and rising costs. There are some indicators on the horizon that this will change over the next few years, but to make the most of that changing environment we need to do some things a lot smarter.
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