1ISSUE 322 | PAGE

By JIM BOWDEN

A NATIONAL fi bre plan – a goal to lift the forest industry to its full potential – must be the priority for Australia’s wood producers; the building blocks to achieve this were already in place, AFPA chairman Greg McCormack said during an inspection of R&D facilities in Brisbane.

“A real goal is a real need and real policies and funding for that vision will naturally follow,” he said.

Mr McCormack said it was important to have an agreed strategy in place within the next

12 months and he believed the newly-formed Forest Industry Advisory Council was

fundamental to achieving that commitment.

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ISSUE 322 | June 16, 2014

Cont P 3

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National fi bre andforest plan a ‘must’We need a goal for industry and FIACwill help us score: Greg McCormack

AFPA chairman Greg McCormack (centre) looks over a reaction testing frame at EWPAA’s Brisbane laboaratories during a tour of inspection hosted by EWPAA general manager Simon Dorries and laboratory manager Suzy Steiger. See story, Page 11.

PAGE | ISSUE 3222

INDUSTRY NEWS

forestworks@forestworks.com.au

www.forestworks.com.au

AFPA meeting in Brisbane

More than 40 representatives of all sectors of industry attended a meeting of AFPA chambers – processing, resource and pulp and paper – and the board in Brisbane last Wednesday, followed by an industry dinner addressed by Shadow Minister for Agriculture Joel Fitzgibbon.

• Conferring at the Rydges Hotel South Bank are AFPA chairman Greg McCormack, Craig Dunn, marketing manager, Australian Paper, and Tim Johnston, CEO Victorian Association of Forest Industries. Mr Fitzgibbon is the federal member for Hunter, a diversified rural district that includes forest and timber production. He talked up the Opposition’s commitment to the forest industry, assuring guests timber would be awarded the support it deserved.

ForestWorks flagsindustry conferenceNATIONAL industry skills council ForestWorks has announced March 25 next year as the date for its annual flagship conference event for the forest, wood, paper and timber products industries.

“The innovation skills program event in Canberra offers an exceptional forum for professionals to extend their industry knowledge and expand their network,” CEO Michael Hartman said.

Due to the success of this year’s gala industry dinner, ForestWorks will again work with the Australian Forest Products Association to co-host a similar event at Parliament House.

Michael Hartman said while the industry networking dinner was a highlight, for ForestWorks the opportunity to deliver the industry development conference as a key educational

event for industry with a focus on innovation “is our bread and butter”.

“We aim to provide participants with valuable information and examples around what makes innovation work,” he said.

“At this year’s conference we talked about how to make innovation happen; in 2015, we will look at examples of how it happens and why, including innovation success stories and case studies.”

“We will look beyond the innovative technologies in our industry and focus on the people, exploring how they can help to bring about innovation.”

Further details will be announced in the coming months, including the conference theme, speakers and venue.

Contact forestworks@forestworks.com.au

3ISSUE 322 | PAGE

The advisory council announced by the Prime Minister and co-chaired by the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Senator Richard Colbeck and Institute of Foresters of Australia president Rob de Fégely, aims to provide a broader service to the wood processing sector, inviting greater input from state forestry groups.

The role of the FIAC in providing funds for industry development will also be examined.

AFPA will continue to push for the council to urgently consider a ‘national fibre and forestry plan’ noting there is already a White Paper process under way within the agricultural sector.

Mr McCormack said the industry’s only ‘goal for the future’ had been the 2020 Vision put down in 1995-98 – to have 3 million ha of plantations in the ground.

“We’re sitting at around 2 million ha now and we won’t

reach that year’s target,” he said.“Some of the new plantation

estate owners are suggesting that some of the areas should never have been planted to hardwoods, and there is the possibility that some of this will go back into softwoods.

“But it is likely there will be a net deforestation with perhaps 300,000 ha of plantations going back into other uses.”

He said formation of the FIAC was timely for industry, still suffering hugely from the GFC and the mess in currency markets,” Mr McCormack said.

“The Australian currency

has hurt the forest industry a lot and continues to do so, although there has been some improvement.

“But coming from a low dollar rate around 75c for very long

period to upwards of 105c in the past three years has taken its toll.

“It’s staggering – and a tribute to the people in it – that our industry has been able to gear up under these conditions and innovate its way through and the hope is for more normal trading conditions.”

Mr McCormack made no secret of the fact that AFPA was disappointed that its single, centralised National Institute for Forest Products Innovation proposal didn’t make the cut in the May Budget.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Times changing for the betterFrom P 1

‘We lobbied hard for the institute’

‘It’s staggering – and a tribute to the people in it – that ourindustry has been able to gear up under these conditions’

Creation of a real centre of excellence

Getting together in Brisbane for a special board and all-chambers meeting of the Australian Forest Products Asssociation are AFPA director Ron Adams, managing director, Wespine Indutries, and chairman, Forest and Wood Products Australia; Chris Hyne, Hyne, Maryborough, a director of AFPA; and Angelo Hrvastro, general manager, Lonza Wood Protection.

Cont P 4

We’re all friends here .. Nigel Catchlove, communications manager, AFPA, forms a human link between the industry in two states – Terry Edwards, CEO, Forest Industries Association of Tasmania, and Maree McCaskill, general manager, NSW Forest Products Association.

PAGE | ISSUE 3224

“We lobbied hard for the institute aimed at maximising R&D efforts across the country,” he said. “The evidence for this can be seen in Canada’s FPInnovations – the creation of a real centre of excellence to deal with the opportunities surfacing for new wood products.”

He added: “All state governments, scientific bodies, universities, everybody, have backed AFPA’s plan in principle.

“Also, we see no evidence of any political bias against the idea. We appreciate the Budget constraints and when the situation improves, as it will over time, we’re sure it will be re-visited and funds will flow in.”

Mr McCormack expressed appreciation of the work done by Senator Colbeck in this area.

“His feedback on Budget night was that industry innovation was a top priority.

“He’s a guy with a great depth of experience as a minister and

as a politician for 11 years and whose working life began with wood and construction.

“He has a great depth of integrity and commitment to our industry.”

Turning to the housing market, Mr McCormack said changes in the construction methods of dwellings was the big challenge for industry.

“Up to about three years ago, the ratio was about 70%

detached houses and around 30% medium high density. This has switched to around 40-45% multi-res, a trend well established in cities and urban renewals and opening exciting opportunities for engineered wood.”

He said new molecular products and nano-technology were never going to replace solid wood, but they were a good adjunct to help fill the wood

products marketing basket.“We’ve got a lot of wood

fibre in this country and lots of it is low-grade fibre, traditionally plantation residues and sawmill by-products. But while renewable energy is one potential market, it won’t generate the dollars we would expect from smarter wood engineering technology.

“And that’s where R&D comes in.”

Osmose® and DeterMite® are trademarks of Osmose, Inc. or its subsidiaries. DeterMite treated timber products are produced by independently owned and operated wood preserving facilities. *See separate guarantee document for details. © 2014 Osmose, Inc.

Innovation & Technology from Osmose. It’s what we do!

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Not only have treated frames performed in

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From P 3

INDUSTRY NEWS

Shift in housing trends challenge for industry

Conferring at the AFPA meeting in Brisbane .. HQPlantations executives Brian Farmer, CEO, and Islay Robertson, chief operations manager.

AFPA business manager Jo Angel chats with Ross Hampton, AFPA CEO, and Tim Johnston, CEO, Victorian Association of Forest Industries.

5ISSUE 322 | PAGE

JUNE20: Native forest management field day. Latest changes – all landholders must be aware. Anne Parker’s Moonford property, cnr Clonmel and Ford Creek roads. Follow the signs. Free day 9 am to 3 pm. Topics include: New self-assessable code for native forest practice (Qld): slope restrictions; drainage line mapping changes; harvest restriction on some RE’s; minimum tree socking requirements. Forest condition, tree health, crown condition. Stocking rate calculations as per the new code. Treatment to improve timber growth and value. Integrating with grazing. Smoko provided. Bring a hat, lunch and chair. Covered shoes mandatory. Worship supported by the Burnett Mary Regional Group through funding from the federal government. Further information: Bill Schulke: 0408 963 723. Private Forestry Service Queensland (PFSQ): (07) 5483 6535.JULY6-9: NZIF 2014 conference– Napier War Memorial, 48 Marine Parade, Napier. This is the Institute of Forestry’s main event for the year. Forest owners, professionals, managers, consultants and educators will meet to discuss the conference theme, ‘Tackling the Challenges and Delivering Value’. Field trip to Hawkes Bay, New Zealand’s fruit bowl and premium wine region – and 135,000 ha of forest plantations split between a few larger companies and many smaller growers. Email: admin@nzif.org.nz Web: www.forestry.org.nzAUGUST 20145-6: MobileTECH 2014: Primary Industries Future. Brisbane. 12-13: Auckland, NZ (www.mobiletech2014.com).These events will profile the latest mobile tools, technologies and innovations driving the future of primary industries

(farming, horticulture, forestry, dairy, meat, wool, fisheries and mining). MobileTECH 2014 will showcase a wide range of mobile technologies and innovations, including smartphones, tablets, mobile apps, satellite mapping and communications, robotics, aerial drones, remote sensors, electronic tagging, intelligent data, M2M, real-time analytics and cloud-based platforms. 6-9: AWISA 2014 exhibition. Brisbane Convention and exhibition Centre. Displays of panel processing, solid wood and timber machinery, tooling, manufacturing software, plus ancillary products such as dust extraction and materials handling equipment. Opportunity forn the cabinet, kitchen, furniture, joinery, timber, fit-out and panel industries to inspect new equipment. Inquiries about booking space: email info@awisa.com or call Geoff Holland. Tel: (02) 9918 3661. Fax: (02) 9918 7764. Mob: 0412 361 580. Email: info@awisa.com 7-8: The Australian Forest and Forest Products Sector: Situation in 2014 and Trends Going Forward. DANA conference – Bayview Eden Hotel, Melbourne. Presentations on the tree plantation industry and its trading environment, log production and exports, softwood and hardwood woodchip export trends to major markets and the future outlook; the sawn timber industry – production and direction (including import competition), the potential for wood panel expansion, the domestic pulp and paper sectors and global pulp demand outlook, wood pellet potential; and more. This includes 13 speaker from Australia and 10 high-profile specialists in their fields from overseas – two from China, two from Canada, two from the US and one each from Chile, Finland and New Zealand. Shanghai-based RISI forestry specialist Gavin Hao will provide an extended presentation

on North Asian and Indian softwood and woodchip markets, where Australia fits into these markets in 2013 and 2014, and predictions about future demand. Other speakers include Oliver Lansdell, global pulp specialist; Rodrigo Monreal, solid wood products chief of Arauco, Chile; Matthew Wood, CEO Stora Enso Australia; Russ Taylor, president of WOODMarkets; Peter Barynin, lead economist with Boston USA-based RISI; Peter Zed (Australian sawmilling sector); Simon Dories, general manager, Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia; Ross Hampton, CEO, Forest and Wood Products Australia; Steve Whitley, CEO, Forestry Tasmania. Full registration details, plus the program, speakers, sponsorship and the online registration can be viewed at prcc.com.au / danamelbourne2014 or contact Pamela Richards at email pam@prcc.com.au 11-12: DANA conference, Rotorua, NZ. The New Zealand forestry and forest products sector: its situation in 2014 and trends going forward. Novotel Rotorua Hotel, Rotorua. Web: www.prcc.com.au/danamelbourne2014. Conference consultant: Pam Richards 61 3 5781 0069. Email: pam@prcc.com.auSEPTEMBER 17-18: Wood Innovations 2014: Timber Preservation – Wood Modification – Composite Products – Rotorua, NZ. 23-24: Melbourne. (www.woodinnovations2014.com). Changes in new wood treatment formulations, processes and systems, standards, legislation with the focus also on wood plastic composites and modified wood products.19-20: ForestTECH 2014. Rotorua, NZ. 25-26: Melbourne. (www.foresttech2014.com). Remote sensing, field Inventory, forest estate planning.

2014 AROUND THE CIRCUITINDUSTRY NEWS

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The lead voice in Canberra on policy affecting forest, wood and paper products industries.

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PAGE | ISSUE 3226

INDUSTRY training seminars and federal government assistance on compliance will follow the release on June 6 of the Illegal Logging Prohibition Regulation.

Legislation to combat illegal logging activities is now in place and the government says it recognises illegal logging is a significant problem in many countries, generating environmental, economic and social impacts.

Although acknowledging support for the amendments, based on advice from industry, the Australian Timber Importers Federation says they do not go far enough.

General manager John Halkett says the proposed amendments do not include other matters identified by ATIF and other industry bodies.

ATIF believes that additional amendments as advised to Department of Agriculture officials would have improved the business certainty and cost effectiveness of the regulation.

The Illegal Logging Prohibition Act 2012 has been in effect since November 2012, making it an offence to import timber products or to process an Australian grown raw log that has been illegally logged.

The Illegal Logging Prohibition Amendment Regulation 2013 is law and its requirements come into effect on November 30 this year. From this date, importers of certain timber or timber products (as defined in the regulation) or processors of domestically grown raw logs, will need to carry out due diligence in assessing and managing the risk that the timber has been illegally logged.

The department’s website (daff.gov.au/illegallogging) contains a range of information to help importers and processors understand and comply with the laws and due diligence requirements.

Many importers and processors are already using existing

systems, asking questions and gathering information so that the risk of importing or processing illegally logged timber is decreased. Others have started analysing their existing systems to determine what else may be required to complete their due diligence requirements.

The department recognises it may take time for some businesses to transition to the new due diligence requirements. For this reason, for the 18 months following commencement, the department’s focus will be on helping importers and processors to comply with the regulation requirements.

The Timber Development Association has welcomed the

government’s position paper and guidance on the regulation, which coincides with the release of industry-developed timber due diligence tools and information through the industry website timberduediligence.com.au

“While many in the timber and wood products industry will argue the merits of the regulation, the reality is that it is now law and from November 30 most timber and wood product importers and domestic processors will have to comply,” TDA CEO Andrew Dunn said.

These due diligence tools have been developed by TDA in a two-year project with the support of Australian importers and domestic processors, via Forest and Wood Products Australia.

“The tools and additional information we have developed as part of this project will set Australian importers and domestic processors up to be much more prepared than those in the European Union and US which have similar regulations

INDUSTRY NEWS

Cont P 7

Industry training seminars to followrelease of illegal logging regulationATIF expresses concern on scope of amendments

Website has wide range of information

It’s the law .. legislation to combat illegal logging activities is now in place in Australia.

7ISSUE 322 | PAGE

in those jurisdictions,” TDA sustainability program manager Stephen Mitchell said.

Training seminars on the regulation, the Australian Department of Agriculture guidance and the industry timber due diligence tools, templates and additional information will be conducted by the TDA in conjunction with the Forest Trust in late June in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

These initial seminars are open to importers of all timber, paper and wood furniture as well as the host of people and organisations that assist and supply them.

TDA has been closely involved in the development of the regulation while the Forest Trust has expertise in responsible sourcing of timber and wood-based products.

“They have the staff working in countries where illegal logging is prevalent and from this they have a good understanding of what practical things importers can do when sourcing timber products from these countries,” Stephen Mitchell said.

“This will add a lot of value for participants.”

The Australian Timber Importer Federation will meet soon in Canberra with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture Senator Richard Colbeck to dsicuss the regulation and related matters.

ATIF general manager John Halkett said importers welcomed the finalisation of the regulation preparation process and the proposed 18-month ‘transitional’ period following on from November 2014.

This will allow the necessary development of due diligence and risk management tools and permit domestic supply chain

and supplier country education and training to occur,” Mr Halkett said.

The position paper clarifies two important points of concern

– firstly, whether or not an importer declares they have complied with the regulation when their goods enter Australia; and secondly, for 18 months

following commencement, the department’s focus will be on helping importers and domestic processors comply with the due diligence requirements.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Government’s position paper clarifieskey points of concern over legislation

Reality is that the regulation is now law: TDA

From P 6

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Stephen Mitchell Richard ColbeckJohn Halkett Andrew Dunn

PAGE | ISSUE 3228

SOME Tasmanian forest contractors who have received grants to leave the industry want to return, says a federal government source.

Under the Tasmanian Forests Agreement, also known as the forest peace deal, the former federal Labor government provided $45 million in exit grants.

However, now the deal is being dismantled by the new state Liberal government, some of the 87 contractors whose grant applications were approved have had a change of heart, says an ABC report.

The payments were capped at $3 million and the contractors had to agree not to work in the sector for 10 years.

Tasmanian Liberal Senator Richard Colbeck, who is also the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, has confi rmed

some are now trying to return to the industry.

“I have had conversations with some in the forest contractors’ sector about the opportunity to buy back into

the industry,” he said. “There is a process in place

under which they can look at buying their way back into the industry if that’s what they want to do.”

Senator Colbeck argued that it is a sign the timber industry in Tasmania is recovering.

“The economy in the forestry industry was damaged so badly by the Labor Party and the Greens that demand for forest products declined, and that demand is now returning,” he said.

Contractors who want to return to the industry have to repay their grants and enter a deed of termination with the commonwealth.

Senator Colbeck says one has already taken up the offer.

A report by the Commonwealth Auditor-General last year found millions of dollars from the exit scheme had been given to people who may not have been eligible. The government investigated 18 allegations of fraud. None was found to be valid.

Buying wayback intothe industry

INDUSTRY NEWS

Contractors paid to leave forestsnow want to return to the industry

info@forestry.org.au | www.forestry.org.au

Getting a grip on forest jobs ... contractors want to return to industry.

Building recoveryremains on track

BASED on the latest housing fi nance data, the recovery in residential building is set to continue but at a more sustainable rate.

Master Builders Australia chief economist Peter Jones says despite the fl at headline fi gure for the number of owner occupied housing fi nance commitments in April, builders will be encouraged to see that, overall, fi nance commitments underpinning the upturn in residential building activity are holding up.

“While the number of commitments for construction or purchase of new dwellings fell in April, there has been solid growth over the year,” he said.

“Commitments for

construction of dwellings fell in April, but are up 15% over the year.”

Investors remain a key driver of the upturn in residential building activity, with the value of commitments for investment housing continuing to power ahead, up by 2.3% in April to be 30% higher than a year ago.”

However, Mr Jones said home-buyers only represented 12.3% of all dwelling fi nanced in April, down two percentage points on the 14.3% last year.

“Looking ahead, builders will be looking to the government to rollout the detail of its national economic growth strategy foreshadowed in the Budget to boost home-buyer and investor confi dence,” Mr Jones said.

9ISSUE 322 | PAGE

QUEENSLANDERS will be better trained for real jobs following the release of a $615 million vocational education and training plan.

The Minister for Education, Training and Employment John-Paul Langbroek said the plan detailed how the state government would be investing the $615 million in 2014-2015 to address skills shortages and boost productivity.

“The plan lays the foundation for a sustainable and responsive sector to ensure that Queensland’s economy is supported by a fi rst-class training system,” Mr Langbroek said.

“It will ensure growth in the four pillars of the economy – tourism, agriculture, resources and construction and increase job prospects as we promised at the election.”

Mr Langbroek said the plan provided a framework for training linked to employment outcomes and heralded a new approach to training investment in Queensland.

“The investment plan outlines a new funding model for government investment in training and provides for greater transparency in government decision-making,” he said.

“One of its highlights is the introduction of full contestability by July 2 this year, giving greater student choice and industry-guided investment in training.”

Key elements include a government investment of $225 million to train apprentices and trainees through User Choice, part of a commitment to create an extra 10,000 apprenticeship commencements.

“We will also invest $155 million to support Queenslanders without a formal qualifi cation to achieve their fi rst post-school certifi cate III level qualifi cation, which is considered entry-level for employment in most industry sectors,” Mr Langbroek said.

“Industry and employers will also have the opportunity to partner with government on training solutions to address their workforce needs in priority areas, through a $10 million industry partnerships strategy.

“Our pre-qualifi ed supplier network will lead to greater choice for individuals and employers and foster greater innovation and competition in the training market in Queensland,” he said.

“These programs will help achieve our government’s aim of economic and social prosperity for all Queenslanders, by boosting productivity, increasing the number of people in the workforce and minimising skills shortage.”.

For more information go to training.qld.gov.au / vetinvestmentplan

Timber & Forestry e-news is the most authoritative and quickest deliverer of news and special features to the forest and forest products industries in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacifi c region. Weekly distribution is over 16000 copies, delivered every Monday. Advertising rates are the most competitive of any industry magazine in the region. Timber&Forestry e-news hits your target market – every week, every Monday!

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Skills shortagestargeted in strongstate training plan

John-Paul Langbroek .. plan aims to create an extra 10,000 apprenticeship commencements.

New fundingmodel forinvestment

PAGE | ISSUE 3221 0

THE sponsors of New Zealand’s independent forestry safety review welcome the public consultation document issued by the review panel on June 6.

”It poses a series of questions which will provide a useful structure for the public consultation meetings that began last Thursday,” Forest Owners Association president Paul Nicholls said.

“We strongly encourage forest owners, contractors, workers and anyone else with an interest in improving the safety of people working in forestry to

go to one of the meetings, or to make a private submission,” Mr Nicholls said.

“If you have ideas, the panel wants to hear them. If you can’t reach a meeting, or feel uncomfortable speaking publicly, there is a worker feedback form on the panel’s website and contact details for emails and phone calls.

“The panel is also having a series of private meetings with forest workers which we strongly encourage workers to take advantage of. It is crucial that the panel hears from those whose safety is most at risk.”

The Forest Owners Association, along with the Forest Contractors and the Farm Forestry Association, have sponsored the independent

inquiry.Mr Nicholls says the sponsors

are encouraged that the panel recognises that forest safety is a complex issue that will need a multi-stranded approach in order to improve the situation.

“One of the challenges highlighted in the consultation document is a lack of consistency across the industry when it comes to training, application of codes of practice, safety standards and regulatory oversight,” Mr Nicholls said.

“While the sector is very diverse, there is no reason why a high standard of safety cannot be uniformly applied in all our forests.

“We welcome practical options for achieving this. As the panel acknowledges, there is an opportunity to learn from good practice and apply it more widely. We are also pleased to note the emphasis they place on an appropriate safety culture as a vital ingredient in achieving the outcomes that everyone wants.

“Ensuring that health and safety requirements are supported and incorporated into the contracts between forest owners and managers, and those who tend and harvest their forests, has been identified by the review as an important underpinning of a safer system. We agree.”

INDUSTRY NEWS

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NZ forest owners urge people tospeak up on safety issue review

Forest safety in New Zealand a complex issue

Paul Nicholls .. no reason why a high standard of safety cannot be uniformly applied in all forests.

Workers encouraged to attend private meetings

Opportunity to learn from good practice

Norske Skog generates jobsin $85m paper plant upgradeNORSKE Skog’s upgrade of its Boyer mill in southern Tasmania has involved the conversion of one of two newsprint machines to the production of light weight coated paper.

The $85 million project took 18 months to complete and generated 250 jobs during the peak of construction. The mill supports more than 1200 direct and indirect jobs each year. Almost 200 Tasmanian firms were involved in the project.

“Local expenditure was over $40 million, which is in addition to $140 million spent on wages and salaries and local goods

and services every year,” the mill’s general manager Rod Bender said.

Australian Forest Products Association CEO Ross Hampton said the Boyer project was an excellent example of a company with a strong connection in the region backing the future of paper manufacturing in Australia.

“Importantly, the converted machine has an annual capacity of 140,000 tonnes of LWC paper which will help reduce our reliance on imports and contribute to a better balance of trade,” Mr Hampton said.

1 1ISSUE 322 | PAGE

THE Australian Forest Products Association strongly supports the work of the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia which is testing timber building materials to ensure they meet Australian standards.

Visiting the EWPAA materials testing laboratory in Brisbane last Thursday, AFPA chairman Greg McCormack said: “The materials testing that is happening here is vital to the Australian building industry and gives builders and architects peace of mind when specifying engineered wood for high-load applications.”

EWPAA general manager Simon Dorries said: “It is not going too far to say that lives are being placed at risk through the use of some cut-price imported products that claim to meet the Australian standard, but when tested, clearly fail.”

Mr Dorries said certifi cation

testing of plywood, LVL, MDF and particleboard was being conducted to ensure manufactured products were continuing to meet standards.

‘Far too often we discover serious fl aws in some of the materials coming into the country,” he said.

“The message is clear – look for the EWPAA ‘tick’ of approval and help keep workers safe.”

Mr Dorries said Australian wood products were also tested to ensure they met the standards applicable to overseas markets.

“Materials testing is one part of the scientifi c research and development that is currently under threat and yet the fi eld should be growing,” he said.

Mr McCormack said timber was enjoying something of a renaissance, replacing concrete and steel, as architects and buyers looked for more

sustainable building solutions.AFPA has proposed

establishment of a National Institute for Forest Products Innovation to coordinate the disparate, but vital, research efforts in Australia; all six states have thrown their weight behind the proposal.

“Research and development into new products, such as the

possibility of manufacturing cross-laminated timber from Australian plantation sources, must be an important focus in our national future research efforts,” Mr McCormack said.

“It is absolutely imperative that Australia gets behind our forest products industry or we will lag further and further behind our competitors.”

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EWPAA-branded products are independently tested to the highest standard and guaranteed to comply with Australian and New Zealand building codes and standards.

Certi� ed under JAS-ANZ accredited product certi � ation, they carry the designated design loads that meet the safety and quality requirements of trade unions and comply with all workplace health and safety standards.

ENGINEERED WOOD

Materials testing for the 21st CenturyAFPA chair inspects EWPAA laboratories

Bonding .. FWPA chairman Greg McCormack (right) and EWPAA general manager Simon Dorries check an autoclave used for testing bond quality in wood during an inspection of EWPAA laboratories in Brisbane last week.

PAGE | ISSUE 3221 2

THE Pacific Rim log industry is witnessing a major, and as yet uncompleted, price correction for radiata pine logs into China.

This market has been developing well for Australia and industry analyst Dennis Neilson reports regularly seeing loads of Australian K grade and KIS grade logs at Chinese ports and in veneer mills and sawmill and pulp mill log yards.

But will the price correction be deep enough and long enough to put a stop to this market in the meantime?

These issues will be widely debated at DANA Ltd’s Australian Forest Industry Conference at the Bayview Eden Hotel in Melbourne in August, both formally in the conference program and informally at networking sessions.

Organiser Dennis Neilson says based on forward trends the conference promises to be a premier forest industry event with 23 speakers and panelists presenting over two days – August 7 and 8.

This includes 13 speaker from Australia and 10 high-profile specialists in their fields from overseas – two from China,

two from Canada, two from the US and one each from Chile, Finland and New Zealand.

Shanghai-based RISI forestry specialist Gavin Hao will provide an extended presentation on North Asian and Indian softwood and woodchip markets, where Australia fits into these markets in 2013 and 2014, and predictions about future demand.

As well as extensive coverage of the two major woodchip markets, Japan and China, he will cover Taiwan, Korea and the new Indian market.

Mr Hao is a major contributor to the annual RISI (Boston) International Pulpwood Trade Review which includes a detailed monthly and year to date summary of all trade statistics by exporting and importing country for softwood and hardwood chips. He has just

attended the annual RISI China pulp and paper conference in Shanghai, and continually keeps abreast of Pacific Rim-North Asian and Indian woodchip markets and players.

The secretary-general of

the Shanghai Timber Trading Association Peixin Li will convene an informal interactive seminar late on Thursday, August 7 – ‘Australian Pine: Current and Future Demand in China’.

Mr Li is very conversant with softwood (including Australia and New Zealand radiata pine) wood product demand in the wider Shanghai basin and also China generally. DANA is also working with Mr Li and Gavin Hao to discuss the existing and future potential demand in China for Australian E. nitens and E. globulus logs.

“Some Australian players predict a huge future for this business,” Mr Neilson said.

To assist companies and organisations who send more than one staff member to the conference, DANA is offering generous discounts for multiple registrations.

Full registration details, plus the program, speakers, sponsorship and online registration can be viewed at prcc.com.au / danamelbourne2014 or contact Pamela Richards at pam@prcc.com.au

FOREST INDUSTRY CONFERENCE – MELBOURNE

Conference debates Australia’srole in Pacific Rim log industry23 speakers and panelists present over two days

Major Asian woodchip markets under scrutiny at DANA conference in Melbourne.

Gavin Hao .. extended presentation on North Asian and Indian softwood and woodchip markets

Will the price correction be deep enough?

Wide coverage of woodchip markets in Asia

Hoo-Hoo Bush Bash car drives dollars for children’s charitiesBRISBANE Hoo-Hoo Club 218’s entry in the Variety Bush Bash from Brisbane to Sydney in August has driven the dollars raised for children’s charities beyond $12,000.

“This is a supreme effort by industry and more funds have been pledged by supporters,” Car 253 crew captain Tim Evans said.

Club 218 has acknowledged

the generous support of Forest and Wood Products Australia and Tim and co-driver Dorothy Ferris will distributing more than 300 industry promotional bags to schools on the journey, which begins in the capital of Cane Toad kingdom at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane and finishes 10 days later in the heart of Cockroach country at Moore Park in Sydney.

Sponsors so far confirmed include: Patsy Evans, Alan Jones. Penne Evans, Jim Burgess. Guy Feest, Dorothy Ferris, Christine Tonetto, Ben Hardwick. Bobbie Thomson, Advanced Timber Systems, Peter Duncan, Rebecca McGregor, CHH Wood Products Caboolture Facility Social Club, Derek Simmonds, Ferris, Gerry Gardner, TimTechChem, Bill

Nutting, Noel Wootten, IVS, Robertson Bros, Hoo-Hoo Club 218, Quicksilver Limos, John Crooke, Peter and Carolyn Mort, J & B Parkin, NT Open Education Centre, Timber&Forestry enews.

Donate on-line at https://2014bash.everydayhero.com/au/tim

All sponsorships will be recognised.

1 3ISSUE 322 | PAGE

REPRESENTATIVES of the Japanese Food and Agricultural Materials Inspection Centre (FAMIC) were in Brisbane recently for the annual audit of the JAS standards program that certifies plywood and LVL use in Japan.

• Pictured at EWPAA offices at Eagle Farm are, standing, Simon Dorries, general manager, and Sunao Nakata, JAS inspection department, Food and Agricultural Materials Inspection Centre, Kobe, Japan; and seated, Masaki Imamura, JAS inspection department, and Masatoshi Tomoi, EWPAA senior technical consultant, based in Tokyo.

The JAS (Japan Agricultural Standard) program refers to the certification system

that attaches the JAS marks to products inspected in accordance with requirements of Japan’s Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

The Japanese visitors were given a tour of inspection at EWPAA’s new offices and laboratories at Eagle Farm.

TASMANIA’S Premier Will Hodgman has turned the first sod on construction of a new plywood mill in the state’s northwest.

About 200 jobs are expected to be created through the construction and operation of the mill next to Ta Ann’s existing Smithton factory.

Half of the $15 million investment comes from a federal government grant connected to the Tasmanian forests agreement.

A Bill to repeal the agreement has passed Tasmania’s Lower House but still needs the approval of the Legislative Council.

Speakers at the sod-turning, including Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture Senator Richard

Colbeck, Braddon MP Brett Whitelely and Will Hodgman, emphasised the federal and state governments wanted to increase timber supply.

Mr Hodgman said the project was a sign of renewed confidence in Tasmania.

Senator Colbeck said the Liberals’ plan to re-classify some native forests for logging would help Ta Ann.

“We have a company here that is looking to have a sustained future, and the tragedy of the Tasmanian forests agreement is that it didn’t provide a sustainable resource,” Senator Colbeck said.

Ta Ann’s Greg Hickey said the reclassified land would not help his company. “We won’t

be accepting wood from any of those areas,” he said.

Ta Ann executive director Simon Kang thanked those present for joining with the company to mark another important milestone in its business in Tasmania.

“We are delighted that Vos Constructions are again our partners in building this important value-adding investment,” Mr Kang said.

“We also wish to thank the Mayor of Circular Head, council staff, and the whole northwest community for their support for our investment here in Smithton.”

Mr Kang also expressed the company’s appreciation of the continuing support of the key environmental groups in the markets for Ta Ann’s hardwood veneer products.

The mill is expected to begin operating by December.

Being a TABMA member gives you:

• Group buying discounts• Assistance with the placement of

trainees & apprentices• CoC certifi cation advice• Industry specifi c staff recruitment at

competitive rates • National networking opportunities• An exclusive trade credit insurance plan• Technical advice and assistance• Industrial relations advice• WH&S audits• Annual Timber Industry Dinner

Call 1800 822 621 for membership enquiries

First sod turned on constructionof new plywood mill in Tasmania

INDUSTRY NEWS

Governments want to increase timber supply

Spade work .. official guests help turn the first sod for the building of the Ta Ann plywood mill to be located next to the existing veneer plant at Smithton. – Launceston Examiner photo.

Japanese JAS auditorsvisit EWPAA in Brisbane

PAGE | ISSUE 3221 4

BY JIM BOWDEN

THE pioneers of Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Timber Industry Club 218 chose June 6 for a lunch to celebrate their early membership of a club that started almost 51 years ago.

The 24 pioneers that gathered at Moda, Brisbane’s Portside function centre, were reminded that the international order of Hoo-Hoo was formed 70 years before the foundation of Club 218 – in 1892 in the US – and that their lunch date also marked 70 years since the D-Day landings in Normanby on June 6, 1944.

Among the pioneers were two contributors to the war effort – Tony Stokes, 88, and Peter Wilkinson, 90.

Mr Stokes was on Biak Island off the western coast of New Guinea in June 1944, stationed with the 111 Mobile Fighter Patrol Unit, a RAAF radar surveillance and air defence division. The island was held by 11,000 Japanese troops.

[The New Guinea campaign (1942–1945) was one of the major military campaigns of World War 2. About 216,000 Japanese, Australian and US soldiers, sailors and airmen died during the campaign].

Mr Stokes also served with the radar unit in Morotai, one of Indonesia’s northernmost islands, which was eventually taken by the Allies as a much-needed base to support the liberation of the Philippines. He was then transferred to a small island off the northwest coast of Borneo where the unit boarded ducks for night landings at Borneo’s Miri Beach, and at the time his radar camp was only 30 km away from the Sandakan death marches.

On leave in Australia In 1946, Mr Stokes requested to be part of the occupation force in Japan, led by General Douglas MacArthur, but when this didn’t eventuate he rejoined his old firm of Hancock and Gore, a sawmiller and timber and joinery merchant in South Brisbane.

Tony Stokes, 89 on October 1, said: “I guess I’m bloody fortunate to be here at my age, and I still get around.” He seldom misses a Brisbane Hoo-Hoo pioneers’ lunch and still drives his car, working occasionally as a timber consultant.

He is a life member of the Queensland Southeastern District RSL and was president from 1988 to 1993.

Also enjoying the camaraderie at Portside was 90-year Peter Wilkinson, a pioneer Queensland sawmiller whose family was based at Yandina in the Sunshine

Coast hinterland.The family provided timber to

the 55th US Navy construction Battalion (Seabees) which had arrived in Brisbane in March 1943, desperate for building materials

As historian Peter Dunn recalled, “a logging party from Company B was sent to the Yandina sawmill to cut logs; 640,000 ft of logs were cut and yarded”.

The 55th Seabees were involved in naval construction activities in New Guinea. The Yandina sawmill was referred to in official US Navy documents as the ‘Yandina Logging Job’ and the sawmill was to have an output of 7000 board feet of timber a day.

Peter Wilkinson and his brother David were directors of Wilkinson Day and Grimes at Yandina and became joint managing directors of Wilkinson Timber Industries, based at Mount Gravatt – Peter looking after sawmilling operations and David responsible for timber merchandising.

Peter remained as MD when his brother moved to Oxley to run Forest Products Marketing. Both served terms as chairman of the Queensland Timber Board – David in the 1960s and Peter in the 1970s.

EVENTS

Pioneers all ears as stories of thepast unfold at Brisbane luncheonHoo-Hoo memories as club welcomes Peter, 90, and Tony, 88

Timber from Wilkinsons for US battalion

Gathering in Brisbane for a Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Club 218 lunch for club pioneers are, seated from left, Malcolm Powell, Worrall McCarthy, John Crooke, Charlie Henry, Tony Stokes and Noel Griffiths, and standing, Charles Achilles, Peter Mort, Bill Neilson, Peter Wilkinson, Errol Wildman, David McIntyre, Colin Galley, Alan Jones, Don Towerton, Tim Evans, Mark Kapper, Norm Forbes, Chris Hall, David Lennan, Graeme Miles, and Norris Lewis.

Club 218 pioneers .. Errol Wildman, Toowoomba, and Peter Wilkinson, Maleny, reminisce about their times as chairmen, respectively, of the Queensland Timber Board – Errol in the 1980s and Peter in the 1970s. Photos by Charles Achilles

Veteran Tony Stokes enjoys the pioneers’ lunch in Brisbane.

1 5ISSUE 322 | PAGE

IN 2001, Witt Design launched its Stave stool range at the Tasmanian Wood Design Collection’s Grand Exhibition and received an exceptional award:

‘A furniture item with a major design component is based on the sustainable application of Tasmanian regrowth or plantation eucalypt designed for high quality manufacture and sale’.

Now, after 10-plus years of reliable production and fl at pack shipping around the world, Witt Design is making major innovations in the manufacturing process.

Allan Witt says fewer core laminations in the legs make for fewer manufacturing steps, very little waste and a smaller carbon footprint than the original stools.

The new cores are hand-selected from Ta Ann Tasmania’s rotary peeled regrowth eucalypt stock.

The result, says Mr Witt, is an improvement on a classic – modern stools with an eco-twist.

“Old-world quality craftsmanship, attention to detail, modern design excellence and sustainable manufacturing deliberately go

counter to a throwaway culture of irresponsible manufacturing and haphazard quality,” he says.

Celebrating this leap forward, Witt Design is offering a special 15% discount for Stave stool purchases made before June 30. Selections can be made on www.wittdesign.com.au. In the shopping cart, enter the word ‘sustainable’ in the coupon box, then click ‘apply’ and the discount will be deducted.

Specialty veneer options are blackwood (brown), myrtle (pink) and eucalypt (blond). As Witt Design is still making stools to order, till stocks are built up with

the new process, allow up to six weeks from order to dispatch. Flat pack shipping (national and international) is free.

The fi rst 10 people who place an order will receive a free Natural Inspirations Chair-side table with eucalypt legs and a tabletop veneered to match their stools.

The light elegant table is a design collaboration between Peter Costello and Allan Witt – another example of great design from Tasmania.

Email Allan Witt at allan@wittdesign.com.au

*** ***INNOVATIVE Dutch industrial

design skills have produced the fi rst 100% wooden sunglasses.

Qoowl designers challenged themselves to create a functional product from a single sheet of plywood by experimenting with the qualities and properties of the material.

The ShadE sunglasses are made without additives or supporting materials, reducing the weight to only 14 grams. They are produced from a single piece of wood using laser-cutting technique to achieve the highest precision in terms of details. After the cutting, the wood is sanded, then the glasses are bent.

WOOD INNOVATION

Engineered Timber Products

Don’t WASTE timevisit www.loggo.com.au

Don’t WASTE an Opportunity

Loggo Pty Ltd has developed possibly the world’s CHEAPEST and most COST-EFFICIENT engineered wood product for fl oor

and house frame building.A world breakthrough in EWP technology .. a proven concept

in its infancy set to revolutionise production costs using the ‘throw-away’ waste timber market.

Joint venture partnerships as well as license agreements will be considered.

Sustainable furniture with an eco-twist

Selected fromrotary peeledregrowth stock

Design based on regrowth or plantation eucalypts

Innovative design .. prize-winning stoosl made from rotary peeled regrowth eucalypts.

Single-sheet shades .. plywood sunglasses weigh only 14 grams.

PAGE | ISSUE 3221 6

BRAZIL’S success in slowing rainforest destruction has resulted in enormous reductions in carbon emissions and shows that it’s possible to zealously promote sustainability while still growing the economy, suggests a new study.

The study released last week also shows deforestation has slowed in several other tropical countries.

Since 2004, farmers and ranchers in Brazil have saved more than 86,000 sq km of rainforest from clear-cutting, a team of scientists and economists from the US and South America report in Science Magazine.

At the same time, production of beef and soy from Brazil’s Amazon region rose.

The country has reduced deforestation by 70% and kept 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. The report says gives Brazil the biggest reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of any country; the cut is more than three times bigger than the effect of taking all the cars in the US off the road for a year.

The Science study’s lead author Daniel Nepstad of the Earth Innovation Institute in San Francisco says Brazil’s success in saving about 80% of the original Amazon serves as a model for other countries.

“This represents a completely different trajectory for forest areas over the last few centuries,” says Toby McGrath, a senior scientist at the institute and another of the study’s co-authors.

“For the first time in history, we are stopping the process of forest loss on a frontier before

it gets seriously depleted, while continuing to develop economies that still have substantial forest cover,” says McGrath.

Globally, deforestation is responsible for about 10% of all climate emissions, says another study released last week by the Union of Concerned Scientists. That’s down from 17% of emissions in the 1990s, thanks to falling rates of deforestation.

“Brazil is most notably lauded for their deforestation reductions, but the report found numerous example of successfully saving forests in unexpected locations,” study author Doug Boucher, director of the Union of Concerned Scientists Tropical Forest and Climate Initiative, said in a statement.

Mexico, El Salvador, and six countries in Central Africa, in particular, have shown decreased rates of deforestation.

For the Science study, scientists and economists analysed how Brazil was able to reverse decades of high rates of deforestation in the Amazon, starting in 2005, when then-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced the ambitious

goal of slashing the rate by 80% over the previous year. After that, things turned around due to a number of factors coming together, says McGrath.

One important element was the advancement of remote sensing technology. Although Brazil first passed a forest code requiring landowners in the Amazon to protect at least 50% of native forest in 1965, enforcement was spotty.

“Officials didn’t have good information on where deforestation was occurring and who was on the ground,” says McGrath.

Over the past few years, satellites have given officials a more precise picture of the forest, often in real time.

Another boost to deforestation efforts: the forest code was updated in 2012 and now requires landowners to preserve 80% of the Amazon’s virgin forest, as well as protect watersheds. Those that have violated the rules have increasingly received fines and even jail time in extreme cases.

Nonprofit groups, meanwhile, have helped publicise data on rule breakers and have built support for enforcing the law. Campaigns by Greenpeace,

Conservation International, and others put pressure on companies that buy products from the Amazon, especially beef and soy, shaming those that have been found to contribute to deforestation. Market agreements signed by companies took that a step further, prohibiting practices that lead to deforestation.

“In Brazil, there was rising awareness of the value of nature and how essential it is to our society,” says Fabio Rubio Scarano, the vice president of Conservation International’s Americas Division, who is based in Rio de Janeiro.

In a tough regulatory approach called “critical counties,” the Brazilian government also prohibits government loans to all agricultural producers in a county if there’s a lot of deforestation going on there. There has been rising opposition to this program, but it has been effective, says McGrath. “It increases internal pressure to make everybody fall in line.”

The Brazilian government has also created new protected reserves of forest in the Amazon, especially along frontier areas where deforestation had started. Managing these new areas has effectively stopped its tree loss, says Toby McGrath.– National Geographic.

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

Saving forests in unexpected locations

Brazil leads in reducing emissionsby slowing rainforests destruction

Satellite imagery .. scientific repport says the reduction in Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions is more than three times bigger than the effect of taking all the cars in the US off the road for a year.

Support for enforcing the laws

Scientists claim 86,000 sq km saved from clear cutting

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES

TEL: +61 429 508 050

1 7ISSUE 322 | PAGE

ON THE ROAD

WHEN it comes to fuel economy, little things add up, so going for a V8 engine means keeping an eye on driving style and maintenance.

We had to pull back on the reins of Holden’s luxury SSV Redline, which boasts advanced technology, sports-tuned suspension and a thumping V8.

The modern V8 engine is capable of returning excellent fuel economy both on the highway and in the city – if you avoid hard acceleration and keep it smooth and gentle.

The VF SSV is powered by a 6.0L Gen IV V8 engine that develops 270 kW at 5600 rpm of power and 530 Nm at 4400 rpm of torque. This engine drives the rear wheels through a six speed manual transmission. It will race from 0-100 km/h in about 5.5 seconds and has a top speed of well beyond what most drivers would sanely explore.

But Holden’s reported economy of around 11.8L/100 km can be bettered by driving at the speed limit and using the cruise control when possible. This compares with 9L/100 km for the V6 Holden VF Commodore, but you get an awful lot of car and performance with the SSV.

The shape of the new VF Commodore is stunning and takes the style further with 19 in. wheels and tyres, rear spoiler and front air dam with fog lights. It also sits low over the FE3 sports tuned suspension.

The leather heated driver’s seat is electrically adjustable eight ways and even the tallest of drivers will find it

comfortable. The leather multi adjustable steering wheel sits perfectly in your hands and boasts the usual controls. In the Redline, in front of the driver the dash features colour digital instrument display and a push button start.

The centre console contains an 8 in. colour touch screen and app-embedded technology including enhanced voice recognition and satellite navigation with full colour mapping. This is rounded off with live traffic updates, and a nine-speaker Bose premium audio and full iPod integration.

The remote start operates by key fob activation from as far away as 100 m. It not only starts

the vehicle but also activates the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, which will operate at the ‘last known’ fan and temperature setting.

In addition to techno gadgets such as a forward crash alert and a heads-up display which reflects the car’s speed into the windscreen, the Redline gets massive race-bred Brembo front brakes and wider rear tyres. It also gets sports seats and Holden’s lauded faux-suede material on the dash and doors.

Even with the sun roof, front passengers are well catered for. As you would expect in a car this size, so are the rear passengers. Plenty of knee,

head, shoulder room and the rear seats are individually sculptured more for two rather than three. The boot is huge, with a flat load area and a full size alloy spare.

Safety is paramount on the SSV – five-star ANCAP rating and the usual six airbags, But it also features extras such as an electric park brake with automatic release, rain sensing wipers, hill-hold control and hill start assist, daytime running lights and on automatic transmissions remote vehicle start.

At around $51,500 (plus on roads), the Holden VF SSV Redline is without doubt the best luxury performance sedan that Holden has ever built and the best car to ever wear a Commodore badge.

And a few more tips on getting the best V8 engine efficiency: keep the engine tuned and change the oil and filter regularly to dramatically improve fuel economy; if your V8 engine needs premium fuel, use it. It willl run on a lesser grade of petrol but at reduced performance and fuel economy. Always use the octane specified by the manufacturer.

Holden’s new SSV Redline wearsthe Commodore badge with pride

SSV Redline .. is this Holden’s best car to ever wear a Commodore badge?

Warm and safe .. Holden SSV has five-star ANCAP rating and leather heated driver’s seat adjustable in eight configurations.

Stunning shape and style

A lot of car and a lot of performance in luxury V8

Rear seats individually sculptured

PAGE | ISSUE 3221 8

THE COMMUNITY

07 3262 3001

Michael Hartman’s CEO sleep-outhelps raise awareness of homelessTHE CEO of ForestWorks Michael Hartman will sleep out in the cold this Thursday as part of the upcoming annual Vinnies CEO Sleep-Out.

Mr Hartman will trade his warm, cozy bed for a cardboard box to help raise awareness and funds for the 100,000-plus Australians who fi nd themselves homeless every night.

To date, ForestWorks’ staff have collectively donated more than $2300, supporting the Vinnies Homeless Services in Australia, and now, thanks to family, friends and a number of contributions from others in the industry, they have raised more than $5000.

Mr Hartman said he was overwhelmed by the individual contributions made by staff.

“The donations made by our 20 or so staff and contractors towards this cause are

outstanding,” he said. “With the event only a week or so away, it would be wonderful to receive further contributions from industry and provide as much support as possible for this worthy cause.”

He said $5000 was a great

outcome. “However our target is still $3000 away and this will place us in the top three contributors in Victoria.

“ForestWorks is an organisation that supports people development. We are mindful of important community

issues and challenges, and some people are struggling simply to put a roof over their heads.”

The charity event on June 19 will see hundreds of CEOs sleeping on the streets to support the appeal.

Working inside the box .. Michael Hartman prepares for a cold street sleep-out to raise greater awareness of Australia’s homeless.

1 9ISSUE 322 | PAGE

CLASSIFIEDS

Forest and Wood Products Australia Limited (FWPA) is seeking to appoint at least two non-executive directors to its

skills-based Board.

At least one of the appointees is required to be independent of the industry and must not be a director or employee of an FWPA voting member. Candidates with strong skills in the area of best

practice corporate governance, marketing or market development would be highly regarded.

FWPA is an unlisted public company (limited by guarantee) that provides national, integrated promotion, research and

development services for the Australian forest and wood products industry.

FWPA is committed to helping the industry be collaborative, innovative, sustainable and competitive. Company members are wood processors, forest growers, and importers of wood

products. As a rural research and development corporation, the Company also receives matching funds from the Commonwealth

government for its R&D activities.

Information about FWPA and the process for appointing Directors is set out in FWPA’s Constitution, available from the company’s

website at www.fwpa.com.au/

An independent Director Selection Committee established under the Company’s Constitution will consider proposals for

candidates, and recommend to the FWPA Board persons for nomination for appointment as a Director. The Committee is required to ensure that candidates will result in a balanced,

skills-based Board.

All candidates must provide a covering letter and resume and clearly identify their ability to meet one or more of the requisite

skills and experience nominated in FWPA’s Constitution (clause 13.14).

Applications will only be received by email and should be sent to the Secretary, Director Selection Committee:

rob.lockwood@fwpa.com.au

Please note the closing date for applications is Friday 11th July, 2014

POSITIONS VACANTNon-executive directors (2)

GOTTSTEIN TRUST APPLICATIONS FOR 2015 AWARDS

The closing date for applications is 19th September 2014.Applications should be forwarded to:Dr Silvia Pongracic, Secretary,J. W. Gottstein Memorial Trust Fund,Private Bag 10, Clayton South, VIC 3169Telephone: 0418 764 954Email: secretary@gottsteintrust.org

The Joseph William Gottstein Memorial Trust invites applications from interested persons for Gottstein Fellowships and Gottstein Industry Awards.

GOTTSTEIN FELLOWSHIPS

Fellowships are awarded to people from or associated with Australian forest industries to further their experience, education or training either within or outside Australia by undertaking a project. Appropriate project topics are listed on the Gottstein website (www.gottsteintrust.org). Candidates will be selected on the focus of their project, and on their ability to complete and disseminate the information acquired.

GOTTSTEIN INDUSTRY AWARDS

These awards are available to assist workers in the Australian forest industries to improve their industry knowledge and work skills. Applications focusing on small group study tourswill be favourably viewed, although any relevant project topic may be proposed.Candidates will be selected on the value of the project.

INTERVIEWS

Applications for each category will be considered by the Trustees and promising applicants will be selected for interviews in October 2014.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further details may be obtained from the Trust’s website atwww.gottsteintrust.org, or from the Secretary.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS

PAGE | ISSUE 32220

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