1SEPTEMBER 1 2014 | PAGE

A STUDY led by Yale University a respected US institution with origins dating back to1640 confi rms that using more wood and less steel and concrete in building and bridge construction substantially reduces global carbon dioxide emissions and fossil fuel consumption

Despite an established forest conservation theory holding that tree harvesting should be strictly minimised to prevent the loss of biodiversity and to maintain carbon storage capacity the new study shows that sustainable management of wood resources can achieve both goals while also reducing fossil fuel burning

The results were published in the Journal of Sustainable Forestry

Wood graduateswith Honours

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Setting the standardfor sustainable forest

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Globally recognised by PEFCthe worldrsquos largest sustainable forest

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bull TimberMerchantsbull Suppliers

bull ManufacturersContact us on1800 TABMA1

ISSUE 333 | September 1 2014

Cont P 3

Delivered weekly to timber merchants sawmillers wood processors foresters members of national state and trade organisations and associations

throughout Australia New Zealand and various countriesClick to join our Mailing ListClick to join our Mailing List

Osmosereg and DeterMitereg 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 copy 2014 Osmose Inc

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Yale research fi nds increased timber harvest has profound positive eff ect

Yale University study using more wood and less steel and concrete in building and bridge construction will substantially reduce global carbon dioxide emissions

Wood graduatesforesters members of national state and trade organisations and associations

throughout Australia New Zealand and various countries

PAGE | SEPTEMBER 1 20142

THE timber industry and foresters in Australia and Canada have questioned a report by two academics that links logging with increased fire danger

Melbourne Universityrsquos Dr Chris Taylor and Professor David Lindenmayer at the Australian National University claim clear fell logging of mountain ash forests in Victoria added to the intensity and severity of fires on Black Saturday

Chief executive of the Australian Forest Products Association Ross Hampton says there is conflicting evidence on the link between bushfire and logging

ldquoThere is a lot of evidence that goes both ways on thatrdquo he said

ldquoLetrsquos just be so careful when we decide that a particular study decides that the forest industry was particularly part of a problemrdquo

Mr Hampton argues a true assessment of forestryrsquos link to bushfire should include the industryrsquos positive contribution to fighting fires

Taylor and Lindenmayer claims logging practices ldquogreatly increase the severity of firesrdquo in extreme weather conditions such as Black Saturday

The say they examined hundreds of thousands of trees burnt in the 2009 bushfires in Victoria which claimed the lives of 173 people on a day of extreme temperatures and high winds

They found that the increased fire risk began about seven years after an area had been logged and lasted for another 50 years

Many of Australiarsquos leading fire scientists simply do not agree that timber harvesting increases

fire intensity thereby contributing to increased deaths and property damage

Professor Peter Attiwill AM School of Botany University of Melbourne says research in 2013 by fire experts around Australia including the University of Melbourne found bushfires did not burn more intensely in forests where there has been timber harvesting than in national parks and reserves where there is no harvesting

In fact aerial imagery taken after the 2009 bushfires highlighted that areas of young forest regrowing after timber harvesting were some of the only areas unburnt during the high-intensity stages of the wildfire

ldquoThe reality is the small amount of forest harvested for timber means these areas do not have an impact on overall fire severityrdquo Prof Atiwill said

ldquoThese claims of Professor Lindenmayer cause unnecessary concern in fire-affected communities when our published research shows the intensity of recent bushfires in Victoria had nothing to do with timber harvestingrdquo

Respected Queensland forester Dick Pegg who has

more than 50 yearsrsquo experience in forest fires said it never ceased to amaze him how these academics kept coming up with this nonsense

ldquoIn this case it seems they are talking about coupe clear falling and not selective loggingrdquo Mr Pegg said

ldquoI have never heard of David Lindenmayer and have no idea of his background or experience He does not seem to understand the difference between hazard and risk

ldquoNo data are produced in the comments so it is not possible to comment on how he came up with his recommendationsrdquo

Dick Powell chairman of the Oregon Society of American Foresters says reports that forest thinning will increase wildfire risk begs for a response

ldquoAll life requires moisture energy air and nutrientsrdquo he said

ldquoOn any given area those are finite and the life that can be supported (its carrying capacity) is also finite This applies to ranchers wildlife biologists farmers and backyard gardeners

ldquoFor example farmers donrsquot plant corn two inches apart with

INDUSTRY NEWS

forestworksforestworkscomau

wwwforestworkscomau

A forester inspects a young ponderosa pine tree growing in an area destroyed by 2013primes Rim Fire near Groveland California much of which was blamed on massive fuel build-up

lsquoLogging practice greatly increase severity of firesrsquo

Forest harvesting link to fires danger off the markConflicting evidence draws industry criticism

Cont P 4

3SEPTEMBER 1 2014 | PAGE

In the comprehensive study scientists from the Yale school of forestry and environmental studies and the University of Washingtonrsquos College of the Environment evaluated a range of scenarios including leaving forests untouched burning wood for energy and using various solid wood products for construction

The researchers calculated that the amount of wood harvested globally each year (34 billion cub m) is equivalent to only about 20 of annual wood growth (17 billion cub m) and much of that harvest is burned inefficiently for cooking

They found that increasing the wood harvest to the equivalent of 34 or more of annual wood growth would have profound and positive effects

Between 14 and 31 of global CO2 emissions could be avoided by preventing emissions related to steel and concrete by storing CO2 in the cellulose and lignin of wood products and other factors

About 12 to 19 of annual global fossil fuel consumption would be saved including savings achieved because scrap wood and unsellable materials could be burned for energy replacing fossil fuel consumption

Wood-based construction consumes much less energy than concrete or steel construction For example manufacturing a wood floor beam requires 80 megajoules (mj) of energy per square metre of floor space and emits 4 kg of CO2 By comparison for the same square meter a steel beam requires 516 mj and emits 40 kg of CO2 and a concrete

slab floor requires 290 mj and emits 27 kg of CO2

Through efficient harvesting and product use more CO2 is saved through the avoided emissions materials and wood energy than is lost from the harvested forest the Yale study suggests

ldquoThis study shows still another reason to appreciate forests ndash and another reason to not let them be permanently cleared for agriculturerdquo the director of the Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry and lead author of the new study Prof Chadwick Oliver said

ldquoForest harvest creates a temporary opening that is needed by forest species such as butterflies and some birds and deer before it regrows to large trees But conversion to agriculture is a permanent loss of all forest biodiversityrdquo

The manufacture of steel concrete and brick accounts for about 16 of global fossil fuel consumption When the transport and assembly of steel concrete and brick products is considered its share of fossil fuel burning is closer to 20 to 30 Prof Oliver said

ldquoReductions in fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions from construction will become increasingly critical as demand for new buildings bridges and other infrastructure is expected to surge worldwide in the coming decades with economic development in Asia Africa and South Americardquo says a previous Yale study

And innovative construction techniques are now making wood even more effective in bridges and mid-rise apartment buildings

According to Prof Oliver carefully managed harvesting also reduces the likelihood of catastrophic wildfires

And maintaining a mix of forest habitats and densities in non-reserved forests ndash in addition to keeping some global forests in reserves ndash would help preserve biodiversity in ecosystems worldwide

About 125 of the worldrsquos forests are currently located in reserves

ldquoForests historically have had a diversity of habitats that different species needrdquo Prof Oliver emphasised

ldquoThis diversity can be maintained by harvesting some of the forest growthrdquo

INDUSTRY NEWS

Keeping some global forests in reserves

From P 1

Carefully managed harvesting reduces likelihood of wildfires

Kroon Hall timber building the recently completed home of Yalersquos School of Forestry and Environmental Studies has just been awarded a Platinum LEED ndash the highest designation offered by the US Green Building Council

Professor Chadwick Oliver harvestedwood will save fossil fuel and CO2 and provide jobs

PAGE | SEPTEMBER 1 20144

ENGINEERED WOOD

Expos Information Seminars Product Launches

Architect Supplier Presentations Recruitment Training

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an abundance of weeds and gardeners donrsquot plant tomatoes two inches apart under the apple treerdquo

Dr Powell said carrying capacity varied greatly He said coastal range rainfall was plentiful and forests might support several hundred trees per acre as well as other vegetation

Eastern Oregon forests are drier and may support less than 100 trees and with far less other vegetation

ldquoPost-settlement wersquove put out fires and greatly increased fuels and numbers of treesrdquo Dr Powell said

ldquoIn eastern and southern Oregon rainfall limits the landrsquos carrying capacity Thinning will reduce drought-related stress and the amount of fuels

ldquoFire needs heat (matches and lightning) oxygen and fuel Take one away (dirt smothers flames water cools fire or remove fuel) and the fire goes out Thinning removes some of the fuel and lessens the likelihood of catastrophic fire

ldquoThere are many examples where crown fires came to a thinned area dropped down and crept across the thinned forestrsquos floor Once through the thinned area they went back up into the canopy and resumed their

catastrophic fire behaviourldquoI agree that thinning will not

prevent wildfires Preventing wildfires requires there be no lightning or people who start fires What thinning will do is reduce the amount of available fuel should a fire start

A dense canopy lets little sunlight pass through to the understory and allows less diversity of flora and fauna Besides reducing available fuel thinning opens the canopy gets more sunlight into the understory and greatly increases the forestrsquos diversity

ldquoUntil tree crowns grow together a young forest has lots of sunlight reaching the ground and has the greatest diversity of both flora and fauna After crown closure that diversity begins to diminish Later as it matures and trees die fall over or tops die sunlight again begins to pass through the canopy and into the understory and diversity increases

ldquoThinning that maturing forest brings diversity back more quickly than if left alone

ldquoRemoving fuels and maintaining a green understory creates a smaller fire hazard than an accumulation of dry woody fuels Similarly a layer of dry leaves around a house is far more hazardous than if green grass surrounded itrdquo

Thinning maturingforests brings back

diversity quicklyFrom P 2

Ross HamptonDavid Lindenmayer Dick Pegg

Carrying capacity cannot sustain the added growth

Thinning that mature forest brings diversity

5SEPTEMBER 1 2014 | PAGE

SEPTEMBER 13 2nd Annual Women in Forest amp Timber Network Charity Champagne High Tea Franklin Villa 35 Brighton Road Highgate Hill Brisbane 2 pm-5 pm Tickets $55 pp Fab food chilled champagne and great prizes Register at wwwtimberqueenslandcomauevents 17-18 Wood Innovations 2014 Timber Preservation ndash Wood Modification ndash Composite Products ndash Rotorua NZ 23-24 Melbourne (wwwwoodinnovations2014com) Changes in new wood treatment formulations processes and systems standards legislation with the focus also on wood plastic composites and modified wood products19-20 ForestTECH 2014 Rotorua NZ 25-26 Melbourne (wwwforesttech2014com) Remote sensing field Inventory forest estate planning25 Make the Connection Engineered wood seminar Moda Events Portside Level 2 Portside Wharf 39 Hercules Street Hamilton 215 pm-530 pm (includes afternoon tea and cocktail function) Free entry for Timber Queensland members and technical subscribers Non-members $40 pp Industry experts discuss the design specification and realities of developing buildings incorporating glued-laminated timber (glulam) wood I-joists cross-laminated timber wood structural panels and some world firsts post-tensioned round timber wall panels round timber floor panels and hollow timber piles Guest speakers panel sessions and live demonstration included Details at wwwtimberqueenslandcomauevents (see notice Page 16) OCTOBER

10 Forum for the Future The Timber Industry in NSW 10 am-2 pm at National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour Sydney Speakers include Mark Bouris chairman of Yellow Brick Road and executive chairman of US-based technology company TZ Ltd Daryl Patterson head of operational excellence Lend Leasersquos property business Ken McBryde Australian architect Hassells Architecture Ross Hampton CEO Australian Forest Products Association Cost $140 pp includes lunch Booking and inquiries fpanswfpacomau 16 Chile Wood Expo ndash Lake Room Waterview Conference Centre Bicentennial Drive Sydney Olympic Park Homebush Bay Sydney Free entry for wholesalers trade agents timber merchants resellers retailers manufacturers builders technical experts and trade association representatives Registration brochure available soon Inquiries to Nicolas Birrell (02) 9262 2326 or nbirrellprochilegobcl or John Halkett 0417 421 187 or johnhalkettbigpondcom17 VAFI annual dinner ndash Park Hyatt Melbourne Theme lsquoSecuring the Futurerdquo Speakers include MPs Peter Walsh and Jacinta Allan MC radio presenter comedian and author Ian Cover Inquiries to Jillian Roscoe at jroscoevafiorgau 26-29 Australian Forest Growers 2014 Biennial Conference Trees The Future Crop for Changing ClimatesSouthern Cross University Lismore NSW More than 40 presentations from leading forest researchers and practitioners a day of field trips featuring local forestry initiatives along with icebreaker and dinner events complete a full conference program Speakers include Australian Farm Institute

executive director Mick Keogh former Governor-General Major General Michael Jeffery Andrew Campbell Charles Darwin University Prof Jerry Vanclay Southern Cross University and Rob de Fegely president Institute of Foresters Australia Contact Mark Wright AFG 2014 conference convenor Email agconferenceafgasnauNOVEMBER13-14 Engineered Wood Products ndash From Here to the Future Australian timber industry seminar Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort Gold Coast Co-hosted by the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia and Forest and Wood Products Australia Australian and international speakers Contact Eileen Newbury marketing manager Forest and Wood Products AustraliaTel +61 (3) 9927 3212 Mob +61 (0) 41931 3163 Email eileennewburyfwpacomau or visit wwwfwpacomau for registration and accommodation details

2015MARCH25 ForestWorks annual industry conference and dinner in Canberra Flagship event for the forest wood paper and timber products industries Joining with the Australian Forest Products Association to co-host the popular networking industry dinner at Parliament House Conference will look beyond the innovative technologies in 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 forestworksforestworkscomau

2014 AROUND THE CIRCUITEVENTS

THE AUSTRALIAN FOREST PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION

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

AFPA strives to deliver bene ts for the complete industry value chain including those involved in

bull Forest growing

bull Harvest and haulage

bull Sawmilling and other wood processing

bull Pulp and paper processing

bull Forest product exporting

Join us today andshare the bene ts

Call (02) 6285 3833

PAGE | SEPTEMBER 1 20146

A SECOND series of training seminars on the Australian illegal logging regulation and timber due diligence has been announced by the Timber Development Association

The training next month will occur just before the commencement of the Illegal Logging regulation in November

The training will cover who the regulation applies to what the regulation requires and how to undertake due diligence for illegally logged timber The declaration that importers will have to make at port of entry will also be covered

The Melbourne Sydney Brisbane and Perth seminars are open to importers of timber plywood veneer MDF shutters joinery flat packs wine barrels paper and wood furniture their service providers retailers and even overseas suppliers

ldquoWhile many will argue the merits of the regulation as the vast majority of imports are from legally harvested wood the reality is that from November most importers of timber products will have to complyrdquo TDA CEO Andrew Dunn said

To make compliance easier the TDA has developed free timber due diligence tools to complement the guidance provided by the federal government The tools have been developed with the support of timber importers via Forest and Wood Products Australia

ldquoThe training sets participants up to be much better prepared than their competitorsrdquo TDA sustainability program manager Stephen Mitchell said

ldquoIt can also assist reduce over-compliance which is costly

ldquoPrevious seminars we held in June were well received as the tools are very practicalrdquo

The seminars are being conducted in conjunction with The Forest Trust a specialist in responsible sourcing of timber from high risk areas and wood

speciesFurther information on the

training seminars and booking information can be found at wwwtimberduediligencecomau

Training seminars ndash time and place

Melbourne ndash Wednesday October 8 Engineering House North Melbourne

Perth ndash Friday October 10 Technology Park Bentley

Brisbane ndash Wednesday October 15 The Greek Club South Brisbane

Sydney ndash Thursday October 16 Dooleys Waterview Silverwater

The Australian Illegal Logging Prohibition Amendment Regulation applies to importers of lsquoregulated timber productsrsquo such as sawn timber plywood

wood panels buildersrsquo joinery pulp paper products and wood furniture It also applies to Australian processors of raw logs

The regulation requires that importers and domestic processors undertake lsquodue diligencersquo from November 30 2014

The core of the lsquodue diligencersquo requirement is that importers and domestic processors undertake a risk management process For importers the purpose is to minimise the risk of importing illegally harvested timber or timber products containing illegally harvested timber For domestic processors the purpose is to minimise the risk of processing illegally harvested raw logs

The Timber Development Association is an Australian-based non-profit timber industry association with the primary objective of building markets within Australia for timber and wood products

Operating since 1938 TDA accomplishes this through research and development technical training educational and marketing activities The association has been closely involved in the regulation consultation process and development of industry responses

INDUSTRY NEWS

TDA due diligence tools will make compliance easier

Andrew Dunn

The who what and how of diligenceNew training on import regulations starts in October

Stephen Mitchell

7SEPTEMBER 1 2014 | PAGE

THE Tasmanian Liberal government has succeeded in unwinding key parts of the peace deal to end the statersquos forest wars

The legislation gives the timber industry greater access to forests makes them harder to set aside from logging and cuts out environmentalist consultation

Around 400000 ha of high conservation value forests protected by the peace deal will be placed in future logging zones Access to reserves for rare rainforest timbers was also confirmed

The Liberal governmentrsquos bill which is passing through the state parliament met an election pledge to ldquotear uprdquo the deal reached between industry union and environmental groups over nearly five years of arduous talks

ldquoFor the first time in our statersquos history the Green tide is being turned and the balance is being resetrdquo Resources Minister Paul Harriss said

ldquoWe are rebuilding the forest industry making clear that there will be no more lock-ups and working to remove reserves from the clutches of the Green locksmithsrdquo

The government previously

failed in its bid which was backed by the Abbott government to wind back the peace dealrsquos crowning conservation achievement ndash an extension of the statersquos world heritage area to protect another 170000 ha of tall old growth forest

The government was also warned its legislation may endanger vital international green certification for the statersquos timber and it has had to delay plans for the countryrsquos first mandatory sentences for workplace protest directed at forest activists

Environment Tasmaniarsquos Phill Pullinger said that after the marathon efforts to reach the original peace deal the passage of the governmentrsquos forests bill was ldquovery sad and very disappointingrdquo

ldquoThis is something that Tassie absolutely has to move on from

and unfortunately this is going to take us backwardsrdquo Dr Pullinger said

His seat and that of other environmentalists has been removed from a ministerial advisory council on forests

Independent Legislative Councillor Ruth Forrest who played a key part in the upper house debate said the governmentrsquos changes threatened a return to conflict not seen for many years and could jeopardise Forest Stewardship Council certification for the statersquos timber

ldquoIt does not make one more job or make one more tree available for the next six yearsrdquo Ms Forrest said

Outside the statersquos 15 million ha world heritage area and other national parks the 11 million ha

system of conservation areas and regional reserves is open to limited timber industry access for specialty timbers such as celery top pine and myrtle

The Tasmanian Conservation Trust director Peter McGlone said the government had opened protected reserves of many years standing to environmentally destructive logging

A government spokesman said ldquoThe bill is not doing anything that is not already (and always has been) provided for in regional reserves and conservation areasrdquo

The leader for the government in the Legislative Council Vanessa Goodwin confirmed that a bill to crack down on forest protesters was being referred to a parliamentary committeendash Sydney Morning Herald

INDUSTRY NEWS

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Tanalithreg Ti InsecticideH2F for all softwoods

Government unwinds key partsof Tasmanian forest peace deallsquoChanges jeopardise FSC certification of statersquos timberrsquo

Vanessa GoodwinPaul Harriss Phill Pullinger Ruth Forrest Peter McGlone

PAGE | SEPTEMBER 1 20148

Daryl Patterson was appointed Head of Operational Excellence to Lend Leasersquos Property business in 2012 responsible for overseeing the Property businessrsquos operational improvement governance and innovation across Australia Lend Leasersquos Property business units span multiple sectors including greenfield subdivision commercial office towers high rise apartments an extensive retirement village portfolio and major mixed use urban redevelopments around Australia

Starting his career in architecture Daryl progressed into construction management project management and development management of complex landmark projects Most recently Daryl has overseen Lend Leasersquos investment into delivering Australiarsquos first Cross Laminated Timber constructed building and the worldrsquos tallest CLT apartment building of its kind More recently Daryl has lead the formation of a specialist team dedicated to timber engineering and prefabricated solutions for a wide range of Lend Lease projects

Darylrsquos experience during his twenty years within Lend Lease has included the development and delivery of major urban renewal projects in capital cities throughout Australia These projects are a key competitive differentiator of Lend Lease around the world and typically have multi-billion dollar end values These projects entail a broad mix of asset classes multiple buildings and substantial civic infrastructure Darylrsquos initial attraction to Lend Lease was its long and compelling history of challenging and improving how things have been done in the property industry Carrying that as a personal approach to how we create our projects and how we operate as a business Daryl has sought to challenge the status quo with the first Australian utilisation of cross laminated timber and the introduction of commercially operated sustainable central precinct utility solutions

Key achievements and attributes

bull BArch University of Auckland

bull Forteacute CLT building Melbourne VIC

bull Jacksons Landing Sydney NSW

bull Victoria Harbour Docklands VIC

bull Showground Hill Brisbane QLD

bull Green Utilities start-up business

bull Timber Solutions start-up business

bull Recipient 2012 Lend Lease Global Award for Excellence in Innovation

DARYL PATTERSONHead of Operational Excellence | Property | Lend Lease Australia

TDW1902 814

Mr Ross Hampton was appointed CEO of the Australian Forest Products Association in May 2013 Mr Hampton is a veteran of the policy and political scene having worked at various times as a reporter adviser and policy advocate for the last twenty-five years in Australia and overseas Mr Hampton has a long exposure and association with the issues confronting the Forest and Forest Products sector including water policy climate change policy trade policy industrial relations policy and environment protection As Chief of Staff to the Australian Government Minister for the Environment in the mid 2000rsquos Mr Hampton played a key role in the development of forestry policy as well as policies which impact forestry industries During this period Mr Hampton was one of the lead advisers in the Australian Governmentrsquos international climate change negotiations at United Nationsrsquo and associated meetings in Washington New York London Buenos Aires and Zurich

Prior to joining AFPA Mr Hampton led the development of the Australian public sector market for global networking giant Cisco System and is credited with a significant share of the multi-million dollar growth Cisco enjoyedMr Hampton grew up in northern NSW He trained as a journalist and spent his early career reporting in the regions and then capital cities Mr Hampton has achieved a Masters in Public Policy majoring in the environment from the ANU Crawford School of Economics and Government as well as a Bachelor degree from Curtin University Mr Hampton is married to Linda and has three school- aged children (as well as 600 olive trees and four ancient Land Rovers)

Mr Ross Hampton

24 Napier Close Deakin ACT PO Box 239 Deakin West ACT 2600

02 6285 3833 enquiriesauspacomau

ausfpacomau AFPAonline

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

AUSTRALIAN FOREST PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION

PAGE | SEPTEMBER 1 20148

Daryl Patterson was appointed Head of Operational Excellence to Lend Leasersquos Property business in 2012 responsible for overseeing the Property businessrsquos operational improvement governance and innovation across Australia Lend Leasersquos Property business units span multiple sectors including greenfield subdivision commercial office towers high rise apartments an extensive retirement village portfolio and major mixed use urban redevelopments around Australia

Starting his career in architecture Daryl progressed into construction management project management and development management of complex landmark projects Most recently Daryl has overseen Lend Leasersquos investment into delivering Australiarsquos first Cross Laminated Timber constructed building and the worldrsquos tallest CLT apartment building of its kind More recently Daryl has lead the formation of a specialist team dedicated to timber engineering and prefabricated solutions for a wide range of Lend Lease projects

Darylrsquos experience during his twenty years within Lend Lease has included the development and delivery of major urban renewal projects in capital cities throughout Australia These projects are a key competitive differentiator of Lend Lease around the world and typically have multi-billion dollar end values These projects entail a broad mix of asset classes multiple buildings and substantial civic infrastructure Darylrsquos initial attraction to Lend Lease was its long and compelling history of challenging and improving how things have been done in the property industry Carrying that as a personal approach to how we create our projects and how we operate as a business Daryl has sought to challenge the status quo with the first Australian utilisation of cross laminated timber and the introduction of commercially operated sustainable central precinct utility solutions

Key achievements and attributes

bull BArch University of Auckland

bull Forteacute CLT building Melbourne VIC

bull Jacksons Landing Sydney NSW

bull Victoria Harbour Docklands VIC

bull Showground Hill Brisbane QLD

bull Green Utilities start-up business

bull Timber Solutions start-up business

bull Recipient 2012 Lend Lease Global Award for Excellence in Innovation

DARYL PATTERSONHead of Operational Excellence | Property | Lend Lease Australia

TDW1902 814

Mr Ross Hampton was appointed CEO of the Australian Forest Products Association in May 2013 Mr Hampton is a veteran of the policy and political scene having worked at various times as a reporter adviser and policy advocate for the last twenty-five years in Australia and overseas Mr Hampton has a long exposure and association with the issues confronting the Forest and Forest Products sector including water policy climate change policy trade policy industrial relations policy and environment protection As Chief of Staff to the Australian Government Minister for the Environment in the mid 2000rsquos Mr Hampton played a key role in the development of forestry policy as well as policies which impact forestry industries During this period Mr Hampton was one of the lead advisers in the Australian Governmentrsquos international climate change negotiations at United Nationsrsquo and associated meetings in Washington New York London Buenos Aires and Zurich

Prior to joining AFPA Mr Hampton led the development of the Australian public sector market for global networking giant Cisco System and is credited with a significant share of the multi-million dollar growth Cisco enjoyedMr Hampton grew up in northern NSW He trained as a journalist and spent his early career reporting in the regions and then capital cities Mr Hampton has achieved a Masters in Public Policy majoring in the environment from the ANU Crawford School of Economics and Government as well as a Bachelor degree from Curtin University Mr Hampton is married to Linda and has three school- aged children (as well as 600 olive trees and four ancient Land Rovers)

Mr Ross Hampton

24 Napier Close Deakin ACT PO Box 239 Deakin West ACT 2600

02 6285 3833 enquiriesauspacomau

ausfpacomau AFPAonline

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

AUSTRALIAN FOREST PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION

9SEPTEMBER 1 2014 | PAGE

LABOURrsquoS proposal to set up an independent climate commission to advise the New Zealand government on how to meet its emissions targets has been welcomed by the Forest Owners Association

ldquoIt will reduce the likelihood of governments tinkering in the ETSrdquo FOA environment committee chair Peter Weir said

ldquoThis together with clear price signals for carbon will enable businesses and land owners to adopt low-carbon strategies with a much higher level of confi dence

ldquoEver since climate change arrived on the agenda we have been asking the major political parties to stop playing politics with carbon emissions and pricing

ldquoThe most recent ETS change undermined investment in forestry with an overnight unannounced change that prevented Kyoto forest owners from using international units to settle their emissions obligations Forest owners were the only emitters to be singled out in this way contradicting assurances made by the government only six months before

ldquoThe government has agreed to reconsider that change but we are still waiting to hear if they will work with us on a mutually benefi cial solutionrdquo

Mr Weir says moving New Zealand to a low-carbon economy has huge benefi ts quite apart from the message it sends to the world about Kiwis playing their part in addressing the global problem of climate change

ldquoCrown research institute

Scion says there are around half million hectares of marginal farmland that would be better off in forestry for a whole host of environmental and economic reasons Among them cleaner rivers less soil erosion more biodiversity protection and greater long-term surety of log supply to major wood processors

ldquoBut at current land prices it is not economic to develop this land for forestry based on log prices alonerdquo Mr Weir said

He points out that the prevailing low carbon price has devastated the tree nursery sector Nurseries scaled up production when new land planting took off in response to an initial carbon price approaching $20 a tonne only to have to mulch in seedlings when the government allowed the carbon price to fall back to 12c a tonne

ldquoA realistic price for carbon and an independent climate commission to keep the policies of successive governments on track would ndash in combination with Labourrsquos proposed lsquoWood-Firstrsquo construction policy ndash encourage both new planting and replanting to the benefi t of the economy and the environmentrdquo Mr Weir added

Timber amp 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 TimberampForestry e-news hits your target market ndash every week every Monday

HEAD OFFICE Correspondence to Custom Publishing Group PO Box 569 Ormeau QLD 4208 Phone +61 7 5547 6547

PUBLISHER Dennis Macready Phone +61 7 5547 6547 dennisindustrye-newscom

MANAGING EDITOR Editorial correspondence to Jim Bowden PO Box 330 Hamilton Central QLD 4007 Mobile 0401 312 087 canconbigpondnetau

ADVERTISING Phone Dennis +61 7 5547 6547 dennisindustrye-newscom

Opinions expressed on Timber amp Forestry e news are not necessarily the opinions of the editor publisher or staff We do not accept responsibility for any damage resulting from inaccuracies in editorial or advertising The Publisher is therefore indemnifi ed against all actions suits claims or damages resulting from content on this e news Content cannot be reproduced without the prior consent of the Publisher - Custom Publishing Group

INDUSTRY NEWS

Peter Weir stop playing politics with carbon emissions

Moving tolow-carboneconomy

NZ forest ownerswelcome Labourrsquosclimate initiatives

PAGE | SEPTEMBER 1 201410

THE timber importing sector has faced a huge challenge driving forward the illegal logging policy and legislation agenda

ldquoThis has in large measure defi ned our main mission over the past few yearsrdquo the chairman of the Australian Timber Importers Federation Nils Koren said in Brisbane

He was addressing the ATIF AGM at Timber House last Tuesday

ldquoSo now we need to be able to maintain our relevance and importance to importers and wholesalers as the illegal logging regulation moves into the implementation and training stagerdquo Mr Koren said

ldquoAs a trade association we must continue to focus on

adding value to the commercial reality of member companies and continue to put oxygen into what we off er member companiesrdquo

Reinforcing the increasing value of imported timber products notably more sophisticated engineered and panel products as housing and renovations activity lifts across the country was emphasised by ATIF general manager John Halkett

ldquoIt remains that a signifi cant number of imported timber products were not manufactured in Australia at all or not of the quality of specifi cations needed to sustain building and construction activityrdquo he said

Mr Halkett said that in relation to the federal governmentrsquos illegal logging legislation now moving to implementation phase ATIF had developed a training proposal that was being considered by the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture Senator Richard Colbeck and the Department of Agriculture

ldquoClearly an important role for us as illegal logging legislation comes into force on November 30 this year is to ensure that imported timber products continue to be able to make a notable contribution to governmentrsquos housing climate abatement and other goalsrdquo Mr Halkett said

The ATIF board remains unchanged and Nils Koren continues and ATIF chairman

INDUSTRY NEWS

Reinforcing theincreasing valueof timber imports

infoforestryorgau | wwwforestryorgau

ATIF continuing the supply ofoxygen to member companiesAdding value to commercial realities of business

Rod McInnes CEO Timber Queensland (left) welcomes Alicia Oelkers Queensland manager TABMA Australia and David Meyer managing director Meyer Timber to Timber House for the ATIF AGM and industry luncheon

New regulations on the agenda John Halkett general manager Australian Timber Importers Federation Sydney Gerry Gardiner director Asia Pacifi c Marketing Brisbane John Simon chief executive Simmonds Lumber Sydney and Robert Cairns state manager Tasman KB

Meeting at Timber House for the ATIF AGM Lou Boff o manager Le Messurier Timber Nils Koren managing director Gunnersen Melbourne (chairman of the Australian Timber Importers Federation) John Halkett general manager ATIF and Michael Swan managing director Swan Le Messurier

11SEPTEMBER 1 2014 | PAGE

TIMBER has fi gured dramatically in the shaping of new landscape architecture in Australia and these concepts will be vividly displayed and discussed by a select gathering of design professionals at a riverside festival in Brisbane

The inaugural Forecast Festival of Landscape Architecture at the State Library of Queensland from October 16 to 18 promises ldquoa festival for designers thinkers collaborators and innovators to join in conversations and events to help build a momentum that will underpin the future of the professionrdquo

WoodSolutions an industry strategy initiative targeting design and building professionals is an event partner and sponsor of

the festival organised by the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA)

The festivalrsquos creative directors Diana Snape Sharon Mackay and Catherin Bull AM

in an advisory role promise a program of participatory experiences and conversations

ldquoForecast is designed to inspire and engage by re-imagining the way we meet and

celebrate the profession share our stories and learn through discourse and debaterdquo they said

ldquoThe festival will prototype a new approach for landscape architecture refl ecting the way we work as designers ndash transparently collaboratively and iteratively

ldquoForecast will look to the edges of our profession to better understand where landscape architects have infl uence and how we operate

ldquoFeaturing speakers who

WOOD IN ARCHITECTURE

Products manufactured by members of the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia meet all standards for emission levels and are TESTED to be below formaldehyde levels demanded by health authorities

EWPAA products are certi ed Super E0 EO and E1 under a strict JAS-ANZ accredited system

Laboratory tests by EWPAA have shown some imported wood panels with emissions greater than 3 mgL _ well

above safe levels recommended by the federal governmentrsquos National Industrial Chemicals Noti cation and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS)

NICNAS which is responsible for the assessment and safe use of industrial chemicals has advised construction workers and wood panel users against the use of products that contain formaldehyde exceeding the low emission limits of E0 and E1

Engineered Wood Products Association of AustralasiaUnit 3 106 Fison Ave West Eagle Farm 4009 QldTel 61 7 3250 3700 Fax 61 7 3252 4769Email inboxewpasnauWeb wwwewpasnau

Breathe easy

Donrsquot risk it Specify EWPAA

products stamped with the

approved certi cation

EWPAA products are the solution to any concerns over emissions

Looking tothe edges ofprofession

Festival creative directors Di Snape design adviser in Offi ce for Design and Architecture Adelaide Dr Catherin Bull AM emeritus professor of landscape architecture at the University of Melbourne And Sharon Mackay award-winning registered landscape architect with 18 years of collaborative practice in South Australia Victoria and North America

Timber innovation features infestival of landscape architectsDesign professionals gather at 3-day Brisbane event

Cont P 12

PAGE | SEPTEMBER 1 201412

practice on and interact with the cusp of the profession the conversations will reveal the terrain explore opportunities and become a platform for forecasting a future directionrdquo

The festival includes an opening evening party on October 16 and a dinner and awards presentation on October 17 starting at 5 pm

Among the line-up of lsquoconversationalistsrsquo is Julie Bargmann from the US founder of DIRT studio and internationally recognised as an innovative designer in building regenerative landscapes

Ms Bargmann has received the American Academy in Rome Fellowship and

her work was awarded the National Design Award by Smithsonianrsquos Cooper-Hewitt Museum Her DIRT projects have been featured in art and design exhibitions including

Documenta and the National Design Centennial

AILA is the peak national organisation representing and harnessing the collective interests of the Australian

landscape architecture profession It oversees the professional recognition of registered landscape architects and has a rapidly growing membership ndash currently 1700 members and expected to increase to 2000 members in the next three years

AILA is the vehicle by which the profession is able to raise awareness initiate and lead engagement with the wider community on issues of strategic importance to the natural and built environment

The institute provides leadership in the education professional development and ethical behaviour of members and influences decision making in response to the evolving knowledge understanding and requirements of people and natural and built environments

For festival inquiries contact (02) 6248 9970 or email adminailaorgau

WOOD IN ARCHITECTURE

Being a TABMA member gives youbull Group buying discountsbull Assistance with the placement of

trainees amp apprenticesbull CoC certifi cation advicebull Industry specifi c staff recruitment at

competitive rates bull National networking opportunitiesbull An exclusive trade credit insurance planbull Technical advice and assistancebull Industrial relations advicebull WHampS auditsbull Annual Timber Industry Dinner

Call 1800 822 621 for membership enquiries

Festival will prototype a new approach

AILA expects 2000 members by 2017

Green infrastructure the Burnley Living Roofs at the University of Melbournersquos Burnley Campus designed by Hassell Architects ndash Photo by Peter Bennetts

From P 11

Global celebration tolift awareness of FSCFSC Friday a global celebration held annually on the last Friday of September aims to increase understanding of the FSC label and increase consumer and business demand for FSC certified products

In 2014 FSC Australia is celebrating with a Facebook competition for supporters in both Australia and New Zealand to win a holiday for four all expenses paid to Paperbark Camp eco-resort in Jervis Bay NSW

Worldwide consumer awareness and demand for FSC certified products is rapidly increasing ldquoLocally wersquore working hard to elevate our profile and to encourage more sustainable shoppingrdquo says FCS Australia CEO Natalie Reynolds

ldquolsquoLeave a Legacyrsquo is the key message and as members

and supporters of FSC we want industry to get involved in building the momentum for this campaign by sharing it with your communitiesrdquo Ms Reynolds said ldquoYou can help your followers to win a trip of a lifetimerdquo

Ms Reynolds said social media was vital to harnessing consumer demand and it enabled advocates to share the lsquolegacyrsquo message broadly with their families friends and professional networks

Over the past 13 years more than 106 million ha in more than 81 countries have been certified according to FSC forest management standards while over 12000 FSC chain-of-custody certified organisations sell several thousand products that are produced using FSC certified wood and carrying the FSC trademark

13SEPTEMBER 1 2014 | PAGE

PAPUA New Guinearsquos National Forest Board will consider a Malaysian companyrsquos bid to continue logging virgin rainforest in order to plant palm oil

An ABC Australia report says the clear-felling around Pomio on the island of East New Britain has been hotly contested by some locals as well as international groups like Greenpeace and Global Witness

Malaysian company Rimbunan Hijau (RH) says it is bringing jobs infrastructure and long-term investment to the area

RH says it has the support of the local people but some locals object to their land being cleared for plantations

The land is being used under PNGrsquos controversial Special Agriculture and Business Leases (SABLs)

Last year a Commission of Inquiry into SABLs recommended almost all leases be revoked but there was no recommendation for Pomio because one of the three commissioners simply never handed in his report

Four years ago RH subsidiary company Gilford Ltd obtained a licence to clear the forests around Pomio and plant oil palms

ldquoIt is one of the most important agriculture projects in Papua New Guinea It has received huge support from the local populous in the areardquo RHrsquos corporate policy manager Alex Wilhelm said

Mr Wilhelm said cutting down trees was part of RHrsquos plan for a long-term investment for plantations and a mill to produce the palm oil that goes into so much of the worldrsquos food

He said 7000 ha had been

cleared so far and palms had been planted on 6300 ha of that land

ldquoThis project is not a logging project the only forestry component is simply to prepare the area for oil palm plantingrdquo Mr Wilhelm said

ldquoIf there is any timber of value in it of course the timber will be commercially utilised The landowners and the national government of course will receive their levies and their royaltiesrdquo

British-based organisation Global Witness estimates 500000 cub m of timber has been cut from around Pomio and sent to China to make plywood fl ooring and furniture

Global Witness estimates the value of that timber to be around $50 million and believes some of these products are being exported to the US and Europe

While RH says the project has community support not all locals want their land turned into palm oil plantations Paul Povol a community leader in the village of Mu says clear-felling has turned the land around him into a desert

But he said the environmental damage goes beyond logging ldquoTo make oil palm grow in my area they like to use a lot of fertiliserrdquo he said

ldquoThe fertiliser sinks into the soil ends up in the underwater rivers and gets washed out into the sea so defi nitely itrsquos a permanent disasterrdquo

Mr Povol said his village was

opposed to the development which he said brought with it social problems

ldquoMost children donrsquot turn up to school these days because they go to work in the oil palms they fi ll up nursery bags [for palm seedlings]rdquo he said

ldquoTraditions customs culture wersquore beginning to lose all those thingsrdquo

Global Witness researcher Rick Jacobsen said many locals were not benefi ting and had spoken out against the clear-felling of their forests

INDUSTRY NEWS

Malaysian company bid to plantpalm oil in PNGrsquos logged forests

Value of thetimber to bearound $50m

Villages areopposed todevelopment

careersforestryorgau

EmployersThe perfect candidate could be closer than you thinkbull Easy to use job posting and resume search capabilitiesbull Access to job board networksbull Access to qualified candidatesbull Generate high returns on your recruitment spendhellipand moreJob seekersTake control of your forestry careerbull Access to high-quality relevant jobsbull No more wading through irrelevant postingsbull Personalised alertsbull Anonymous resume bankhellipand more

THE INSTITUTE OF FORESTERS OF AUSTRALIA ANNOUNCES AN AUSTRALIAN FORESTRY INDUSTRY FIRST

Our new Forestry Career Centre at careersforestryorgau

7000 ha cleared so far for RHrsquos Pomio plantationsHarvesting palm oil

in Oro Province Papua New Guinea

PAGE | SEPTEMBER 1 201414

THE 2014 25th anniversary Variety Bash fi nished in Sydney on August 16 after a 10-day 3050 km trek across the Queensland and New South Wales Outback raising $14 million for sick disadvantaged and special needs kids

Contributing to the charity tally was Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Club 218 which completed its third run in the annual event with co-drivers Tim Evans and Dorothy Ferris driving the clubrsquos 1977 Holden Kingswood

ldquoDubbed the National Timber Industry Bush Bash Car 253 the Kingswood was packed with more than 500 WoodSolutions timber promotion bags provided by Forest and Wood Products Australia that included lots of goodies for the kids and industry information for communities and school teachers along the way

More than 130 vehicles and 350 lsquobashersrsquo departed Brisbane on August 8 travelling through towns such as Millmerran St George

Wandilla Station Bourke Cobar Narromine Dubbo

and Bathurst before fi nishing nine days later in Sydney

and enjoying National Bash Celebrations on the 10th day Sunday August 17

The national Bash saw close to 2000 participants in 700 cars in six consecutive state bashes culminating in the national bash celebration in Sydney

As with all Varietyrsquos childrenrsquos charity events there was the integral mix of fun and philanthropy

Together the colourful Queensland convoy visited more than 1100 children across 11 schools with the tourrsquos very own clowns using countless tubs of face paint and handing out dozens of balloons to brighten the day of kids the Variety Bashers met along the way

Since its inception in Queensland in 1990 the Variety Bash has raised more than $17 million for children and childrenrsquos organisations across Queensland

The forest and forest products industry is still encouraged to support the event and donations can be made at https2014basheverydayherocomautim

All sponsorships will be recognised and published

EVENTS

Promoting thetimber industryalong the way

Engineered Timber Products

Donrsquot WASTE timevisit wwwloggocomau

Donrsquot WASTE an Opportunity

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

and house frame buildingA world breakthrough in EWP technology a proven concept

in its infancy set to revolutionise production costs using the lsquothrow-awayrsquo waste timber market

Joint venture partnerships as well as license agreements will be considered

Thatrsquos a wrap on the Variety Bashwith over $14m raised for charityHoo-Hoo club joined 3050 km trek for needy kids

A well-earned rest Hoo-Hoo Car 253 co-driver Tim Evans relaxes after handing out WoodSolutions timber promotion bags to secondary school students at Molong in central western New South Wales

In the thick of it Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Clubrsquos 1977 Holden Kingswood ndash somewhere in the NSW Outback

15SEPTEMBER 1 2014 | PAGE

THE building industry remains confident that prospects will remain positive despite the slight 12 seasonally adjusted fall in the ABS construction work data for the June quarter

Chief economist of Master Builders Australia Peter Jones said the easing in engineering construction forecast was confirmed by a 31 seasonally adjusted fall in June However this was largely offset by building work completed in residential building and commercial construction which rose 15 seasonally adjusted in the same period

ldquoHouse building was particularly strong up 22 seasonally adjusted in June following a 73 seasonally adjusted rise in May 2014rdquo Mr Jones said

ldquoThrough the year to June the volume of completed

construction work was down by 06 a picture painted by residential building being up 96 non-residential building up 29 and engineering construction down 56

ldquoBuilding work completed was up strongly in New South Wales Victoria and South Australia with two consecutive quarters of strong growth in

residential building boosted by construction of new housingrdquo

Meanwhile the Housing Industry Association new home sales report a survey of Australiarsquos largest volume builders shows a relatively weak start to the fresh fiscal year but that follows a very strong 2013-14

The 2013-14 fiscal year saw

the recovery in new home sales gather strong momentum

ldquoThe 2014-15 year however has started with confirmation of a downward trend emergingrdquo chief economist Dr Harley Dale said

ldquoNevertheless we still expect this year to record a reasonably healthy level of sales activityrdquo

Total seasonally adjusted new home sales posted a fall of 57 in the month of July while over the three months to July total sales declined by 35 The monthly decline was reflected in both detached house and multi-unit sales the former falling by 47 while the latter was down by 109

INDUSTRY NEWS

Confidence new home sales and building approvals may have peaked for the cycle but they remain at historic levels

Builders lsquoupbeat on forecastrsquoNew housing boosts growth of residential construction

New home sales gather momentum

PAGE | SEPTEMBER 1 201416

INDUSTRY NEWS

MAKE THE CONNECTION

THESE SYSTEMS ARE READY TO BE USED - COME AND LEARN HOW TO IMPRESS

Hear industry experts discussing the design specication and realities of developing buildings incorporating glued-laminated timber (glulam) wood I-joists cross laminated timber wood structural panels and some world rsts post-tensioned round timber wall panels round timber oor panels and hollow timber piles

DISCOVER new ways to use

timber and be inspired

UNDERSTAND the structural properties and reliability

of engineered wood products

LEARN about CLT design

practices

EVALUATE the best connections for

laminated beams

SEE practical demonstrations of

modern connection technology

Date Thursday 25 September 2014 Time 215 ndash 530pm

(Including afternoon tea amp cocktail function)

Location Moda Events ndash Portside Level 2 Portside Wharf 39 Hercules Street Hamilton

Cost TQ members amp technical subscribers FREE $40 non-members

CLICK HERE TO REGISTERwwwtimberqueenslandcomauevents

SEATS ARE LIMITED BOOK TODAY

TOP UP YOUR POINTS ndash formal or informal CPD points

available

Donrsquot miss this hands-on session that will teach you how to calculate a timber

connection and provide a practical demonstration on how to

apply the connection

Live Demonstration ndash

Connection Calculation

Gold Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

Mark Batchelar MLB Consulting Engineers (Auckland) discussing the engineering and design for Te Wharehou O Tuhoe a NZ tribal headquarters constructed utilising virtually

all available engineered wood product technology and built to meet the Living

Building Challenge - the most strict sustainability criterion that can

be applied to buildings

Seminar highlight

use engineered wood products to do more with less

CLT library case study

Exhibitor

17SEPTEMBER 1 2014 | PAGE

AN online report from UK national newspaper The Guardian alleges the UK is still importing 1 million cub m of illegal timber a year

But its claims have been dismantled by industry expert Rupert Oliver of Forest Industries Intelligence who says it is partly based on misinterpretation of his own analysis

The report in The Guardianrsquos EcoAudit pages entitled lsquoHow much illegal timber gets into the UKrsquo the author cites a range of sources from the UK parliamentrsquos environmental audit committee to Greenpeace the WWF and London-based think-tank Chatham House (which runs regular Illegal Logging Update conferences)

He claims the latterrsquos research concluded that the UK was importing 15 million cub of illegal timber in 2008 The following year an EAC report stated that the country was ldquoone of the worldrsquos worst offendersrdquo in the illegal trade

He acknowledged that UK illegal timber imports have since declined but alleged they were still higher per capita than in France the US China and Japan

He said that the EU Timber Regulation had been designed to stamp out the problem and acknowledged that the UK was proactive in enforcing it But he maintained that the European Commission lsquoscorecardrsquo which assessed implementation in all member states highlighted that a number had still not fully put the measure into place As a result illegal timber could lsquofilterrsquo into the UK via these countries A further problem was that the EUTR excluded ldquohuge numbers of product typesrdquo

But Mr Oliver said the reporter had ldquoused and abusedrdquo data from his own FII analysis and based his conclusions on ldquomisleading research by Chatham Houserdquo

ldquoChatham Housersquos assessment relies on speculative outdated analysis of the proportion of

wood that is illegally harvested in supplier countries and equally speculative assumptions about the proportion of wood destined for domestic and export marketsrdquo Mr Oliver said

ldquoIn many countries where

illegal logging is a problem the unregulated portion is destined largely for domestic sale and the regulated for exportrdquo

Mr Oliver said the majority of the UK timber trade had made concerted efforts to comply with the EUTR

ldquoThe majority of wood imported into the UK is already third party verified derived from sustainable not just legal sourcesrdquo he said

Mr Oliver also said that

Chatham House and the Guardianrsquos reports used ldquoroundwood equivalentrdquo figures the volume of material that would need to be harvested to make the actual volume of timber Calculations used for these he said were often ldquooutdated and simplisticrdquo

ldquoBut even using this approach in the speculative worst case scenario that 1 million cub m of UK imports came from areas where illegal logging is a problem that would still be less than 5 of the totalrdquo he said

The real problem in terms of deforestation Mr Oliver concluded was conversion of forestland to commercial cash crops

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

EU regulations designed to stamp out the problem

UK illegal imports claim basedwrongly on Chatham researchEU regulation excludesrsquo huge numbersrsquo of product types

The EU Timber Regulation makes it illegal to import and sell illegally harvested timber but enforcement and sanctions vary among the member states

Rupert Oliver majority of wood imported into the UK is third party verified

Volume figures often outdated and simplistic

Electronics block leakages in Ghana timber IndustryTHE Forestry Commission in Ghana will soon deploy an electronic wood tracking system to reduce human interventions in its operations to help deal with illegal timber reduce losses and increase revenue to the state

The new computerised system is expected to take over the paper-based system

for tracking the commissionrsquos timber resources which has been fraught with corruption leading to illegal felling of timber and leakages in revenue to the state

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Nii Osah Mill raised concerns about the illegal harvesting and exportation of rosewood despite a ban placed

on it with the help of some forestry commission personnel who prepare forged documents for some timber merchants He cautioned personnel of the commission to desist from act that would lead to revenue losses to the state

The minister suggested that commission officials mandated to enforce monitor and ensure

compliance must be made to swear an oath when employed to officially bond them on their duties

The forestry commission has bemoaned the fact that it has not been able to grow new plantations due to lack of funds and thus called for support to at least maintain existing ones

PAGE | SEPTEMBER 1 201418

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

Seeing the forest for the treesGlobal rate of deforestation is slowing downBRAZIL the country with more tropical trees than any other was cutting down an area of forest two-thirds the size of Belgium every year Roughly half of all the planetrsquos once-luxuriant tropical forests had been felled and the further degradation of the Earthrsquos green spaces seemed inevitable

It would be too much to say that forests have made a full recovery worldwide more than 5 million ha of jungle is still being felled or burned down each year

But according to science writers in The Economist the crisis is passing and the prognosis is starting to improve

Fears that the great forests of the Congo would be cleared have proved unfounded so far Brazil and Mexico have reduced their deforestation rates by well over two-thirds India and Costa Rica have done

more than reduce the rate of loss They are replanting areas that were once clear-cut

Over time countries trace a lsquoforest transition curversquo They start in poverty with the land covered in trees As they get richer they fell the forest and the curve plummets until it reaches a low point when people decide to protect whatever they have left Then the curve rises as reforestation begins At almost every point along the line countries are now doing better Deforesters are felling fewer trees reforesters are replanting more

Despite decades of destruction tropical forests are still absorbing about one-fifth of emissions from fossil fuels each year

Encouraging countries to plant trees is by far the most effective way of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions If

Brazil had kept on felling trees as rapidly as it was cutting them down in 2005 it would by 2013 have put an extra 32 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere the science writers believe

That means that over those eight years it managed to save six times as much carbon as ultra-green Germany did in the same period through one of the worldrsquos most expensive renewable-energy regimes As a way of helping the environment protecting trees is hard to beat It is in everyonersquos interest to find out which forest policies work and back them

Brazil shows that bans can be made to stick if there is political support at the top and popular backing from below (the policies started to bite when President Luiz Inaacutecio Lula da Silva took charge of them) and if there is an institutional network to back

them up In Brazilrsquos case that meant everything from satellites to show the public what was happening in the Amazon to moratoriums on purchases of soybeans and beef produced on cleared land

Only forested countries themselves can provide leadership from the top But outsiders can help They could finance say new land registries And they should fund an all-purpose UN program to improve forest management in tropical countries called REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation)

Rich countries spend billions on renewable energy at home which has so far cut carbon emissions only a bit They should be willing to spend a few millions abroad protecting tropical forests that reduce emissions a lot

19SEPTEMBER 1 2014 | PAGE

ON THE ROAD

297x210mm

Vertical 254x93mmHorizontal 125x190mm

Vertical 125x93mm

Horizontal 73x190mm

Horizontal 73x190mm

Vertical 140x445mm

110 Vertical 34x445mm

297x210mm

Vertical 254x93mmHorizontal 125x190mm

Vertical 125x93mm

Horizontal 51x93mm

Mob 0401 312 087

PAGE | SEPTEMBER 1 201418

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

Seeing the forest for the treesGlobal rate of deforestation is slowing downBRAZIL the country with more tropical trees than any other was cutting down an area of forest two-thirds the size of Belgium every year Roughly half of all the planetrsquos once-luxuriant tropical forests had been felled and the further degradation of the Earthrsquos green spaces seemed inevitable

It would be too much to say that forests have made a full recovery worldwide more than 5 million ha of jungle is still being felled or burned down each year

But according to science writers in The Economist the crisis is passing and the prognosis is starting to improve

Fears that the great forests of the Congo would be cleared have proved unfounded so far Brazil and Mexico have reduced their deforestation rates by well over two-thirds India and Costa Rica have done

more than reduce the rate of loss They are replanting areas that were once clear-cut

Over time countries trace a lsquoforest transition curversquo They start in poverty with the land covered in trees As they get richer they fell the forest and the curve plummets until it reaches a low point when people decide to protect whatever they have left Then the curve rises as reforestation begins At almost every point along the line countries are now doing better Deforesters are felling fewer trees reforesters are replanting more

Despite decades of destruction tropical forests are still absorbing about one-fifth of emissions from fossil fuels each year

Encouraging countries to plant trees is by far the most effective way of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions If

Brazil had kept on felling trees as rapidly as it was cutting them down in 2005 it would by 2013 have put an extra 32 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere the science writers believe

That means that over those eight years it managed to save six times as much carbon as ultra-green Germany did in the same period through one of the worldrsquos most expensive renewable-energy regimes As a way of helping the environment protecting trees is hard to beat It is in everyonersquos interest to find out which forest policies work and back them

Brazil shows that bans can be made to stick if there is political support at the top and popular backing from below (the policies started to bite when President Luiz Inaacutecio Lula da Silva took charge of them) and if there is an institutional network to back

them up In Brazilrsquos case that meant everything from satellites to show the public what was happening in the Amazon to moratoriums on purchases of soybeans and beef produced on cleared land

Only forested countries themselves can provide leadership from the top But outsiders can help They could finance say new land registries And they should fund an all-purpose UN program to improve forest management in tropical countries called REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation)

Rich countries spend billions on renewable energy at home which has so far cut carbon emissions only a bit They should be willing to spend a few millions abroad protecting tropical forests that reduce emissions a lot

19SEPTEMBER 1 2014 | PAGE

ON THE ROAD

297x210mm

Vertical 254x93mmHorizontal 125x190mm

Vertical 125x93mm

Horizontal 73x190mm

Horizontal 73x190mm

Vertical 140x445mm

110 Vertical 34x445mm

297x210mm

Vertical 254x93mmHorizontal 125x190mm

Vertical 125x93mm

Horizontal 51x93mm

Mob 0401 312 087

19SEPTEMBER 1 2014 | PAGE

ON THE ROAD

297x210mm

Vertical 254x93mmHorizontal 125x190mm

Vertical 125x93mm

Horizontal 73x190mm

Horizontal 73x190mm

Vertical 140x445mm

110 Vertical 34x445mm

297x210mm

Vertical 254x93mmHorizontal 125x190mm

Vertical 125x93mm

Horizontal 51x93mm

Mob 0401 312 087