1ISSUE 319 | PAGE

By JIM BOWDEN

THE construction industry at the ‘big end of town’– perhaps more than the wood sector – has emerged as the lead driver of new timber pre-fab technology in Australia.

Developers, building fund managers, bankers and investors thickened the multi-sector mix of delegates at Frame Australia 2014 in Melbourne last week.

They’ve invested in engineered timber big-time – in

research and development and revolutionary building systems.

“Come and join us,” is their cry to manufacturers of wood products.

More than 400 people assembled at the Park Hyatt in Melbourne on May 19 for the largest gathering in the 16-year history of the event, now locked in as a one-day conference and exhibition.

The word ‘stimulating’

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ISSUE 319 | 26.5.14

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Cont P 3

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Innovation & Technology from Osmose. It’s what we do!Find us at osmose.com.au or call 1800 088 809

10 years of successful use means maximum Peace of Mind

Not only have treated frames performed in Australian houses, ongoing high intensity fi eld testing continues to confi rm that Determite’s highly termite repellent formula is a standout.

A PROVEN PERFORMER.

But where to from here?

A well-earned refreshment .. Kevin Ezard enjoys the close-of-conference party at Frame Australia 2014.

PAGE | ISSUE 3192

INDUSTRY NEWS

NZ forest owners givenanother whack on ETS

‘All growers will be concerned by the inequity of this’

Paul Nicholls David RhodesBill English Tim Groser

NEW Zealand’s Treasurer Bill English has delivered a rare economic prize in his 2014-15 Budget – a forecast surplus of $340 million, after a $2.2 billion deficit this financial year.

But a measure hidden in the fine print of the Budget has forest owners wondering why they are again being unfairly singled out.

In a Bill that is expected to become law, forest owners planning to pay their emissions obligations with international units will no longer be able to do so. These units, which typically sell for about a tenth of the price of NZ units, will still be legal tender for power companies and other emitters.

“Forest owners who have bought international units to meet their obligations during the next 12 months will be forced to sell them at a likely loss,” says Forest Owners Association president Paul Nicholls.

“The number of forest owners directly affected is unknown but all forest growers will be concerned by the inequity of this,” he said. “For the second time in the tawdry history of the ETS, forest owners are being hit by retrospective legislation.”

Mr Nicholls says the Bill is designed to stop arbitraging by forest owners – a form of trading which enables participants in the ETS to profit by selling high value NZ units while meeting their obligations using cheaper international units.

“But it also captures everyday forest owners who entered the ETS in good faith and who now want to exit because it isn’t worth the candle. Small forest owners and iwi will be disproportionately affected.

“Meanwhile, power companies and other emitters will be allowed to arbitrage for another year.”

FOA chief executive David Rhodes says arbitraging does not benefit New Zealand or the climate in any way, but it is an inevitable result of allowing unrestricted volumes of cheap international units into the country.

“We, along with Maori interests, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment and environmental groups have repeatedly told the government that these units undermine New Zealand’s ability to address climate change.

“Finally they’ve decided to act. But why now? Why with such urgency? Why retrospectively? And why only forestry?”

Mr Rhodes says there is a deep irony that the only industry that has consistently criticised the use of international units in the ETS has been singled out in this way.

“Minister (Tim) Groser announced last December that non-New Zealand units would not be able to be used in the ETS from mid-2015. This provided ample time for players to adjust .. except for post-1989 forest owners, for whom mid-2015 has now suddenly become yesterday,” Mr Rhodes says.

“For forest owners this continues a series of decisions by this government which are as baffling as they are inequitable. The forest sector had considerable potential to help New Zealand meet its 2020 emissions targets, but that potential has largely been squandered.

“Far from being a part of the solution, forestry is going to become part of the problem because lots of trees planted in the 1990s are approaching the harvest age of 30 years and new planting to offset those harvest emissions has been stalled for several years.”

Forced to sell i’national units at a likely loss

Industry baffled by series of decisions by the government

3ISSUE 319 | PAGE

swirled around the conference hall and trade booths.

Most accepted the new opportunities and benefits opening for the wood sector, but they must wrestle with how it is brought together and implemented as a business

Certainly, nobody can progress on their own – it must be a collaborative effort. Forward-thinking companies have demonstrated the degree of precision needed with the new building systems, but many others are not so well structured and how they step up to the plate is an interesting challenge.

But Frame was a turning point; these opportunities have never been presented before on such a scale.

The market that delegates and speakers were talking about is far greater than the entire housing market. Detached houses are reducing in number, while multi-residential constructions are set to rocket.

If the industry sticks to

sticks – just housing – it will not sustain. Where’s the wood? It’s not going to happen overnight, but it will happen and we could see half a dozen or more Forte buildings going up in the next two, five or 10 years.

Asking the question ‘are you with us?’ were principals from major construction companies like the Australand Property Group and Grocon, the largest privately owned development, construction and funds management business in Australia.

Grocon built Pixel in Melbourne, the first carbon neutral office building that achieved the highest Green Star score ever awarded by the Green Building Council of Australia. Development manager David Waldren agreed to moderate the final session at Frame which centred on lower-cost residential building with timber panels.

In Europe and North America, prefabricated and panellised timber construction has been used for many years and has become highly developed in efficient and cost-effective residential dwellings and multi-storey buildings.

Prefabricated wood panel systems are becoming the

If the industry sticks to sticks –just housing – it will not sustain

Speakers and moderators at the wood systems for construction session at Frame Australia .. standing, from left, Scott Hedges, principal of Bygghouse, USA, Kevin Ezard, director, Frame Australia, Dr Alastair Woodard, director, TPC Solutions, Melbourne, and Ross Hampton, CEO, Australian Forest Products Association, Canberra, and seated, from left, Johann Betz, Betz Consulting, Christchurch, NZ, Walter Fahrenschon, CEO, Hundegger, Germany, and Stefan Schneider, founder, CutMyTimber Inc, Vancouver, Canada.

Opportunities never presented on such a scale

Wood panel systems preferred material in residential construction

Cont P 4

From P 1

Smiles say welcome .. Sonia Moore, executive assistant, Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia, Brisbane (centre), and Pamela Bakes and Susan Scott of Melbourne take a break from busy delegate registration at Frame Australia 2014.

PAGE | ISSUE 3194

preferred building material in residential construction, and Australia followed the trend with the construction of the all-timber 10-storey Forte apartments built by developer Lend Lease.

The most common timber building systems in Australia use pre-fabricated timber trusses and frames. But rapidly emerging are complete floor cassettes and panellised walls, prefabricated and installed on site by mobile cranes.

As an example, a multi-residential building project by Australand Property Group, a 57-apartment, five-storey building in Melbourne, was completed in only 11 months by utilising timber panel systems.

The project uses prefabricated timber walls and

roof, with complete cassette timber floors craned into place on each building level.

During construction, Australand completed 400 sq m a day, with 11-day floor cycles to have all load bearing and partition walls in place,

which enabled installation of services to commence a day later.

The floor cassette system was designed and manufactured by Tilling SmartFloor using lightweight steel and timber composite structural beams.

Conference speaker Rob de Brincat, Tilling SmartStruct’s commercial development manager, said Australand was a testament to the advantages of prefabricated timber systems and how all segments of the industry could work together to successfully deliver a large-scale residential project with one of the biggest developers in the country.

“The shift to using prefabricated timber panel construction systems is a response to increasing demand for medium-density housing in our major cities, which is essential if our population is to

All segments of industry can work asone to deliver on large-scale projects

In session .. delegates listen intently to presentations at Frame Australia 2014 in the conference room at the Park Hyatt Melbourne.

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!

Find us at osmose.com.au or call 1800 088 809

10 years of successful use means maximum Peace of Mind

Not only have treated frames performed in

Australian houses, ongoing high intensity fi eld testing

continues to confi rm that Determite’s highly termite

repellent formula is a standout.

A PROVEN PERFORMER.

Floor cassettes rapidly emerging building system

Cont P 7

From P 3

5ISSUE 319 | PAGE

MAY 201429: FSC Australia AGM. The City of Melbourne Bowls Club, Flagstaff Gardens Dudley St, West Melbourne. Times: Registration 10.30 am. Meeting 11 am-1.30 pm. Networking dinner at The Mint, cnr LaTrobe and William Street. West Melbourne. Bookings essential. Ticket price $60 for members and $80 for non-members includes 2-course set menu dinner and wines. Contact (03) 9329 9984 or email info@fscaustralia.org

JUNE11-12: Wood Flow Logistics 2014 – Rotorua, NZ. 17-18: Melbourne (www.woodflowlogistics.com). This series will add a number of components from the steep slope wood harvesting event and will provide a practical update on innovations, strategies and technologies used by leading forest products companies to improve their planning, logistics and operations within the wood supply chain – from forest through to market.

20: 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.

AUGUST 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: DANA conference, Melbourne. The Australian forestry and forest products sector: its situation in 2014 and trends

going forward. Bayview Eden Hotel, Melbourne. Speakers: Gavin Hoe, RISI China; 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. Conference includes panel of overseas plantation investors. Contact Pamela Richards at pam@prcc.com.au or visit www.dana.co.nz

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 3196

FORESTRY officials have failed to assuage growing concern among timber importers who assess they face an annual cost of $350 million to comply with Labor government regulations to ensure no illegal timber enters Australia, according to industry analyst Alan Oxley.

“Now, new analysis is also indicating the Act and its regulations probably breach binding international trade law,” he says.

Alan Oxley is a former ambassador to the GATT, predecessor of the World Trade Organisation, and principal of ITS Global, a forest industries consultancy.

He says Coalition MPs were already wondering why the Illegal Logging Act and its regulations are not being examined under the Abbott government red tape review. About 17,000 importers will have to shoulder the cost of compliance.

The Regulatory Impact Statement commissioned by

the Rudd government forecast the cost of compliance would be significant and the impact on halting illegal logging would be minor. At best, 10%, and probably less, of imported timber might contain some illegal product – no more than $40 million worth of the $8 to $9 billion of timber products imported each year.

“Note the numbers,” Mr Oxley said. “Seventeen thousand, mostly small business importers, pay annually $350 million in regulatory compliance costs which might, at best, block $40 million of imports.”

He said under Labor, DAFF policy was driven by anti-forestry activists.

“So the Regulatory Impact Statement was sidelined; the legal requirement to assess the impact of the Regulations to the Act was ignored,” Mr Oxley said.

“Most of the regulations were rushed through the Senate in the last days of the Gillard government.

“No wonder timber importers are privately getting edgy. They are loath to go public for fear of having their businesses attacked like Harvey Norman has been.”

Attention is now turning to

the disregard of Australia’s international trade obligations. One of Australia’s leading international trade experts submitted an analysis to a senate committee reviewing the Act, finding it contravened the rules of the World Trade Organisation.

Mr Oxley says DAFF chose instead to follow the example of the European Parliament, also advised by environmental activists, to restrict timber imports. A European law firm recently concluded the resulting EU Timber Regulation was also likely to breach WTO rules. The regulations to the Australian Act are currently under review by

legal experts. A similar finding is likely.

“The Abbott government is demonstrating how Australian business can profit from compliance by importing governments with rules which foster, not impede trade,” Mr Oxley said.

“That is what the Asian free trade agreements are all about. Yet the Department of Agriculture seems not to have noticed.”

Mr Oxley says there is a cheaper and more effective way to reduce illegal logging – use aid to assist developing countries to better manage their forest industries.

“International experts acknowledge the leading driver of illegal logging is poverty. This was the policy of the Howard government.

“Trade bans won’t reduce poverty. But this has never been a concern of environmental activists, nor today it would seem, of Australian forestry officials.”

Is illegal logging law creatingmore angst among importers?

INDUSTRY NEWS

The cost of compliance significant

‘Regulations ducking government red tape review’

Alan Oxley .. timber importers are privately getting edgy.

Regulations were rushed through senate

7ISSUE 319 | PAGE

continue growing and remain sustainable,” Mr de Brincat said.

“Furthermore, timber panel systems provide significant opportunities to move beyond the current levels of building site productivity, health and safety, speed of construction and build quality.”

The development of laminated strand lumber (LSL), and its potential to include hardwoods in a low-cost manufacturing process, captured the attention of industry and architects alike in the opening session at Frame.

Keynote speaker was Dr Tony Pugelo, senior manufacturing technologist at LP Building Products, based in Tennessee, USA, one of the world’s largest producers of engineered wood products with 24 mills and more than $US2 billion in annual sales.

He says LSL can help reduce labour and material costs and can be used for a variety of applications, including roof and floor beams, door and window headers, wall framing and truss chords.

LSL installs like traditional lumber, but is straighter, stronger, and can handle longer spans. In the US, it is made from a mixture of aspen and maple hardwoods, a mix proven to produce higher value and higher strength products.

Steam injection presses produce finished LSL at 7-10% moisture content, which is similar to the moisture content of the wood inside a home.

Putting all these systems together are the connector, machinery components and design software sectors and representatives of companies acros Australian, New Zealand, Germany, North America, Italy and the UK were at Frame to offer collaborative project ideas.

Early feedback about the Frame conference – and a consideration that it might become an annual event – included comments from three speakers:

“Frame was a very well organised conference which has its origins in traditional truss and frame manufacture but very rapidly is morphing

into arguably the premier event on panellised prefabrication in Australasia. I have a feeling the event will keep growing from here.” – Johann Betz, Betz Consulting, New Zealand.

“Congratulations on what I think was the best Frame Australia so far. With the planned changes within the industry over the relative short time frame, it was quite timely to table the elements covered. The feedback that I have had from a cross-section of people has been quite positive.” – Ian Currie, business development

manager, Pryda Australia.“Thank you very much for

this excellent conference! The quality of the presentations, the session moderators, the time management, the organisation – everything was very professional and I could bring new ideas and perspectives home to Germany.” – Dr Stefan Moehringer, managing director, Moehringer, Germany.

• More conference reports and pictures will appear in the next issue of Timber&Forestry enews.

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PAGE | ISSUE 3198

North Americans on the APA – The Engineered Wood Association stand .. Dr Kevin Cheung, chief engineer, Western Wood Products Association, Portland, Oregon, Michelle Burbank, international sales director, Calvert Company, Inc, Vancouver, Charles Barnes, director, international marketing division, APA – The Engineered Wood Association, Tacoma, Washington state, USA, Wendell MacLoud, Thorlynne Pty Ltd, Sydney, Doug Calvert, president, Calvert Company, Inc, Vancouver, Russ Tuvey, special products manager, Western Wood Products Association, Portland, Oregon, and Ben Haynes, technical and special programs manager, Pacifi c Lumber Inspection Bureau, Tacoma, Washington state, USA.

Conferring on the TecBuild-Tillilng-SmartStruct stand at Frame are Bill Chivers, TecBuild Building Systems, Colac, Vic., Jack Haber, executive chairman, TecBuild Australasia Pty Ltd, Melbourne, and Robert De Brincat, who heads up Tilling’s SmartStruct division at Kilsyth, Vic.

On the Homag stand .. Ingo Krieg, project manager Weinmann, GmbH, St. Johann (Lonsingen), Germany, and Ross Campbell, managing director, Homag Australia Pty Ltd, Sydney.

Talking new building technologies at Frame Australia .. Wyn Bromiley, Woodtec Australia, Sydney, and Dr Anton Pugel, senior manufacturing technologist, LP Building Products, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

9ISSUE 319 | PAGE

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On the Airco stand at Frame Australia .. Tynan Murray, Victoria-Tasmania state manager, and Dean Harris, sales representative, Melbourne.

Catching up at Frame .. Michael Hartman, CEO, ForestWorks, Melbourne, Chris Robertson, manager, strategic development at Hyne, Brisbane, and Nick Roberts, CEO, Forests NSW.

Matthew Gee, founder, Island Worshop, Hobart, Robin Jack, director, XLam NZ Ltd, Nelson, NZ, and Peter Hyne, sales and marketing manager, Hyne, Brisbane.

Sharing a lunch break at Frame .. John Simon, chief executive Simmonds Lumber Group, Sydney (left) with Brian Aulsebrook, the founder of South Coast Timber Supply, Nowra South NSW.

PAGE | ISSUE 31910

AWISA 2014 is the international exhibition

for the Australian and New Zealand cabinet,

joinery, furniture, timber and panel industries.

On a coffee break at Frame .. Peter Robinson of PNG Forest Products, Bulolo, Papua New Guinea, and Dr Henri Bailleres, team leader , forest products innovation, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Brisbane.

Nelson-based Robin Jack, director of XLam NZ Ltd (left) meets up with Hyne diamonds Chris Robertson, manager, strategic development, Brisbane, and Chris Hyne, director, Hyne, Maryborough.

On the Pryda stand .. Stephanie Whiteside, product manager, Databuild, Dandenong, Vic, Nick Cui, engineering associate, Pryda, Tony van Maanen, manager, Pryda NZ, Auckland, and Neil Despotellis, director, Surefoot, Melbourne.

John Harrison of Harrison’s Timber and Hardware, Sydney (left), catches up with Norm Tilling, now based on the Gold Coast.

11ISSUE 319 | PAGE

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 mg/L _ well

above safe levels recommended by the federal government’s 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 AustralasiaPlywood House, 3 Dunlop Street, 4006 Queensland AustraliaTel: 61 7 3250 3700 Fax: 61 7 3252 4769Email: inbox@ewp.asn.,auWeb: www.ewp.asn.au

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EWPAA industry dinner speaker Charlie Barnes, director, international marketing division, APA – The Engineered Wood Association, Tacoma, Washington state, USA (left) with David Marlay, Marketing and Timber Export Solutions, Sunshine Coast, Qld, Simon Dorries, general manager, Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia, Mike McCollum, director, engineered wood business, Roseburg Forest Products, Oregon, USA, and Jim Bindon, managing director, Big River Group, Grafton, NSW.

Meeting at the Park Hyatt Melbourne for theEWPAA industry dinner are Dan Semsak,vice-president, sales and marketing,Pacifi c Woodtech Corporation, Burlington,Washington, USA, and Sharon Adlam andPhilip Marsh, AICA NZ Ltd, Nelson, NZ.

Enjoying the EWPAA industry dinner duringFrame Australia 2014 in Melbourne areShannon Mott, international account manager,LP Building Products, Nashville, Tennessee,USA, and Grant Jelec, export sales manager,Weyerhaeuser, Edminton, Alberta, Canada.

EWPAA technical manager Andy McNaught (right) shares pre-dinner drinks with Nick Roberts, CEO, Forestry NSW and partner Della Prowse.

INDUSTRY DINNER

PAGE | ISSUE 31912

Getting together on the Hyne stand at Frame Australia .. Jeff Gibson, marketing manager (sales and distribution), Hyne, Brisbane, Elias Akle, general manager, Osmose Australia, Nick Livanes, national business development manager, Osmose Australia, Jon Kleinschmidt, chief executive, Hyne, and Paul Macpherson, national key account manager, Hyne, Brisbane.

Taking a break during Frame Australia .. Jim Rosewell, Programmed Timber Supplies, Sydney, Geoff Stringer, technical manager, Hyne, Maryborough, and Helen and Warwick Drysdale, Programmed Timber Supplies.

Leon Quinn, southern regional sales manager, Tilling Timber (left) talks Tilling SmartStruct with Nick Hewson, senior structural engineer, AECOM, Melbourne, and Dan Semsak, Pacific Wood, USA.

Paul Kremer, marketing and sustainability manager at Tilling (left) chats with Matthew Searle of Meyer Timber NSW, Sydney.

Pat Thornton on the Loggo stand at Frame Australia (right) welcomes Stafan Kremer, Felder NSW Pty Ltd, Emu Plains, NSW.

Talking ‘wood first’ at Frame are Cr Sandy Kam, Latrobe City Council, Morwell, Vic, and Laurie Martin, general manager, AUSTimber 2016, Latrobe City.

Grace Davies and Eileen Newbury welcome Abdull Arshad, Public Works Department, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to the Forest and Wood Products Australia stand at Frame.

Father and son at Frame Australia .. Brett and Bill Neilson of The Timber Truss Company, Eight Mile Plains, Brisbane.

13ISSUE 319 | PAGE

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Speakers and moderators for the truss and frame manufacturing plants session at Frame Australia .. standing from left, Charlie Hutchings, director, Hundegger Australia, Dr Stefan Moehringer, Moehringer, Germany, John Simon, Simmonds Lumber, Sydney, and Kevin Ezard, Frame Australia director, and seated, from left, Ian Currie, business development manager, ANZ-fabrication, Pryda Australia, Martin Smith, export sales director, Modular Building Automation, UK, and Hansbert Ott, managing director, Weinmann, Germany.

Nathan Benton, project manager (innovation and market development), Ray Thompson, general manager (innovation and development), CSR Ltd, Sydney, Bill Thompson, CSR research and development manager, and Laurent Decostérd, president, Cadwork, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Getting together on the Hundegger stand at Frame Australia are Steffen Webber, global technical sales, Hundegger, Hawangen, Germany, Jason Cordes, managing director, Northern Frame and Prefab, Hamilton, NZ, Steve Shrader, Hundegger, and Jay Halteman, president, Wood Truss Systems, Muncie, Indiana, USA.

Charles Barnes, director, international marketing division, APA – TheEngineered Wood Association (left) visits the Loggo stand at FrameAustralia 2014 and meets with Pat Thornton, managing director, LoggoIP Pty Ltd, Wollongong, NSW, (right) and Peter Blair, executive director,Structural Management Australia, Loggo’s structural engineer workingon the Loggo systems.

Tim Rossiter, chief engineer, Mitek Australia, and Astrid and Brian Hall, Wonson Frames and Trusses, Wollongong, NSW.

Philip Marsh, AICA NZ Ltd, and Edwina and Timothy Goodall (managing director), Warrnambool Timber Industries Pty Ltd, Warrnambool, Vic.

PAGE | ISSUE 31914

THE engineered timber industry is only in its infancy, lagging behind Europe, and increasingly the US and New Zealand, according to a Sydney-based architect.

“There are, however, a few hopeful that the tide will turn sooner rather than later,” says Rod Pindar of Fitzpatrick + Partners, one practice which believes there is a compelling case for building ‘tall timber’ and has invested signifi cant research and development into timber applications.

Rod Pindar, a principal at F+P, attributes current industry inertia to a lack of demand in investing in new technology within the Australian construction industry.

“All the technologies we use to build these days have been around for decades. We are used to them, we’re experienced with them, and there’s been no need to change,” says Pindar of the reigning concrete and steel construction systems.

“There’s the attitude in the industry of ‘we know what we are doing, so why do we need to do it differently?’’

Across the Tasman, New

Zealand’s building industry has soared ahead in terms of timber construction, but this has only happened within the span of a few short years.

One key driver for this has been the Christchurch

earthquakes, which have prompted a dramatic re-think in how buildings are constructed. Seismic engineering is now an integral part of their building design, and engineered timber is well suited to dealing with

those challenges.Wood is now front and centre

of New Zealand’s building products supermarket.

However, it should not take a disaster to wake Australia from its ‘slumber’, notes Pindar in the Architecture and Design magazine.

“The fact is we do need smarter systems than what we currently have,” he says.

“Contractors are under ever increasing pressure to deliver buildings cheaper and faster, with stringent safety standards and high on-site costs. Traditional methods of construction are struggling to deliver quality outcomes, and I think people are beginning to look to alternative means of construction.”

The impetus for change in Australia, according to Pindar, will therefore not rest solely on the environmental benefi ts of timber construction. Instead,

Engineered Timber Products

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

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An impetus for change in Australia:playing catch-up with New Zealand‘All the technologies we use have been around for decades’

The Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology and Arts building in New Zealand by Irving Smith Jack Architects was constructed using the world’s fi rst commercial EXPAN Pres-Lam engineered timber structure. – Phto by Patrick Reynolds

Cont P 15

Wood is now frontand centre of NZbuilding products

15ISSUE 319 | PAGE

the shift in culture will be driven by economic and practical advantages.

Typically, fabricated off-site, engineered wood products have good strength-to-weight ratio, and are manufactured with millimetre accuracy and sophisticated detailing. This allows buildings to go up on site much quicker and more efficiently than traditional construction.

A keen example is Forte in Melbourne, where walls, floors and ceilings are made from large slabs of timber formed by gluing pieces of timber together. According to developer Lend Lease, this method helped cut construction times by 30% and reduced the number of workers required on site. The reduction in time and noise on site also reduced the impact of construction on local communities.

Contrary to popular belief, engineered wood also performs well against fire because of its char factor.

“The analogy is if you are trying to start a fire in your backyard or a barbeque, you don’t put a log on it, you start with twigs and paper. You are not going to start a fire just by striking a match under a log,” explains Pindar.

“You need a large, established fire before that log is going to start to burn, and when it does, it will char and burn slowly. This is measurable and accounted for in the engineering of the timber.”

Large timber beams are therefore able to retain their integrity even after being susceptible to a fire. Compare this to steel, which Pindar says requires costly protective coatings or cladding to protect it in the event of a fire.

The natural aesthetic of wood is another big advantage of timber construction. A timber building has a warmth to it, soft to touch, and a particular ambience that is calming and inviting. This could

be particularly beneficial for commercial buildings with staff and workers who may thrive more in a building made of materials with variance, texture and grain, instead of more sterile, clinical finishes.

Of course, sustainability remains a key incentive for the use of engineered timber.

A truly renewable resource, timber plantations typically have a 25-year lifecycle, which means there is an endless supply as long as the wood is harvested sustainably and responsibly. Wood absorbs and stores carbon and requires relatively little embodied energy to manufacture.

Timber is also highly

recyclable, and at the end of a building’s lifecycle, can be made into other products.

The possibilities of engineered timber are only just starting to enter mainstream building industry consciousness. Following on from the success of Forte, Lend Lease has recently completed another CLT project in Melbourne, The Library at The Dock. Also, the new Netball Centre in Homebush, Sydney, by Scott Carver is being built with large format laminated veneer lumber beams.

Fitzpatrick + Partners has prepared a concept design for what could be the tallest timber commercial building in Australia, using glulam, and is exploring the use of hybrid timber and steel or concrete structures in many of its projects.

While Pindar acknowledges that a fully timber building is not always the right solution for every site, he hopes that wood will be seen as a legitimate option alongside steel and concrete.

“I think the question should not be why timber is suited for commercial office design, but why timber is not being used for multi-storey commercial buildings. I don’t think there is a compelling reason for that,” he concludes.

ENGINEERED WOOD

Timber will be seen as a legitimateoption alongside steel and concrete

The possibilities of engineered timber are only just starting to enter mainstream building industry consciousness.

From P 14

Five Australians seek answers on wood energy in SwedenFIVE Australians will be in Jönköping, Sweden, next month for the 2014 World Bioenergy Conference in with two from the group involved in proceedings.

They include Victorians Andrew Lang, a western district farmer and farm forester, Shaun Quayle and Matt Prendergast from an eco-services business based near Bendigo, Sophie Gebhardt, a Melbourne-based journalist, and Liz Smith, a

Tasmanian environmental scientist and local government councillor.

Each has a different area of interest and objective in attending the conference.

Sweden is recognised as a world leader in the conversion of its energy system to renewables and in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, biomass accounts for more than 34% of Sweden’s final energy.

This exceeds the energy from any other source, including oil, hydro or nuclear, and the target is to achieve 39% of energy from biomass by 2020.

Either side of the conference, members of the group will be spending time gathering firsthand information on renewable energy in Norway, Germany, Denmark and the UK.

The focus of the trip is to take advantage of the expertise

represented at the conference, learning about a range of applications within the field of bioenergy, including bio-refining, biomass to heat and cooling, biofuels, waste-to-energy and energy efficiency.

The bulk of the biomass comes from Sweden’s sustainably managed forestry industry, and as a by-product of its paper and timber processing industries.

PAGE | ISSUE 31916

INDUSTRY NEWS

We’re headin’ south– and we’re doing it for the kids

Brisbane Timber Industry Hoo-Hoo Club 218 has entered the 2014 Variety Club of Queensland Bush Bash to again raise funds for disadvantaged children – heading south in August in the club’s veteran Bush Bash performer, a 1977 Holden Kingswood.

Already, the club’s entry in Variety’s 25th anniversary event has raised more than $8000 from kind sponsors. Club 218 acknowledge the generous support of Forest and Wood Products Australia and the Australian Forest Products Association.

The Hoo-Hoo Bush Bash team will distribute more than 300 industry promotional bags to schools along the route which begins in the capital of Cane Toad kingdom at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane and

fi nishes 10 days later in the heart of Cockroach country at Moore Park in Sydney.

Please support Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Club 218’s effort so we can enrich the lives of sick and needy children. Sponsorship will attract wide media coverage and is tax deductible.

Donate on-line .. visit everydayhero.com.au and

go to the Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Club 218 page. All sponsorships will be recognised.

For more information and to discuss sponsorship options contact committee members:Don Towerton 0428 745 455, Tim Evans 0417 726 741 or Jim Bowden 0401 312 087.

go to the Brisbane Hoo-Hoo Club 218 page. All sponsorships will be recognised.

Club 218 has entered the 2014 Variety Club of Queensland Bush Bash to again Club of Queensland Bush Bash to again

Budget shadow:

Greens attemptto close jobs inSE NSW forestsRIGHT-thinking Australians will be appalled to learn that the Australian Greens – whose leader Christine Milne claimed a desperate need for regional employment growth on Budget day – is now demanding that politicians intervene to try to force the doors closed on a sustainable regional industry and drive jobs out of the southeast corner of New South Wales.

Australian Forest Products Association CEO Ross Hampton said Australia had a world class, sustainably managed and intensely regulated, timber products industry.

“Nowhere in the world are naturally regrowing forests as carefully and sustainably managed as in this country,” he said.

“The use of lower quality logs for high quality paper making is part of the value chain based on fi bre which would otherwise be most likely lost to us through bushfi res.

“The global demand for paper and tissue is increasing and jobs in operations such as the South East Fibre Exports mill are being created around the world.”

Mr Hampton said regional jobs

in Australia were very hard to generate.

“Our regional communities know this and many rural leaders are furious that the Australian Greens are apparently determined to close down industries which provide jobs for their children, simply because of an ideological opposition to some forms of forestry,” he said.

‘The Eden mill and export operation deserves our support as the management seeks to weather the tail of the global fi nancial downturn by making tough decisions based on commercial reasons.

“Industry employers and managers should not be confronting elected public offi cials who call for their demise and publicly applaud protest campaigns which have included breaking and entering and industrial sabotage.

‘While Australians strongly support the right of every citizen to make their point of view known, there should be no place for clearly illegal behaviour which regularly places lives at risk.

“It is deeply troubling that elected Greens politicians are prepared to throw their weight behind those who have received criminal charges, and against the many regional Australians who operate quite lawfully in forestry harvesting, hauling and exporting industries.”

No place forthis clearlyillegal activity

Proposal to delist forests rejectedA BID by the federal government to reduce world heritage protection for Tasmanian forests is considered likely to fail after it ruled out negotiating with other countries to get its proposal up, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

Australia’s attempt to delist 74,000 ha of mainly old-

growth forest in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area was rejected in a draft decision of the World Heritage Committee.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature advised the committee that winding back world heritage status would be “clearly inappropriate”.

17ISSUE 319 | PAGE

IN its 20th year, the Forest Stewardship Council has invited all media to attend the FSC+20 Forum in Seville, Spain, from September 8 to 10.

Part of the week-long 7th FSC General Assembly 2014, the forum is made up of three key sessions where an unprecedented number of heads of business, environmental and social NGOs, and other organisations will discuss the greatest challenges facing FSC and the world’s forests.

With the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals coming up in 2015, the event will bring together the key people from the environmental, social and economic sectors at

a time crucial to the future of forests and the planet.

The FSC+20 Forum is part of 50-plus GA side events that are taking place across these three days, and will include

sessions on tropical forest timber: avoiding deforestation while ensuring market value; dollars and sense: balancing consumer demand with forest resources; and ‘show me the

money’: the role of fi nance and investments in responsible forest management.

Media will have access to all sessions, as well as the opportunity to attend events and conduct reviews with the panellists.

The Forest Stewardship Council was created in 1993 to help consumers and businesses identify products from well-managed forests. FSC sets standards by which forests are certifi ed, offering credible verifi cation to people who are buying wood and wood products. Currently, more than 175 million ha and 25,000 companies are certifi ed to FSC standards world-wide.

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

07 3262 3001

Media blitz for FSC at special forum in Spain

Value of Britain’s softwood lumber imports rises by 33pcBRITISH imports of sawn and planed lumber have increased in value by 33% or almost EUR 50 million in the fi rst two months of 2014, according to the latest fi gures provided by Eurostat.

Imports from the European Union countries, which represent more than 90% of all UK softwood lumber purchases, grew by 32% as compared to January-February 2013. Notably

those from Sweden (+42%), Finland (+18%) and Latvia (+51), the fi rst three main UK suppliers.

Though with lower values, imports from Russia almost doubled in the period mentioned,

while those from Canada rose by 43%.

In terms of market shares, Sweden remains by far the largest softwood lumber supplier for the UK.

PAGE | ISSUE 31918

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