Wood Transport & Logistics 2023 returned to a packed audience, a car park full of large rigs and a range of next-gen technologies on display. Over 250 forestry and log …

Virtual machine operators can utilize 5G connections to remotely harvest forests The robots are coming to the B.C. forest sector. It’s the undeniable wave of the future for forestry companies …

Ponsse’s and Epec’s technology concept PONSSE EV1 has been rewarded with the Finnish Society of Automation’s Automation prize. The prize is given every two years by society to reward significant …

NZ log prices dropped 14 percent between March and April as China’s usual seasonal increase in consumption failed to materialise. Logging exporters are being blamed for the current dive in …

It was a well-timed event for the Southern North Island Wood Council to hold their Forestry Awards on the night of 12 May 2023 in Palmerston North. 410 members of …

In NZ, a Gisborne-based forest contracting business owner is “devastated” by having to pull the pin on his 23-year-old company. Robert Stubbs (photo) owns Stubbs Contracting and forestry has been …

New Zealand’s forestry contractors are at breaking point, with compounding pressures from the last three years mounting. Some are already in liquidation and many more are at risk of losing …

Market Summary At Wharf Gate (AWG) prices for export logs further decreased an average of $22 per JASm3 in May. The AWG prices have now dropped to their lowest prices …

According to recent data from Roslesinforg, the Russian forest regulator, foreign sales of Russian timber experienced a further decline in the first quarter of this year, dropping by over 20 …

Waratah is pleased to announce the appointment of Barry Gates as Area Manager Retail for Waratah Forestry Services of New Zealand. Barry will take up the leadership of the New …

ForestWorks has commenced work on a project to update the forest industry’s Log Haulage Manual and produce instructional videos to support some important knowledge and skills required to transport harvested …

New Zealand’s largest privately owned transport company has launched what is believed to be Australasia’s first dual fuel truck which is powered by hydrogen gas and diesel. The HW Richardson …

EECA has a new fund which could be of assistance to those looking to make a start in the biomass business in New Zealand or increasing production of an existing …

Logs are being transported more than 900 kilometres by rail from northern New South Wales to prop up supply to sawmills on the south-west slopes as part of bushfire recovery. …

Vodafone has reached an agreement with Elon Musk’s SpaceX satellite business to provide mobile coverage of the whole country for its customers via Starlink. The telco announced the landmark deal …

From logging truck beginnings to battery-electric trucks and fuel cell pilots Kenworth, which began as a maker of logging trucks in 1923, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Kenworth Truck Co. …

The owner of a NZ forest company who has been cleared of breaching the Resource Management Act says the charges were without merit. Forestry company John Turkington Ltd was found …

New Zealand’s forestry contractors are asking to be included when investigating solutions for slash / woody debris. Forest Industry Contractors Association (FICA) CEO Prue Younger says FICA is keen to …

In New Zealand, could slash traps help curb the flow of woody debris that has battered and cloaked the east coast of the North Island during recent storm events? Forest …

Canadian Company takes the transportation industry by storm. Edison Motors is a revolutionary company that specializes in the design, development, and production of electric semi-trucks. Founded by Chace Barber and …

Three years ago, the Labor Government of Victoria announced that it would be phasing out all native forest logging by 2030. Now both environmentalists and industry are worried that this …

In an effort to help provide relief and recovery to Waratah Forestry Equipment’s home country following the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, Deere & Company recently announced a US$50,000 donation to …

Cyclone Gabrielle left a trail of destruction in its wake as it swept through the Hawkes Bay area, and now with the power and accessibility of satellite imagery we have …

A Teletrac Navman survey of more than 1,800 global fleet operators has revealed that rising fuel costs (39%), disruption due to the impact of COVID-19 (32%), and supply chain pressure …

Market Summary At Wharf Gate (AWG) prices for export logs increased $18 per JASm3 (14%) in March. This price increase was due to a shortage of logs to fill ordered …

Funding to explore industry innovations and best practice: Who’s doing what and doing it well The WIDE Trust is pleased to launch the opportunity for persons actively pursuing a career …

ISO Limited is readying another significant technology investment, at the Port of Tauranga. The Mobile Log Scaler is a semi-autonomous robot which will image and scale logs, on rail wagons. …

MOLINE, Ill. (Feb. 20, 2023) — Designed for logging contractors of all sizes, John Deere is excited to introduce the new 2956G. The 2956G crawler log loader is an ideal …

Plantation thinning may not be new in the forestry sector, which has been thinning to improve tree growth and vigour for years. But the operations being carried out by Forico …

New Zealand’s forestry contractors in the Tairawhiti, Hawkes Bay, Coromandel and Northland regions are facing immense pressure and compounding challenges post-cyclone Gabrielle. Planted forest in these combined regions makes up …

China’s Softwood Log Inventories at Ocean Ports. FEA industry sources in China report that softwood log inventories at the country’s main ocean ports totaled 5.4 million m3 on February 3, …

JCB will feature its new hydrogen combustion engine—the company’s solution for zero carbon emissions for construction and agricultural equipment on the international stage at North America’s largest construction show, CONEXPO/CON-AGG …

New Zealand’s forestry contractors are mucking in to help clean up post Cyclone Gabrielle while unable to get back to work as normal. Some forestry contractors affected by Cyclone Gabrielle …

Opinion Piece, Marcus Musson, Director, Forest360 As expected, February has seen another solid lift in export prices courtesy of some increased in-market sales prices (CFR) and a reasonably subdued shipping …

Global transport is on the cusp of substantial changes driven by constant innovation in technology, the need to deliver more, a powerful surge in customer expectations, and pricing. In New …

Press Release SEA Electric has made the next step in its journey to electrify the world’s commercial vehicle fleet, by signing a significant Memorandum of Understanding with MEVCO, a leading …

Tasmania’s sustainable forestry sector is going from strength-to-strength with the official opening Tasmania’s newest wood fibre export facility at the Bell Bay Industrial Complex last week. The facility, owned by …

The question of how to address the gender inequality that exists in our forest sector is not a new one, you only must read, “A Path Through The Trees”, the …

Good things take time and two and a half years since the inaugural event in 2019, the Hawke’s Bay Forestry Group celebrated with the local sector community the second forestry …

A forestry services company has been ordered to pay NZ$536,000 for the death of a worker on a site near Wairoa in 2020. The victim, a 48-year-old father and husband, …

Waratah Forestry Equipment is celebrating 50 years of innovation within the forestry industry and thanking its customers for decades of trust and loyalty to the brand. “We’re proud to celebrate …

The Brandt Group of Companies is pleased to announce that they have successfully acquired the assets of AGrowQuip NZ Ltd., effective January 30, 2023. This transaction ensures access to the …

In log transport, we continue to ramp up coverage of an array of new innovations in electric, hydrogen and diesel-hybrid powered vehicles, truck automation and platooning. Right now, there’s a …

In New Zealand, the Brandt Group of Companies is pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement to acquire the assets of Agrowquip NZ Ltd. The acquisition combines the …

Early expressions of interest to present at next year’s Residues2Revenues 2023 event are now been called for. This year saw record numbers of forestry, wood harvesting, timber products companies and wood residues extraction …

C3 Limited and Pedersen Group are scheduled to install their new Debarker at Northport in early December 2022. Commissioning of the new Pedersen Group Debarker at Northport is planned for …

More than NZ$40,000 was raised to lead a mental health initiative for forestry at a charity auction dinner held in Rotorua, New Zealand on 18 November. Brought together by the …

Opinion piece: Inflation is front and centre of everyone’s minds at present and is more than likely causing Grant Robertson many sleepless nights. One of his biggest worries (and he’s …

Many commercial fleet operators are thinking about transitioning their vehicles to hydrogen or natural gas engines. These fuels can be great ways to reduce emissions. Both fuel options present similarities …

Timber from Russia has in recent years been sent through China for processing but since the Ukraine invasion by Russia, and the declaration of Russian timber as conflict timber, the …

Hiab’s HiVision™ for forestry cranes uses external cameras to show the cranes surrounding. The operator sees the surroundings using virtual reality (VR) goggles inside the truck cabin. This improves productivity, …

Multi-use, modular platform Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) automates tree and vine crop tasks, starting with intelligent spraying Robotics Plus, a New Zealand-based agritech company, on 20 October launched its autonomous …

In what must be one of the longest partnerships in NZ forestry, Safetree Certified Contractor Gamble Forest Harvesting celebrated 50 years working for City Forests in 2021. Safetree Toroawhi Richard …

On Friday 2 September, Napier Port’s senior crane operators safely and successfully loaded logs onto the Norse Mobile bulk cargo vessel using log grabs custom-designed and built for use on …

In New Zealand, a training initiative implemented by a central North Island iwi trust is taking rangatahi (youth) to new heights, three years since its launch. Rotomā No. 1 Incorporation’s …

It would be nice to be reporting on a rebound in the export market on the basis of solid demand and improved overall global macro-economic factors, but that would be …

Global trade of softwood logs plunged by 20% during the first half of 2022 y-o-y. Much of the decline was because of the Russian log export ban that came into …

If one guy can call his electric-car company Tesla, why not call theirs Edison, a couple of Merritt enrepreneurs figured. While the real-life Tesla and Edison, ground-breaking inventors, became fierce …

Swedish manufacturer Volvo Trucks is beginning series production of its heavy-duty electric models with global deliveries set to ramp up. And customers in Australia and New Zealand can expect to …

As a follow up to the local electric log truck story that we ran in the 9 September issue of Friday Offcuts, we’ve built in more information this week on …

The Tigercat D7 control system combines a solid and field proven hardware and bucking control system with a Tigercat developed head control and user interface. The system offers powerful functionality, …

Last month I made the comment that there was some light at the end of the tunnel in terms of increased export log prices, but we weren’t quite sure what …

Yamaha recently announced that the company has further strengthened the functions and performance of the industrial-use unmanned helicopter FAZER R G2. Specifically, the transport & delivery services have been enhanced …

Despite the growing popularity of electric vehicles, many consumers still hesitate to make the switch. One reason is that it takes so much longer to power up an electric car …

Ponsse and Epec are introducing the PONSSE EV1, an electric forest machine technology concept. While the forest machine will be commercially available later, Epec’s technology can already be used in …

OneFortyOne’s New Zealand’s Kaituna Sawmill and Marusumi Whangarei Co. Ltd, have signed an agreement to export wood chip to Japan with the first vessel expected to depart from Port Marlborough …

Tigercat founder Ken MacDonald takes on the role of president, Tigercat Industries. On August 2, 2022, Grant Somerville stepped away from his role as president of Tigercat Industries. The timing …

A reliable, environmentally friendly, and sustainable alternative to methyl bromide. August 2021 saw the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announce revised regulations regarding the use of methyl bromide. Fumigation of logs …

Tigercat officially has introduced the 6900 grinder, the first regular production offering in Tigercat’s material processing category. The 6900 is the first production grinder designed and built by Tigercat. The …

New Zealand workers are still being maimed and killed in huge numbers, but WorkSafe’s boss is ambitious to deliver change. Phil Parkes was trained as a regulator in the ways …

Shipping giant Maersk is launching a dedicated New Zealand coastal service to help strengthen the supply chain and improve vessel schedule reliability. It’s the first time the company has offered …

June is never a fun month in this game. We’re generally kidding ourselves that it’s going to be a dry winter or that we’ve had enough rain already and there …

SCA has, together with Scania, has developed the world’s first electric timber truck with a capacity of 80 tonnes. The world’s first electric timber truck with a capacity of 80 …

After seven great years this is my last Safetree blog. What an experience it’s been overseeing Safetree/FISC’s growth from a recommendation in the 2014 Independent Forestry Safety Review to an …

A new partnership is helping one of New Zealand’s largest heavy transport fleets decarbonise with hydrogen technology. New Zealand transport company H.W. Richardson (HWR) is partnering with Christchurch-based zero emissions …

Before chainsaws were invented, the logging industry in the United States & Canada was a seriously challenging occupation and we are only talking about 125 years ago. In the Pacific …

New Zealand’s Energy and Resources Minister Dr Megan Woods celebrated the launch of two firsts for energy decarbonisation in the transport sector in New Zealand; an electric milk tanker and …

Ponsse Plc is inviting its personnel to cooperation negotiations pursuant to the Act on Co-operation within Undertakings. The negotiations concern adaptations to the current situation. The needs for adaptations are …

Motorised Grapple Carriages seem to have been around for ages and have revolutionised the way many steep forests are harvested around the world…….and yet, there is still some reluctance to …

Well-known veteran Australian outback truckie Steve Grahame says that while owner operators are already feeling the pinch of rising fuel costs – he believes the effects are likely to get …

Scania New Zealand is putting two of its very first fully electric trucks on local roads and marks our country as the very first outside of Europe to have the …

One of nine brothers who, along with their father, were all involved in the log transport industry, Dave Siddle, 76, knows the roads that lead to the APM Mill at …

Alex Rodrigues, CEO of Embark Trucks, donated his 2022 salary and bonus to fund Little Robots. After a long career, many of us feel the need to help future generations …

Tigercat Industries develops purpose-built forestry dozer and launches new brand Tigercat Industries has developed a forestry dozer. The new TCi 920 will be making the rounds at several US forestry …

A partnership between Pioneer Energy and Niagara Sawmilling Company Ltd in the lower South Island of New Zealand has been formed to meet the demands of the biomass market to …

As global demand soars, extractive industries are embracing automation. A mining outfit in Australia is making a big bet on big robots. Following a recent proof of concept at a …

The WA government has tried to ease the pain on forestry businesses affected by a logging ban by announcing a revised multi-million-dollar compensation package. ln September the government announced it …

Remsoft has announced a new collaboration with Australian-based company ForestPHD, the developer of STICKS, to enable the use of forest machine data in Remsoft Forest IntelligenceTM solutions. The partnership will …

In August 2021 a decision on the Reassessment of methyl bromide for fumigation of New Zealand logs was released by the EPA. This was followed more recently by the release …

How can forestry companies look after their teams? See how Gisborne-based contractor Stirling Logging does it with things like top gear, hot food, smart targeting of bonuses and being a …

With Forico’s implementation of cloud-based Remsoft Operations, planning pressures can be predicted 6-12 months in advance and the scheduling process is more efficient, taking 50% less time. Forico, Tasmania’s largest …

A new type of forest machine is currently driving around the forests of Sweden. It combines a low-impact approach, increased productivity and an improved operator environment and is the result …

Tigercat Enters Yarding Niche with 180 – The new Tigercat 180 swing yarder is purpose built from the ground up. It combines the speed and stability of conventional yarders with …

Genesis Energy believes converting part of the Huntly power station to run on biofuel could be economic, but it will need a source of the specialist wood fuel needed to …

A vessel normally used to transport cars and trucks called at Northport this week to load approximately 5,000 cubic metres of triboard from the Juken Mill in Kaitaia. The m.v. …

John Deere has announced the release of the new and innovative Forestry Full-Tree Training Simulator. This development offers cost-effective and efficient operator training in a risk-free environment, all while avoiding …

C3 Limited, part of the broader LINX Cargo Care Group, has officially unveiled the new C3 Log Vessel Grapple (LVG) at the Port of Tauranga, a first in Australasia. Held …

Murray Logging owner Andrew Murray said cutting the trees and getting them on a truck was laborious. They were cut from Manuka Gorge in Otago, NZ and were about 80 …

Dynes implements driver fatigue cameras across the whole fleet – Moving to the deep south, in a pioneering move, Dynes Transport has implemented driver fatigue cameras across its entire fleet. …

As part of the FGR programme in Automation and Robotics, a project has commenced to develop a safe and efficient alternative load securing system in New Zealand for logging trucks. …

This log is from a Sequoiadendron giganteum. The tree’s common name is either Giant sequoia or Sierra Redwood. It has also been given a nick name, “Wellingtonia” with history suggesting …

A Wairarapa-based forestry company are paving the way with stream crossing bridges that don’t disturb the waterway. Josh Blazek and Guy Farman of Farman Turkington Forestry came up with the …

There’s some high-tech wizardry taking place as this ISO Limited log shuttle heads through the company’s log yard at Port Taranaki. We’re thrilled ISO is supporting the growing export log …

Learning with the Generation Programme has proved life-changing for 22-year-old Ariana Ngaronoa and she’s already lining up more study to pursue a career in forestry that she previously hadn’t considered. …

The Nippon Foundation, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co have successfully completed a demonstration test of the world’s first fully autonomous ship navigation systems on a large car ferry, conducted on the Iyonada …

As part of the NZQA-mandated five-yearly qualification review, the suite of New Zealand forestry qualifications spanning across forest harvesting and silviculture operations have been updated and officially launched. Coverage of …

In another step towards a fossil-free society, SCA and Scania are together developing the first electric timber truck with a technical capability of up to 80 tonnes total weight. The …

China imported 30% of its total volume of softwood logs from Europe in 2020 and2021, thus surpassing supply from Russia and North America. European softwood logs were practically non-existent at …

Historically there is little love lost between the mining industry and green groups. However, the two may now have some common ground in the pursuit of better EV technology and …

Volvo Construction Equipment says it is the first company in the world to trial a remote-controlled high-lift wheel loader over a 5G network in a complex forestry application – in …

On 10 November Pacific Forest Products Ltd (PFP) completed the loading of the largest log vessel ever to load from Australasia. The Conrad Oldendorff was chartered by PFP’s subsidiary South …

A dramatic drop in global log prices has impacted on operations in the East Coast region of New Zealand and some forestry crews face a lean Christmas until prices lift …

Dr Glen Murphy was presented with the International Forest Engineering Achievement Award at the 2021 Council on Forest Engineering (COFE) Conference held in September in Corvallis, Oregon. The award recognizes …

With its brand-new design, the Komatsu X164E has been specially developed to efficiently harvest eucalyptus. When developing this head, Komatsu Forest’s engineering team put aside all existing head designs for …

In a world full of cords, cables and wires, life without them is still mainly a vision. That, however, shouldn’t stop us from moving in the wireless direction. The fact …

If you need a clear demonstration of how safety conscious harvesting contractors have become in the past decade, the sale of the 150th Falcon Winch-Assist machine provides convincing evidence. It …

The log carrier Noble Island, with a LOA of 199.9 metres and summer DWT of 61,115 tons made calls to Tasmania’s Burnie and Hobart ports in early October. The arrival …

Two European pension funds, APG Asset Management (APG) on behalf of its Dutch pension fund client ABP, and UK’s Pension Protection Fund (PPF), have agreed to purchase Sinotrans New Zealand …

Major changes are looming for the New Zealand forestry sector as the deluge of raw log exports fades amid dwindling supplies and demands increase from the building industry and other …

The Australian Forest Contractors Association’s (AFCA) Forestry Haulage Gap Analysis System will receive key funding through the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s (NHVR) Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI), supported by the …

Iknow Machinery, Nippon Paper Industries and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha have conducted a cargo handling trial of the world’s first automatic crane operation system, which was developed for wood-chip carriers …

The Vienne Test System, followed by the use of simulators, results in productive operators being selected and their subsequent learning curve being quicker with less machine damage. Researchers used people …

Larry Bolduc has been a truck driver for more than 25 years and is now the head of the family business Transport Raoul Bolduc in Girardville, Que., in the Saguenay/Lac-St-Jean …

The Australian Forest Contractors Association (AFCA) has announced that General Manager (GM) Stacey Gardiner had tendered her resignation on Friday of last week after six and half years in the …

Logging of native forests in Western Australia’s South West will be banned from 2024 thanks to a state government decision lauded by environmentalist groups. But the forestry industry lobby claims …

A deal has been finalised that will soon see the largest vessel to ever call at New Zealand for the loading of logs. The deal between South Pacific Shipping (SPS) …

It is no secret that electrification is the future. Over just a few years, electrification moved from being a concept to being a reality. And we’re not talking about cars …

For New Zealand and Australia, it’s been over 8 years since a wood residues programme has been run by FIEA showcasing new innovations around harvesting, bio-fuel handling and transport technologies. …

There are massive pay offs when you think outside of the box! By adding PolyCom Stabilising Aid, TPMS cut the metal requirements by a massive 54.2% over their standard pavement …

CEAC warns that use of trucks with biodiesel will cause far more damage to environment than using electric trucks, overseas studies have found that production of biofuels for use in …

A total ban on methyl bromide fumigation aboard ships in New Zealand is part of a comprehensive suite of new rules imposed by a Decision-making Committee of the Environmental Protection …

Hyzon Motors has signed a vehicle supply agreement with Australian industrial gases company Coregas to deliver two hydrogen fuel cell trucks. The Hyzon Hymax-450 prime movers should be delivered in …

A father and son duo from Southland have shown there’s value in getting back to the books, even after four decades in the game. Bobby Baird and his 65-year-old father …

Forestry researcher Trevor Best has written a summary of research he was involved in at Canterbury University on the impact of stress on the wellbeing of forestry workers, and how …

As part of #EVWeekinCanada, a $1.7-million investment in FPInnovations was announced to develop and demonstrate hybrid diesel-electric forestry harvesting trucks and help green transportation in Canada’s forestry sector. FPInnovations will …

COVID19 Lockdowns across New Zealand are expected to create further pressure on an already heavily disrupted shipping logistics. ContainerCo managing director Ken Harris said exporters and importers continue to take …

Komatsu New Zealand’s new South Island Hub facility in Christchurch officially opened on 27 July 2021. The state-of-the-art facility, which was commissioned late mid-2020, offers greatly enhanced service and support …

The 17,000th PONSSE forest machine has rolled off the production line in Vieremä. The milestone machine, a PONSSE Elk built in mid-August, will start its career in the sure hands …

A new era in highway safety regulation begins in Canada as electronic logging devices that track a driver’s hours behind the wheel become mandatory in semi-trucks traveling between provinces. The …

A new digital radio system from Motorola Solutions and communications partner Central Radio Services (CRS) is helping New Zealand’s City Forests to work more safely and efficiently while complying with …

Leading European commercial vehicle manufacturers have signed a non-binding agreement to install and operate a public charging network for battery electric, heavy-duty, long-haul trucks and coaches across Europe. The agreement …

In the latest episode of FWPA’s WoodChat podcast series, listeners will hear about a research project that took an in-depth look at the various elements of Australia’s log and woodchip …

(WorkSafe) Health and Safety Paramount On Forestry Sites. A tragic forestry fatality on the East Coast could have been avoided if industry guidance had simply been followed, says New Zealand’s …

School of Forestry staff members Rien Visser and Campbell Harvey recently gave a presentation on “Forest Roads in NZ” to an international audience. The presentation includes an overview, details current …