A couple of weeks ago we built in links to three extensive reports covering three major bush fires in Australia. Collectively they burnt over 120 million ha compiled and written by John O’Donnell, a former forester with the then NSW Forestry Commission. One of the three fires referred to occurred during the 1951-52 fire season, where extensive areas were burnt …
Trial of new silviculture mentoring programme
Ten silviculture crews around New Zealand have completed a trial of a new mentoring programme developed by the Forest and Wood Processing Workforce Taskforce, with funding from the Forest Growers Levy Trust and support from MPI. Mentoring programme manager Greg Steele says the Taskforce is looking to improve the status and mana of the silviculture sector. “We want to formalise …
Volvo’s electric truck gets tick of approval
The first electric Volvo truck on Australian roads is getting a tick of approval from one of the most authoritative voices in the transport industry – a truck driver. It follows more than seven months on the road with 6000 kilometres of driving and more than 5200 kilowatt hours. Rob Smith has been driving trucks for Linfox for over 17 …
Switching from paper to digital communications
PF Olsen has recently adopted the Assura Software platform to support their Health & Safety needs in challenging environments, plus solve a number of other business issues. Check out the video below.
Pre-training prepares job seekers for forestry work
Nathan Fogden has 2,000 hectares of land to plant and prune in 2022 but not the staff to complete the work. “It’s a really competitive labour market these days,” says the managing director of Te Puke-based silviculture contractors, Inta-Wood Forestry. “When I started working in NZ forestry 30 years ago, tradespeople were leaving to work in the silviculture sector. Nowadays …
Stihl our top wood chopper
Top Axeman makes the cut for tilt at coveted 10th World Title – An emotional Jason Wynyard has cut his first step towards claiming a 10th world title by winning the 2022 New Zealand STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® National Championships in early March in Auckland. Saturday’s victory means Wynyard has earned the right to represent New Zealand at the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® World …
Challenges of switching to electric vehicles
This article appeared recently and puts into perspective some of the challenges being faced in switching from fossil fuels to electric vehicles. The range of new EVs available in this region is increasing all the time. The European Union has just recently proposed an effective ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars as of 2035 which, as …
Waratah to offer Moipu products in Europe and Asia-Pacific
Waratah and Moisio Forest Oy, a Finland-based forest machine attachment and accessory manufacturer, have signed a co-operation agreement for sales, marketing and distribution of Moipu branded products. Waratah will begin marketing and selling the well-known Moipu energy wood solutions through its global distribution network primarily in Europe and Asia-Pacific, with some sales in other global markets. Moipu products sold through …
Debris flow study indicates landslide risk
Marlborough District Council recently commissioned University of Canterbury researchers to map the North Marlborough area for river and stream catchments that may be susceptible to debris flows or debris floods, to improve the Council’s understanding of landslide hazards. The research became possible after the capture of large areas of LiDAR (light detection and ranging) data that delivered precise, three-dimensional information …