Forest Products Industry

50 Years & Growing – Pan Pac Vol II 1993-2023 has been a few years in the making as the book was put on hold during the cyclone but the company has now published the second instalment in Pan Pac’s history. Source: Timberbiz 50 Years & Growing charts the company’s growth since 1993, along with the personalities, challenges and innovative solutions along the way. Pan Pac’s Pulp business has been supplying mechanical pulp (TMP) to the Oji Group for nearly 50 years, almost since Pan Pac was founded. In the forestry sector, Pan Pac is the largest forestry grower in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand owning around 35,000ha of forest, managing around 1.5 million tonnes of wood and exporting 400,000 tonnes of logs to China and other countries. In terms of lumber, Pan Pac is New Zealand’s largest producer of appearance grade lumber and exports its products to the US, China and other countries for use in windows, doors, mouldings and solid-wood furniture. You can download the book here.

WoodSolutions has launched a new EPD Database providing a carbon accounting roadmap for the building industry. Source: Timberbiz There is considerable discussion among governmental bodies, regulatory agencies, sustainability rating systems, and professionals within the industry regarding the emergence of ‘zero-carbon’ initiatives. These initiatives carry significant implications for the building and construction sector. Conversations are emerging surrounding various aspects such as material selection, the impact of embodied emissions, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) associated with both building materials and construction processes throughout the entire lifespan of structures. This entails a thorough examination of the carbon footprint at each stage of the building process, ranging from material extraction to eventual demolition and disposal. Addressing these inquiries necessitates comprehensive data on manufacturing emissions associated with building products and much of the world already uses this approach. In response, WoodSolutions has partnered with Thinkstep-ANZ to develop an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) Database. This database consolidates pertinent information drawn from all publicly available EPDs for timber building products used in the Australian market, encompassing structural (both treated and untreated), aesthetic, and landscaping components manufactured in Australia and overseas. This hugely valuable database includes industry average EPD data as well as product specific data from individual publicly available company EPDs. It includes values for the fossil fuel emissions (GWP fossil) used in the production phase (Modules A1-A3), the biogenic carbon storage value (GWP biogenic) recognising the carbon sequestered in the wood, and a GWP-total value – which is these two values added together. This GWP-total value includes the biogenic carbon in forests as well as the fossil carbon emissions included in forestry practices, haulage, processing, kiln drying, planing, and packaging. This database is a major benefit for embodied emission data users in the building and construction industry, as all the embodied emission information for the major timber building products, used in the Australian market and that have EPDs, is now in one place and easily accessible. Industry professionals can now access detailed information on the environmental impact of key timber products and have more accurate knowledge to feed into their decision-making process. The database covers more than ninety products including structural timber products, internal appearance products, landscape products, and more. “This new resource from WoodSolutions is a huge win for the industry as it delivers crucial, consistent, and accurate data for timber and building products in use across the market,” said Kevin Peachey, Head of WoodSolutions. “This EPD database gives the building and construction industry the ability to calculate carbon emissions more holistically during the first three stages of the building process to help achieve sustainability ratings for projects.” The data base can be downloaded at https://mailchi.mp/woodsolutions/ws-epd-database

As the use of engineered wood products (EWP) continues to rise across Australia, so does concern over the impacts of non-conforming and incorrectly branded timber products being imported into the country. Source: Timberbiz The Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia (EWPAA) has released a report that details the significant risks posed by use of non-conforming EWP, such as laminated veneer lumber (LVL), in residential, multi-residential and commercial building applications. The ‘Non-Conforming Timber Products Update 2024’ report calls for builders, retailers, and consumers to be wary, ask questions, and use due diligence on product claims, citing possible safety risks, poor product performance and potential reputational damage as negative outcomes for using non-conforming EWP. The only manufacturer of conforming LVL in Australia is Wesbeam in Western Australia. EWPAA’s Chief Executive Officer Gavin Matthew commented that while the majority of industry and the market was doing the right thing, a concerning amount of timber products that do not meet the requirements set out in standards and the National Construction Code was still entering the Australian supply chain. “It is widely acknowledged that imported timber products are necessary for a significant number of building applications and to meet market demand, yet we are consistently finding that some products do not conform or meet Australian standards or demonstrate the required evidence of suitability,” said Mr Matthew. “Products that are incorrectly labelled or not fit-for-purpose are entering the supply chain, which is concerning as non-conforming products represent significant safety risks for builders, consumers, and the industry as a whole.” In releasing this report, the EWPAA urges builders, consumers, and other supply-chain stakeholders to commit to using only conforming and fit-for-purpose products. This includes remaining vigilant, asking the right questions, and undertaking due diligence on product claims, branding and product information. You can download the report from the EWPAA website www.ewp.asn.au

The Hyne Group is expanding its pallet manufacturing arm following the acquisition of Rodpak in Melbourne by though the acquisition of Express Pallets and Crates (Express), based at Narangba near Brisbane. Source: Timberbiz Express has been in operation for some 35 years, under the ownership and leadership of Geoff Walton. Mr Walton will retain ownership of the Pro-Pine sawmilling operation, which will remain an important supplier of timber to the Express business. The acquisition by Hyne only involves the assets and trading business of Express Pallets & Crates. Express has a very broad and extensive client base, with significant long-term relationships across a range of market segments. This is compatible with the long-term partnership approach under which Hyne operates, and together with the skills and input from Hyne’s major Scottish shareholder, James Jones & Sons Ltd, Express Pallets & Crates has a great opportunity to continue to be a major supplier of pallets and crates to the Queensland market. Hyne Group CEO, Jim Bindon said it was pleasing to be able to continue to expand the Pallet Division by acquiring excellent quality businesses with their own legacies and strong market positions. “Being part of the Hyne Group and the broader James Jones & Sons global business, only enhances Express Pallets capability and credentials as a business partner to their many clients,” he said. “As was the case with the recent acquisition of Rodpak, it will be business as usual for the Express brand, staff, suppliers and customers, but with the strong backing and support of the Hyne Group. “The existing general manager, Tim Hoatson, will continue to lead the business, and together with the rest of the management team and indeed all the Express staff, we look forward to all their future contributions, and welcome them into the Hyne Group,” Mr Bindon said. Mr Walton said the sale of his company to a fellow long-standing Queensland family business was a pleasing outcome after many years of growing and expanding the business: “With the national and global position that the broader Hyne Group now has, this presents really good opportunities for all my team members, customers and suppliers, and I am confident the business will continue to succeed,” he said. The acquisition of Express Pallets & Crates will be completed on 1 July 2024 subject to all completion precedents being met.

Recent claims by activists, media, industry advocates and politicians about the existence or emergence of ‘forest wars’ is completely misleading and disrespectful, according to a veteran forester and conservationist, Rob de Fégely. Source: Latrobe Valley Express Mr de Fégely, a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), said the definition of ‘War’ is a state of armed conflict between countries or groups of people. “In the 50 years I have been studying and working in Australian forestry, there has never been any armed conflict in Australia’s forests!” he said. Mr de Fégely is a registered forestry professional, a director of Margules Groome Consulting P/L, chair of Sustainable Timber Tasmania and a director of Forestry Corporation of NSW. He emphasised that his comments are his personal comments and do not reflect the opinion of any of the entities he works for. Mr de Fégely said to describe a contentious debate and/or protest as warfare was not only misleading but an insult to people in the Ukraine, Middle East and any other parts of the world where communities are intimidated or threatened by armed force and conflict. “It is also a massive insult to our returned service personnel both past and present who have endured the horrors of real global conflicts and we will never know what they have endured and suffered as a result of their bravery,” he said. “However, I am in awe of how many carried their experiences stoically and bravely to make great contributions to build our wonderful economy and community on their return from active service. We owe them a lot.” Mr de Fégely said sadly, claims of ‘forest wars’ are designed to heighten outrage in caring but often uniformed communities. “It is an abuse of our language! Debate over how we use our natural resources to meet the twin demands of conservation and consumption for eight billion living people on our planet is important, but it needs to be respectful of the range of opinions and knowledge,” he said. “Everyone on Earth deserves three meals per day, to be well-clothed and housed, which means we need to produce food, clothing and housing materials somewhere on our planet. Avoiding impact is impossible.” Mr de Fégely said the challenge, particularly with wood production, is to develop a natural system with minimal inputs that has multiple benefits including conservation, recreation and production. “Australia’s trained foresters work hard to achieve this. Everyone loves wood, which is the perfect renewable as we can grow, harvest and regrow it in perpetuity and unlike wind turbines and solar panels, it does not require any mining of critical minerals to fulfil its functions,” he said. “Despite being the sixth most forested country in the world, Australia cannot supply its own demand for wood, so we rely on wood imports from forests overseas where harvesting standards are often far lower than ours.” Mr de Fégely said as we honour our returned service personnel this Anzac Day and reflect on the armed conflicts past and present, “I am tempted to say ‘Shame on you’, but I will simply say, ‘Show more respect!’