Frame, Truss Group Joins A3P

14 August 2007
The Frame and Truss Manufacturers Association of Australia (FTMA) was joined the Australian Plantation Products and Paper Industry Council (A3P) as an associate member. FTMA is an independent, national organisation representing fabricators and suppliers to the pre-fabricated timber truss and wall frame industry.
A3P has secured funding from the Forest and Wood Products Research Development Corporation (FWPRDC) to develop a structural properties verification guide, which will help timber producers demonstrate product compliance in an increasingly complex technical and market environment.
This is in response to recent issues associated with visually stress graded timber. The guide will be produced in conjunction with TimberEd Services with adequate opportunity for consultation. It is intended the guide will be submitted to Standards Australia for consideration as an Australian Standard.

Water Policy Threatens $1.5b Pulp Mill

The South Australian Government’s approach to water policy will jeopardise a potential $1.5 billion pulp mill, hundreds of jobs in regional areas and the state’s
newly-legislated greenhouse gas emissions targets.
Tree Plantations Australia (TPA) is outraged that the sate has not adequately considered the impacts of its plan to unfairly target tree plantations with variable water licences, based on “questionable science”.
“The Government appears to have overlooked the implications of its water allocation policy,” says TPA chief executive Allan Hansard.
“Value-adding projects, particularly the proposed Penola pulp mill, rely upon a guaranteed supply of wood fibre in order to move forward.
“The SA Government’s water allocation plan will see thousands of hectares of trees
not replanted. This means the industry cannot guarantee a future wood supply for any purpose, including a potential pulp mill. This will forego hundreds of job opportunities in the southeast region and the loss of valuable forestry carbon offsets.”
Hansard said the water allocation plan would mean at least 14,000 ha of trees would not be replanted and 270,000 tonnes of carbon offsets would be lost each year.
“That is equivalent to the emissions of 54,000 cars or 90,000 cows annually,” he said. “It is obvious that the Government is not fair dinkum about addressing climate change when it is supporting laws that will promote deforestation.
“Meanwhile, the high emitting irrigators of the southeast region will receive an emissions ‘free ride’, care of South Australian tax payers.”
The plantation industry is seeking a meeting with the Premier Mike Rann to outline its concerns.

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