Forests Role in Renewable Energy Targets

15 November 2007

The National Association of Forest Industries (NAFI) has supported the Australian Labor Party’s Clean Energy Plan announced on 14 November. However, it is concerned that the role forests can play in producing clean, renewable energy has been again overlooked.
NAFI’s CEO Catherine Murphy said Australia had an opportunity to utilise wood waste to create green energy.
“The major parties need to have a broader understanding of the use of waste wood for renewable energy and reducing emissions from fossil fuels,” Murphy said.
“Countries in Europe and North America are already utilising wood waste, especially in the rapidly growing market for wood pellets for bioenergy. For example, 20% of Finland’s energy is now produced through wood waste.”
Mrs Murphy said the Australian forest industry had the potential to create around 3000 megawatt hours of renewable bioenergy without harvesting another tree. This was 10% of the Coalition’s target of 30,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy and would make a significant contribution to Labor’s target of 45,000 megawatt hours by the year 2020.
“This renewable energy is created from material that is left on the forest floor after the higher-value timber resources have been harvested,” she said. “It also includes the sawdust, shavings, off-cuts and other by-products associated with timber processing.
“Already numerous timber companies are using wood residues to create power for their operations such as sawmills and drying kilns.”

Strip Flooring System Wins EWPAA Award

An innovative totally-engineered strip timber flooring system has won the 2007 John Hancock Award for excellence in plywood and laminated veneer lumber (LVL).
The award was presented to timber engineer Jason Blanch of Big River Timbers, Grafton, NSW, at the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia’s (EWPAA) conference and annual general meeting on the Gold Coast on 12 November.
More than 85 EWPAA members representing industry across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea were addressed by 11 speakers in a six-session program at the Nara Sea World Resort.
Jason Blanch won his award for work on the pre-applied finish for a strip flooring system utilising 15mm plywood manufactured from a wide range of Australian hardwoods.
PNG Forest Products based at Bulolo, near Lae, was awarded the Con Otto Award for innovation and excellence in product and market development, customer service and industry investment.
The company’s prefabricated low-cost kit home systems helped secure the award. The product range includes houses from 30 sq m to 180 sq m, community halls, office blocks, accommodation quarters, commercial centres, poles, posts and roof trusses.
The inaugural Distributor Award was presented to Adelaide-based Australian Timbers for excellence in sales, marketing and distribution of EWPAA certified engineered wood products and customer support and technical service.

Hyne TABMA’s Best Wholesaler

Hyne was judged wholesaler of the year at the NSW Timber and Building Merchants Association (TABMA) awards evening in Sydney on 10 November.
More than 250 members and guests were welcomed by TABMA’s new president Peter Huchison. During the evening, he made special presentations to Kevin Collison, who has stepped down as chief executive, and Danny Gattone, outgoing president.
Award winners included New Line Building Supplies, Dural (best city region building materials centre), Brennans Mitre 10 Home and Trade, Dubbo (best country region building materials centre), Austek Frames and Trusses, Smithfield (best city region frame and truss operation), B. and J. McNamara, Forester (best country region frame and truss).
Jamal Ferrer-McGee of Sawn Le Messurier, Smithfield, was awarded Trainee of the Year, and Ryan Greener of A. W. Edwards, Rintoul, took out the Apprenticeship of the Year.
John Cook and Sons, St Marys, was judged supplier of the year – a category that surveys members who purchase all materials, timber or otherwise, from suppliers to the industry.

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