Forestry & British Timber articles from August 2003

Forestry & British Timber archives from August 2003

ASSURANCE ON INSURANCE.(forest industry)
August 12, 2003... A major concern in the tree industry (forestry and arb) at the moment, as if there were not enough, is the availability and cost of insurance, particularly Employers' Liability (EL), which, of course, if you employ people, you must hold. While...

Forestry with a social conscience.
August 12, 2003... 'The Forestry Commission is undergoing a cultural change', Paul Hill- Tout, its new director for England told delegates at a recent Lincoln University 'Towards sustainable countryside management' conference. Of 'social forestry', he said: 'We...

Forest-friendly furniture.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... All furniture components leaving the Peterlee, Co Durham factory of BHK (UK) Ltd now bear the Forest Stewardship Council logo to prove that 100% of the timber it buys is sustainable and comes from well-managed forests. The certificate - awarded...

Plywood compliance.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... From April 1 2004, all wood-based panel products sold for construction use within the EU must be marked with the appropriate 'CE' number. This follows last year's publication of EN 13986:2002. With this in mind, BM TRADA (BMT)...

Access to savings.(forestry equipment)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... A key element of the old-established Surrey-based forestry and grounds- care supplies specialist's new website at www.charterhouseturfmachinery.co.uk is its 'Trade direct' (TD) initiative. This lists equipment from the company's professional...

Towards a 'new' New Forest.
August 12, 2003... 'The consultation clearly showed that people who live and work in the New Forest and those who visit it have a strong sense that this is a unique and extraordinary place with a distinctive character which sets it apart from any other...

Life depends on death.(forest management)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... After the Forestry Commission had finished harvesting conifer plantations in Mortimer Forest three miles from Ludlow, Shropshire, visitors to the cleared site were sometimes heard to complain about the unsightliness of the rotting hulks of dead...

Flowers of the forest.(daffodil planting)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... Swathes of wild daffodils will be planted across the National Forest this autumn to mark the centenary of Marie Curie receiving the Nobel Prize for her research on radium and radioactivity. The flower is the 'symbol of hope' used by the MC...

Answering the join-up call!(forest management)
August 12, 2003... A key element of the Scottish forestry strategy is to extend and enhance native woodland habitats by creating 'joined-up' networks. It was the theme of seminars staged by the Forestry Commission and Scottish Natural Heritage at New Lanark and...

Making life less grey.(squirrel control)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... Controlling grey squirrel damage in woodlands is the subject of a new Forestry Commission practice note. Covering both damage and population control strategies, it is available on its website at www.forestry.gov.uk or by contacting...

OBE for FCA man.(Order of the British Empire; Forest Contracting Association)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... If a week is a long time in politics imagine a decade at the helm of the Forestry Contracting Association. This is exactly what chief executive Barrie Hudson has achieved and, in recognition of his services to forestry in this role, he has been...

Latham's flooring division.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... James Latham has launched a new flooring division, bringing in flooring specialist John Mitchell to head it up. Mr Mitchell becomes group flooring manager and will oversee the new division which has seen Latham secure a number of exclusive UK...

Power to the people.(biomass energy)
August 12, 2003... If Kielder village could not do it, nowhere could. In the heart of Europe's largest man-made forest, its inhabitants - with power potential right on their doorstep - have joined Britain's growing band of biomass-power enthusiasts. This...

Giving roots the pork chop.(soil reclamation)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... To return an ancient Northamptonshire woodland into the sort of woodland pasture that would have existed 500 years ago the Forestry Commission looked to a solution with its own ancient heritage - utilising the voracious appetitesa quartet of...

Cornwall fights bio-control battle.(Japanese knotweed)
August 12, 2003... Cornwall is leading the world in researching biological control methods to tackle the relentless spread of Japanese knotweed. Its county council is heading a partnership of concerned agencies* who all face formidable costs in clearing the...

Talking to the trees.(forest management)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... September 15 2003 is the closing date for comments on the East of England regional woodland strategy which covers activities over the next 20 years and action priorities over the next five. The consultation offer is aimed at 'those who live and...

Truly sustainable.(sewer compost)
August 12, 2003... 'Biosolids' - or, more earthily, composted sewage sludge - are playing a growing role in helping trees survive and thrive on inhospitable soils. In fact, says the National Urban Forestry Unit (NUFU), 'nothing beats (them)', when applied to...

Wood-Mizer returns to base.
August 12, 2003... Management and headquarters of Wood-Mizer's (W-M) UK and Ireland operations has 'come home' to James Andrews of Kent*. It was back in 1987 - in the wake of southern England's great hurricane - that James, now 49, became the band sawmill...

Dartmoor escapes from clearfell.
August 12, 2003... Up to 500 hectares of Forestry Commission land on Dartmoor have been chosen to lead the way in a series practical demonstrations to be held throughout Britain to assess the merits of continuous-cover management techniques. Part of a project to...

Banging drum for recycling.(wood industry)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... A massive eight-tonne steel drum was delivered to Viridor Waste Management of Sheffield recently as part of an innovative system for recycling waste wood-based panels. The latest stage in an EnviroFibre project which aims to divert huge volumes...

Latham's pass test.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... Major timber and wood-based panel importers, the James Latham Group has won the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification across all its eight UK distribution sites including its newest ones at Hemel Hempstead, Dudley, Thurrock and...

FEG symp. - a day of two full halves.(Forestry Engineering Group )
August 12, 2003... Recognising that there are some important and focused issues that affect those in the industry but do not lend themselves to a full day's discussion, the Forestry Engineering Group (FEG) has decided to cover two topics at its popular annual...

Good news - 12% is not bad.(forests)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... Not since the days of Queen Anne has Great Britain enjoyed such a high level of woodland cover. Thanks to gaining over 12000 hectares of new planting and restocking of 14000ha last year, Forestry Commission statistics reveal, the area is now...

Graham mulls over his new challenge.(Graham Stirling)
August 12, 2003... In landscape terms, the contrast could not be greater: from the wilds of the Inner Hebrides, a 27-year-old Sheffield man has returned to help transform derelict South Yorkshire coal-tips into vibrant woodlands. Graham Stirling has been...

Recycling reassurance.(equity fund)(Brief Article)
August 12, 2003... A #5.5m equity fund, the first in Europe to focus specifically on the recycling sector, has opened for business in Britain 50% over- subscribed by the private sector. Established by WRAP (`Waste and resources action programme') and managed...

Letter: Facing the challenges in Wales.(Letter to the Editor)
August 12, 2003... From Simon Hewitt 'Sir, The recent articles in the May edition cannot go unchallenged. The inference was that in Wales the Forestry Commission has somehow abogated responsibility for safeguarding the interests of forestry and is at risk of...

Letter: Shedding light on a grey area.(Letter to the Editor)
August 12, 2003... From Jane Karthaus 'Sir, FTA welcomed David Taylor's article on the grey squirrel (FBT. May, p17), but there are some points which he overlooks. First, we have to get away from thinking purely in terms of damage to timber. The first...

WOODWISE: The view from the sharp end.(forestry)
August 12, 2003... In which our monthly contracting contributor Nick Hilton of Woodwise Forestry* explains why he prefers a 'hard' to a 'soft' time, enjoys a spell of commuting on the 8.15 forwarder to Croydon and rocks all over the wood (Bedgebury) with Status...

After Arbre - biomass bounces ahead.
August 12, 2003... 'While the failure last year of the Arbre bionergy plant in North Yorkshire was obviously a major blow to the industry, I think that there is actually good news to report: the biomass heating market now really seems to be picking up well,...

MARKET REPORT: When different worlds collide.(forest management)
August 12, 2003... When politics and industry meet there will usually be areas where interests conflict, but the impact that devolution is having on the Forestry Commission may well be described as absurd, writes Martin Pearce. Forestry policy is now the...

Forestry to the fore at the Highland.(Royal Highland Show )
August 12, 2003... For the second year running the 'Forest Industries' joined forces with the Forestry Commission Scotland to host a stand at the Royal Highland Show putting forward an holistic view of forestry. The theme of the Forest Industries' display...

How to engineer the right balance.(forestry)
August 12, 2003... `Processes developed and implemented via forestry engineering must balance efficiency, cost and quality on one side with sustainable development, environmental compatibility and social values on the other'. Striking a balance between the...

Latest spec or lower cost?(logging trucks)
August 12, 2003... Although choosing to opt for a variety of truck configurations, Irish timber-haulier brothers Sean and Gerry O'Grady have for many years remained loyal to the Swedish-built Scania, based solely on positive working experiences. `It's not that...

HARVESTING: THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME.(lumber industry)
August 12, 2003... To paraphrase a well-known TV commercial Ponsse's Wood Procurement Control System does exactly what it says on the box as a recent seminar in Stirling proved. That's because the basis for Ponsse's Opti software package is to create an...

HARVESTING: Heading for the Hills.
August 12, 2003... Expansion and diversification for many Irish contractors means looking to the hills and skylining. However, as Eoghan Daly reports, considerable investment and significant labour requirements are the down side of this type of operation. ...