Forestry & British Timber articles from January 2002

Forestry & British Timber archives from January 2002

Helping the patient to recover.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Strong Sterling... sawlog prices under relentless pressure from cheap Baltic and Scandinavian imports... domestic supplies set for take-off: these are the well-aired symptoms. But how to restore the health of the delicate patient as it faces...

Who'd have thought it?(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... `Just ten years ago, it was fairly unthinkable that the Forestry Commission would be presented with WWF's highest award for helping to preserve the planet's natural wealth'. FC director general David Bills spoke after receiving the...

Fencing for all.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Claimed to be the UK's largest practical conservation charity, the BTCV has built up an admirable corpus of guides for the 130 000-or so volunteers who take to the fields and woods every year to further its aims. With existing titles covering...

Globetrotting in style.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... With its Globetrotter cab painted in the distinctive company livery, Chantler Timber's latest addition to its haulage fleet - the new Volvo FH12 tractor unit - works with a 24t/m Diebolt crane attached to its trailer. The high-spec vehicle,...

Best of Bedford.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... `One of the finest oak parcels I have ever seen', said Michael Chantler of Chantler Timber, when he saw the consignment of mature timber which had just been felled on the Bedford Estate' woods at Woburn, Beds. Averaging 150m3 per tree, it...

FCA calls for `zero' tolerance.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... While broadly welcoming the EC move towards the introduction of zero- sulphur fuels for off-road vehicles - as against the current low- sulphur petrol and diesel - the Forestry Contracting Association* is worried about its impact on several...

New sales man at Ponsse.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Miika Eskelinen*, 31, who has been with Ponsse since 1992, is now sales manager for Ponsse UK with responsibility for sales in Wales and southern England. He is also area export manager for Ponsse Oyj, with responsibility for dealers in Canada,...

Hat trick for Rik.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... `This award highlights the need for us to look after the wonderful woodland heritage we have in the Chilterns'. Rik Pakenham of Chilterns Forestry spoke after the news that the property he manages for owner Phil Sanders' - Ramscoat Wood near...

ICF conf 2002.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Plans are now well in hand for next year's Institute of Chartered Foresters' national conference (3-5 April) and its title reflects its intention to produce a document highlighting important forestry issues which can be used as part of the UK...

Conifer's weakest link.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Scottish timber growers, hauliers and processors are co-operating in an international research project to look at the causes and effects of compression wood in conifers. Co-ordinated by the UK's Forest Research (FR) agency, the three-year...

Patience rewarded.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... From a career as staff nurse at Amersham, Bucks hospital to a BSc in forest products technology at High Wycombe University College was Graham Thorne's unusual route to his new job with Chiltern Woodlands Project (CWP). As its new assistant...

A forest for all senses.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... The Duke of Kent has officially opened a `sensory wildlife garden' at the 100-hectare Marston Vale (MV), Beds millenium country park as a `taster' for visitors, less able, through age or disability, to enjoy its wetlands and trails, reports Don...

Scoring points in 2002.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... As in 2001, closing dates for this year's new tree-planting applications under the Forestry Commission's point-scoring scheme for England will be May 31 and October 31. `Threshold' scores will range between nine and 13 points with the...

Recovery wrapped up.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... With the aim of doubling UK wood recycling activity within two years, waste-management company WRAP* is offering competitive grants to companies which help to boost capacity. Sectors targeted in the bid to achieve 40% recovery are packaging and...

Off the scrapheap.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Graham Mitchell of Loglogic had his expertise in all-terrain vehicles stretched to the max when he was enlisted as expert in this area for the `Bulldogs', the British team entry in Channel 4's popular Scrapheap Challenge programme. ...

`Grand design' - Bronze Age-style.(Graham Lawrence bases buildings on Bronze Age dwellings)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Fifteen years ago, Graham Lawrence - confronted with the calamitous consequences of BSE - decided to opt out of rearing livestock and diversify. Like many fellow Cornish farmers, he looked at the then- booming tourism sector but, instead of...

Now a show favourite.(2001 Yorkshire Woodfair)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... As predicted by the organisers, the 2001 Yorkshire Woodfair saw a significant increase in numbers of both exhibitors and visitors. Held on October 20, the event was hosted by YORWOODS* and North Yorkshire FWAG and is the third event in the...

Keen to travel?
January 14, 2002... A New Year reminder from the Royal Forestry Society (E W NI) of three of the `enticing' annual bursaries it awards both nationally and locally: the Randle travel fund and the Spencer* and Yorkshire bursaries** The first-named, now in its...

Welsh woods on target.(woodland schemes)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Within months of starting its `Woods for all' (Cydcoed) programme, the Welsh countryside agencies group, Tir Coed (TC) has more than 112 possible new woodland schemes in the pipeline. This, it says, is well in excess of its initial objective of...

Letter: Certification - not a power struggle over labels/logos.
January 14, 2002... From Beatrix Richards, Tim Hodges and Richard Johnstone `Sir, Your November leader ("They ought to be certified"), reporting Len Yull's comments at the APF conference in Loughborough, contained inaccuracies concerning the current...

Letter: The rape of Britain's broadleaf woodland.
January 14, 2002... From Mark Yorke `Sir, There are no doubt many reasons why (with some notable exceptions) the UK's semi-mature and overmature broadleaf woodlands, on "suitable" site types for broadleaves of course, are in such a parlous state of...

Letter: Saw points.
January 14, 2002... From Richard Ogilvy `Sir, Nick Hilton provides an entertaining monthly account of forestry at the sharp end. He is an APF member and probably reflects the views of many other members. I would however like to make a correction on his...

Letter: No pruning like snow pruning.
January 14, 2002... From George Smith `Sir, the article "Pruning young broadleaves" in October (p25) is very informative and extremely interesting. It is a practice I have always encouraged our customers to carry out. However, the photograph on p25, which...

Uncertain times ahead.(for the forest products industry)(Statistical Data Included)
January 14, 2002... There's good news and bad news to report, writes MARTIN PEARCE. Unfortunately, the good news is of underlying trends that support potential growth and success; while the bad news is of current trading patterns and therefore likely to be of more...

The ALLROADER!(Audi Allroad Quattro)(Evaluation)
January 14, 2002... The Audi Quattro released back in 1980 was one of the first cars to promote four-wheel-drive. However, conspicuous by its absence within the company's range has been a large four-wheel-drive vehicle, until now that is. The Allroad Quattro...

PRESERVATION OR DESTRUCTION?: archaeological site management.(Environmental Research Branch on forest preservation and excavations)
January 14, 2002... Being aware of environmental impacts is important for forestry, whatever the season, whatever the year. Last spring saw the start of a series of examples of the work undertaken in this area by Forest Research's Environmental Research Branch...

Academic attitudes: John Josephi looks back - and forward.(forestry lecturer retires, Cirencester's Royal Agricultural College)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... When, this summer, John Josephi officially retires from Cirencester's Royal Agricultural College (RAC), he will have marked up 30 years' service as its forestry lecturer. Here, he reflects on a career spanning 40 years in the industry and how...

Strong pound, cheap imports, FMD, RCF, certification, 2001 and all that.(forest products industry)(Statistical Data Included)
January 14, 2002... `Depressing year, gloomy outlook'. No, not the headline for this year's market review, but the headline for this article written by Robin Adam (Scottish Woodlands Ltd) ten years ago. While little seems to have changed since 1991, the outlook is...

Securing the chain of custody.(logistics and forest products industry United Kingdom)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... David Duke Evans, consultant to the Wood Panel Industries Federation wants to improve security in the supply chain - with your help. The need to ensure tight procedures to underpin the authenticity of raw materials' deliveries to wood...

REALITY BITES.(forestry industry United Kingdom)(Statistical Data Included)
January 14, 2002... Two years ago, writes David Taylor, I commented in my annual review that the market, like Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of Copenhagen, had persisted in failing to read the most obvious signals. Last year the message began to sink in. This...

PM cites forestry as KEY sector.(Tony Blair United Kingdom)
January 14, 2002... Sustainability was a key theme in 2001 and is certain to be so again in 2002. That the forest sector has some aces to play is no news to anyone within the sector but we have probably never been better placed to seek advantage from our `green...

Well, IS it working?(forest management standard United Kingdom)
January 14, 2002... To a commendable degree at the forest level, it is, writes David Duke- Evans, consultant to the Wood Panel Industries Federation*, but slowly and grindingly through the chain of custody, and it is in this area that the act has to be brought...

IVY - friend or foe?(attributes of ivy)
January 14, 2002... The issue of ivy and trees is one of those where it is all down to personal opinion. To some, it is a pernicious weed that smothers the natural form of trees and on which constant war must be waged. To others, it is an essential part of the...

Cleared for lift-off.(helicopter extraction of Christmas trees)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Harvesting Christmas trees has always been a labour-intensive activity. For Irish Forestry Board Coillte with markets in Germany, Belgium, Austria, France, Holland and the UK as well as at home, removing this manual effort was a must and it has...