Forestry & British Timber articles from January 2004

Forestry & British Timber archives from January 2004

RESTOCKING: Sow, you want to cut re-stocking costs?
January 5, 2004... Forest establishment and regeneration in the UK has primarily been planting based. Natural regeneration is sometimes considered, but is rarely viewed as a commercially viable option. Establishment and re- generation costs are getting...

Pallet relief.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2004... The UK pallet industry has breathed a sigh of relief after new rules governing the repair of damaged timber pallets were revised. The Wood Marking Discussion Council (WMDC), a body working under the auspices of the Forestry Commission Wood...

Promotion levy.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2004... The UK timber sector is discussing the imposition of a sales levy to help fund advertising and promotion. The scheme is being planned out by a group of senior Timber Trade Federation members chaired by Michael Walker of Walker Timber Ltd....

TTF loses director general.(Timber Trade Federation.)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2004... The Timber Trade Federation (TTF) has made the post of director general redundant as part of efforts to balance its books. The TTF revealed recently that it has been operating in deficit and held an extraordinary general meeting to approve an...

Union favours single certification.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2004... Support for the Forest Stewardship Council timber and forestry certification scheme by the construction union UCATT has raised concerns in the timber industry. The union has produced a report, 'The case for specifying timber from sustainable...

Lathams boost.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2004... James Latham plc has increased interim sales and profits. The specialist timber and panels importer and distributor reports turnover to the end of September of #48.72m, compared with #46.7m in the same period of 2002. Profits were #1.39m...

Frame body joins think tank.(United Kingdom Timber Frame Association)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2004... The UK Timber Frame Association is joining the government's 'Sustainable Buildings Task Group' which was launched jointly by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott with trade and industry secretary Patricia Hewitt and environment secretary...

Life's not a gas.(wood panel manufacturing industry hit by natural gas prices)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2004... The UK's wood-based panel manufacturing sector is raising concerns over recent hikes in gas prices. Companies say that they are already in a highly competitive market and the recent jump in gas prices of around 19 pence per therm will hit them...

Eco-timber purchasing.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2004... A meeting of government, industry and NGOs addressed the subject of sustainable timber procurement in London early December. The 'Responsible timber purchasing' event was co-ordinated by the UK Forest Partnership for Action organisation, a...

Floor giant denial.(Junckers denies insolvency)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2004... One of the best known names in hardwood flooring, Junckers, has quashed rumours that it is insolvent and in danger of going into receivership. The company's UK subsidiary said that the rumours stemmed from 'exaggerated reporting' in...

Euros should get act together.(timber industry public relations)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2004... Europe's timber industry should take more concerted action in marketing its products and improving its public relations. This was the message from Bo Borgstrom, president of CEI-Bois, the European wood industry federation. He was speaking at...

FORESTRY INVESTMENT MARKET: Betting on the LOT lottery.
January 5, 2004... This year, writes David Taylor, I'm reminded of an old music hall song in contemplating what is euphemistically called the forestry investment market. You'll all know it: 'I've got a luverly bunch of coconuts', runs the first line; 'big ones,...

FORESTRY AND TIMBER ASSOCIATION: Busy doing SOMETHING.
January 5, 2004... 'Doing nothing is not an option', said Forestry and Timber Association* chairman, Robert Scott at the association's 2003 AGM. Doing something is FTA's raison d'etre, so, writes Jane Karthaus (FTA Communications Director) in the context of the...

APF Diary 2004.
January 5, 2004... APF Exhibition secretary Ian Millward pen's his first diary of 2004! Our second site meeting (November 27) went very well; over 70% of the circuit is now booked, and we have already had to extend it due to the demand. Currently we have...

FORESTRY CONTRACTING ASSOCIATION: TEN years after.
January 5, 2004... 2003 was an important year for the Association, which celebrated its tenth anniversary of service to contractors and the forestry sector. Chairman Matthew Rivers reports. The start-up of the fledgling FCA took place in 1993, after much...

HARVESTING: BuffaloDual: TWO into ONE will go!
January 5, 2004... The concept of a dual-purpose machine in the UK is still relatively new but is fast becoming a recognised means of timber harvesting as confidence in the system grows thanks to the early interest shown by a number of pioneering British...

Making horse sense.
January 5, 2004... Many 'hands' make light work as David Giles found out when he introduced horse power into his forestry and tree work operation in Oxfordshire. Suzanne Kelsey takes up his story. 'I feel sure that horse logging will make a contribution to...