Forestry & British Timber articles from June 2003

Forestry & British Timber archives from June 2003

Deaf, DOME and Blind.(Millennium Dome; forestry bureaucracy)
June 4, 2003... `Our policy-makers have a number of choices: either to make more funding available for the grant schemes - in recognition of the wider benefits forestry bestows upon society - or to allocate existing funding in a more equitable manner'. So...

`Doing nothing is not an option'.(forestry; Robert Scott)
June 4, 2003... `The basic infrastructure of our industry, which has taken generations to build up, is being eroded at an alarming rate', said Forestry and Timber Association (FTA) chairman Robert Scott at its second agm held at Ingliston, Edinburgh on April...

Chartered Foresters' spirits rise.(Institute of Chartered Foresters)
June 4, 2003... The doom and gloom that has encircled the industry over the past few years tends to blunt the more positive achievements of the forestry profession. It's easy to forget, writes David Taylor, that Britain's forests more than doubled in extent...

Slow march along grants road.(woodland-creation grants )(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... Another stage in the elaborate debate on the future shape of England's woodland-creation grants scheme was completed in April. However, timber investors, growers and managers will have a long wait before they can study the small print as...

Ireland's Bacon report.(Peter Bacon and Associates; forestry)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... Because of the `serious blow dealt by the reduction in (Irish) government funding for the expansion of the forest estate', the Irish Forest Industry Chain (IFIC) has appointed economic consultants Peter Bacon and Associates to carry out a...

The man who greened MK.(Milton Keynes, United Kingdom)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... In the 1970s, the new city of Milton Keynes began to forge its reputation as the UK's greenest. Brian Salter, the man who has steered the development of this enviable silvicultaral heritage over the last 32 years retired at the end of April,...

Getting into a cluster at Crieff.(Crieff Hydro; forestry conference)
June 4, 2003... `Outcomes' rather than `outputs' should be the keywords in industry discussions with politicians, Forest Enterprise CE Dr Bob McIntosh told delegates at the second Scottish Forest Industries Cluster (SFIC) conference. Speaking at Crieff Hydro,...

UK gets pat on back from WWF.
June 4, 2003... The UK is leading the way on forest protection in Europe. `(It) is one of the few countries that has made progress in managing its forests sustainably', said Tessa Robertson head of WWF-UK's forest programme. She was quoting from a new report...

Woodfair wins again.(Scottish Woodfair 2003)
June 4, 2003... Following the `outstanding success' of the first May 2002 Scottish Woodfair - when 5000 people came to see what the country's woods and forest could produce - a follow-up was staged at the Perth Dewar Centre ice rink early last month. It...

Cut off to reach their prime.(tree topping)
June 4, 2003... An innovative technique for reducing windthrow risk in conifer plantations was launched at the second Forestry and Timber Association agm held at Ingliston, Edinburgh in late April. Developed by WindFirm Ltd* (WF) - a new Highlands-based...

Cleaning up for growth.(soil pollution)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... Research conducted by the Universities of Surrey, Cornell (USA) and Naples has led to the formation of Phytobials to develop biological products for detoxifying polluted soils. Cornell horticultural scientist and a founding partner of the new...

WTS's top gift.(Woodland Trust Scotland )(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... Hailed as Scotland's `biggest-ever corporate commitment to the environment', BP has given a #10m funding pledge to create a new woodland at Glen Sherup, by Gleneagles. The `delighted' recipient, the Woodland Trust Scotland (WTS), will use it to...

Forestry and fun at the Mausoleum.(South Yorkshire Woodland Fair)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... `Bigger and better than ever' is Robin Ridley's promise for the second South Yorkshire Woodland Fair on Saturday, July 19. Speaking as forest industries officer for the hosts, the SY Forest Partnership* (SYFP), he said that there would be more...

Brighter Beacon.(Beacon Forestry )(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... Prompted by a sawmiller, Beacon Forestry (BF) sent out a free upgraded version - designated `18.14' - of its electronic-auction bidding software*. `This means', said the firm's forestry partner and auctioneer James Stephenson, `that UK...

Anzal sets show pace.(horse race; South West Woodland Show )(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... The Irish horse `Anzal' - number seven - won the Forestry and Timber Association novices' handicap and hurdle race run at Exeter racecourse on April 15 to promote the South West Woodland Show to be held on September 12. (`Haldon hits the...

Counting campaign.(tree planting)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... To help it plan and create `better tree-planting projects here and worldwide', the International Tree Foundation* (ITF) staged a UK-wide tree-counting and commenting exercise during May. Surveyors ranged from ITF members and staff of its...

A dedicated half century.(Hugh Davies )
June 4, 2003... Following 50 years of dedicated service with Forestry Commission Wales, Hugh Davies is looking forward to a well-earned retirement spent fishing, gardening and walking his dog. Former and present co-workers recently gathered at Tan-y-Coed in...

Martin moves upwards.(Martin Gale,)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... Martin Gale, who started his career with the Forestry Commission before going on to play a prominent role in the private processing sector, has been appointed a non-executive Forestry Commissioner for Scotland - to serve until April 30 2006....

New voice for urban forestry.(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... `As someone who has a foot in both amenity forestry and arboriculture, I am very keen on promoting the full spectrum of urban forestry'. Glenn Gorner was speaking after his unanimous election as vice-president of the UK&I chapter of the...

Irish chain of change.(Irish Forest Industry Chain )
June 4, 2003... `The last few months have seen dramatic changes to the operating environment in which forestry companies and organisations in Ireland must function', said George McCarthy (planning, research and environment director, Coillte) after his...

Wood floors boost house prices.(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... Wood flooring can add significant extra value to a home according to estate agents and a new report on the market. According to AMA research, the solid and `engineered' wood floor sector continues to grow rapidly in the UK. Its new report on...

Brazilian plywood in construction.(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... The Brazilian plywood industry expects its products to make inroads in the UK construction market next year thanks to its new quality assurance scheme. To date the prospects for Brazilian products in the UK have been limited by the BS5268...

Solidifying softwood.(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... A New Zealand business is hoping to sign up a UK company to use its softwood densifying process under licence. Indurite has patented a system for impregnating concentrated cellulose solution into Radiata pine to give it the durability,...

College invests in training.(Leeds College of Building)(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... Leeds College of Building, already one of the UK's leading wood machinery training establishments, has invested a further #100 000 in new equipment. The college has bought a range of new SCM machines, including a thicknesser, panel saw,...

Buyers queue up for Torwood.(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... Receivers say they have had a number of approaches for the Torwood timber frame manufacturing plant in Livingstone. Tenon said that 14 potential buyers have now toured the plant. Torwood, which was previously part of the Beazer building...

STP recovers from blaze.
June 4, 2003... STP was servicing customers in the Leeds area more or less as normal 24 hours after a blaze destroyed much of its distribution base in the city. The fire broke out on April 22 when workers were still in the warehouse. A number of fire...

Wood window bonanza.(Whitaker & Company )(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... Joinery specialist Whitaker & Company has secured one of its biggest ever orders, to supply 430 new properties in Coulsden, Surrey with timber windows. The Bradford firm is supplying a range of different designs to the development around a...

Finnforest looks for more.(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... Finnforest UK said it is budgeting for a 20% rise in sales this year. The Finnish-owned company, based in Boston, Lincolnshire, is looking for turnover of #256m in the UK, as against #219m in 2002. This would take volume sales up to 1.3m m3...

Mastering carpentry.(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... A new `masters' certificate has been launched for UK carpenters, joiners and shopfitters to boost quality levels across the woodworking industry. The qualification has been devised by the City & Guilds, the Carpenters Company, the Joiners and...

Benevolence seeks new identity.
June 4, 2003... The Timber Trades Benevolent Society has asked the UK timber trade to devise a new image for the organisation, which helps out the industry's less well-off former workers. The TTBS has launched a competition for people to come up with a new...

Vicaima opens door on growth.(Brief Article)
June 4, 2003... Spanish-owned wood-based door maker Vicaima has spent #750 000 to expand and develop its Swindon distribution base. The company has increased its storage facilities from 9000ft2 to 60000ft2 and invested in new racking. The warehoue now takes in...

WoodWISE: The view from the sharp end.(Editorial)
June 4, 2003... In which our monthly contracting contributor Nick Hilton of Woodwise Forestry* gets spooked by some scary trees. You may remember, in last month's issue, that I was fretting about time and mentioned a big roadside tree job that was supposed...

The Clipstop - guarding against the weevil.
June 4, 2003... The team at Tubex Ltd has been developing since 2000 a range of practical solutions to the problems that will arise in protecting tree seedlings from pine weevil (Hylobius Abietis) attack when permethrin is eventually withdrawn from use. Simon...

For a greener pleasanter land.
June 4, 2003... `Power from biomass is a vital component to help us reach our environmental goals, fulfil our energy needs and create employment; we are prepared to back this with substantial funding'. Speaking in April - around a month after Powergen...

The no-burn battle of Sidbury Hill.
June 4, 2003... Forwarder-mounted chippers played a key role in clearing 40 hectares of plantations as part of a major conservation operation on the army's Salisbury Plain training area. The work on Sidbury Hill, an Iron Age hill fort near Tidworth, involved...

Networked for Growth.
June 4, 2003... Phil Lush began work as a butcher - perhaps not the most likely apprenticeship for a tree surgeon but a trade also physically demanding and calling for precision and skill. It is over 25 years since he started his own business in this sector...

Bright light in Wales.
June 4, 2003... Coinciding with widening the range of its Altos track oscillation system for excavator bases, Richard Smalley International Ltd* has just won official recognition of its innovative design. The Welsh Development Agency and Wrexham CBC jointly...

The Austrian/Finnish options.
June 4, 2003... Well-known for the diversity of forestry machines it offers the industry, Jas P. Wilson* has, over the past two years, also established itself in both the woodchipper and shredder field after taking over the UK sole agency for the Austrian...

To catch a thief.
June 4, 2003... Every Timberwolf woodchipper that leaves Entec Industries' factory now sports `Thiefbeater' stickers on its chassis in a bid to prevent its subsequently being stolen. The move follows an agreement between the Stowmarket, Suffolk-based...

Problem solver.
June 4, 2003... Poor stability on sloping ground... lack of ground clearance... too wide for restricted access? All these were problems from which tracked woodchippers had suffered until, GreenMech Ltd*, says, they were solved with its SAFE-Trak System. ...

Tracked Chippa.
June 4, 2003... Latest news item from the Danequip* brushwood-chipper stable is the imminent appearance of a tracked, Ruggerini-powered version of its `Blue Chip Chippa' which has now been in production for nearly four years. `A robust machine withstanding...

Attacks on all fronts.
June 4, 2003... Citing the example of Brian Farrow of Crawley-based County Tree Surgeons, Arbor Eater Brushwood Chippers Ltd* say that there is no better advertisement for any product than a satisfied customer. Currently running three of the company's Attack 6...

Premier crew.
June 4, 2003... Richard Harrison of Bristol-based Branch Walkers Tree Services admits to having had loads of chippers in his 15-plus years in the business but claims that now there is only one make for him - Premier - from Wilkie Recycling Systems Ltd*. His...

From bats to Terminator.
June 4, 2003... Latest acquisition by Faygate, West Sussex-based HomeGrown Timber Ltd (HGT) is a `Mus-Max' Terminator 8 heavy-duty woodchipper - currently the UK's largest such machine. Of German manufacture, it was supplied through Fletcher Stewart...

On the right track.
June 4, 2003... Since it launched the first Bandit Beast shredders (2680, 3680 and 5680) on the UK market five years ago, Kendall Machinery UK Ltd's* market share has grown to 40% with customers using the machines in a range of applications. Another...

Tractor/chipper combo - `so easy to use'.
June 4, 2003... Richard Hill-Venning's family business, HV Maintenance (HVM), is involved in a range of maintenance and security work, some of which involves railway embankment clearance and operates across southern England. In the past, he has hired a range...

Batsford - survival of the smallest.
June 4, 2003... Bob Clark of Batsford Timber* - well-known for its fencing operation at Moreton in Marsh - was taking about developments at the company's other mill at Longleat, just up the road from the popular Center Parcs complex, and a change of emphasis...

Logging on, Scandinavian-style.
June 4, 2003... When Forestry Commission staff decided that they needed extra storage space next to one of their Scottish offices, they hit on the sensible idea of building a log cabin - using their own wood and even the turf uprooted from its base to thatch...