Biotechtouch

At their annual foresters conference in Rotorua last week, NZIF president James Treadwell announced their coveted 2017 NZIF Forester of the Yearaward. 

The deserving winner was long-time passionate forestry industry champion Garth Cumberland. Their conference was well attended by young and old members alike, with a focus on the future of forestry.

NZTE probes wood fibre supply concerns for proposed $180M Chinese plant in Kawerau - New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, which has encouraged a Chinese company to invest in a $180 million wood processing plant in the Central North Island to boost regional development, is now looking into whether there is enough wood fibre available to supply the plant following concerns from local industry.

China’s Guangxi Fenglin Wood Industry Group announced plans earlier this year to establish a plant in Kawerau by 2020 to produce 600,000 cubic metres of panel boards a year and generate 100 new jobs, at an expected cost of $180 million.

However, the Wood Processors & Manufacturers Association of New Zealand has raised concerns that timber mills in the region don’t produce enough wood fibre to supply the proposed plant as well as existing big pulp mills of Kinleith in Tokoroa and Tasman in Kawerau, which are owned by Japan’s Oji Fibre Solutions. Fenglin’s proposed plant is expected to initially produce particle board and later expand to medium-density fibre board (MDF).

Source: Wood Week