Parkside Forestry’s plans for expansion in Queensland are being hampered by a lack of harvesting contractors. Source: Timberbiz
Parkside Forestry Operations Manager Dan Maples says he needs two crews right now.
“And I can’t get them,” he said.
Mr Maples said his problem is compounded by Parkside’s requirement for compliant-ready contractors.
“We need contractors that adhere to all the national heavy vehicle regulating rules, or sustainable forest management rules and comply with our work health and place safety rules,” he said.
“We need very professional contractors, and they are around, that’s for sure.”
But Mr Maples conceded that those contractors were fully compliant with all the regulations, chances are they are fairly busy anyway.
Parkside Forestry and Timber manages around 80,000 cube of State Forest hardwood annually and manages approximately 15,000 cube and growing of private property hardwood from Bundaberg south the NSW border and inland.
“So once the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has just set up the operation we manage the operation from harvesting to set up to extraction, and we as the permit holder deliver that straight to one of our four mill sites throughout the district,” Mr Maples said.
“On our books at the moment we have around six contractors,” he said.
“But we want to grow the industry. So, we need contractors, and we can’t get any more.
“I need two crews right now. And I can’t get them.”
Mr Maples acknowledges that the harvesting areas are quite far away.
“We have to have contractors that camp out, so it can be a bit undesirable.
“I acknowledge that. But that’s Queensland. It’s vast.”
He said he had put a call-out for contractors in Gippsland in Victoria, and also WA.
“We just get the odd people; we actually need a crew.
“We have the work here. We have government tenures. And we have growing private property operations. So, we do have the work.
“I need one private crew. And I also need one State crew.
“Right now, I could put somebody into 4,500 hectares of state tenure.”
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