Colin McCulloch chief executive officer of the Australian Forest Contractors Association (AFCA) said that he didn’t think he had seen the industry as busy but as under resourced. Source: Timberbiz
According to Mr McCulloch harvest and haulage capacity stands at an all-time high as far as demand goes, and looks like remaining so for the foreseeable future.
Mr McCulloch spent last week in the Green Triangle visiting 16 businesses involved in harvest and haul and he said, “they are maxed out”.
Manpower across the country is scarce and Mr McCulloch said that training facilities are either non-existent or experiencing an alarming drop in funding.
There is also no mechanism to promote careers in forestry.
He said this was highlighted in the blue gum areas around Australia, and it is a space that AFCA is working to operate in and provide a more robust service for its membership.
AFCA through the AusTimber franchise did work in the careers and promotional space in 2008, only to have the Industry fall into one of its “biggest black holes in living memory”.
Mr McCulloch said that it is now time to resurrect the AusTimber body of work.
As a start Forestworks is running a scholarship program to enable staff to join managers in attending the annual Wood Flow and Logistics program on 17-18 June managed by FICA New Zealand. The event will be held in Melbourne at the Bayview Eden Hotel.
More information is at www.woodflowlogistics.com
