Grafton, New South Wales woodchopper Chris Owen is Australia’s new 375mm standing block champion, but that is only the beginning for him this year as he trains for more woodchopping glory. Source: Clarence Valley Daily Examiner Mr Owen won the title at the recent Brunswick Heads
A New Plymouth New Zealand contractor has been fined NZ$30,000 after an employee rolled a digger down a hill and ended up on ACC for a year. Sources: Stuff NZ, Taranaki Daily News Mangorei Sawmills Ltd (MSL) was sentenced in New Plymouth District Court after pleading guilty to a charg
The Tasmanian government is attempting to remove the term “wilderness” from the state’s wilderness world heritage area. Source: The Guardian (UK) According to The Guardian this could open the vast ecosystem to selective logging, cruise ships and landing strips for aircraft. In a draft
Wyong mayor Doug Eaton’s family company has run a Mannering Park timber business for nearly a decade either without council consent, or without complying with a court-ordered approval condition linked to a road with a history of fatal crashes. Source: Newcastle Herald Now questions ar
A timber industry spokesman Andrew Hurford has come out swinging against NSW Labor’s plan to create a 315,000-hectare Koala National Park. Sources: Northern Star, Coffs Coast Advocate The chairman of Timber NSW and managing director of Hurford Hardwood described the plan as R
Universal Forest Products is venturing outside of North America by acquiring a majority interest in Integra Packaging, a manufacturer and distributor of integrated packaging products based in Brisbane, Australia. Source: MLive Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed in a news rele
Stopping logging in Victoria’s central highlands would drive tens of millions of dollars into state coffers if the move were included under the Abbott government’s emissions reduction fund. Sources: The Age, The Bendigo Advertiser, The Brisbane Times Fairfax Media has seen
3D printing has lost its novelty value a bit, but new printing materials that MakerBot plans to release will make it a lot more interesting again. Source: PC World MakerBot is one of the best-known makers of desktop 3D printers, it announced that late this year its products would be a
Melbourne’s Dandenong Ranges are abuzz with the sound of chainsaws as international competitors turn logs of wood into art. Source: ABC News The Australian Chainsaw Carving Championships are underway at Mount Dandenong, east of Melbourne. Competitors will race the clock to turn
A government app from the state of Victoria has been issuing alerts for forest fires that don’t exist. Source: FutureGov Residents of Redesdale town received warnings last week from the FireReady app that there was a fire out-of-control 3.5km away, when there was no fire within 20km.