The NZ Farm Forestry Association has set up a national industry body representing the interests of local specialty timber producers and those with an interest in specialty timbers. To promote the practice a web resource with information about a range of local timber species, a photographic showcase of each timber in use and an online marketplace for products and services has been launched. Source: Timberbiz
According to the NZFFA there are a number of areas in need of attention, at the top of the list is regaining lost ground for timber use in construction.
The New Zealand building code rules are now set around treatment classes and strength classes for radiata pine and Douglas fir. This makes it very difficult to use alternative timbers and market share has been lost.
By having no representation on standards committees alternative timbers have been left out from the rules. The industry group will be lobbying for inclusion.
The new web resource includes extracts from the various New Zealand standards that apply to timber construction with “alternative” timbers.
A separate, but related NZFFA project is in the process of determining the Characteristic Stresses of a range of timber species, including macrocarpa, lusitanica, Lawsons cypress, redwood and eucalypt in order to comply with NZS 3063
Timber Structures standard. The strength properties are required to be tested in accordance with the rules set out in another standard, AS/NZS 4063.
The University of Canterbury has been contracted to undertake the testing and reporting of results from this work. This will enable structural engineers to design timber structures “by the rules” with these alternative timber species.
Next will come durability and how industry can meet the specific requirements of the building code and the NZFFA wants to work with Future Forests Research and Scion to provide evidence on durability performance for a range of species in different applications to the Department of Building and Housing.
Producers of specialty timbers have been disparate and as a result timber quality has been inconsistent, which along with unreliable availability has inhibited market development for our minor timber species.
Farm Forestry Timbers has set up its own grading rules which members must comply with when supplying timber through the new webmarketplace. The grade rules are on the website so buyers can select timber grades to suit requirements.
Information resources are available from the site on sawmilling and drying for producers. This also gives growers the tools to become producers and choose between selling logs and contracting a sawmiller to cut the timber, which they can dry and market themselves.
The marketplace will be the centre of the website, where anybody who has a service or product to offer relating to locally grown specialty timbers can participate by joining the group.
Growers can market trees or logs, sawmillers can seek logs, merchants can buy and sell timber; architects, builders and engineers can offer their services.
The web resource is at www.nzffa.org.nz/specialty-timber-market/
