INTERNATIONAL FOREST INDUSTRIES (IFI)

World Bamboo Congress and Expo — September 16 to 18 in Bangkok — focuses on bamboo’s sustainable properties, environmentally-conscious product applications and relevance within a changing climate. The largest gathering of bamboo professionals will feature three days of presentations on bamboo propagation, product application, sustainability and environmental properties and economic development. The World Bamboo Organization event will coincide with the 113th Anniversary of Thailand’s Royal Forest Department. September

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Wood fiber consumption by the Japanese pulp industry reached a record high in 2008. Over 72 percent of the consumed wood chips were imported, most from hardwood plantations in the Southern Hemisphere. The costs of imported wood chips have increased substantially the past three years, reaching their highest level in at least 20 years during the 4Q/08 reports the Wood Resource Quarterly.*

The pulp industry in Japan has always been very dependent on imported wood chips and the country continues to be the dominant importer of wood chips in the Pacific Rim. Its share accounted for 84 percent of the total chip trade in the region in 2008, with Taiwan, China and South Korea together accounting for the remaining 16 percent. (more…)

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London, 24th June 2009: Investment in forestry outperformed domestic commercial property and equities last year, producing a positive annual total return of 7.0%, eclipsed only by bonds, according to the IPD UK Forestry Index.By comparison, UK commercial property delivered -22.1%1; UK equities returned -29.9%2, while listed property companies and trusts were the most vulnerable to the global market downturn, returning -46.6%3 over 2008. Bonds, however, gained 15%4.

The performance of the forestry sector remains significantly lower than the record levels seen in 2006 and 2007, when total returns of 20.6% and 31.6%, respectively, were achieved. The fall in timber prices, by 28.5% in the 12 months to March 2009 marking the biggest price decline in the last decade, was the key driver behind lower returns. (more…)

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TORONTO - Aboriginal Printing Corporation, Canada’s largest Aboriginal printer, announced today it has achieved certification to the independent Sustainable Forestry Initiativer (SFIr) chain-of-custody standard.
 
“I have been respectful of the environment throughout my life, and I want Aboriginal Printing Corporation to reflect this,” said company President Steven Bolduc. “We chose SFI certification because our customers were asking for SFI-certified products, and it’s a good fit. The SFI program stands for responsible forest management, and ensures companies confer with Aboriginal people, understand and respect their traditional knowledge, and protect sites with cultural importance.”

With more than 65 million hectares certified across North America, the non-profit SFI certification program is one of the largest in the world. The SFI standard is based on principles and measures that promote sound forest management (more…)

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 ALL BOISE ENGINEERED WOOD PRODUCTS FACILITIES ACHIEVE SFI CHAIN-OF-CUSTODY CERTIFICATION

As part of an ongoing long-term commitment to sustainability, Boise Cascade, L.L.C., has announced it has achieved full certification to the independent Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) chain-of-custody standard for all Boise Engineered Wood Products plants across North America.

Through SFI chain-of-custody certification, companies have a tracking system in place so they can tell customers the amount of certified, uncertified and recycled content in the forest products they buy, use or sell.

“At Boise Cascade, we’ve developed a comprehensive chain-of-custody system which allows us to track our inventory from responsible fiber sources,” said Denny Huston, general sales manager of Boise Engineered Wood Products. (more…)

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Fuel costs represent one of the largest items among contractor’s operating costs and it was on this platform that Logset presented their main selling message at Elmia Wood.

The world is moving toward environmentally friendly engines which produce the same performance as previous units but with lower emissions and lower fuel consumption. Logset displayed “Fuel Economy Corner” at Elmia demonstrating how their TOC® control system works together with Agco Sisu PowerT engines to produce optimized power and torque while keeping fuel consumption low.

Agco Sisu PowerT has developed custom made engine software for Logset in accordance with the requirements of forest machines. The software, together with Logset TOC® control software, optimizes fuel injection in accordance with prevailing load and need for hydraulic pressure and oil flow in various circumstances. The engine responds to changing conditions quickly to balance power, torque and engine revs. (more…)

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