New Zealand’s Forestry Minister Peeni Henare has announced a $57 million (NZD) fund to promote investment in domestic wood-processing facilities, according to a report by “Newsroom.”
News in international markets
Third Large Western Australia Sawmill Announces Closure
A third large sawmill located in southern Western Australia has announced it plans to close prior to the official ban of native logging coming into effect in 2024 according to a report by ABC News.
UPM Plywood Announces Plan to Restructure its Organization and Scale its Operations
UPM Plywood on Thursday announced plans to restructure its organization and scale its operations to meet the reduced production capacity and the deteriorating market situation. The company says the cuts are the result of reduced demand for spruce plywood and veneer due to slowing construction activity.
Architectural Firm Nikken Sekkei Uses Mass Timber to Expand Educational Facility
Nikken Sekkei, a Toyko-based architectural firm, is working on the expansion and construction of Ichikawa City’s Showa Gaukuin Elementary School’s West Wing, according to reporting by “designboom.” The project will utilize two-way CLT flat slabs.
Brazilian Exports of Wood-Based Products Declined in March
According to the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), Brazilian exports of wood-based products (except pulp and paper) in March declined 19.0% year-over-year in value, from US$423.2 million in March 2022 to US$341.9 million in March 2023.
Metsä Wood to Provide LVL Products to Swedish Wood Turbine Tower Builder Modvion
Metsä Wood announced Monday it has agreed to supply Modvion, a Swedish wood technology company, with laminated veneer lumber (LVL) for Modvion’s wooden wind turbine towers.
Latvijas Finieris Signs Contract With Raute for Technology to Expand Its Vermes, Latvia, Plywood Mill
Raute Corporation has announced that it signed a contract with AS Latvijas Finieris, a leading producer of birch plywood in Europe and Baltic countries, to deliver technology for the expansion of Latvijas Finieris’ Vermes, Latvia, plywood mill.
Logs Moved via Rail for First Time in Decades to Help With Australia’s 2020 Bushfires Recovery
To help meet the demand for sawn timber and to keep mills in operation, logs are being transported more than 900 kilometers by rail from northern New South Wales as part of the bushfire recovery, according to a report by “ABC News.”
HS Timber Group Announces Sale of Its Sebes, Romania, Sawmill to Ziegler Group
HS Timber Group (HSTG), an Austrian wood processing company, announced Tuesday that it had recently sold one of its Romanian units to Germany’s Ziegler Group. Under the agreement, Ziegler Group is taking over the entire team of more than 650 employees.
Kenya to End Six-Year-Old Logging Ban in July
On Sunday, Kenya’s Forestry Permanent Secretary Kimotho Kimani announced that the ban on logging forests, imposed six years ago, will be lifted in July, according to The Star newspaper in Nairobi, Kenya. Kimani said the move will allow licensed sawmillers to resume harvesting mature trees from both public and private forests.