Australia’s Federal Government’s Home Builder Scheme, which was launched more than 12 months ago in response to the coronavirus pandemic, is running into a structural timber shortage which is threatening to detail the state’s housing boom. Morgan Sawmill located in Jamestown is proposing to build a second mill, located in Dublin, capable of producing enough structural lumber to build about 500 homes a year.
News in international markets
Heavy Congestion at New Zealand Ports Leads to Logging Industry Frustration and Market Fluctuations
New Zealand forestry contractors are reporting that they are losing money, work, and jobs due to fluctuations in the timber markets and major delays at the country’s ports. Driven by extreme demand for logs from China and other international markets, New Zealand timberland owners in the first half of 2021 raced to harvest as many logs as possible to take advantage of record high prices.
Setra Group Announces Investment in New Saw Line for Small Diameter Logs at their Skinnskatteberg Mill
Setra Group, one of Sweden’s largest wood products companies with eight sawmills and three processing plants, announced on Tuesday (7-13-21) that they were investing in a new saw line for small diameter logs at their facility in Skinnskatteberg. The investment will provide major efficiency improvement and increase resource utilization.
Wildfires Rage in Russia, Spain, the U.S. and Canada
While we read and hear about forest fires in the U.S. and Canada, the same unusually hot weather is taking its toll around the globe. In Russia, forest fires have broken out in the Chelyabinsk region close to the border with Kazakhstan, as well as in north-eastern Siberia. The Ministry of Emergency Situations said it has deployed aircraft and a helicopter to fight the fires, as well as 240 personnel to Chelyabinsk where two large villages have been evacuated.
Australia’s Building Boom Leads to a Surge in Sawmill Employment
According to analysis provided by the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA), the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled a building boom in the country, and as a result Australia’s timber framing sawmills have increased employment by almost 25%. This analysis is in stark contrast to reported Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) global trends that suggested that timber processing employment would fall.
Moelven Announces $70 million Investment to Upgrade and Increase Capacity at Two Swedish Sawmills
Moelven Industriers ASA has announced that they will be investing more than SEK 600 million ($70 million) in modernizing and increasing capacity at two of their sawmills in the years to come. At the Moelven Edanesågen AB facility, the entire production process from timber sorting, timber intake, will include a new saw line and new dryer that will increase the mills capacity.
African Forestry and Timber Trading Firm Woodbois Limited Reports Improved Revenues in H1 2021
Woodbois Limited, an African forestry and timber trading firm, has reported increased revenues in the first 6-months of 2021 and expects sawn timber output to grow by 30% in the remain 6-months of the year. Woodbois, with sawmilling and veneer operations in Gabon, recorded revenues of US$8.2 million in the first 6-months of 2021, up from US$6.7 million, in the previous six-month period.
Brazilian Exports of Wood-Based Products Increased 76% Year-Over-Year in May 2021
According to the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) the value of Brazilian exports of wood-based products (except pulp and paper) increased 76% in value year-over-year from US$235.5 million, in May 2020, to US$414.8 million in May 2021.
10-year Agreement on Log Supply between Forest SA and KSI Sawmills Leads to Plans for New Sawmill
Backed by a 10-year log supply agreement between ForestSA and KSI Sawmills, KSI has announced its plan to build a new $4.5 (A$) sawmill near Murray Bridge. The new sawmill will not only increase needed timber supply but also create new local jobs.
Junnikkala Announces Plans to Build New State-of-the-Art Sawmill in Oulu Finland
Increasing demand for high-quality and sustainable timber products in the construction industry on a global scale, combined with the positive development of the sawmill industry, has provided an opportunity for Junnikkala to make 70 million Euro investment in the construction of a modern sawmill in Oulu Finland.