World News | 9
Danzer sells Bradford Sawmill in the US
Above: Danzer has sold its Bradford Sawmill
Hardwood specialist Danzer closed the sale of its hardwood lumber sawmill in Bradford, Pennsylvania on April 15. Danzer sold the facility to a joint venture between hardwood producer Rossi Group and timberland investment firm Lyme Timber Co.
The sale secured the 85 existing jobs at the Bradford facility; plus, the new ownership group is planning to add at least 20 new jobs. Danzer will stay in the North American lumber business with its lumber drying operations in Shade
Gap, which is also in Pennsylvania. Danzer opened the Bradford sawmill in 1988 to offer high quality American lumber to customers worldwide. Over the last years, it has invested in cutting-edge technology, such as a curve saw that increases the raw material yield by cutting flat boards out of swept logs. “Still, the competitive dynamics didn’t allow [us] to differentiate the lumber product enough to fit Danzer’s strategy of seeking strong competitive advantages in all its businesses,” said Hans-Joachim Danzer, chief executive officer. “We sought out and found an excellent buyer and operator for the Bradford sawmill complex,” added Greg Lottes, president of Danzer Lumber North America. “The sale to the Lyme/Rossi group will be good for the skilled and dedicated employees at the Bradford plant and the local community. The combination of Rossi’s existing sawmill production and Lyme’s expanded timber base in Pennsylvania, makes for great synergy with the Bradford complex.”
Georgia moves to improve sustainable forestry with Timbeter technology
Estonian forestry company Timbeter and the government of Georgia have started a co-operation to strengthen the sustainable forestry practices in the country. The project was officially launched at a seminar in Tblisi on April 22. The event brought together Georgian and international environmental stakeholders who were introduced to the functionalities of the Timbeter solutions, and its potential to contribute to ongoing forestry reform. The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is funding the project to bring Timbeter’s technology to Georgia, and integrate the technology with the digital solutions developed by the government to oversee the forestry sector, facilitate sustainable forest management and fight illegal logging in the country.
The government of Georgia, through its Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, will explore opportunities to integrate Timbeter’s artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud technology to support their efforts and investments in monitoring and controlling the forestry sector. Timbeter as a digital solution will
be used to simplify the data exchange between the government and companies. The target is to bring more efficiency and transparency to the process to ensure sustainable forest management and improve accountability of timber flow. “It is important for us to introduce and use modern technologies in the forestry sector,” said the deputy minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia, Nino Tandilashvili. “The Estonian AI-based timber measurement solution should be in line with the existing Forest Information and Monitoring System, which will help improve timber movement and volume accountability, as well as to assist forest management and supervision bodies in conducting effective state control over forest use and forest protection.” “Our goal is to make sure that forests are managed sustainably,” added Anna- Greta Tsahkna, CEO of Timbeter. “Digital solutions like Timbeter help companies to increase safety and efficiency and also easily provide needed data for the government that will help to fight the illegal logging.”
Global sawlog price up in Q4, 2020
According to Wood Resources International (WRI), the Global Sawlog Price Index (GSPI) rose 8% in the fourth quarter of 2020 as demand for logs was up in North America and Europe.
Both of the WRI’s sawlog price indices (Global and European) jumped 8% quarter-on-quarter in Q4 2020 as log prices increased worldwide. Demand for logs improved when lumber consumption increased in the second half of 2020, particularly in the US, the UK, South Korea, and the MENA region. In Europe, the lumber market was generally flat, with only minor changes in domestic demand. However, European countries with high levels of lumber exports to non-European countries were in luck. Record-setting lumber prices in the US helped drive increased shipments to higher levels year-on-year than in Q4, 2020. These increases were seen in Germany, Sweden, Romania, and Austria. The GSPI rose to a two-year high of US$74.66/m3
in Q4 2020. This was
more than two dollars above its 25-year average. Western US, western Canada, Austria, Germany, and Estonia saw the most significant quarter-on-quarter price increases. Of the 21 regions included on the index, only north-west Russia and Poland saw falling sawlog prices from Q3 to Q4 2020.
The European Sawlog Price Index (ESPI) rose to €76.13/m3
11-year low in Q3 2020. Sawlog prices in Austria, Germany, Norway, Estonia, and the Czech Republic increased the most during the autumn of 2020. Russia exported 15 million m3
in Q4 2020, up from an
of logs in
2020, which accounted for almost 12% of globally traded roundwood. Much of this trade may come to a halt next year when a new law proposed by Russia’s President Putin will ban the exportation of softwood logs and high-value hardwood logs starting January 1, 2022.
□ Stora Enso Wood Products has launched a whitepaper showcasing the science behind the health and well-being benefits of building with wood. Developed with the Technical University of Munich, it dissects the increasing volume of evidence that proves wood to be a stand apart building material option. The company says that in the developed world, around 90% of our time is spent inside, so it is more important than ever to assess well-being whilst indoors.
www.ttjonline.com | May/June 2021 | TTJ
World News
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