Links
The following are some of my favourite blackwood and forestry related links:
Blackwood
The blackwood grower interest group within the NZFFA.
This is the updated edition of the New Zealand Blackwood Growers Manual.
The only source of blackwood sawlog prices anywhere. Look under Tender Prices. To help the Cooperative to succeed more market transparency and competition is needed to provide real blackwood prices.
The largest blackwood sawmiller in Australia.
A very small selection of Australian and international blackwood industry links:
Maton Guitars The Melbourne-based guitar manufacturer that has pioneered the use of Australian timbers in guitars including blackwood.
Fechters A South African furniture manufacturer and sawmiller utilising a range of timbers including locally grown blackwood.
Kings Fourth Generation Woodworking New Zealand cabinet makers and joiners using a range of local native, plantation-grown and imported timbers including plantation grown blackwood.
Taylor Guitars Taylor and Martin are two major US acoustic guitar manufacturers who have started using Tasmanian blackwood in their instruments.
Forestry
The Forest Practices Authority (FPA) is an independent statutory body responsible for administering the Tasmanian forest practices system. The system regulates the management of forest and threatened non-forest vegetation on both public and private land.
The association representing private forest growers in Australia.
The only State forest agency in Australia to sell their forest products through open competitive tender, and regularly publish the results.
New Zealand Farm Forestry Association
Agroforestry.net.au & Australian Master Tree Growers
Agroforestry site run by Rowan Reid. Includes newsletter and information on Australian Master Tree Grower’s courses to help improve your tree growing skills.
Forest Stewardship Council (Australia)
AgForests Queensland is a unique partnership bringing together Queensland’s broadacre agricultural producers - AgForce Queensland and the timber industry - Timber Queensland, promoting the sustainable commercial management of Queenslands private native forests. A fantastic initiative which should be copied around Australia.
National Woodland Owners Association
The American private woodland owners association. Check out the log prices under the Resources menu, which provides regular market updates on current log prices for a wide range of species across the USA. If only we had something similar here in Australia.....
A Greenpeace initiative to promote the use of sustainable timber resources in the manufacture of guitars and other music instruments.
Weekly news bulletin for the New Zealand and Australian forest industries, based in NZ. A great way to help understand the incredible differences between the forest industries in these two countries.
