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Focus: Vision of a new bio-era
Simon Potter has a vision and his perspective could help change the shape of forests and forest products as we know them. Instead of viewing trees as most of us do, his vision is of trees being developed for use firstly in biorefineries and then for the more traditional pulp and paper and solid wood products.
Meanwhile, in Argentina, Diego Parisi is working on behalf of a Canadian company to develop a range of biofuel plants to utilise a vast piles of wood residues. Although the two men are world's apart, their work has a common theme - looking at new and different ways to better utilise the vast plantation grown forest resources of the Southern Hemisphere. In this edition of the Journal, we focus on the new era of "bio" products dawning. Market Reports focus on margins
Forest product exporters in the Southern Hemisphere are facing a series of special challenges: just as product demand increases, the value of their currencies rise against the US dollar, international sea freight rates increase and available space on ships tightens.
Exporters are reporting that margins are slim and even though demand is strong across many product lines, prices are not high enough to counteract external factors.
These and other issues are discussed in our Markets section, which includes new listings of key figures from Southern Hemisphere countries.
Markets:
Strong currencies, freight rates slice margins The Southern Hemisphere Pine Price Index
Detailed figures from key Southern Hemisphere lumber and pulp producing countries US lumber imports from Southern Hemisphere countries NZ MAF's log prices and export log sales
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