| 87 Raywood Contracting CONTRACTING Ensuring a safe and sustainable future Raywood Contracting is a Safetree certified contractor, recognised by the Forestry Industry Safety Council for consistently meeting or exceeding safety standards. T T Kelly Deeks During some of the toughest times the Tairawhiti Gisborne forest industry has ever faced, forest companies and their contractors continue to work together on improved management protocols as well as a massive physical clean-up effort to ensure a safe and sustainable future for the industry. Forest harvesting crew Raywood Contracting in Gisborne is playing a part for its employer, Ernslaw One, both now and for the two to three years it has been involved with the forest owner. “There have been some big changes for a lot of people since the cyclone in terms of in-forest mitigation to reduce the risk of wood debris and silt movement from harvesting and roading activities,” says Raywood Contracting owner Kelvin Diack. “Ernslaw One was one forest owner who had already made a lot of these changes way before the cyclone but even so, we are still being even more careful, even more responsible, and planning to still be here doing it in 50 years’ time. We are looking after the land and the people for the future of the industry.” Kelvin has been in the forestry industry for 35 years and has seen some marked changes from the old days, and the environment is now at the forefront of harvest planning. Slash and fill are now moved to low-risk areas of the forest and sometimes, slash piles are burned off to reduce the volume and weight of wood debris on site. The culture of the industry is changing alongside training for staff and contractors in new and improved methods of forest stewarship. Raywood Contracting is also no longer manual tree falling, with its 7-strong harvesting crew now fully mechanised. “Everyone is in a machine and in a much safer environment,” Kelvin says. At Ernslaw One, contractors are worked with closely to ensure they meet stringent health and safety, environmental management, training, production quality, and general business management standards. Raywood Contracting is a Safetree certified contractor, recognised by the Forestry Industry Safety Council for consistently meeting or exceeding safety standards. Certification was a significant undertaking for Raywood Contracting and its staff with training, reporting, and demonstration of a safety-first culture in all aspects of its business. As the post-cyclone reduction in harvest volumes combine with weak global demand for logs, Ernslaw One is working hard to provide its contractors with job security and stability. “They’ve done their best to manage the crisis as best they can, and they’ve kept us working the whole time. They’ve always had a bit of a plan to keep us going and if we need help with anything, we ask and they sort it out.” Kelvin says it’s a great company to work for and has done a huge amount of work to put things right around the slash issue and its social license to operate. Forest management is a long-term process and some changes can take decades to implement. With mitigation work going on for many years, Kelvin says Ernslaw One is already 300% to 400% better prepared for another another extreme weather event. The big boys for big toys Earthmoving repairs and maintenance parts & services HEAVY EQUIPMENT SERVICES Ltd. 13 TeMaanga Road, Aerodrome Business Park • Phone 06 868 5280 tony@heavyequip.co.nz • mark@heavyequip.co.nz GISBORNE FIELD SERVICES LTD
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