Japan lifts pine restriction

Press, 9 February 1982, Page 2

Japan lifts pine restriction

Wellington reporter

A Japanese restriction on the use of raejiata pine, which has largely excluded its use as a timber for building, has been lifted. The Director of Utilisation for the New Zealand Forest Service (Mr Trevor Foley) said yesterday that all growth ring requirements for radiata pine timber in Japan have now been removed.

Rapid growth of radiata pine in New Zealand means wide growth rings and these have been too big to meet Japanese specifications. Under the old restriction 80 to 90 per cent of New Zealand radiata sawn framing timber was not able to be used in Japanese buildings. The amendments which have now been made to the Japanese standards have removed a major obstacle to developing New Zealand’s timber trade with Japan and should lead to better prices for both logs and sawn timber.

The lifting of the old restriction is the culmination of several years of discussion and scientific tests both in New Zealand and in Japan. The growth ring restriction has been replaced by limitations on the occurrence of pith and corewood. “These limitations are a much more suitable and realistic grading system for New Zealand radiata,” Mr Foley said.

Much still had to be done, however, to capitalise on the change and encourage Japanese users to accept New Zealand radiata pine. “Imaginative marketing and building education programmes are needed together with more information about the Japanese market; consumer demands,-and competitive materials,” said Mr Foley. “All this needs to be done without delay, because of the dramatic increase in wood production expected from our exotic forests by the end of the decade,” he said.