"Commodity Security for Economic Growth" President Aquino
Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods at APEC
Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods was one of twelve exhibitors in attendance for the APEC summit meeting. It was an honor to share Hawaii's hardwoods with many nations and a great experience working together for a better future.
From the Field
Darrell Fox, CEO
November 2011
Nursery Building #2
Construction of nursery building #2 is nearing completion with all of the flood table benches installed. Final plumbing and electrical work will be completed this week. The site for nursery building #3 is being cleared and construction will begin next week. Both buildings will be fully operational by the end of November and fully stocked with new seedlings in December. The mist irrigation area benches have been removed and are being replaced with dual use flood and mist systems completely integrated with our catchment water system and compartmentalized storage tanks. Everyone is excited to work in the new facility as it will eliminate the tangle of individualized bird netting and provide automated watering and monitoring.
On the field front we have started getting the fall bump in rainfall. With over 3" in the past few days we have total hydration of the soil down to our moisture sensors at the 4 foot level. This has jump started our field survey and tree replacement program. We retained over 5000 trees in the nursery in large pots to fill in any field gaps. These trees will be deployed in the months of November and December to bring all unit and legacy areas up to full tree counts. Any overage in nursery stock will be a head start on the 2011-2012 outplanting season. An additional benefit of the fall rains is that all of our nursery catchment facilities are full and ready to nourish a new crop of seedlings. Water is always at the front of our planning and much too precious a commodity to be wasted.
Database development is progressing with a number of innovations underway. New automated equipment for commissioning and printing RFID tags is on order and a streamlined approach to preparing these tags for field deployment and linkage with other management data has been developed. They say that, "Necessity is the mother of invention", but it certainly drives the process of automation and streamlining of procedures. One of our employees pointed out in the early stages that once you learned how to do something all you had to do is repeat it 20,000 times. This year when you learn to do something you have to repeat it 150,000 times. The gains in efficiency will pay dividends for years to come.
Once the nurseries are completed and stocking is underway, field preparation will resume with clearing of deadfall and laying out of the planting pattern. Much of the work is already complete with the advance work of our fencing and invasive species removal teams. Our new track carrier with its attached forestry mulcher will streamline the preparation process. Thanks to the vision of our Legacy Partners and tree owners, the vision is fast becoming reality.
Seeds of Hope
The Nature Conservancy Newsletter
Fall 2011 Cover Story
Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods was featured in the latest issue from The Nature Conservancy magazine.
Koa, considered by some the "mother tree" of the Hawaiian forest, as well as one of the world's most valuable tropical hardwoods, has been severely depleted by feral cattle, land clearing, invasive pests and unsustainable harvesting.
"Over time, the loss and removal of this monarch tree, with no replanting, has diminished our koa forests and the quality of other native forests," says Suzanne Case, the Conservancy's Hawai'i executive director.
Furniture manufacturing expected to expand in the US
as China's labour cost advantage erodes
ITTO
October 15, 2011
The Boston Consulting Group forecasts that furniture will increasingly be produced in the US, a trend that will accelerate in the next five years.
It is becoming more difficult for factories in China to hire workers and as a result, China's labour cost advantage over the US is decreasing. Wages in furniture manufacturing in China are just 10 to 15% lower than US
wages, down from a 50% gap, according to the portal Woodworking Network. Woodworking Network reports that several cabinet and
furniture manufacturers have shifted production from China to the US or they chose US locations for new investments. In some cases furniture components are still made in China, but they are assembled in the US. This has a ripple
effect on suppliers to the furniture industry who will also expand or invest in US locations.
18 ITTO TTM Report 16:19 1 - 15 October 2011
Practical advice on the US Lacey act from AHFA
The American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA) has published an excellent short article about the expectations and requirements of the Lacey Act following the recent government enforcement actions at a US guitar manufacturer who imports tropical species. AFHA describes the main points for US furniture
manufacturers, distributors and retailers, but the article is valid for all wood products imported into the US.
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries (styled "member economies") that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Established in 1989 in response to the growinginterdependence of Asia-Pacific economies and the advent of regional economic blocs (such as the European Union) in other parts of the world, APEC works to raise living standards and education levels through sustainable economic growth and to foster a sense of community and an appreciation of shared interests among Asia-Pacific countries. Members account for approximately 40% of the world's population,approximately 54% of the world's gross domestic product and about 44% of world trade
PRICE INCREASE
Effective November 1, 2011 our 100 tree units increased to $7,807 per unit due to increase in cost of fuel and fertilizer.
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Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods Ohana (family) wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving
Sponsor the planting of a Koa Legacy Tree and make a difference. Visitwww.LegacyTrees.orgto learn how.
