SA pine mass timber used to build four storey Zanzibar building
CheiChei Living building under construction
The superstructure for the four-storey CheiChei Living building, which is Africa's first CLT hybrid structure with more than two levels has been completed and fit-out is well underway. The first residents are scheduled to move-in early in the second quarter of 2025.
The entire prefabrication process happened digitally. It was a collaboration between Studio OMT architects in Germany, the client CPS Africa, designer Leander Moons, the builder in Zanzibar and South Africa’s Mass Timber Technologies (MTT).
“The modern process used building information modelling (BIM) software and good communication to ensure everyone, including the on-site workers, understand and agree with the final design. The CheiChei team never met during the design and fabrication phases”, says Marcus van der Hoven, of MTT.
“When everyone signed off on the design, we manufactured over 1091 “flat pack” components, complete with detailing, packed them into five 40-foot containers and sent them to site in Zanzibar for assembly.
The complete project will consist of 20 buildings in various configurations accommodating studio up to three-bedroom apartments with shops on the ground floor. Construction for the next eight buildings has commenced.
The Shire Eco Lodge and nursery focuses on sustainability
Rob Scott uses the Wood-Mizer to cut wood for his building and furniture projects and custom orders
Rob Scott, owner of Shire Eco Lodge near Stutterheim, says the curved shape of the chalets is unlike standard timber buildings and posed so many problems that it took over a year to complete the shell of the first lodge.
The design of the chalets takes its cue from nature. "I wanted the design of the chalets and their location on the margins of the indigenous Xholora forest to be a win-win for all", Rob explains.
Construction started in 2004, and the first chalet was up and running in 2008. The 20-acre Shire Eco Lodge and indigenous nursery is owned by entrepreneur Rob Scott and his family in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province.
Recalling scenes of the film version of the fertile vales of the shire in JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, the Shire Eco Lodge is home in the peaceful afro-montane forests of the Amatola mountain range. The rich trove of waterfalls, mountain streams, ancient yellowwood, stinkwood and lemonwood forests, surrounded by pockets of fynbos, leaves an indelible impression on visitors.
An inside view of a chalet built by Rob ScottRob Scott in his furniture factory
Lessons learnt
The curved A-frame timber chalets are uniquely designed and built. Rob recounts several obstacles they had to overcome because of inexperience. These included timber bending techniques, the value of bracing, bent timber breaking and bending glass windows.
"My father, Hamish, supplied the solution to the breaking problem. Laminating thin strips of wood together. This is a fascinating process and has, in fact, become an art. It worked well and is now used for other parts of the building's anatomy", explains Rob.
"Once all the laminated ribs are in place, the wall planks are fastened over them in layers, moving upwards as you go. Once the walls are complete, the roof ribs (about 50 laminated bow-shaped beams) are attached to them, giving the roof a curved shape and Asian-like appearance.
"It was then time to start the interior work, which also took time because all the walls, cupboards, etcetera had to be profiled in the curved shape of the walls. There was a new lesson every day. I became an electrician, plumber and painter in a few months."
Wood-Mizer
Rob's reliance on buying sawn timber from suppliers sparked the idea of getting a sawmill to produce sawn timber. It was further strengthened by the uncommon widths and thicknesses needed for the curved and bent components of the chalets.
He decided to invest in a Wood-Mizer LT15GO portable sawmill, which lets him move it to wherever it's needed to cut fallen hardwoods and invasive alien trees.
Some of the blocks, slabs and boards are sold as is. The bulk of the sawn wood goes to Rob's furniture workshop. It is supplemented with heavy, fine-grained spruce stringers sourced from Mercedes-Benz in nearby East London. He uses the wood to build custom furniture for his projects and discerning customers nationwide.
Shire Bulbs is an indigenous nursery selling bulbs, plants and trees across South Africa
Shire Bulbs nursery
A brief stint at a plant nursery during a gap year in the UK kindled Rob's passion for botany, laying the foundation for the start of Shire Bulbs in 2003.
The Shire Bulbs' initial successes quickly duplicated into further expansion, with the current bulb production site now comprising four shade houses and expansive open beds. It produces over 150 species of indigenous bulbs that are shipped to customers worldwide. The international acclaim is proof of Shire Bulbs' successes.
But it's about far more than the monetary value of bulbs for Rob. The business partners with Fruit and Trees for Africa, a Non-Profit Organisation that addresses food security, environmental sustainability, and greening.
"Many of the plants we grow are threatened, and so in addition to the conservation and protection of wild populations, we have prioritised the conservation of the rarer species through cultivation", he says.
Our guests get to experience this unique location to revitalise tired spirits. At the same time, The Shire and local communities benefit from tourists visiting and job opportunities created," Rob continues.
The unique chalets at the Shire Eco Lodge blend into the forms and shapes of their environmentThe Shire Eco Lodge is in a peaceful valley near Stutterheim in the Eastern Cape
Organic farming
Organic farming is another arm of Rob's vision to harness business as a tool for greater sustainability, community upliftment, and self-reliance. His mother, Monica, is his partner in this part of the business, which produces organic fruits, vegetables, and crops that are sold and delivered free to nearby communities that need fresh produce.
Sawdust and chips from the furniture shops are also used as animal bedding for Rob and Monica's geese and duck flocks, allowed to roam free to rid the crops of pests. The rest of the waste is sold to nearby farmers, who use it to improve the health and well-being of their animals.
"We have an abundance that we like to share with the community to ensure that they also benefit from our bounty," Rob says, smiling.
Profit pointers for wattle growers
Open for business. Rob Thompson delivered the good news that NCT's Richards Bay mill are back up and running just over a year after the devastating fires that stopped their chipping and export operations.
A recent wattle field day organised by NCT Forestry provided an ideal opportunity for local tree farmers to pick up some pointers from the wattle “experts” who have been working with wattle for decades. The field day was hosted on Elands Farm near New Hanover in the KZN midlands, owned by Terry Wolhuter.
Chris Chapman reports that the key takeaways from the field day were:
NCT’s woodchip export operation at the port of Richards Bay is back up and running after the devastating fire destroyed the facility just over a year ago. The demand for wood chips is strong, and green and black wattle timber are among the preferred species by international customers.
The demand for wattle bark is strong, preferably fresh bark stripped from mature black wattle and delivered on the same day. UCL and NTE are starting to accept limited quantities of green wattle bark. Wattle farmers in the Eastern Cape have also been supplying dry stick bark to NTE, adding value to their crops. The wattle bark extracts are used to make tannins and adhesives for softening leather.
Black wattle: Advances in tree breeding have developed several black wattle clones showing promising results for improved form and growth, as well as wattle rust tolerance and frost tolerance. Although wattle clonal development is still relatively early, there are clones available that will give growers improved performance over seedlings if well managed and planted in the right sites.
Green wattle (A. decurrens) is a good option on some sites. It is more adaptable to a wide range of climatic conditions, is more tolerant of critical pests, the bark strips in the winter months, and produces more useable timber than black wattle. Although it produces less bark than black wattle, the bark factories accept limited quantities. The ICFR is ramping up a green wattle tree improvement programme, and NCT is planting it to replace some eucalypts on their farms.
Growing wattle is not so simple. Get the basics right, like planting the right seedling or clone for the site, prepare good, uniform pits (25cm x 25cm), plant with water/gel in the rainy season, keep it weed-free for a year, do careful pruning and thinning – and you will reap the rewards.
Friedel Eggers of UCL urges foresters to plant the best black wattle clones on the right sites to reap the benefits of good bark and timber yield
Pruning: Friedel Eggers of UCL advises pruning before the trees reach two metres. Use a skilled team with sharp secateurs or bow saws (not axes). Remove competing double leaders and dominating side branches with clean cuts. Be careful not to tear the bark while pruning. Do not over-prune.
Blanking: Wattle grows fast. You must blank within three weeks of planting if the mortality of clones is above 10% or above 15% in the case of seedlings.
ROI: The rule of thumb among foresters is that wattle bark sales should cover the cost of the harvesting operation. In contrast, the timber sales deliver the profit.
The Forestry & Agriculture Biotechnology Institute (FABI) at the University of Pretoria has a diagnostic clinic to help identify pests and diseases affecting wattle. This is a free service for members of the Tree Protection Co-operative Programme (TPCP).
SP, TimberPro harvesting equipment demo impresses
Checking out the big SP 761LF head, attached to a TimberPro TL 725D tracked, levelling harvester.
A forwarder carrying a 20-ton plus load of pine logs down a 50% slope drew gasps from a group of experienced foresters and harvesting contractors attending a field day in the KZN midlands recently.
The forwarder was a TimberPro TF 840D, distributed and supported in South Africa by Zululand-based Logmech. The occasion was a field day hosted by Logmech on Sappi’s Clan plantation in the KZN midlands, the highlight of which was this demonstration of the TimberPro forwarder’s supreme power and balance.
When the highly skilled and experienced forwarder operator, Enoch Mthembu, stepped out of the vehicle having safely brought the load to roadside at the bottom of the slope, the foresters and contractors in attendance broke out in spontaneous applause. Enoch was clearly surprised by this reaction, as working in such steep terrain is all in a day’s work for him.
The forwarder confidently approaches the steepest part of the slope, with a 20 to 22 ton load on board.Almost there.
Spontaneous applause greeted the forwarder operator, Enoch Mthembu, who brought the load safely to the extraction road.
Sappi Clan is located on the edge of the Karkloof escarpment with a lot of steep slopes, providing the mechanised harvesting team with plenty of challenges. It also provided an ideal location for Logmech to demonstrate the flagship logging equipment in their stable, namely the TimberPro forwarders and harvesters, SP Maskiner heads and their own Logmech grabs.
The day started with a static display showcasing the iconic red SP heads that are well known in South African forestry, and the MF42 and big MF86 grabs which the Logmech engineering team has developed specifically for the African market.
Also on display was Oregon equipment including saw chains, guide bars and sprockets.
The first stop was the TimberPro forwarder doing its thing on a ridiculously steep slope that did not look do-able. But the TimberPro forwarder, with a load of around 20 to 22 tonnes of pine logs on board, handled it with apparent ease with experienced operator Enoch Mthembu at the controls. A set of chains on the bunk wheels provided extra traction.
Foresters and contractors at the field day give the TimberPro forwarder the once-over. Note the wide bunk which gives the forwarder a low centre of gravity, maximising stability.
This demo should come with a cautionary advisory: don’t try this unless you have a machine like the TimberPro and an operator with the skill and experience of Enoch!
Next up was a demo by a tracked, levelling, purpose-built TimberPro harvester TL 725D, equipped with a big SP 761LF head. It operated efficiently on a steepish slope, felling, de-limbing and cross-cutting some pretty big pine trees with speed and precision.
Then it was on to a flatter compartment where the iconic SP 591LX, attached to a Hitachi excavator, was put through its paces. As Anders Gannerud of Swedish manufacturers SP explained, the 591LX is the head that put them on the map. It was developed in close collaboration with the Logmech team over many years, and is perfectly adapted to conditions in southern Africa. Productive, easy to maintain and tough as nails, the 591 has proved its worth and is now also widely used in some of the vast Eucalyptus plantations of South America.
SP 591LX head attached to a Hitachi excavator harvesting pine in the Karkloof.
Logmech’s Leon van Eeden said that the company has been operating in South Africa for 23 years, and they have been distributing and supporting SP heads since the very beginning. They carry a huge spare parts inventory, they know the heads inside out and are able to provide the back-up to ensure they keep working productively for thousands and thousands of hours. Logmech has sold 140 SP heads in the region to date.
They are also sole distributors in South Africa of the highly versatile TimberPro range of machines which include wheeled and tracked harvesters, feller bunchers and forwarders. The TimberPro’s are manufactured in the USA and are renowned for their durability, productivity and power. They are relatively simple machines to operate, are easy to maintain and are therefore well suited to rugged African conditions.
Leon van Eeden of Logmech (right) provides info on the SP heads.
The TimberPro’s come standard with 360° continuous rotation, allowing the operator to work effectively all around the machine. They are highly versatile and can be used as combo machines as they are equipped with a quick detached boom to allow conversion from a forwarder to a harvester.
The Logmech team has also launched a range of grabs which they have developed in partnership with an international manufacturer.
The field day was well attended by leading contractors and technical foresters who expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to see the harvesting equipment in action.
For more info on Logmech, TimberPro and SP heads in South Africa, visit www.logmech.co.za
The MF42 Logmech grab.The big MF86 Logmech grab.
The TimberPro harvester doing the business in the Karkloof.
Anders Gannerud of SP Maskiner, the Swedish manufacturers of the SP heads, explains the ins and outs of the 4th generation SP 591LX that has been developed in close collaboration with the Logmech team.
The SP 591LX, attached to a Hitachi excavator, churning out cut-to-length pine logs.
Cut-to-length pine logs harvested by the SP 591LX.
The TimberPro forwarder loads up at the top of the slope.
Join Mfundo as she takes us through a day in the life as a PR/Communication and CSI lead for NCT Forestry. She also talks about her journey to where she is today and the challenges she has faced along the way.
This is Part 2 in a series of role model videos produced by She Is Forestry SA...
She Is Forestry SA and partners have compiled a library of videos that showcase women who have had fascinating journeys and careers in forestry. These videos serve to inspire women to pursue careers in the forestry sector and educate the public on the wide variety of interesting roles and avenues that exist in the forestry value chain.
A sorry sight … a fine pine compartment burnt in the Karkloof fire.
Wildfire season has kicked off with a bang in the KwaZulu-Natal midlands with a number of destructive fires that have claimed the lives of 14 people, destroyed dozens of homes and equipment and damaged thousands of hectares of commercial forestry and agricultural land, not to mention the loss of livestock and wildlife.
According to Simon Thomas of the KZN FPA, the number and severity of wildfires in the province has escalated during July due to high fuel loads and extremely hot and dry conditions prevailing across the region.
A wildfire that broke out near Boston in mid-July resulted in the death of seven firefighters who were caught in the flames when the wind suddenly changed direction. Three of the firefighters died on the scene, and four more died later from their injuries.
The firebreak between the pine plantation (right) and the property on the left was hopelessly inadequate and failed to stop the spread of the fire.
Reports have also come through of the recent death of a forester in the Ixopo area who was severely burnt when the wind changed direction causing a controlled burn to run out of control.
Sunday 7th July was another high fire danger day with a number of fires breaking out in Mooi River and Karkloof areas of the midlands. The Mooi River fire reportedly burnt a lot of forestry and conservation land around Mount Gilboa, and another fire in Karkloof that started up later that night burnt through a pine plantation as well as several smallholder farms.
The Zululand coastal area has been fairly quiet, but there have been some big fires in the Melmoth area, also in early July.
Simon says that land managers and fire fighters across the province are on high alert as the hot and dry conditions are continuing. He said that the weather forecast for the weeks ahead are very uncertain, but that there are hopes that early spring rains could bring some relief by mid-September.
In most cases the exact cause of the fires is very difficult to determine, but fingers have been pointed at deliberate arson fires. This seems to be the cause of the Karkloof fire as the ignition point is clearly identifiable in the landscape. According to local people there was no lightning on the day of the fire to cause ignition, and the Mooi River fire was too far away to have caused spotting.
Local smallholders in the area say that the fire breaks prepared by the plantation managers are hopelessly inadequate and did not prevent the fire – which was fanned by winds up to 70 km per hour - from entering their adjacent properties. Three dwellings were also destroyed in the blaze.
Greg Gardiner surveys the wreckage of his family home that was burnt to the ground in the Karkloof fire.
The remains of Greg Gardiner’s water tanks, destroyed by the wildfire.
Poachers have been fingered for starting the Boston fire. Apparently the poachers light the bush to drive out the animals so that they can hunt them down, and then the fire gets away.
Land managers are urged to be alert so that they can respond quickly to any fires starting on their properties. It is much easier to put out a fire when it is still small than it is to tackle a fire that is running out of control.
Members of the public are also urged to be vigilant, and to not start any fires in the open – especially on high fire danger days.
All landowners in fire-prone rural areas should be members of the local fire protection association, which are there to provide assistance and support throughout the fire season.
Three weeks after the fire …
Zanele Nkhosi - SAFCOL Machine Operator
In a new series of videos, She Is Forestry SA profiles women who have had fascinating journeys and careers in forestry. These videos serve to inspire women to pursue careers in the forestry sector and educate the public on the wide variety of interesting roles and avenues that exist in the forestry value chain.
Women's Month is an ideal time to share these stories and celebrate the roles that women play in the industry, challenging stereotapes and bringing unique skills to every facet of the industry.
Zanele Nkhosi shares her forestry journey from general worker to machine operator, hoping this will inspire others to follow in her footsteps...
