Kangaroo Island Plantation Timbers activates sprinklers to preserve logs in water storage

Kangaroo Island Plantation Timbers Ltd (ASX:KPT) has activated sprinklers at the dam on its Macgill property where the company plans to store more than 100,000 tonnes of fire-damaged pine logs. The logs have been harvested from the Gosse West plantation which was damaged in the severe bushfires on Kangaroo Island in the summer of 2019 and 2020. Storage in water will help preserve the logs while KPT awaits approval and construction of the Smith Bay export facility. Bundles of logs already in the dam are about 80% submerged, like icebergs, and the sprinklers will keep the top logs moist and assist in submerging the bundles completely.’ Preserves logs KPT operations manager Rob Heathcote said the system had been developed using intelligence from previous water storage in South Australia's South-East after the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires and with the assistance of Harvestco, the company’s harvesting contractor. “Storing these high-quality logs in water prevents access to oxygen for bacteria and fungi, which can impact the quality of the timber. “Burnt pine will deteriorate over time so it’s important to act quickly,” he added. KPT managing director Keith Lamb inspects A-Grade logs at Gosse West. The company consulted with regulatory bodies regarding the water storage and will monitor water quality and implement measures to prevent logs and debris from escaping into other watercourses. Further storage plans KPT plans further storage facilities on other properties it owns in the west of the island as it acts to preserve premium logs, which make about half of the 500,000 tonnes of pine it plans to harvest by the middle of 2022. Remaining fire-damaged stock, which makes up about half of the company’s pine estate, will be left on-site in the plantations for later collection for other uses as feedstock for future biomass operations. Meanwhile, KPT continues to find ways to export logs from the island in relatively small loads as an interim measure because it will not have enough water storage capacity for its pine. The pine makes up about 20 per cent of the KPT estate and planning for harvesting and exporting its blue gums continues. First barge-load A first barge-load of pine logs from Kingscote wharf is scheduled for Thursday. The 300 tonnes of logs will be shipped to Port Adelaide, containerised and shipped to a South Korean customer.