Hydrowood Timber Rediscovered

Hydrowood Timber Rediscovered

In the March edition of this publication, Jack Bowen wrote a wonderful article about how a pair of innovative Tasmanian timbermen are harvesting commercial Tasmanian timbers from Lake Pieman in north-west Tasmania.

In February, Jack, Keith Coady, Frank Di Stefano and myself (old timers with over 200 years’ experience between us) made the trip to Lake Pieman to see firsthand how they actually harvest these logs from the lake.

Not wanting to duplicate Jack’s article, I thought I would highlight some salient points, not only as a refresher for those who read the March article, but also for those who are yet to read it.

The Hydrowood owners Andrew Morgan and Dave Wise were originally in the business of managing forests. However, as a consequence of the global financial crisis they lost most of their clients.

By chance, one of the pair was flying over north-west Tasmania and saw all these trees protruding out of a number of lakes filled with hydroelectricity.

Firstly, we need to understand the submerged part of the tree is remarkably preserved due to the deep, almost black, tannin-stained ice-cold waters. This preserved part of the tree is a result of less ultraviolet rays, oxygen and wood consuming organisms, that would otherwise speed up the decaying process.

However, before any harvesting could happen, they needed to invest in the infrastructure listed below.

• Build a barge with three hydraulic thrusters to carry a 45-tonne excavator with a harvesting head on an extended boom
• Another barge tied to the harvesting barge to store harvested logs
• A tugboat they purchased from Brisbane to tow the barge back to a landing where another excavator unloads the barge for the log storage yard.

The operator locates a suitable tree then runs the head down the trunk, clamps and cuts it with a chain saw. Then the tree is loaded onto the attached barge which is ultimately towed away by the tugboat. After that, the logs are transported to the mill, just like any other timber processing operation and marketed for production.

Hydrowood’s product range of lining profiles are manufactured in the following species:

• Hydrowood Oak: This is Tasmania’s dominant timber. It is a well-known timber prized for its resilience and density, varying in colour from light straw to reddish brown
• Myrtle: A striking wood with rich passive red, pink and brown tones. Myrtle is the major species found in Tasmania’s rainforests
• Celery Top Pine: One of the best known of Tasmania’s native conifers. Celery Top has a straw colour when freshly cut and darkens to pleasing gold tones with age
• Blackwood: Probably the most problematic to obtain, the heartwood is a rich golden brown whereas the sapwood is usually much lighter in colour. The even texture has grain that can be straight or highly prized fiddleback.

At this point in time, we are not stocking the product because of the limited length specification. I will need to check any enquiry accordingly. All enquiries for this product are to be directed to me, Jeff Harvey, on 0412550740.