Tasmania Forest Beads

Chain of Custody

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:14:00 +1100

As you can see I now have Chain of Custody Certification on my products….let me explain this. This Quality Assurance system is managed by Fine Timbers Tasmania and is intended to ensure that products with this endorsement are made from timber which is legally sourced and harvested under the Australian Forestry Standards. This requires me to undergo an audit process which ensures that I can identify the sources of my raw materials and demonstrate that they meet the requirements set out in the Chain of Custody guidelines. To you as a customer it means that you can be assured that the products you are purchasing have not been illegally harvested (which does happen) and that I have demonstrated this through the audit process. It also aligns with my purpose, which is to produce products that are sourced and made in a sustainable way.

Forest Agreement!!

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:21:00 +1100

The current negotiations and Statement of Principles established to reach agreement between all parties with an interest in the use of our native forests in Tasmania continues to be a minefield. One wonders if ‘agreement’ will ever sit comfortably with all parties in the long term. One of the key issues is the use of old growth forests from which much of the timbers that have become recognised as iconically Tasmanian are sourced, often as a by-product of logging and wood chipping. The use of these special timbers has become representative of sustainable value adding to the logging industry and look destined to become even harder to source in the future. Most of us with an affinity to timber know that much of these special timbers have been squandered in the past or at the very least their use has not been maximised. This leads me to my key point that we need to start to look at maximum recovery of the timber resource and not be lulled into a false sense of comfort by just making a high end piece of furniture or such from a piece of special timber and thinking that this is enough. This is what we should be doing, and then questioning the use of the waste from that. I know many fine crafts people who produce extraordinarily high quality pieces but still produce usable waste that gets put in the heater to keep their workshop warm in winter! Utilisation of this waste will increase in time as the cost of special timbers increases due to the forest industry drawing back from old growth logging. Crafts people and wood workers struggling to survive from their work will look for ways to maximise every cent they can from each piece of timber they invest in. Now is the time for crafts people and artists to think, network, collaborate and be innovative to maximise the recovery rates of our beautiful and unique Tasmanian timbers.

1st blog

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:15:00 +1100

Welcome to my blog. About us…..Our Story. Through Tasmanian Forest Beads I am endeavouring to produce items that are not only beautiful and useful but tell a story about sustainability. You will notice that most of the things I produce are small items made from special Tasmanian timbers. Much of the timber I use is waste from other craftspeople or what many would consider to be second grade timber however given the small size of much of what I make I am able to achieve extremely high recovery rates of this valuable resource. To take this a step further toward demonstrating a strong sustainability ethic I have certification through Chain of Custody which ensures that all the timber I use can be traced through a supply chain to harvesting sources that align with legal and sustainable forest practices. You can find more information about this quality assurance system at www.chainofcustody.com.au Please feel free to follow my blog on this website through which I hope to share my story.