SUNCHIP CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY WITH 26M
TONNES OF LOG VOLUME HARVEST ACROSS TWO STATES

TIMBER Queensland has congratulated the Sunchip Group on its 25th anniversary of commencement of harvest and haulage operations in Queensland and New South Wales.

Attending the 25th anniversary celebrations in Hervey Bay, Timber Queensland CEO Mick Stephens said Sunchip had made an outstanding contribution to the health and prosperity of the Queensland timber industry over the past two and a half decades.

“The driving force behind Sunchip’s growth and performance is managing director and principal Mark Blackberry,” Mr Stephens said.

“He has already been nationally recognised when he was inducted into the Australian Forest Contractors Hall of Fame in 2016.

“Mark’s passion and commitment to his team and staff across the organisation was clearly evident at the celebrations which included many long-term service awards for employees. Mark is also focused on training and skills development initiatives for the future, and Timber Queensland is keen to promote this shared vision in the Wide Bay Burnett region and beyond.”

Mr Stephens added: “Incredibly, Sunchip has harvested almost 26 million tonnes of log volume over the past 25 years. To put this into perspective, this is almost equivalent to Australia’s entire annual plantation softwood harvest over a year and is an incredible achievement.”

 

Some key facts about Sunchip’s activities over the past 25 years: 24 million tonnes of log and woodchip hauled; 10 million tonne of chipped volume including in-field and fixed site; 175 million km travelled in truck and light vehicle; $187 million in wages paid for harvest and haulage; and $1.25 billion in turnover.

“These are staggering numbers and testimony to the valuable contribution the harvest and
haulage sector makes to the timber supply chain,”
Mr Stephens said.

“The flow-on benefits to local communities and suppliers is equally impressive; Sunchip has purchased more than 259 prime movers at a value of $65 million and has invested $150 million on forestry harvesting machinery.

“Sunchip continues to haul up to 1.5 million tonnes of plantation softwood a year and we wish Mark and his team all the best in the New Year and look forward to working with them and other supply chain partners to further innovate and grow this wonderful industry.”