Timber!
Hawaii island residents from Hamakua to Kawaihae can expect logging-truck traffic for at least the next eight years as Tradewinds Forest Products begins harvesting some of its 13,800 acres of mature eucalyptus trees, nearly 3 million tons, for shipment to Asia.
Currently two to six trucks are hauling two to three loads per day, Monday through Saturday, from Hamakua to Kawaihae, the company said.
"This is something new and novel to the island," said Ed Haitsuka, an attorney for Tradewinds, a company based in Ookala.
The loading of the trucks begins at 4:30 a.m. and continues through about 4:30 p.m., he said.
Police advised motorists on Monday to be cautious about the big rigs, fully loaded with eucalyptus logs, particularly between Kawaihae and Laupahoehoe, a distance of 40 miles.
Except in Waimea, Kawaihae Road and Mamalahoa Highway through Hamakua are two lanes for nearly their entire length, with frequent no-passing zones.
Hawaii County police urged motorists to use extra caution when sharing the road with the trucks, specifically:
» Be aware of falling or kicked-up debris.
» Be aware that larger vehicles make wider turns.
» Note that larger vehicles need longer stopping distances because of their size and weight.
The company began harvesting in May using loggers from Washington State because there are no trained, certified industrial loggers in the islands, Tradewinds said. But it said it has initiated a local recruitment program for loggers who will be trained to use "highly specialized" equipment.
The company said the operations are giving a boost to the local economy as trucking, mechanical repair, maintenance and service and vessel-loading are being handled by local contracting companies and stevedores. The industry has created 15 direct new jobs on the island, and that is expected to grow, Tradewinds said.
The logs are being stockpiled at Kawaihae Harbor and are being shipped to Asia, where there is a huge demand for wood. Eucalyptus, which is fast-growing, can be used for paneling, furniture, plywood, flooring, as a veneer and more.
Lower grades can be used as wood chips to burn for energy.
In 2011, Tradewinds sent a barge of chips to the AES coal-fired plant on Oahu, where it was successfully tested. Local biomass plants should begin taking the fuel in the fall of 2013, the company said.
