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21/03/2013: Master classes in timber confirmed
Dates for the University of Tasmania’s Master Classes in Timber Engineering organised by the Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW) have been confirmed. Source: Timberbiz
05/02/2013: Phoenix rising from ASH
Victoria’s largest hardwood saw mill, Heyfield's Australian Sustainable Hardwoods (ASH), has plans to upgrade the facility and expand its operations. Source: Gippsland Times
31/01/2013: Pining for a new start in NZ hardwoods
Peter van Essen is a one-man operation, planting and pruning trees and dealing with pests on properties at Hopelands near Woodville in New Zealand. Sources: Stuff NZ, Fairfax NZ News
01/11/2012: Boral shuts Batemans Bay mill
Boral will moth-ball its Batemans Bay timber mill operation on the New South Wales far south coast in response to a 30-year low in new housing construction and the need to reduce costs. Source: ABC News
18/09/2012:
The push continues to prevent the closure or outsourcing of the New South Wales Forests Nursery at Narrandera. The state government called for expressions of interest in taking over its forestry nurseries last year but the result remains in limbo. Source: ABC News
18/09/2012: Tasmanian sawmillers exit time
The Tasmanian Opposition has warned the Government is not giving sawmillers enough time to sign up to exit the industry. The Government announced it was allowing sawmillers two weeks to apply to hand back their sawlog contracts with Forestry Tasmania. Source: ABC News
11/09/2012: Australian Forestry Standards AGM and AS4708 review
The 2012 Australian Forestry Standard Ltd annual general meeting will be held on 25 October in Melbourne and will include the appointment of directors. Four vacancies on the board are expected to be filled at the meeting. Source: Timberbiz
14/08/2012: New mill survey for Australia
Between November 2011 and March 2012, ABARES undertook a survey to up-to-date mill-specific data, including mill inputs, production and employment. This survey updates the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARES) 2007 national sawmill survey. Source: ABARES
10/07/2012: ForestrySA’s Second Valley Forest Reserve benefits from Commonwealth Funding
The mystery of the Southern brown bandicoot in one of ForestrySA’s native forest reserves within Second Valley Forest Reserve may be solved soon thanks to help from grant funding received from the Australian Government. ForestrySA has now received $600,000 over six years through the Clean Energy Future Biodiversity Fund, and this spring students from Urrbrae TAFE Conservation & Land Management course will assist ForestrySA in a biological survey to hopefully find the elusive bandicoot. Source: Timberbiz
10/05/2012: Canada surpasses Russia as China's largest lumber supplier
Led by British Columbia, Canada emerged as the largest exporter of lumber in the world to China in 2011, surpassing Russia as the Middle Kingdom's No. 1 source for lumber. Source: Vancouver Sun
24/04/2012: Ta Ann bonus issue of shares
Ta Ann is proposing a bonus issue of up to 61.796 million new ordinary shares of Ta Ann on a 1-for-5 basis on an entitlement date yet to be determined. Source: The Malaysian Insider
12/04/2012: Timber conference next week in Surfers Paradise
10/04/2012: New database tracks worldwide pulp and paper mills
10/04/2012: Forestry Tasmania welcomes inquiry
10/04/2012: IKEA to plant 2 million trees in US
10/04/2012: Plans for recycled pulp mill in Victoria
05/04/2012: US wood pellet exports reach record high
05/04/2012: US wood pellet exports reach record high
05/04/2012: Forest certification explained in detail
05/04/2012: ForestWorks congratulates all involved for AUSTimber success
03/04/2012: Green groups’ peace offer not genuine
03/04/2012: High praise for the forest and timber industry feature event
03/04/2012: Increased penalties for Forests NSW “unjustifiable”
03/04/2012: Sawmills in China: a $9 billion industry?
29/03/2012: Forestry future in South East
29/03/2012: Green calls for ‘different approach’ to stop forest conflict
29/03/2012: Institute seeking new chief executive officer
27/03/2012: PORTHAUL sponsors AUSTimber uniforms
27/03/2012: Colbeck: Lock up of forest resources cannot proceed
27/03/2012: Gearing up for a big AUSTimber 2012
22/03/2012: Industry fears end of ABCC means green light for lawlessness
22/03/2012: Wormald to exhibit fire protection solutions for the forestry industry
22/03/2012: State of Origin kicks off with Wood Preservation 2012
22/03/2012: AUSTimber: ‘Help local kids’
22/03/2012: Lumberjills wanted in Mr Gambier
20/03/2012: Forest managers cheer end of fire season
20/03/2012: Minister’s claims of success stem from forests
20/03/2012: Eyes on Australian Standard for Sustainable Forest Management
13/03/2012: Biomass fires up at AUSTImber
New biomass technologies from around the world will be on display for the first time at AUSTimber.
13/03/2012: Biomass lifts off in WA
Association News
08/02/2012: 66th Appita Conference & Exhibition
The 66th Appita Conference & Exhibition, will be held 15 - 18 April, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne.
06/02/2012: Important meeting for ATDG members
The Australasian Timber Drying Group (ATDG) will hold its next meeting at The Downtowner, 66 Lygon Street, Carlton, from 9.30am on 20 February.
06/02/2012: Hoo Hoo Club AGM
Sydney Hoo Hoo Club 215, will hold its annual general meeting at Heritage Profiles, 7 Kerr Road, Ingleburn, from 7pm on 22 February.
Association News, Events
Association News, Health & Safety
Australian Forestry News
23/05/2013: Tassie deal knows no boundaries
The forest deal has descended into more chaos with the revelation that the proposed boundaries have not yet been finalized and that the Greens may be targeting other states. Source: Timberbiz
23/05/2013: For sale, experimental earthquake tested home
For sale: an experimental home built in a lab and tested to withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake. Source: Fairfax NZ
23/05/2013: Biodiversity loss blamed on clearing native forests
New Zealand has suffered a dramatic decline in native biodiversity, which a University of Canterbury (UC) researcher has called the most pervasive environmental issue facing the country. Source: Scoop Media
23/05/2013: Contents of operational sawmill for sale
Two onsite auctions will be held on Tuesday June 4, 2013 in New South Wales to sell the entire contents of a fully operational sawmill and a timber drying and process plant. Source: Timberbiz
23/05/2013: The production nursery industry taking biosecurity seriously
Plant Health Australia (PHA) launched an updated industry biosecurity plan for the nursery industry saying it is one of the most important biosecurity plans that it has developed, given production nurseries supply nursery stock to many other plant industries in Australia. Source: Timberbiz
23/05/2013: New HIA president elected
The Housing Industry Association (HIA,) has elected Ron Dwyer as its new national president. Source: Timberbiz
21/05/2013: EXPAN info on long span timber technology
The Structural Timber Innovation Company (STIC) has completed a 5-year collaborative research program into new timber systems for multi-storey and long-span buildings. Source: Timberbiz
21/05/2013: FTMA conference on Gold Coast in July
The Frame & Truss Manufacturers Association of Australia (FTMA) will be held On July 23, 2014 at QT Gold Coast. Source: Timberbiz
21/05/2013: Harvest reductions not all doom and gloom
Friends of Forestry (FoF) have expressed deep concern with the VicForests announcement that timber harvesting in Victoria’s Ash forests will be reduced from 2017. Source: Timberbiz
21/05/2013: Logging at loggerheads in New South Wales
The debate between the sawlog industry and environmentalists looks set to re-ignite over recommendations in a NSW upper house inquiry released last week. Sources: The Northern Star, ABC News, The Sydney Morning Herald
21/05/2013: Bundaberg plants 950 trees
WetlandCare Australia worked in partnership with the Bundaberg Regional Council, Friends of Pasturage Reserve, Bundaberg Landcare, Gidarjil rangers, the local Impact team and the Bargara Lions Club to plant 950 local native trees. Source: Bundaberg News Mail
21/05/2013: FRAME Australia renames conference for 2014
Kevin Ezard, conference director for FRAME Australia, held a launch yesterday to explain changes for the 2014 conference to be held in Melbourne. Source: Timberbiz
16/05/2013: Housing industry award winners
Victorian builder Keith Robinson was named the recipient of Housing Industry Association (HIA) Sir Phillip Lynch Award of Excellence for 2013. Source: Timberbiz
16/05/2013: Aboriginal group gathers to discuss logging and hunting
Aboriginal jobs and concerns around logging and hunting in national parks are on the agenda at a general meeting of traditional custodians from across the state of New South Wales. Source: ABC North Coast NSW
16/05/2013: Rainforest Alliance to audit Gunns
International forestry certification company Rainforest Alliance will conduct audits of failed timber company Gunns Ltd plantations next month for Forest Stewardship Council compliance. Source: The Examiner
16/05/2013: Bundaleer Forest in recuperation
The beginning of 2013 was a horrid start for landholders in the Bundaleer Forest in the mid north of South Australia. Source: ABC North and West SA
16/05/2013: Victorian Government changes native timber laws
The Victorian Government said changes to native timber harvesting laws will support industry but anti-forestry campaigners say they are a backwards step. Source: ABC News
16/05/2013: Tasmanian councils get no compensation
The Tasmanian Government has refused to compensate councils who expect to lose millions of dollars because of the forest agreement. Source: Yahoo7
14/05/2013: Teak properties purchased by banana growers
Australia’s biggest banana grower, Mackays, has purchased Elders' timber properties Gold Tyne and Mount Ray outside Cooktown in far north Queensland for more than $10 million. Sources: The Land, ABC News
14/05/2013: Tasmanian councils need financial help
Tasmania's councils are warning that they may need urgent financial help to cope with changes under the forestry peace agreement. Source: Yahoo7
14/05/2013: Burpengary sawmill uses carbon revenue
Queensland sawmilling company, Allied Timber Products will use $202,275 of carbon price revenue from the Gillard Labor Government to reduce energy consumption at its Burpengary sawmill. Source: Invest in Austral
14/05/2013: State government fails to meet timber commitments
The forestry industry has accused the state government of failing to meet its commitments to timber supply and backed the recommendation of a parliamentary inquiry that national parks be opened up for logging. Source: Sydney Morning Herald
14/05/2013: Upper House amendment adds to deal difficulties
Tasmania's Upper House has passed an amendment to the forest peace deal legislation that threatens the historic agreement. Source: ABC
14/05/2013: Expanded Bombala mill provides opportunities
Korean-based Dongwha Timbers opened its $76m plant at Bombala, New South Wales last week. Source: ABC News
09/05/2013: Brett’s Timber & Hardware goes Home
Brisbane hardware store Bretts Timber & Hardware (Bretts) has joined forces with the Home Timber & Hardware (Home) group, as the family-run business looks to reinvest and grow its operations by aligning to a national buying group. Source: Inside Retail
09/05/2013: Internal issues cause compensation bungle
A senate inquiry into a bungled $45 million forestry contractors exit program heard Forestry Tasmania had mistakenly backed some contractors' eligibility for compensation. Source: The Mercury
09/05/2013: Union backs inquiry into forest safety
The union for wood and forestry workers is backing calls for an inquiry into forestry safety as New Zealand MPs Darien Fenton and Denise Roche tabled a petition in parliament calling for the government to conduct an inquiry into health and safety in the forest industry. Source: Scoop
09/05/2013: Australian Solar Timbers blames carbon tax for job cuts
The managing director of Australian hardwood flooring manufacturer Australian Solar Timbers (AST) aid the country's carbon tax introduced in July 2012 has contributed to the company's decision to reduce the workforce by a further 30%. Source: The Macleay Argus
09/05/2013: Bioenergy conference in Rotorua
The Bioenegy Association of New Zealand is holding a conference next week entitled Unlocking additional revenue from traditional rural land use – integrating forestry, biomass crops and bioenergy products. Source: Timberbiz
09/05/2013: Bombala sawmill expansion opens tomorrow
Dongwha Timbers has announced plans for the official opening of its expanded softwood sawmill in Bombala, New South Wales. Source: Timberbiz
09/05/2013: Mirvac selling forestry land
The Mirvac Group is selling one of the last of its legacy funds management assets – more than 20,000 hectares of forestry land held by Australian Sustainable Forestry Investors. Source: The Land
07/05/2013: Good growth for NZ timber producer
Despite a tough market, Mt Pokaka Timber Products has experienced good growth over the last several years thanks to the versatility and production capacity of its upgraded facility. Source: Pallet Enterprise
07/05/2013: Senate looks at forest contractors exit scheme
A senate inquiry into the $45 million forest contractors' exit grants scheme showed that the program failed to meet its stated outcome of reducing forest hauls. Source: The Examiner
07/05/2013: New Zealand’s arsenic in the air
New Zealanders looking for a cheap way to warm their homes are being warned not to use treated timber offcuts in their fireplaces. Source: The New Zealand Herald
07/05/2013: First off, China forestry purchase wrong
New Zealand First says the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) approval of the sale of the New Zealand Super Fund's forestry assets to the Chinese Government is an appalling example of everything that is wrong with National's approach to growing the economy. Source: Voxy.co.nz
07/05/2013: Farm Foresters of the Year
Te Karaka’s Bob Wishart and Meg Gaddum have won another major award that further recognises their farming and foresting efforts over 33 years. Source: Gisborne Herald
07/05/2013: Soft building market brings Boral down
Shares in Australia's biggest building materials provider Boral closed more than 3% lower after it issued a profit warning and said it was unable to predict when the soft conditions in the nation's home building market would improve. Source: The Australian
02/05/2013: Levy on harvested timber will add to profits
From next year a levy of NZ27c per tonne for harvested timber will be used to research ways to make forestry more profitable according to New Zealand Forest Growers' Levy Trust chairman Geoff Thompson. Source: Wanganui Chronicle
02/05/2013: MP Kelly’s vision not a garden of Eden
While painting his vision for Eden-Monaro as a national flagship of renewable energy local MP Mike Kelly said he doubted that the South East Fibre Exports (SEFE) chip mill had much of a future. Source: Eden Magnet
02/05/2013: HIA to launch pre election campaign
The Housing Industry Association (HIA) will commence its Housing Australians campaign with the release of a series of radio and print advertisements. Source: Timberbiz
02/05/2013: Update on Gunn control
A last minute charge for some of the managed investment schemes of Gunns is being conducted by the Macquarie Group. Sources: Business Spectator, ABC, The Australian
02/05/2013: Community consultation period open for VicForests
VicForests opened its community consultation period on April 29 for feedback on proposed amendments to its Timber Release Plans (TRP). Source: Timberbiz
02/05/2013: Imperfect peace in Tasmanian forests
The forestry peace deal designed to end 30 years of conflict has finally become law but already Green groups are planning new campaigns. Sources: Timberbiz, The Advocate, Yahoo7! Finance, The Examiner, The Mercury
30/04/2013: Workers Memorial Day highlights forestry safety
There were emotional tributes from the families of killed forestry workers at a gathering in Auckland. Source: One News
30/04/2013: Plant hire with new online Australian portal
More than 30,000 pieces of plant and equipment for will be accessible for online searchers across Australia with the launch a new website which is Australian owned. Source: Timberbiz
30/04/2013: Solar Timbers sheds more jobs
Australian Solar Timbers (AST) has shed another 15 jobs, with managing director Douglas Head citing deteriorating sales in 2013 as the main factor in the company’s decision. Source: The Macleay Argus
30/04/2013: TPAA Council to meet in Melbourne
The next meeting of the Timber Preservers Association of Australia (TPAA) Council will be in Melbourne on May 6.
30/04/2013: University of Canterbury researches timber engineering
New Zealand has vast reserves of renewable forests and much of this timber is used in the residential construction of new housing. Source: Scoop News
30/04/2013: City Forests sees forestry future much brighter
The future of City Forests' mothballed $15 million Milburn wood processing plant appears assured with lessee Winton based Craigpine Timber steadily increasing log processing since taking over in July last year. Source: Otago Daily Times
26/04/2013: New forestry board meets in Mount Gambier
A new look forestry board met for the first time in Mount Gambier yesterday and is expected to drive strategic advice and recommendations for the future of the $1b-plus sector. Source: The Border Watch
26/04/2013: China keen for more NZ forests
China Forestry Group New Zealand, a subsidiary of state-owned China Forest Group Corp, is keen on mopping up more local forests after buying a chunk of estates from the New Zealand Superannuation Fund. Source: Business Spectator
26/04/2013: Tree change review by TCA and AFPA
Greater use of timber and wood products from sustainably managed forests represent an enormous opportunity for Australia to wean itself off a diet of steel and concrete. Source: Timberbiz
26/04/2013: New Forests Issues New Timberland Investment Outlook
New Forests has released a new publication, Timberland Investment Outlook, 2013-2018. Source: Timberbiz
26/04/2013: Japanese conservationists visit Eden harvesting
The Forestry Corporation of NSW (formerly Forests NSW) hosted a forest tour of two recent harvesting operations near Eden for visiting Japanese conservationists from the Japanese Tropical Forest Action Network. Source: Timberbiz
26/04/2013: VAFI says local government and industry must collaborate
Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI) CEO Lisa Marty said the forest and wood products industry and local government needed to build collaboration and work together to safeguard jobs and encourage local investment. Source: Timberbiz
18/04/2013: Markets For Change report anti-bioenergy
According to Markets For Change there is significant risk in establishing native forest-based bioenergy projects to substitute for Australia’s ailing woodchip export trade, including adverse climate impacts, according to a new report by environment group Markets For Change.
18/04/2013: Burke bungled World Heritage nomination says Colbeck
According to Senator Richard Colbeck, the Environment Minister Tony Burke has bungled the World Heritage nomination of 170,000 hectares of forest he bulldozed past Tasmanians in February. Source: Timberbiz
18/04/2013: Tree clearing farmers could start Queensland forest wars
Farmers say they can be trusted not to go overboard if tree-clearing laws are relaxed in Queensland. Source: The Australian
18/04/2013: Tasmania’s swinging forest deal in jeopardy again
Tasmania’s forest peace deal is in jeopardy and the state's power-sharing government faces a major split, after Labor backed changes to the landmark agreement strongly opposed by green groups. Sources: The Australian, ABC
18/04/2013: Competitors become co-workers after fire destroys mill
Two Taranaki timber mills went from competitors to colleagues overnight when a factory fire crippled Taranakipine's planing mill in February. Sources: Stuff, Fairfax NZ News
18/04/2013: Carbon price fall in EU makes Australian companies nervous
The fall in Europe's carbon price has further dented the confidence of Australian companies working to either offset or reduce the country's emissions. Source: ABC News
16/04/2013: Residues to Revenue
Developments in the bioenergy sphere were the motivation for a 2-day conference in Melbourne, which was attended by a wide range of delegates and speakers. Source: Timberbiz
16/04/2013: Laser guidance to find giant Tasmanian trees
Forestry Tasmania has discovered another 17 hardwood eucalyptus trees in the state's southern forests, with some of the giants believed to be up to 500 years old. Source: ABC News
16/04/2013: Logging in national parks in Queensland
The Queensland State Government may start logging in national parks with Springbrook on the Gold Coast Hinterland one of the first according to conservationists. Source: Gold Coast News
16/04/2013: Tassie forest industry should be left to die
A report on Tasmania's forest industry says the struggling sector is a warning to state and federal governments against "throwing good money after bad" via industry assistance packages. Source: The Australian
16/04/2013: New sawmill and benefits result from NZ harvest
Trees planted by Ngati Porou Forests in New Zealand will be ready for harvest in two years and could prompt the building of affordable housing or establishment of the iwi’s own sawmill. Source: Gisborne Herald
16/04/2013: Small furry protest at Melbourne conference
A small protest of around 30 people held outside the Bayview Eden Hotel during the Residues to Revenues conference in Melbourne was quickly over without much fuss. Source: Timberbiz
11/04/2013: New Zealand wants Chinese investors in timber plant
Chinese investors will be encouraged to consider building a timber processing plant in New Zealand to create work. Source: Radio New Zealand
11/04/2013: Carter Holt Harvey losses grow
Carter Holt Harvey has worn a $264 million charge on its Australian building supplies group, which widened its loss by 80% last year and left it in negative equity. Source: The New Zealand Herald
11/04/2013: Foresters say climate change mitigation is in their hands
At the Institute of Foresters of Australia national conference IFA president said “…the science presented shows clearly that forestry can contribute most strongly to climate change mitigation in Australia through carbon stored in timber”. Source: Timberbiz
11/04/2013: Love-in for DoCs in NZ
Forest and Bird members are fighting against proposed job losses and restructuring at the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DoC). Source: The Gisborne Herald
11/04/2013: Bioenergy conference for NZ farmers
Growth in New Zealand’s bioenergy sector is starting to drive an increased demand for greater quantities of biomass. Source: Timberbiz
11/04/2013: Timber Vision Awards open
Entry to the 2013 Intergrain Timber Vision Awards is open for architects, landscape architects, interior designers and other design professionals from across the nation to showcase their visionary use of timber. Source: Architecture and Design
09/04/2013: Gunns liquidator to sell 200,000 hectares of timber
More than 200,000 hectares of timber plantations established by the collapsed Tasmanian company Gunns is being put on the market. Source: ABC News
09/04/2013: Giant kauri may be saved by tourist ban
Access to Waipoua Forest in New Zealand and its giant kauri Tane Mahuta could be closed to the public to protect the trees from a fast spreading killer disease. Source: The New Zealand Herald
09/04/2013: Banner Hardware joins forces with Mitre 10
South Australian family-owned Banner Hardware has joined forces with Australia’s largest independent hardware retailer, Mitre 10. Source: Timberbiz
09/04/2013: Funding in New Zealand gets green light
A national forestry initiative with roots in Marlborough has won more than NZ$200,000 in additional government funding to set up eucalypts in some of New Zealand's driest regions. Sources: Stuff, The Marlborough Express
09/04/2013: Funding for timber facility at Mt Gambier rejected
Plans by a statewide timber manufacturing organisation to build a new $7m facility on Mount Gambier’s fringe has hit a stumbling block after the proposal failed to receive vital Federal Government funding. Source: The Border Watch
09/04/2013: Last resort harvest in peace deal
An attempt to secure Tasmania's specialty timber industry by adding a last resort harvesting clause into the forest peace deal legislation has been added to the list of deal-breaking amendments by environmental groups. Source: The Examiner
04/04/2013: New Zealand embraces forest growers levy
A compulsory forest growers' levy in New Zealand appears to have been embraced by small and large forest owners alike. Source: Otago Daily News
04/04/2013: RuralAus purchases more land on Kangaroo Island
RuralAus Investments has purchased an additional 1936 hectares of land on Australia’s third largest island, Kangaroo Island in South Australia, for $150,000. Source: Proactive Investors
04/04/2013: Fines totaling $5500 for illegal sawmilling
A National Park man has been fined NZ$4000 plus court costs and a further NZ$1500 in reparation to the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries for milling indigenous timber. Source: Scoop News
04/04/2013: Rezoning for Drouin West Timber and Truss
The Drouin West Timber and Truss site is one step closer to being rezoned as Industrial 3 despite objections from neighbours. Source: The Warragul Citizen
04/04/2013: Waiheke Island home wins New Zealand’s richest architectural prize
The home designd by Stevens Lawson Architects won thee 18th Home of the Year Award. It is a holiday home on Waiheke Island, New Zealand with curving walls and secret doors.
04/04/2013: Mitre 10 buys Banner Hardware in South Australia
Mitre 10 has snaffled another prized South Australian name with family-owned Banner Hardware joining forces with the independent retailer. Source: Adelaide Now
02/04/2013: Timber in Tasmania – the biggest loser
The biggest loser to another delay to the Tasmanian forest peace deal process is the timber industry, signatories to the peace deal have warned. Source: The Examiner
02/04/2013: Cane paper to come to Australia
New Zealand company Greencane makes paper from a sugarcane waste product and plans to enter the Australian market this year. Source: Radio New Zealand
02/04/2013: New Zealand timber now third strongest export
There's a spring in the step of those involved in the forestry industry in New Zealand as prices are on the way up. Sources: Yahoo Finance, Fairfax NZ News, Stuff
02/04/2013: Timber Market Survey released
The Timber Market Survey (TMS) provides comprehensive information on timber price movements and market trends in Australia and is now available from URS Forestry. Source: Timberbiz
02/04/2013: The art of timber furniture
Mark Davis' work shed is forested with timber, its grains, hues and smells fill the senses. A jarrah log, measuring 6m tall, reaches to the roof, alongside huon pine beams, while a grand old piece of red gum reveals ancient swirls and rich veins. Source: Weekly Times Now
02/04/2013: Raids find illegal milling in NZ
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) in New Zealand has seized some 10 cubic metres of suspected illegally milled indigenous timber in the Nelson region following the execution of search warrants at three sites. Source: Voxy
28/03/2013: NZ forest and wood awards open for nominations
The New Zealand 2013 Forest and Wood Industry National Training Awards are open with nominations closing on May 31. Source: Timberbiz
28/03/2013: Glulam operation in Tasmania expands
All is not bad news in Tasmania; growth is coming with the opening of a new facility in North Motton to produce glulam. Source: Timberbiz
28/03/2013: Mount Gambier sawmill upgrade exports
NF McDonnell and Sons sawmilling operation will send its first regular export shipment to South East Asia following a $2m upgrade of its facilities. Source: The Border Watch
28/03/2013: WOOD: art design architecture travelling exhibition
Wood Naturally Better is the Principal Sponsor of WOOD: art design architecture, a two year touring exhibition developed by Adelaide’s Jam Factory in collaboration with the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. Source: Wood Naturally Better
28/03/2013: Tassie peace deal too hard for Upper House
Tasmania's Upper House has made little progress in furthering the forest peace deal legislation, with the most recent debate shelved after only three hours. Source: ABC
28/03/2013: Plastic is fantastic to help grow natives
A novel degradable plastic could dramatically improve the efficiency of native tree revegetation from seed in marginal low rainfall areas, which typically give low germination and establishment. Source: Timberbiz
26/03/2013: New Zealand economy rides well on the back of timber
The economy of New Zealand grew at the fastest pace in three years in the last quarter of 2012, with demand for forestry exports underpinning gains in the primary sector, the National Business Review reported on 21 March 2013. Source: iNVEZZ
26/03/2013: American hardwood expert talks for Australian architects
Renowned American hardwood expert Criswell Davis will visit New South Wales from April 11-19 to deliver a series of talks to architects, designers and specifiers. Source: Timberbiz
26/03/2013: Readvertising the Kalangadoo treatment plant
The Kalangadoo timber treatment plant will be put back on the market again by Liquidators Clifton-Hall who will engage an agent to readvertise the plant and assets. Source: ABC News
26/03/2013: Rebuilding Christchurch with wooden views
Using Canterbury University innovations, Christchurch design and New Zealand timber, a unique building is going up in Victoria St – the first of its kind and a signal of a sustainable, quake-resilient future. Sources: Stuff, Fairfax NZ
26/03/2013: More wood for Christ Church
Sir Miles Warren's vision for Christ Church Cathedral is to rebuild it as it was supposed to be, but never was with an all-wooden interior. Sources: Stuff, The Press, Fairfax NZ
26/03/2013: New Zealand’s dry conditions hamper logging
Tinder dry conditions and the extreme fire risk are hampering forestry logging operations in New Zealand. Source: Radio New Zealand
21/03/2013: Timber buildings enhance wellbeing
Canadian Architect Tye Farrow is pleased with the new timber-rich College of Creative Arts Building at Massey University’s Wellington campus. Source: Fairfax NZ News
21/03/2013: NZ Renalldoors invests $1.5 in its future
For more than 20 years Renalldoors of Wairarapa has been producing high quality custom made solid wood doors and despite the economic climate the company has invested NZ$1.5 million in new technology. Source: The New Zealand Herald.
21/03/2013: Rural debt discussed at agriculture Forum
Rural debt and industry outlook were the focus of a bi-annual Agricultural Finance Forum that brought together Government, finance and agriculture sector representatives in Canberra. Source: Timberbiz
21/03/2013: Tassie peace deal attacked from a new side
The President of Tasmania's Legislative Council has delivered a scathing assessment of the forest peace deal. Source: 7 News
21/03/2013: Caring for the Earth with Biochar
Passionate biochar advocates Dr Paul Taylor and Dr Stephen Joseph are coming to central Victoria on April 20-21 to teach a hands-on biochar workshop hosted by the Kyneton Transition Hub and the Bendigo Sustainability Group. Source: Timberbiz
21/03/2013: Master classes in timber confirmed
Dates for the University of Tasmania’s Master Classes in Timber Engineering organised by the Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW) have been confirmed. Source: Timberbiz
19/03/2013: Winner of Aboriginal partnership logo competition
Saretta Fielding from Lake Macquarie is the winner of the Forestry Corporation of NSW's (formerly Forests NSW) competition to develop a logo in acknowledgement and respect of management of the forests by Aboriginal people in the past, present and future. Source: Timberbiz
19/03/2013: Opposition says Crean is blackmailing dairy
Labor Minister Simon Crean stands condemned for his outrageous attempt to blackmail the Tasmanian Legislative Council and community over future dairy funding. Source: Timberbiz
19/03/2013: $2 mill sawmill redevelopment open
Mount Gambier sawmill operator NF McDonnell and Sons believes its local investment shows the future of the forestry industry in south-east of South Australia is promising. Source: ABC News
19/03/2013: Supreme Court trial date for Gunns’ chairman
A date has been set for the Supreme Court trial of the former chairman of the collapsed Tasmanian timber company Gunns. It is due to start on August 5 in Launceston. Source: Seven News
19/03/2013: Forestry Tas to control forests after restructure
Forestry Tasmania will retain control of production forests under the Government's restructure of the state-owned company. Sources: Timberbiz, ABC News
19/03/2013: NZ referendum on forestry spend
The New Zealand Forest Owners and the New Zealand Farm Forestry Associations are holding a referendum to enable forest growers decide on industry outcomes. Source: Voxy
13/03/2013: RBA interest rate was a ‘missed opportunity’
Despite a significant amount of weak economic data since its last decision, the RBA opted to leave its main policy rate unchanged, said the Housing Industry Association, the voice of Australia’s residential building industry. Source: Timberbiz
13/03/2013: Danks to acquire control of Hardings Hardware
John Danks & Son Pty Ltd will acquire a 60% share in the Hardings Hardware business with the option of a full acquisition by 2015. Source: Franchising
13/03/2013: Harvest for Marlborough’s small forest blocks
Many of Marlborough's small forest block owners are looking at harvesting within the next few years, pumping millions into the region's economy, industry experts say. Source: The Marlborough Express
13/03/2013: Greens money on undervalued logs
Bass Greens Kim Booth is risking his reputation thousands of dollars of his own money in his crusade against Forestry Tasmania. Source: The Examiner
13/03/2013: OneFortyOne in SA for a century or more
OneFortyOne Plantations, the US company that purchased rights to the forests in the South Australia’s south-east has been welcomed by local workers and businesses. Source: Adelaide Now
13/03/2013: Forest road maintenance courses
Australian based forest road maintenance courses presented by Forme Consulting Group and Forestry Solutions will be held in Brisbane (18-19 March) and in Melbourne (21-22 March). Source: Timberbiz
12/03/2013: FTMA Australia National Conference
The 2013 FTMA Australia National Conference will be QT Gold Coast on July 23 July this year, with the Multinail Machinery Expo following the conference on July 24. Source: Timberbiz
12/03/2013: SA SafeWork sessions Mt Gambier
SafeWork SA has information sessions about new work health and safety legislation and the role of health and safety representatives during a visit to Mount Gambier this week. Source: Timberbiz
12/03/2013: Have your say on AFS certification
Australian Forestry Standards Ltd (AFS) wants feedback about your experience with forest management and/or chain of custody certification. Source: Timberbiz
12/03/2013: Freeman’s passion for the forest wins award
Michelle Freeman, a young and passionate forester from Alexandra is the winner of the 2013 Victorian Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) Rural Women’s award. Source: Timberbiz
12/03/2013: Taking a bite out of waste
The Timber Development Association and the Environment Protection Authority are holding a series of free seminars to assist companies recycle more waste timber in New South Wales. Source: Timberbiz
12/03/2013: Successful inaugural Gottstein Forest Science Course
Positive responses such as “extremely valuable”, “great range of topics and speakers I learned a huge amount” and “a very valuable and informative program for beginners in forestry” came from the Gottstein Forest Science Course
12/03/2013: Industry welcomes Kickstart extension
The Housing Industry Association (HIA) has applauded the announcement by the Federal Government that the Apprentice Kickstart Initiative will be extended to 30 April. Source: Timberbiz
07/03/2013: Report points the Gunn and fires
A comprehensive report on timber company Gunns has recommended the Tasmanian business be wound up. Sources: ABC News, ABC Rural
07/03/2013: Australia’s prestigious forestry prize
Applications are open for the 2013 Russell Grimwade Prize for the advancement of forestry science in Australia. Sources: Timberbiz, The Mercury
07/03/2013: A summit to be mindful of regional Australia
The Building Regional Australia 2013 Summit will be a unique opportunity to examine the leading issues for regional Australia. Source: Timberbiz
07/03/2013: Student sees the wood and the trees
Canadian student Kyle Hilsendager has turned to the expertise of Forestry Tasmania for assistance on his thesis on the conflict between forestry and tourism in regions that market the natural environment. Source: Forestry Tasmania
07/03/2013: IFA conference in the centenary capital
Managing Our Forests into the 21st Century is the theme for the Institute of Foresters of Australia (IFA) national conference in Canberra from 7-11 April.
07/03/2013: Hamilton to bid on Elders assets
Distressed debt specialist Hamilton Securities is poised to make an unexpected counter-bid for the forestry assets of embattled rural services group Elders, according to The Australian Financial Review. Source: Business Spectator
07/03/2013: Ta Ann abandons mill project
Ta Ann has abandoned plans to build a $10 million plywood mill in the North, even if the Legislative Council approves the forestry peace deal. Source: The Examiner
07/03/2013: SA shows the way to profit
South Australian manufacturing minister Tom Kenyon said the region’s timber sector did not have to be “Superman” to transform itself into a higher profit driven sector. Sources: The Border Watch
05/03/2013: ABARES Forest Sector Forecasting Workshop
ABARES is currently undertaking an analysis of the long-term demand and supply outlook for Australia's forest sector. Source: Timberbiz
05/03/2013: FWPA appoints statistics and economics specialist
Jim Houghton is the Forest & Wood Product’s Australia’s (FWPA’s) new statistics and economics manager. Source: Timberbiz
05/03/2013: Forest contractors’ hall of fame inductees
The Australian Forest Contractors Association (AFCA) will induct another group of nominees into its Hall of Fame at a function in Bairnsdale Victoria on April 23. Source: Timberbiz
05/03/2013: Forest road maintenance courses
Australian-based forest road maintenance courses will be presented by Forme Consulting Group and Forestry Solutions this month. Source: Timberbiz
05/03/2013: Common sense laws for safety
The Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI) and the Victorian Forest Contractors Association (VFCA) welcomed the Victorian Government’s amendments to the declaration for public safety zones for timber harvesting. Source: Timberbiz
05/03/2013: Commissioning phase for new mill
Bombala district’s new $74 million Dongwha Timbers softwood sawmill is nearing completion. Source: Timberbiz
28/02/2013: More natives so don’t pine for 500 trees
More than 500 pine trees, which formed an unusual urban forest in the corner of a Caringbah industrial site, were cut down this week. Source: St George and Sutherland Shire Leader
28/02/2013: Forest Contractors AusTimber Expo
The Australian Forest Contractors Association (AFCA) is looking positively towards the possibility of holding the next AusTimber Expo in 2016. Source: Timberbiz
28/02/2013: All side with timber in Victoria
Liberal, National and Labor parliamentarians, including all Gippsland MPs, united last week to back Victoria's timber industry. Source: The Gippsland Times
28/02/2013: SFM to manage Portland Treefarm
Forest Management company SFM Forest Products announced that it has completed contract negotiations to manage the Portland Treefarm Project in the Green Triangle. Source: Timberbiz
28/02/2013: No logging in sensitive Queensland habitat
Opening 1.2 million hectares of native Queensland forests for the timber industry would not lead to mass logging operations according to Timber Queensland chief executive Rod McInnes. Source: Sunshine Coast Daily
28/02/2013: Mallee-to-jet fuel project
The aviation industry is looking for alternatives to fossil fuels. One possibility is biofuel produced from mallee biomass. Source: Timberbiz
26/02/2013: Forte open to the public
Forte, the tallest timber apartment building in the world is set to open in Docklands, Melbourne next week. Source: Herald Sun
26/02/2013: Gisborne father faces a forestry campaign
A Gisborne, New Zealand father of two young children who was killed in a forestry accident is the face of a campaign demanding a Government inquiry into safety in the industry. Source: The Gisborne Herald
26/02/2013: Stronach bids for Gunns assets
The former Gunns Ling Siding plant will return to production if a bid by Scottsdale timber company Stronach succeeds. Source: The Examiner
26/02/2013: FBI goes DIY then leaves for the US
Former American FBI special agent turned New Zealand DIY hardware chain boss John Hartmann is leaving Mitre 10. Source: The New Zealand Herald
26/02/2013: New shadow Cabinet in New Zealand
Labour leader David Shearer unveiled his new shadow-Cabinet lineup at a press conference. Source: 3News
26/02/2013: Door open for carbon credits in Tasmania
A private company that develops re-afforestation projects to earn carbon credits said the newly approved Reforestation and Afforestation Methodology opens the way for valuable forestry projects in Tasmania. Source: ABC Rural
21/02/2013: Study claims more profit in carbon credits than logging
An end to logging in native forests could profit Western Australia by more than $400 million a year, according to new research by the Australia Institute. Source: Donnybrook-Bridgetown Mail
21/02/2013: Payment advice from Gunns’ timber mid-March
Tasmanian farmers affected by the collapse of Gunns expect to clarify at a mid-March meeting what they will be paid for their plantation timber. Source: The Examiner
21/02/2013: A backlog of power poles for WA
An audit has found there is a large backlog of condemned wooden power poles needing urgent replacement across Western Australia. Source: ABC News
21/02/2013: Burnie Council profits from Forestry Tasmania stockpile
A prime industrial site in Burnie will become a holding yard for Forestry Tasmania's stockpile of export logs. Source: The Mercury
21/02/2013: Victorian forest industries association support-group convenes
The Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI) has welcomed the launch of the Parliamentary support group for the forest and wood products industry. Source: Timberbiz
21/02/2013: Taranakipine fire destroys machinery
Machinery valued at up to $1 million was destroyed in a fire at Taranakipine, New Zealand on Tuesday night. Source: Stuff
19/02/2013: Safety roadshow not enough
A revised code of practice for forestry safety is the focus of a roadshow being taken across the country. Source: Radio New Zealand
19/02/2013: A mixed bag of residential building approvals
The December results for residential building approvals provided an indication of current trends as well as allowing a more definitive picture of the overall performance during 2012. Source: Timberbi
19/02/2013: FIRST union wants in on certification
New Zealand’s forest exports are being put risk as the industry continues to drag the chain on a key aspect of its certification, a union for workers in the wood industries said. Source: Voxy
19/02/2013: CSIRO supersite rainforest plot
Following three years of research and planning, CSIRO and the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN) have opened Australia’s first large-scale rainforest research plot. Source: Timberbiz
19/02/2013: Fire at Timber Creek on Kangaroo Island
John Ipsen, head of RuralAus that operates the timber mill at Timber Creek, is to inspect a woodchip fire that erupted on Sunday at Timber Creek. Source: The Islander
19/02/2013: Thinning and pruning required
Michael Ryan has a 15-acre farmlet in New Gisborne, Victoria with around 10 acres of planted to pinus radiata that needs attention. Source: Timberbiz
19/02/2013: China loves New Zealand’s wood
A Maori-owned forestry firm in Kawerau, New Zealand said its export business to China is booming after North America all but pulled out of the market place. Source: Radio New Zealand
14/02/2013: Tasmanian councils hit hard by forest deal
An Upper House inquiry is scrutinising legislation needed to protect 504,000 hectares of native forest from logging. The Dorset Mayor, Barry Jarvis, says a multi-billion dollar industry is being "sacrificed" and the compensation on offer is "paltry". Source: ABC News
14/02/2013: Keep foreign bugs out of NZ forests
All forest plantations will be brought into a nationwide forest health surveillance scheme if next month’s referendum of forest growers is successful. Source: Voxy NZ
14/02/2013: Frustrations vented at Forestry SA
Bundaleer North landholders took the opportunity to vent their frustrations at a CFS meeting in Jamestown last week, over what they see as inadequacies in the fire prevention strategies of Forestry SA. Source: Northern Argus
14/02/2013: Focus on regional summit
With the theme ‘regional minds, regional policy, regional outcomes’, the Building Regional Australia 2013 Summit to be held April 9-11 in Armidale is an opportunity to examine leading issues for regional Australia. Source: Timberbiz
14/02/2013: Master classes scheduled for 2013
The University of Tasmania’s Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW) announced its latest series of master classes in timber design. Source: Timberbiz
14/02/2013: Forest contractors administer a restructure
Tasmanian Forest Contractors Association (TFCA) chair, Karen Hall, together with Australian Forest Contractors Association (AFCA) chair, Ian Reid, announced a restructure of the administration of both organisations. Source: Timberbiz
12/02/2013: Renewable forest exports create new careers
A strategy to lift exports from New Zealand’s renewable forests, from $4.7 billion to $12 billion in the next decade, will require more skilled people. Source: Timberbiz
12/02/2013: Law Firm Seeks Building Code Reform for NZ
Many homes built in the 1990s in New Zealand were built with design faults that meant they were unable to withstand the wet and humid weather conditions in the country. Source: Construction Source
12/02/2013: Non-compliant wood burners no longer okay
The Canterbury Regional Council says after two years of leniency for quake-damaged homes, it intends to start reinforcing its policy for non-compliant wood-burners again this winter. Source: Radio New Zealand
12/02/2013: New plantations for the top end
A West Australian company has bought 15,000 hectares in the top end to establish new plantations. But not everyone is excited about planting trees on land once used for crops and cattle. Source: ABC
12/02/2013: Ants are marching out of our forests
Entomologist Jonathan Majer had disturbing news from the jarrah forests of southwest
Australia, the ants are marching out. Source: The Australian
07/02/2013: Woodchips industry in times of trouble
The Tasmanian State Government has rejected calls for it to play a greater role in stimulating the struggling forestry industry, a position that has drawn strong criticism from the Opposition. Source: ABC News
07/02/2013: South East research reveals new timber future
Details of the South Australian State Government’s research initiative to drive new high-value products for the $1b regional timber industry have been unveiled. Source: The Border Watch
07/02/2013: Foresters and greens at loggerheads in WA
The WA Greens have made fresh claims that native forests are worth more to the taxpayer left standing than if they are logged, prompting a furious response from foresters. Source: The West Australian
07/02/2013: It’s deal or no deal in Tasmania
Signatories to Tasmania's forest peace deal were kept in the dark about the final size of a Wilderness World Heritage Area nomination. Source: ABC News
07/02/2013: Victorian industry welcomes sawmill investment
The Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI) welcomed the announcement that the Victorian Government would invest $650,000 in Australia’s largest hardwood sawmill. Source: Timberbiz
07/02/2013: Rogue Gunns
Tasmania's forest peace deal inquiry has heard timber company Gunns was 'going rogue' in the early days of the process. Source: ABC
05/02/2013: Canberra for IFA national conference
‘Managing our Forests into the 21st Century' is the theme for the Institute of Foresters of Australia (IFA) national conference in Canberra from 7-11 April. Source: Timberbiz
05/02/2013: Rotorua forestry company fined $50,000
A Rotorua forestry company and a forestry contractor have been fined more than NZ$50,000. Source: Radio New Zealand
05/02/2013: Special timber shortfall in Tasmania
Special timber processors in Tasmania will have a critical shortfall in resource if the proposed World Heritage listing of 170,000 hectares of old-growth forest goes ahead. Source: The Mercury
05/02/2013: Conservationists at logger heads, again
Australia’s Wilderness Society and the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) have come under fire from conservationists over a move in support of Ta Ann. Source: World-Wire
31/01/2013: Ethanol a source of economic stability for Tasmania
Tasmania could become home to Australia's first commercial plant converting trees into the biofuel, ethanol. Source: Yahoo 7 News
31/01/2013: CSIRO maps out forest stability
Technology developed by CSIRO is providing an unprecedented level of information about the stability of Australia’s forests and greenhouse balance. Source: Science Network Western Australia
31/01/2013: NZ might see a recovery in timber
The forestry and timber industry may be poised for a recovery amid signs of improvement in the Kiwi and US construction markets, but industry players indicate that it could be delicate. Sources: Stuff NZ, Fairfax NZ News
31/01/2013: International award for NZ forest
Rotorua in New Zealand has picked up an international award for the Redwood Forest – one of only 12 in the Southern Hemisphere. Source: Rotorua Daily Post
31/01/2013: Long road ahead for building bounce back
The latest residential land update signals a long road ahead before new home building activity returns to healthy levels. Source: Timberbiz
29/01/2013: Woodscape report on biofuels may be a lifeline
Forest crown research institute Scion will launch its Woodscape report on the viability of generating biofuels from trees, a move that could throw a much needed financial lifeline to the sector. Sources: Stuff NZ, Fairfax
29/01/2013: Elders selling in Albany, Bunbury and the Green Triangle
Elders Limited has advised that its wholly owned subsidiary, APT Projects Ltd, has entered an agreement to sell 30,000 hectares of pulpwood standing timber plantations located in Albany, Bunbury and the Green Triangle to New Forests Asset Management on behalf of growers. Source: Elders
29/01/2013: Future for Tassie timber needs smarts
Tasmanians have to challenge this ridiculous notion there is no alternative for the Tasmanian forestry industry other than just locking up forests, according to Coalition Forestry spokesman Senator Richard Colbeck. Source: Timberbiz
29/01/2013: Appita annual conference in Melbourne
The 2013 Appita Annual Conference & Exhibition, incorporating the Pulp & Paper Occupational Health, Safety & Environment Conference, will be held at the Melbourne Park Function Centre, Melbourne May 8-10. Source: Timberbiz
29/01/2013: Farmers & graziers seek legal advice about Gunns
Farmers who have leases with Gunns to grow plantation timber asked the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association (TFGA) to obtain legal advice to assist them in responding to the recent request from the administrator to continue the standstill on lease payments. Sources: ABC Rural, Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association
29/01/2013: Order of Australia for Tasmanian timber identity
Ross Britton has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to conservation and the environment, and the community. Source: The Advocate
24/01/2013: Wilderness attacked by environmentalists
Environmental groups outside the forestry peace deal are attacking the credibility of the Wilderness Society. Fringe groups are angry about the society's comments during an Upper House inquiry into the peace deal legislation. Source: ABC News
24/01/2013: Stagnant industry and then job cuts by Boral
Australia’s stagnant building industry is having repercussions in timber producing areas such as Wauchope in New South Wales. Source: The Wauchope Gazette
24/01/2013: Women in Forests function
The Women in Forests and Timber Network is holding a South West Slopes regional gathering at Tumbarumba on February 7, 2013. Source: Timberbiz
24/01/2013: Log books for the timber industry
In Illuka, New South Wales, Roy Ellery isn't too keen on adding up the hours spent working on his unique hand-crafted timber "log books" - he said they are a labour of love. Source: Clarence Valley Daily Examiner
24/01/2013: Tasmanian deal creates uncertainty for everyone
A Tasmanian mining company is warning uncertainty surrounding the forest peace deal legislation could stall $40 million worth of investment. Source: ABC News
24/01/2013: Fine jarrah for railway sleepers
WA'S finest jarrah trees are being cut down and sold for railway sleepers by the State Government's logging agency despite a policy banning the practice, according to insiders. Source: Perth Now
22/01/2013: Is the Gillard government a paper tiger?
Australian paper manufacturers should take heart from news the Government will require big investors to use local products and materials. Source: Timberbiz
22/01/2013: Wooden it be tall
The 10-storey Forte building, made of timber, was completed last year in Melbourne's Docklands, besting the nine-storey Murray Grove apartment building built in London in 2009. Source: The Australian
22/01/2013: Queensland government ignores climate change in strategy paper
Farmers have accused the Queensland State Government of ignoring the impact of climate change on farms in a draft strategy paper on how to double agriculture by 2040. Source: The Australian
22/01/2013: Gunns lease holders to seek legal advice
Farmers who have leases with Gunns to grow plantation timber have asked the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association to obtain legal advice. Source: Timberbiz and ABC Rural
22/01/2013: Coroner warns of forestry safety issues in NZ
A coroner recommended forestry workers use machines to pile up felled logs instead of doing it manually after a Hawkes Bay forestry worker was killed. Source: The New Zealand Herald
22/01/2013: World Forestry Day
World Forestry Day on March 21 has been celebrated around the world for 30 years. Source: Timberbiz
22/01/2013: Caterpillar moves Carpenter
After seven years as president of Caterpillar Forest Products, John Carpenter accepted a new role within Caterpillar as its global construction industries technology & solutions manager. Source: Timberbiz
17/01/2013: Stopping logging in NSW native forests will give no additional GHG mitigation benefits
A LANDMARK NSW report published in an international forest journal has for the first time highlighted the potential role of production forests in reducing Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions. The report has now been published in the international journal, Forests.
Dr Georgina Kelly, Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Research Leader for Climate in Primary Industries, said Australian scientists were leading the world in this area and were contributing to the global debate on the role of forests in addressing climate change. Source: Timberbiz
17/01/2013: Nation-wide study on timber-impacted roads
THE NATIONAL Timber Councils Association (NTCA) held its Annual General Meeting on 16 November 2012 at the Wrest Point Casino in Tasmania as an affiliated event of the Australian Local Government Association National Local Government Road and Transport Congress. The event had strong attendance and attracted many Tasmanian councillors who travelled from across the island to attend. The NTCA currently has several members from Tasmania, almost covering the entire south coast. Source: Timberbiz
17/01/2013: Many more seeking certification
FSC CERTIFICATION was a bright spot in an otherwise gloomy year for Australia’s forestry industry, with FSC Australia reporting a 12% increase in Chain of Custody certificates issued and 49% increase in forest area certified (622,447has to 931,070 ha) in Australia in 2012.
FSC International Director General Kim Carstensen flew into Melbourne from the organisation’s headquarters in Bonn, Germany, to celebrate the FSC annual excellence awards function. Source: Timberbiz
17/01/2013: Setting the standards
A WORK plan to develop a National Standard for Australia has been prepared and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Australia is now seeking funding to support the standard development process. The development of the Australian National Standard will begin early this year and is planned for completion in December 2014. Source: Timberbiz
08/01/2013: Achieve More Workshops really help you achieve more!
A series of Achieve More Workshops is being hosted by HewSaw Pty Ltd and its Single Source Alliance Partners in February 2013. The Single Source Alliance has been established from among a select group of machinery, equipment, services and technology suppliers to help meet the challenges facing the industry and the recognised desire for an efficient system solution from a group of professional partners, each recognised experts in their respective fields and experienced at working together to achieve more. Source: Timberbiz
08/01/2013: Retirement of AFPA CEO
The Chairman of AFPA, Greg McCormack, has expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the work of Chief Executive Officer David Pollard, who has recently announced his upcoming retirement in April 2013. Source: Timberbiz
08/01/2013: New Forests to purchase Bell Bay and Tarpeena Sawmills from receivership
New Forests is acquiring all the assets of Gunns Timber Products (GTP), including the Bell Bay and Tarpeena sawmills. Source: Timberbiz
20/12/2012: Forests NSW employs 15 temporary fire fighters Hume Region
Forests NSW has employed 15 temporary fire fighters to help protect the State’s valuable pine plantations and surrounding communities in its Hume Region around Tumut, Batlow and Tumbarumba. Source: Forests NSW
20/12/2012: Carbon neutrality in the bag – a world first for Stirling Fildes
Stirling Fildes ‐ an Australian‐owned pharmacy labelling, printing, packaging and consumables company ‐ will offer the world’s first carbon neutral paper to its customers. Australian Paper, Australia’s only packaging paper manufacturer, created the carbon neutral MG brown and bleached paper for bags this year. Source: Timberbiz
20/12/2012: Final edition of Daily Timber News for 2012
This is the final edition of Daily Timber News for 2012 and we have a break until early in the New Year.
20/12/2012: Canadian pension fund likes NZ forest growing conditions, access to Asian markets
Canada's Public Sector Pension Investment Board wants to capitalise on favourable growing conditions and access to Asian markets having taken a 30 percent stake in the central North Island's Kaingaroa forestry estate. Source: Paul McBeth, The National Business Review
20/12/2012: New forest player aims to give all growers a say
New Zealand forest owners will vote in March on a plan that aims to give all commercial forest and woodlot owners a say in the future of their industry. Source: Timberbiz
20/12/2012: New online programs to reduce workplace stress
Australian workers feeling stressed in the lead-up to Christmas should access beyondblue’s new online programs to help them understand and tackle depression and anxiety in the workplace. Source: Timberbiz
20/12/2012: Australia's primary industries exports forecast to remain strong in 2012-13
Australia’s earnings from agricultural, fisheries and forestry exports are forecast to remain strong in 2012-13, at around $39.5 billion. Source: ABARES
18/12/2012: Government gives $8m for timber verification
The Australian Government will intensify its efforts to combat illegal logging, providing $8 million to promote timber legality verification in the Asia-Pacific region through the Illegal logging: Regional Capacity Building Partnership. Source: Timberbiz
18/12/2012: Elders sells Sandalwood assets
Elders is a step closer to selling its Indian Sandalwood assets in the Ord River irrigation area. The company told the stock exchange it had entered a conditional agreement with entities associated with Santanol Pty Ltd to sell the assets. Sources: The Weekly Times, The Australian
18/12/2012: Kalangadoo mill terminated
Kalangadoo mill and treatment plant, which was sold by Gunns less than two months ago, went into liquidation. Administrators Clifton Hall handed shocked workers termination notices from the South East Pines Sales mill. Source: Adelaide Now
18/12/2012: Rail line closure leaves mill nowhere
The future of Wairoa milling company Clyde Lumber seems still uncertain a week after its last train of sawn timber left town amid the mothballing of the Napier-Gisborne railway line. Source: Hawkes Bay Today
18/12/2012: Woodchip industry suffers more blows
The woodchip industry suffered another blow when Primary Securities Ltd moved to wind-up a string of managed investment schemes near Bremer Bay on WA's south coast and Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Source: The West Australian
18/12/2012: Booroobin harvesting is by the book
Concerns regarding environmental impact of harvesting of timber on private land in Booroobin have been investigated and rejected by the Department of Natural Resources and Mines. Source: Timberbiz
13/12/2012: New Zealander fined for milling indigenous timber
In New Zealand a Whakatane man has been fined NZ$15,000 plus a further NZ$15,000 in reparation to the Ministry for Primary Industries for milling indigenous timber. Source: Timberbiz
13/12/2012: Funding shortfall of $90m
The funding announced by Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke is at best $90 million short of the ask by signatories to the so-called forestry peace deal according to Senator Richard Colbeck. Sources: Timberbiz, ABC News
13/12/2012: Yarra Ranges not in the Wilderness
In a stunning reversal of policy the new Yarra Ranges Council dumped its direct involvement with the Wilderness Society's "Ethical Paper Pledge.” Source: Timberbiz
13/12/2012: Logging protest in Victoria stymied
The police search and rescue crew was brought in from Melbourne yesterday to break up a logging protest near the Bendoc River in East Gippsland. Source: ABC News
13/12/2012: Forests NSW increases fire fighters
Forests NSW has employed seven temporary fire fighters to help protect the State’s valuable pine plantations and surrounding communities in the Bombala region. Source: Timberbiz
13/12/2012: That’s crate work
Create from a Crate, an innovative competition that challenges artists, furniture designers and woodworkers to create a masterpiece from an old packaging crate, is on again. Source: Timberbiz
11/12/2012: Farmers lose faith in trees
Farmers have lost confidence in tree planting according to New Zealand forester, lawyer and former National Party MP Geoff Thompson. Source: The Southland Times
11/12/2012: Housing finance update
ABS Housing Finance flat-lined in October 2012, providing little additional insight into the prospects for a sustainable recovery in new home building in 2013 according to the Housing Industry Association. Source: Timberbiz
11/12/2012: Compressed gas guidelines for summer
BOC is reminding users that cylinder safety is a hot issue in summer. Safety protocols are a must and the company has issued guidelines. Source: Timberbiz
11/12/2012: Caboolture sawmill blaze
Forensic investigators will investigate the cause of major industrial fire at a sawmill at Caboolture north of Brisbane. Source: ABC News
11/12/2012: Tassie machinery goes unsold
A group of Tasmanian businesses is disappointed after a heavy machinery auction in the south failed to attract much interest. Source: ABC News
11/12/2012: Tasmanian farmers reject ‘peace plan’
Jan Davis, CEO of the Tasmanian Farmers & Graziers Association (TFGA) doesn’t mince words when it comes to describing the fallout from the drawn out forestry peace talks/deal in Tasmania. Source: Timberbiz
06/12/2012: NEFA says definitely no logging
The North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) of New South Wales wants Premier Barry O'Farrell to rule out any logging in National Parks, ever. The Forest Products Association, representing saw-millers in the region's forests wants a million hectares of new reserves opened to logging. Source: ABC News
06/12/2012: Anti-dumping to protect jobs
The timber union says a new anti-dumping commission will help to protect jobs in the timber and pulp paper industry in the Green Triangle. The Federal Government announced the commission would ensure goods imported into Australia are not sold below cost. Source: ABC News
06/12/2012: Oh, what a tangled web
Prime Minister Julia Gillard is proposing $15 million for biomass power stations under the forest peace deal, which could have been met by an existing Government program, if not for a pact with the Greens. Source: Timberbiz
06/12/2012: New safety code without teeth and consultation
New initiatives to cut New Zealand's horrific forestry sector accident rate have been announced, with the new code of practice setting out guidelines for complying with health and safety regulations. Sources: Otago Daily Times, The New Zealand Herald
06/12/2012: Ta Ann to stay unless deal falls through
The jobs of more than 100 Tasmanian timber workers have been secured with processor Ta Ann Tasmania confirming it will remain in the state. But the company has warned it will collapse if the Upper House scuttles forest peace deal legislation. Source: ABC News
06/12/2012: TasPorts eyes Gunns’ port asset
Government-owned ports authority TasPorts has revealed plans to buy Gunns' Burnie port facility. Chairman Dan Norton said the board was in the process of acquiring the facility before Gunns went into the receivership. Source: ABC News
04/12/2012: Tassie update – TCA and Ta Ann
As the Tasmanian Forests Agreement starts its passage through the Tasmanian parliament it continues to stir extraordinary disputes. Timber Communities Australia (TCA) is at loggerheads with its own members after choosing to sign the agreement. Sources: The Examiner, The Mercury, The Australian, ABC Rural
04/12/2012: Tax mistake makes NZ government $127m richer
Call it a $127.5 million tax mistake that can't be undone. Bank of New Zealand and other secured creditors in two collapsed forestry companies can't reclaim $127.5m that was paid to Inland Revenue by a partnership owned by the companies, the Supreme Court has ruled. Source: Business Day, Stuff
04/12/2012: TFS to sell managed investment scheme
Sandalwood timber manager TFS Corp will sell its $45 million managed investment scheme (MIS) grower loan book with funds flagged for either reinvestment in the business or returned to shareholders. Source: Australian Financial Review
04/12/2012: Pryda and Kieth build biggest ever trusses
Pryda and Keith Timber are manufacturing of some of the longest span prefabricated timber roof trusses ever built. These are for a South Australian aged care facility at Gawler north of Adelaide. Source: Timberbiz
04/12/2012: Dongwha mill gets $8.2 mill
Dongwha Timbers sawmill in Bombala will lead the way in energy efficiency and reducing pollution thanks to an $8.2million Gillard Government grant announced last Friday. Source: Bombala Times
04/12/2012: Hot Aussie summer – take care
WorkCover NSW is warning workers to take precautions during the coming weeks with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology predicting hot weather conditions in NSW, sentiment that should be echoed in all Australian states during summer. Source: Timberbiz
29/11/2012: Green peace, I don’t think so
The question is being asked ... is there REALLY peace in the Tasmania Forestry Wars? A marathon 13-hour sitting of Tasmania’s Lower House passed a Bill aimed at securing peace that now needs to be ratified by the Upper House which will be called in December to debate the Bill. Source: Timberbiz
29/11/2012: Forestry deal worth billions to government
It is predicted the Federal Government could see a $7 billion windfall from Tasmania's forestry peace deal. The chance for the windfall comes after the Commonwealth committed $300 million to the deal, which reduces native forest logging. Source ABC News
29/11/2012: Residential construction - building the economy
An economic report prepared for the Housing Industry Association (HIA) has quantified the significant national economic potential of increased activity from the residential construction sector. Source: Timberbiz
29/11/2012: Rural leadership program funding
The Gillard Government will support the 2012–13 Australian Rural Leadership Program that provides an intensive leadership course to the tune of $150,000. Source: Timberbiz
29/11/2012: Ernslaw One won’t pay overloading
The police's commercial heavy vehicle unit is encouraging other businesses to follow the lead of one of the country's biggest forestry exporters, which is refusing to pay for overweight truck loads delivered to its processing bases. Source: Voxy
29/11/2012: DTM has best mill in Queensland
DTM Timber's Tiaro mill has beaten the best in the industry to be named Queensland's best sawmilling operation. Tiaro site manager Nigel Martin believed it was the versatility of the mill that clinched them the win at the Queensland Timber Industry Awards. Source: Fraser Coast Chronicle
27/11/2012: Timber company cuts 70 jobs
Carter Holt Harvey has informed staff it plans to cut around 70 jobs in Rotorua and Tokoroa before Christmas. Union members are meeting today to discuss the proposals. Source: Otago Daily Times
27/11/2012: Bombala Mill awarded $8.2 million for clean technology
Federal industry and innovation minister Greg Combet has announced $8.2 million of funding for the Bombala Mill, after mill owners Dongwha Timbers’ successful application for a Clean Technology Investment Program grant. Source: Timberman
27/11/2012: Getting rid of some red tape
The independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) is investigating potential reform of around 1,000 NSW licences to reduce the burden on individuals, businesses and the community. Source: Timberman
27/11/2012: Fulton Hogan wins approval to sell Otago forestry
Fulton Hogan has received Overseas Investment Office approval to sell forestry estates in Otago, New Zealand. The Christchurch-based company said it was looking to sell-off non-core assets in a bid to strengthen its balance sheet. Source: TVNZ
27/11/2012: Have your say on the 2016 Census
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released its initial proposals for the 2016 Census of Population and Housing, and is inviting Australians to have their say. Source: Timberbiz
27/11/2012: Forestry export earnings on the way up
Australia’s export earnings from agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors are forecast to remain strong in 2012–13, according to the Agricultural commodities – September Quarter 2012. Source: Timberbiz
22/11/2012: VicForests settles with environmental groups
An out-of-court settlement between VicForests and environmental groups has ensured protection of nine nationally significant rainforest sites in East Gippsland. Source: The Age
22/11/2012: Farm Forestry Stakeholder Forum
An invitation has been issued to participate in a Stakeholder Forum on the Victorian Farm Forestry Industry Action Plan. The forum will be held December 4 at 9.45 for a 10am-3pm session at 1 Spring Street, Melbourne. Source: Timberbiz
22/11/2012: Axe falls on Carter Holt Harvey staff
Carter Holt Harvey has followed through on a threat to close south-east mills in South Australia after a dispute with the SA Government. Source: ABC News
22/11/2012: Timber Queensland backs logging legislation
Industry body Timber Queensland has welcomed the illegal logging legislation passed by the Senate on November 19 as a significant step in addressing illegal
imports. Source: Timberbiz
22/11/2012: SA $27m assistance information and applications
The South Australian Government’s South East Forestry Partnerships Program, a $27 million State Government assistance package designed to encourage a viable and strong timber sawmilling industry, is now open for applications. Source: Timberbiz
22/11/2012: Peace deal or piece deal
Multiple sources confirmed to The Australian that green and timber groups had agreed to protect more than 503,000ha of native forests while allocating 137,000cu m of sawlogs a year to industry. Sources: The Australian, Timberbiz, The Age
20/11/2012: Forestry industry still to feel full effects of Gunns
A forestry expert said that the industry is experiencing significant struggles but is yet to experience the full effect from the collapse of Gunns Timber. Several companies with Western Australian south coast links were implicated in the collapse of Gunns. Source: ABC News
20/11/2012: Illegal logging Bill could be a blunt instrument
Australia is stepping up its fight against the illegal logging trade with Labor’s Illegal Logging Prohibition Act 2012 passed by the Australian Parliament but will ‘rogue’ environmental groups use it as a ‘blunt instrument’? Sources: Timberbiz, Herald Sun, Business Spectator
20/11/2012: The future of Dunedin’s only sawmill unclear
Dunedin's only sawmill, Otago Lumber Ltd, faces an uncertain future. The board of the Mosgiel company will hold a conference to "discuss all available options" to continue trading, said chairman Harold Hill. Source: Otago Daily times
20/11/2012: The human toll of Tasmanian turmoil
When the Brill family paid their last debt this year following Forest Enterprises Australia's 2010 collapse, Jillene Brill decided it was time to retire. She'd had enough of the long hours. Source: The Examiner
20/11/2012: Recycling needs more council help
Palmerston North community recycling groups are calling on the city council to team up to help recover more material from the waste stream before it ends up dumped at the Bonny Glen landfill. Source: Manawatu Standard
20/11/2012: Bob Brown onboard Markets For Change
Former Australian Greens leader Bob Brown said he would use a seat on the board of one of Tasmania's most controversial environmental groups to help boost the state's economy. He said that Ta Ann could benefit from the group. Source: The Herald Sun
15/11/2012: SA Government abandons Carter Holt Harvey
The South Australian government has abandoned talks with Carter Holt Harvey, retracting a bailout package of $27 million that will now be diverted to the industry at large. Treasurer Jack Snelling will announce that the funding would be offered to timber processors who matched the government's investment on a one-to-one basis. Source: The Australian
15/11/2012: Cowra bridge recycling project
Timber from the historic Holman Bridge at Gooloogong near Cowra, New South Wales are likely to be recycled for another generation, if Cowra Shire Council has its way. The council has requested custody of the century-old hardwood timbers from the soon to be demolished bridge. Source: Cowra Community News
15/11/2012: Google earth mapping free to not for profits
Internet search engine giant, Google is offering its earth mapping tools to Australian and New Zealand Not for Profits to help them create a visual impact around their causes for a worldwide audience. Source: Pro Bono Australia
15/11/2012: Ta Ann under repeated attack
Ta Ann quitting Tasmania would be disastrous for Circular Head, mayor Daryl Quilliam said. The timber processor's board will make a call on whether it has a Tasmanian future within a fortnight. Source: The Advocate, Timberbiz, ABC
15/11/2012: NZ report points to bio fuels for forestry
New Zealand's plantation forestry estate represents a major opportunity for New Zealand to become more self-sufficient in transport fuels. That is the conclusion of the latest report from the Pure Advantage business lobby group seeking support for a "green growth" push in New Zealand. Source: The National Business Review
15/11/2012: WA inquiry into FPC
WA Auditor-General Colin Murphy has launched an inquiry into the Forest Products Commission’s (FPC) operations, sparking further debate about the viability of native forest logging. Source: The West Australian
13/11/2012: Vale Peter Roberts
Peter Roberts former executive officer of the Timber Merchants Association, passed away on 11 November. Source: Timberbiz
13/11/2012: Eucalypt opportunities at Gisborne meeting tomorrow
Eucalypts could be an alternative to the future of the local timber industry and an insight into their potential will be explored at a free field day tomorrow. The workshop is the ‘Durable Eucalypts — an Opportunity for Gisborne Tree Growers’. Source: The Gisborne Herald
13/11/2012: Tenders called for ecological thinning in National Park
The NSW National Parks & Wildife Services is undertaking ecological thinning, which is the removal of some trees in a stand for the purposes of enhancing habitat features of nine plots covering approximately 216 hectares within the Millewa and Moira precincts of the Murray Valley National Park. Source: Timberbiz
13/11/2012: No more limits on logging says expert
A forest industry expert says there will be major ramifications if the State Government's forest management plan further limits areas which can be logged. Source: ABC News
13/11/2012: Tenders called for ecological thinning in National Park
The NSW National Parks & Wildife Services is undertaking ecological thinning, which is the removal of some trees in a stand for the purposes of enhancing habitat features of nine plots covering approximately 216 hectares within the Millewa and Moira precincts of the Murray Valley National Park. Source: Timberbiz
13/11/2012: Gunnedah Timbers suffers from government broken promises
The jobs of more than 50 timber workers are on the line, but the Paul family of Gunnedah Timbers can’t get any answers from the NSW Minister for the Environment, Robyn Parker. Source: The Namoi Valley Independent
13/11/2012: New Zealand not on Kyoto Protocol
Climate scientists have strongly attacked the New Zealand Government's decision not sign up to phase two of the Kyoto Protocol. Australia has committed to join a second phase but New Zealand will opt out and instead make voluntary pledges under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Source: Radio New Zealand
08/11/2012: Koppers buys Western Poles
Koppers Wood Products a subsidiary of Koppers Holdings said it would acquire Western Poles, an Australian utility pole company. The deal is expected to close by the end of November. Source: Timberbiz, Pittsburgh Business Times, RTT News
08/11/2012: FIAT gives peace a chance
The Forest Industries Association has put forward a new plan to achieve peace in Tasmania's forests. The association recently withdrew from informal negotiations with environmentalists, saying it will now only speak to government. Sources: ABC, The Australian
08/11/2012: AKD to increase harvest in Victoria
A Victorian timber company has increased the volume of timber it is harvesting in south-west Victoria in a bid to stay internationally competitive. AKD Softwoods said that it generally harvests more from the Green Triangle region at this time of year because its plantation in the Otways is closed. Source: ABC News
08/11/2012: Gympie mayor says no to timber
Gympie Mayor Ron Dyne is opposed to timber plantations being used as a way to revive the Mary Valley in south-east Queensland. The State Government is trying to sell hundreds of properties acquired for the failed Traveston Crossing dam project. Source: ABC News
08/11/2012: Building trades indicate weak construction activity
The HIA Trades Report for the September quarter provides a profile of skilled labour availability consistent with very weak residential construction activity in 2012, said the Housing Industry Association. Source: Timberbiz
08/11/2012: CMFEU lobbies for anti-logging legislation
The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union wants the Federal Government to pass its logging legislation, or more jobs will be lost at timber mills in the New South Wales south east. Sources: Hardwood Floors News, ABC News
06/11/2012: Environment for R&D says coalition
Coalition Forestry spokesman Senator Richard Colbeck toured the world’s tallest wooden apartment tower in Melbourne, saying it should serve as an emblem for the future of the nation’s forest and timber industries. Source: Timberbiz
06/11/2012: Forest sharefarming concerns
When Andrew Murray and Amber Swinney signed up 163 hectares for the Forest Products Commission (FPC) to plant and manage eucalyptus trees, it was to be their retirement nest egg. Source: Cogeneration and Onsite Power Supply
06/11/2012: Loggers and miners to work together
Loggers may be allowed to harvest thousands of hectares of timber being bulldozed to make way for mining and CSG extraction. Forestry Minister John McVeigh said he wanted to make sure valuable timber was harvested before miners moved on to leases in state forests. Source: Herald Sun
06/11/2012: Forestry needs innovation and self-promotion
We need to more cleverly adopt and use every contemporary means to educate, communicate and enthuse our fellow citizens about the benefits of wood and its products according to Sid Sidebottom, Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Source: Timberbiz
06/11/2012: A dam good idea
Rather than sell off bits and pieces of land acquired by the previous Queensland State Government for the proposed Traveston Dam and incur substantial losses due to current market prices, the State should consider leasing the land to grow timber plantations. Source: Timberbiz
06/11/2012: Giant eucalyptus a rainforest tree
Australia’s giant eucalyptus trees, the tallest flowering plants on earth, should be classified as a species of rain forest tree, a new study reports. This was the conclusion drawn by David Bowman, a forest ecologist at the University of Tasmania. Source: The New York Times
01/11/2012: AGM for FWPA shows new direction
The 2012 Forest and Wood Products Australia annual general meeting (AGM) saw the return of two directors as well as the appointment of John McNamara, managing director of DTM Timbers, to the FWPA Board. Source: Timberbiz
01/11/2012: Sandalwood poaching in Western Australia
A rare native timber that's already in danger of extinction across three continents now faces a new threat in Australia. Native sandalwood can fetch $15,000 a tonne on world markets but that high price has led to a thriving trade in timber poaching. Source: ABC News (7.30 Report)
01/11/2012: Boral shuts Batemans Bay mill
Boral will moth-ball its Batemans Bay timber mill operation on the New South Wales far south coast in response to a 30-year low in new housing construction and the need to reduce costs. Source: ABC News
01/11/2012: Ta Ann lobbies for its future
Ta Ann is lobbying the State Government to broker a last-minute forest agreement to ensure its future in Tasmania. Ta Ann said it feared for its business without the Intergovernmental Agreement after environment groups promised to launch campaigns in Ta Ann's markets. Source: The Mercury
01/11/2012: Overseas investors buy New Zealand forestry
An Austrian prince has been granted approval to buy land from one of New Zealand's leading forestry investment companies. Prince Tassilo Metternich-Sandor will buy 1148 hectares of land in Napier in a deal worth $3.4 million. Source: NZ City
01/11/2012: Class actions – Great Southern, Willmott Forests and now Gunns
Macpherson + Kelley (M+K) the law firm behind a class action against failed forestry group Great Southern is also considering whether to launch a similar action against Gunns. The company is also filing a class action against Willmott Forests. Source: Brisbane Times
30/10/2012: WoodEXPO 2013
Australia’s first dedicated show for sawmilling, wood panels and wood manufacturing, WoodEXPO 2013 is attracting international interest. Source: Timberbiz
30/10/2012: Wellbeing survey for timber industry
The Centre for Research and Action in Public Health of the University of Canberra is studying how working in the forest, wood and paper products industries influences the health and wellbeing of the people employed in these industries. Source: Timberbiz
30/10/2012: Public list of Gunns creditors
Administrators of failed Tasmanian timber producer Gunns have made public a full list of the company's creditors. Gunns owes hundreds of people, businesses and government departments millions of dollars. Source: ABC News
30/10/2012: Green groups back on attack of sawmills
Green groups will resume their war against the Tasmanian timber industry on Monday after the collapse of forest peace talks. Source: The Australia, AAP
30/10/2012: Win prizes with AFCA survey, before tomorrow
Join the Australian Forest Contractors Association (AFCA) to get industry information, to be with other people in the same line of business and to win prizes. Source: Timberbiz
30/10/2012: Epic fail for forest peace talks
Tasmania’s failed forest peace talks have repercussions that go well beyond the withdrawal by the Federal government of $150 million in funding. Timberbiz, The Australian, The Mercury, Sydney Morning Herald, ABC News
25/10/2012: Mitre 10 top dog in NZ
New Zealand’s appetite for DIY is powering on as leading hardware and gardening supply chain Mitre 10 records another strong result. The New Zealand owned and operated co-operative topped its main rivals last year to become the No 1 hardware chain by revenue. Source: Voxy
25/10/2012: Auswest sees delay in reopening Deanmill
Auswest Timbers has said that there has been a delay in getting its timber mill near
Manjimup back into operation after it was badly damaged by fire. The Deanmill facility was closed after it was damaged in August. Source: ABC News
25/10/2012: Locals encouraged by Campbell conditions
Provisos on the new owner of forest rotations in the Green Triangle designed to sustain the timber industry are encouraging but councillors and politicians in South Australia's southeast remain against the State Government's sale of the region's future timber harvests. Source: Weekly Times Now
25/10/2012: Impact of special timbers in Tasmania
Senator Richard Colbeck has asked what the Labor Government intends to do about the devastating impacts of proposed forestry changes on stocks of Tasmanian special timbers. Source: Timberbiz
25/10/2012: Kalangadoo finally sells for failed Gunns
Receivers for Gunns have finally sold the Kalangadoo timber treatment plant in South Australia. Contracts were exchanged and the sale will be finalised for an undisclosed amount.
25/10/2012: Levy on logs for research
Forestry organisations are planning to impose a levy on logs to raise money for research. The Farm Forestry and Forest Owners Associations will hold a referendum of all growers throughout New Zealand in March next year to gauge support for the levy. Source: Radio New Zealand
23/10/2012: OneFortyOne buys forestry assets in SA
A sell-off of more than 250,000 acres of state-owned forestry assets in South Australia for $670 million will not impact long-term supplies of timber and will leave the state’s forestry assets in safe hands, according to the SA government. Source: The Australian, Design Build Source, ABC News
23/10/2012: Wilding pines group to tackle the problem
Wilding pines, described as an invasive species threatening Central Otago landscapes, are officially under attack. Earlier this month the Central Otago District Council initiated a meeting of key stakeholders to discuss the issue. Source: Otago Daily Times
23/10/2012: Forestry Tas to announce big loss
Forestry Tasmania is expecting to announce a significant loss for the last financial year.
Managing director Bob Gordon said the company is likely to release its financial reports this week for the 2011-12 year. Source: ABC News
23/10/2012: Building scholarships closing soon
Scholarships are still open for the Housing Industry Association (HIA) Build Your Future program, which helps aspiring young builders reach their full potential. Source: Timberbiz
23/10/2012: Bioenergy conference Melbourne
Bioenergy Australia, an information and networking alliance of 83 government and private sector organisations with an interest in the development of sustainable energy and products from biomass, is holding its 13th annual conference on November 26-28 at the Sebel Albert Park, Melbourne. Source: Timberbiz
23/10/2012: FSC excellence awards
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Australia and FSC International’s Sixth Annual Excellence Awards function will be held in Melbourne on 26 November. Source: Timberbiz
18/10/2012: Greens spit chips over Southwood sawmill
The Tasmanian Greens believe Forestry Tasmania's secret purchase of the Southwood sawmill in the Huon Valley is further proof the state-owned company needs an overhaul. Source: ABC
18/10/2012: Logging prohibition bill contravenes legal principles
A Bill making its way through parliament has serious implications for farmers and other landowners who wish to harvest timber on their properties. It shows how much power the environmental NGOs have acquired and why negotiating with them over ‘sustainability’ is so dangerous. Source: The Land
18/10/2012:
A Bill making its way through parliament has serious implications for farmers and other landowners who wish to harvest timber on their properties. It shows how much power the environmental NGOs have acquired and why negotiating with them over ‘sustainability’ is so dangerous. Source: The Land
18/10/2012: Gunns administrators looking for farmers
Administrators of failed forestry company Gunns are advertising for a business to take on the plantations as a 'responsible entity'. Ads were placed in the financial press for a company to take over the routine administration of Gunns' investments. Source: ABC Rural
18/10/2012: AMWU sides with CFMEU
Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) members from South Australia's south-east have joined a union led campaign by the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) to save SA’s embattled timber industry. Source: 4-Traders
18/10/2012: Lend Lease v Baillieu
Australia’s Lend Lease faces being banned from billions of dollars of Victorian government work after signing a sweetheart deal with a powerful construction union according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Source: Sydney Morning Herald, The Age
18/10/2012: Tasmanian Timber Engineering no takers
The former head of Tasmanian Timber Engineering blames political bickering for the demise of his business. Source: ABC News
16/10/2012: Cairns fire affects timber tradies
The damage bill from a fire that engulfed a timber and building supplies warehouse at Cairns Hardware could rise to more than $1 million and the fire could affect the building trade in Cairns. Source: Local Cairns News
16/10/2012: NSW Bushfire season starts with 670 fires
NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons thanked volunteers and their employers across the state’s north, after one of the busiest starts to the bushfire season in the region in recent years. Source: Timberbiz
16/10/2012: Korean interest in NZ forestry land
Korea’s Sunchang Corp is the latest foreign corporate to show interest in New Zealand’s highly sought-after forestry land, as the wood products manufacturer looks to shore up its supply chain. Source: Deal Journal Australia
16/10/2012: Karri trees start environmental campaign
Carbon-dating results revealed a 600-year-old karri tree was logged in Western Australia and woodchipped according to green groups. This has lead environmentalists to start a campaign. Sources: The Australian, ABC News
16/10/2012: PNG forest scandal
An Australian-led logging company in Papua New Guinea has been involved in arrangements which have seen more than two million hectares of land, much of it pristine forest, taken out of customary ownership according to the ABC. Sources: ABC News
16/10/2012: Sri Lanka, Australia and UN forestry program
The Sri Lankan government together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Australian government launched a community forestry program. Sources: Lanka Business online, Colombo Page
11/10/2012: No fire fighting until equal compensation offered
National parks and forestry staff in NSW are refusing to help fight major bushfires until their accident compensation packages are brought into line with emergency service workers. Source: Ninemsn
11/10/2012: Kaituna mill worker wins forestry award
Kaituna Sawmill head rig and resaw operator Izaac Filipov won a national forestry industry training award. Filipov works at Nelson Forest's Kaituna Sawmill near Blenheim in New Zealand. Source: The Marlborough Express
11/10/2012: Scion celebrates first year under CRI reforms
Crown Research Institute Scion completed a successful first full year under the Crown Research Institute (CRI) Taskforce reforms. Scion chairman Tony Nowell said the reforms have made a positive difference. Source: Timberbiz
11/10/2012: Local government candidates support forestry
Local government candidates running for seats within the Shires of Murrindindi and Yarra Ranges have supported sustainable timber harvesting and denounced illegal forest protests, said Friends of Forestry. Source: Timberbiz
11/10/2012: Online database for NZ resources
New Zealanders looking for information on any aspect of planting and managing trees in a working landscape will be able to access a free online database that will contain list the most credible information resources available. Source: Forestry Expo NZ
11/10/2012: Timber design awards winners
Massey University Wellington's new College of Creative Arts won the Engineering Excellence Award at the Timber Design Awards with two Wellington buildings receiving top marks. Stuff.co.nz
09/10/2012: Bioenergy forum in Ballarat
Delegates at the Central Highland Agribusiness Forum’s Bioenergy Expo in Ballarat, Victoria were told that other countries had set timelines for replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy, including bioenergy. Source: Weekly Times Now
09/10/2012: Back to the drawing board - Tas peace talks resume
The Tasmanian Greens and the Forest Industry Association (FIAT) are pushing for the forest peace talks to be wound up soon. FIAT has declared it will return to the talks to end the state's long-running forest wars. Source: ABC News
09/10/2012: Gunn’s lessees to meet with administrators
The Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association (TFGA) has met with receivers and administrators for timber company Gunns to clarify the status of the timber leases with landholders. Sources: Timberbiz, ABC Rural
09/10/2012: Gay abandon by ACCC
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will block retail giant Woolworths from acquiring a chain of three hardware stores in the Victorian town of Ballarat because it would reduce competition in the local market. Source: The Australian
09/10/2012: Late submission to Senate over Gunns
A powerful Senate committee that has been examining the impact of the financial crisis on banking could accept late submissions on the collapse of Tasmanian timber group Gunns according to The Australian newspaper. Source: The Australian
09/10/2012: Counting the rewards
Southern Cross Forest Products Thames Timber sawmill in New Zealand saw the opportunity to improve staff and its operations by improving education with numeracy and language skills. Now it’s seeing a big lift in revenue. Source: Stuff.co.nz
04/10/2012: Carpenters Day awards the best
National Carpenters Day 2012 attracted more than 10,500 people who attended around 200 barbecues, hosted by program partners and others at venues Australia-wide. Source: Wood Naturally Better
04/10/2012: Taxpayers foot bill for anti-forestry activities
Victorian minister for agriculture and food security Peter Walsh, slammed the actions of anti-forestry groups saying their actions have cost taxpayers hundreds and thousands of dollars. Source: Timberbiz
04/10/2012: Sky cam keeps tabs on trees
Researchers with the Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) have embraced innovation by employing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to take photos of mallee trees. Source: Timberbiz
04/10/2012: ForestTECH announced for 2012
ForestTECH 2012 will be held in Melbourne during November and in New Zealand during December presenting innovations, technologies and new strategies for forest product companies focusing on improving logistics and operations in the supply chain. Source: Timberbiz
04/10/2012: Future Forests Research continuing workshops
A new series of workshops for members of Future Forests Research (FFR) in New Zealand is putting the latest scientific knowledge straight into the hands of commercial foresters. The first event was a two-day Quantitative Silviculture Workshop. Source: Scion
04/10/2012: Gunns administrators - possible conflict of interests
Investors in the managed investment schemes run by collapsed timber group Gunns are mounting a challenge to the appointment of voluntary administrators PPB Advisory, in a bid to protect their interests in hundreds of millions of dollars of timber plantings. Source: The Australian
02/10/2012: Zero plantings in New Zealand
The low price of carbon credits is a factor but probably not the root cause of new forestry plantations dropping off to near zero over the past few years, according to a leading economist. Source: Stuff.co.nz
02/10/2012: Gunns mills may hold some hope
While taxpayer backing has been offered to help a potential Tarpeena sawmill buyer expand to safeguard 200 jobs thrown into doubt by the collapse of Gunns shareholders are unlikely to see any money returned. Source: Herald Sun, The Advertiser, The Australian, The Mercury
02/10/2012: Bushfire fears raised in Tasmania
The Tasmanian Fire Service admits its capacity to fight bushfires could be compromised by the big changes in Tasmania's forest industry. There is concern some forests could be become a high fire risk with the restructure of Forestry Tasmania and the collapse of timber company Gunns. Source: ABC
02/10/2012: Lawyers to look down the barrel of a Gunn
The former bosses of Tasmanian timber company Gunns may face a class action lawsuit. National law firm Maurice Blackburn said that it is considering whether to sue Gunns' directors and officers now the company has gone into administration. Source: ABC News
02/10/2012: Canberra wood burn again
The ACT Liberals have pledged to overturn a ban on wood heaters in the Molonglo Valley if they win next month's election. Liberal leader Zed Seselja said the government, supported by the Greens, was turning the territory into a ''nanny state''. Source: The Canberra Times
02/10/2012: Gunns repercussions for taxpayers and social services
Taxpayers will take a $239,008 hit after the collapse of Gunns for roadworks, but above that there is also the cost to social services from the increased level of unemployment and subsequent hardship. Source: The Mercury
27/09/2012: Wooden get any better informed
The Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood will be running a series of workshops and seminars in the coming months in Tasmania. Source: Timberbiz
27/09/2012: HIA Report shows housing starts fell
At a morning function in Melbourne yesterday the HIA released the latest HIA Housing 100 Report stating the number of HOUSING 100 starts fell by 7.3% to 48,130 in 2011/12, their lowest level since 1996/97. Source: Timberbiz
27/09/2012: Ripple affect for Gunns workers nationally
The news that Gunns has gone into voluntary administration has ripple effects that extend well past Tasmania’s borders with workers and contractors in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia also feeling the sting. Sources: ABC South East SA, Australian Financial Review, ABC News
27/09/2012: Smoking Gunns leaves farmers worried
The Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association (TFGA), which represents private forest owners, says its prime concern with the announcement of Gunns going into administration is the status of trees on private land that had been contracted to the company. Sources: Timberbiz
27/09/2012: The roadmap for Australian forests
The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) has released its national policy roadmap for development of the industry over the next five years. It is looks to a renewable future with a policy roadmap for the forest, wood and paper products industries. Source: Timberbiz
25/09/2012: Safety week is South Australia
Safe Work Week, from Monday 22 to Friday 26 October 2012, is the opportunity for South Australians to learn more about improving work health and safety outcomes with more than 80 free information sessions available for people to attend. Source: Timberbiz
25/09/2012: Forests NSW ordered to reveal agreements
The North Coast Environment Council expects to have proof that local native forests are being logged unsustainably after the state's Administrative Decisions Tribunal ordered Forests NSW to reveal details about wood-supply agreements in the region. Source: ABC News
25/09/2012: Green groups attack – each other
A split has emerged in environment groups over a letter supporting timber company Ta Ann. The Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) and The Wilderness Society (TWS) wrote to customers asking them not to cancel contracts. Sources: ABC News, The Australian
25/09/2012: Dewatered wood is a new material
The Scion team has successfully developed “dewatered” wood from radiata pine and has protected this new technology with international patents. Source: Scion
25/09/2012: Masters at keeping building costs low
Helping builders and trade contractors counter the rising cost of building will be Master Builders' top priority as their 2012 Roadshow makes its way through Queensland in October. Source: Timberbiz
25/09/2012: Gunns in voluntary administration
Gunns Ltd has entered voluntary administration after failing to secure funds to keep the company running. The company had been in talks with lenders seeking support for its plans for a capital raising or restructure, but those lenders have now told the company they will not provide further funds. Source: Timberbiz
25/09/2012: Advanced technology for New Zealand
Scion welcomes the establishment of the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI) and is pleased that ‘wood and fibre products’ have been identified as one of the group’s focus areas. Source: Scion
20/09/2012: Kauri is commercially viable
Scion researcher Greg Steward said that he believes it is possible to grow kauri as an economic commercial timber in New Zealand. He said that the widely held view that kauri grows too slowly to be economically viable for commercial forestry is incorrect. Source: The Northern Advocate (NZ)
20/09/2012: Electrocution as a log treatment
The University of Canterbury (NZ) researchers have made a breakthrough in treating logs by heating them using high voltage electricity. Export logs are usually fumigated to rid the timber of pests, such as insects and fungi, which could pose a biosecurity threat. Source: The Star (NZ)
20/09/2012:
Agriculture’s future as one of the four pillars of the Queensland economy has been secured in the Newman Government’s first Budget. Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry John McVeigh said $442.4 million would be invested into the now stand-alone department. Source: My Sunshine Coast
20/09/2012: Queensland budget shines light on Forestry
Agriculture’s future as one of the four pillars of the Queensland economy has been secured in the Newman Government’s first Budget. Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry John McVeigh said $442.4 million would be invested into the now stand-alone department. Source: My Sunshine Coast
20/09/2012: AFS seminars for Brisbane and Melbourne
Australian Sustainable Forest Certification Scheme Seminars will be held in Brisbane and Melbourne in October to provide a general introduction to forest management and chain of custody. Source: Timberbiz
20/09/2012:
Acting Tasmanian Premier Bryan Green said that the decision to restructure Forestry Tasmania was in the best interests of Tasmanian taxpayers and aimed at providing greater certainty for its workforce. Source: Timberbiz
20/09/2012: Green won’t budge on Forestry Tasmania restructure
Acting Tasmanian Premier Bryan Green said that the decision to restructure Forestry Tasmania was in the best interests of Tasmanian taxpayers and aimed at providing greater certainty for its workforce. Source: Timberbiz
20/09/2012: Woodworking as a relaxant
In Mildura, Victoria a group of locals is using wood as a way to relax and recover from their daily routines. They come from all walks of life from chemists and truck drivers to the local priest. Source: ABC Local
18/09/2012: Government says Carter Holt Harvey is ‘using’ workers
The South Australian Government will not keep "slinging money" to timber company Carter Holt Harvey according to Premier Jay Weatherill who accused the timber company of using its workers to try to "extract enormous amounts of money" from South Australia's taxpayers. Source: Adelaide Now
18/09/2012: Government nursery future in limbo
The push continues to prevent the closure or outsourcing of the New South Wales Forests Nursery at Narrandera. The state government called for expressions of interest in taking over its forestry nurseries last year but the result remains in limbo. Source: ABC News
18/09/2012: Tasmanian sawmillers exit time
The Tasmanian Opposition has warned the Government is not giving sawmillers enough time to sign up to exit the industry. The Government announced it was allowing sawmillers two weeks to apply to hand back their sawlog contracts with Forestry Tasmania. Source: ABC News
18/09/2012: Three more walk from the Tasmanian talks
Forestry talks in Tasmania are creating more and more derision among those involved. Over the past week the Forest Industries Association of Tasmania (FIAT) and the Australian Forest Contractors Association walked away from the talks while Forestry Tasmania chairman Miles Hampton resigned from his position. Sources: ABC News, The Mercury
18/09/2012: VicForests reports loss but has future confidence
A sluggish new housing market, Gunns' cutting its timber intake and court litigation costs pushed VicForests to a loss of $96,000 in 2011-12 according to the group's annual report. Source: Sydney Morning Herald
18/09/2012: PFSQ annual general meeting
The Private Forestry Service Queensland (PFSQ) annual general meeting will be held at the Woodworks Museum & Interpretive Centre, 8 Fraser Road, Gympie, Queensland, on 26 September. Source: Timberbiz
13/09/2012: Queensland Tree Farmers of the Year
Darryl and Brendon Collins from Bellthorpe in Queensland were recently awarded the Australian Forest Growers (AFG) Queensland Tree Farmer of the Year award. South-East Queensland Branch Secretary Kaara Shaw and Chief Executive Officer Warwick Ragg presented the award plaque and prize to the Collins’. Source: Timberbiz
13/09/2012: Mining in the forest not a problem says Tasmanian government
The Tasmanian State Government denied its stance on mining in the Tarkine contradicts its forest policy. The Premier said Tasmania was already considered the national park of Australia, and she did not support a blanket heritage listing to stop new mines in the Tarkine region. Source: Yahoo 7 News
13/09/2012: ForestWorks industry conference
“Now is a time when it is necessary to be innovative – and a huge part of innovation is stimulating and cultivating collaboration,” said ForestWorks chief executive officer Michael Hartman on the announcement of the details of the ForestWorks and First Super fifth annual Industry Development Conference, which will be in Canberra 30-31 October. Source: Timberbiz
13/09/2012: Sweet sounds of Australian timber
When Maton Guitars custom luthier Andy Allen builds an instrument that uses the tiniest sliver of Brazilian rosewood, the guitar takes on a new identity. The buyer is issued with a guitar passport to prove its constituent timbers were harvested legally and sold through a registered supplier, so it can be taken overseas without fear of it being impounded. Source: Sydney Morning Herald
13/09/2012: Continuing CFMEU protests in South Australia
About 40 timber workers concerned that they are to lose their jobs disrupted a South Australian government economic forum at Mount Gambier in the state's southeast. The focus of the forum was food, wine and advanced manufacturing. Source: Ninemsn, ABC South East SA
13/09/2012: ETS is a farce said Commissioner for Environment
Dr Jan Wright, an officer of parliament, broke with New Zealand parliamentary convention by releasing a statement drawing attention to her submission, to be presented at parliament, in which she described proposed amendments to the ETS as making "a farce of our response to climate change". Source: The National Business Review
11/09/2012: Ritchie auctions new machinery – no reserves
Auctioneers Ritchie Bros will hold unreserved public auctions of late model earthmoving and other industrial equipment and machinery. One auction will be held in Brisbane and the other in Geelong, Victoria. Source: Timberbiz
11/09/2012: NZ greens reject Resource Management Act
Environmental groups in New Zealand have indicated that a proposed rewrite of the Resource Management Act pushes economic growth at the expense of the environment. Six groups are calling for the rejection of recommendations made to the Government by an advisory group. Source: Radio New Zealand
11/09/2012: Intimidation of forestry workers is unacceptable
The Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI) has critised anti‐forestry activists for using dangerous tactics and intimidation to stop workers from doing their jobs, thereby endangering the lives and safety of all those involved. Sources: Timberbiz, The Australian
11/09/2012: New Chain of Custody brochure and review
PEFC has updated its introductory brochure ‘PEFC Chain of Custody certification - The Key to Selling Certified Products’. This publication helps companies familiarize themselves with the most essential elements of PEFC Chain of Custody certification and the requirements for using the PEFC logo and labels. Source: Timberbiz
11/09/2012: Australian Forestry Standards AGM and AS4708 review
The 2012 Australian Forestry Standard Ltd annual general meeting will be held on 25 October in Melbourne and will include the appointment of directors. Four vacancies on the board are expected to be filled at the meeting. Source: Timberbiz
11/09/2012: Norske Skog to invest in Tasmania
Norske Skog will convert a machine at its Boyer mill in Australia to the production of coated grades of paper, and close one newsprint machine at the Tasman mill in New Zealand. The international company’s Australian operations are responsible for the supply of around 600,000 tonnes of paper Australia-wide. Source: Timberbiz
06/09/2012: National strategy for invading conifers
A new report on wilding conifers proposes the development of a national strategy for the management of the vigorously seeding trees that have invaded hundreds of thousands of hectares of public and private land, particularly in the South Island in New Zealand. Source: Straight Furrow (NZ)
06/09/2012: Industry downturn claims a logger’s favourite
“As the forestry industry keeps spiralling downward due to issues outside of our control, many people involved in all facets of our industry will find themselves with some time on their hands and a new career being sought. One such person is Col Shipard, a long time servant of the harvest and haul sector and noted Industry commentator,” said Australian Forest Contractor’s Association (AFCA) chairman Col McCulloch. Source: Timberbiz
06/09/2012: Australia’s forestry labour force at a glance
A breakdown of forestry in Australian states shows how things have changed in the past few years with employment figures ranging from more than 21,000 in New South Wales to around only 1000 in the ACT. Tasmania has seen the largest drop in employment in forestry. Source: Australia’s forests at a glance 2012
06/09/2012: Timber mill established by Aussie actor
A timber milling operation has been established for the first time in a remote part of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. The Gumatj Aboriginal Corporation has set up a timber mill and carpentry workshop. Source: ABC Rural
06/09/2012: Pocketbook on forests and timber plantations
The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) has released a new edition of ‘Australian forests at a glance 2012’. This pocketbook compendium has data and information about Australia’s native forests and timber plantations. Source: Timberbiz
04/09/2012: Gunns solvent but profits slide
According to the Sydney Morning Herald insolvency firms are circling Tasmanian woodchip exporter Gunns, jockeying for the job of taking on management of the company should it fall into administration following a $904 million loss. Sources: Sydney Morning Herald, ABC News, Business Spectator
04/09/2012: CSIRO study says forestry may benefit from carbon farming
A study conducted by researchers from CSIRO and the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) suggests industrial plantation forestry could potentially contribute towards Australia’s national target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) if a carbon price is in place. Source: Science WA
04/09/2012: Forestry projects quit by Origin
Origin Energy has quit $133 million worth of options for forestry projects in Australia amid fears that the price of carbon will plunge, according to The Australian Financial Review. Abandoning plans for a carbon price floor could make it cheaper to buy carbon units. Sources: Australian Financial Review, Business Spectator
04/09/2012: Greenfleet welcomes EU carbon link
Australian carbon offset organisation Greenfleet welcomed the announcement to remove the floor price and link Australia’s emissions trading scheme (ETS) with the European Union (EU) ETS. Source: Timberbiz
04/09/2012: Radio campaign to sway SA government
The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) has launched a radio advertising campaign over fears 1000 timber industry jobs are at risk in South Australia. The CFMEU said that high log prices are threatening the viability of local operations. Sources: AAP, Business Spectator, Adelaide Now, the Australian
04/09/2012: Tasmanian Aborigines back forestry associations
Tasmanian Aborigines have thrown their support behind industry groups who have pulled out of the forestry peace talks. Although they are not official signatories the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre said it would follow the associations’ lead as they lacked support from conservation groups. Source: The Mercury
30/08/2012: Strike actioned in SA
Timber workers rallied at Mount Gambier after walking off the job for 24 hours in the south-east of South Australia. The dispute affected five Carter Holt Harvey sites and involved about 700 employees. Sources: ABC News, The Australian
30/08/2012: Indonesia and PNG fearful new timber law will impact trade
Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are fearful that the proposed law to stop illegally logged timber from being imported into Australia will have a devastating impact on trade. The Australian government has been criticised for not consulting widely enough on the planned changes. Source: ABC Radio Australia
30/08/2012: Forestry Tasmania to be split
Tasmania’s State Government has announced plans to carve up Forestry Tasmania following a report found it is one of the state's biggest budget risks. Resources Minister Bryan Green has announced the state-owned company will be split in two with its non-commercial functions transferred to Government departments. Source: ABC News
30/08/2012: Metcash down but Mitre 10 expands
Metcash has adjusted earnings guidance after assessing its June capital raising and recent initiatives including taking full ownership of Mitre 10 hardware. The company expected an earnings-per-share (EPS) dilution of between one and three percent in fiscal 2013 compared with underlying EPS in the previous year. Sources: Otago Daily Times, Gympie News, Herald Sun
30/08/2012: Queensland lobbies for more logging
The timber industry is lobbying the Queensland Government to release more forest for logging. When the State Government privatised Forestry Plantations Queensland, there was a condition that hardwood plantations be established by 2025. Source: ABC Rural
30/08/2012: New housing at lowest point
Construction on new homes has slumped to its lowest level in a decade, prompting fresh calls from Australia's housing industry for governments to do more to support the sector. Residential construction fell 1.9% in the June quarter, in seasonally adjusted terms, to its weakest level since 2002, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Sources: Timberbiz, AAP
28/08/2012: Strike action today in SA dispute
Carter Holt Harvey workers will protest near the offices of ForestrySA today over the log prices dispute between the company and the State Government that could cost 1000 jobs. Timber mill workers will be at the Umpherston sinkhole in the morning for a demonstration, which is expected to go into the afternoon with union leaders venting their anger at the government. Source: The Border Watch
28/08/2012: Trade union chief criticizes NZ forestry standards
New Zealand forest safety standards were attacked by the president of the Council of Trade Unions Helen Kelly but her comparison is “naïve and uninformed” said Forest Owners Association health and safety committee chairman Sheldon Drummond. Source: Gisborne Herald (NZ)
28/08/2012: Lone Pine no longer as NZ seedlings distributed
Seedlings descended from the original Gallipoli Lone pine were presented to Hawkeʼs Bay Regional Council (HBRC) by SCION. HBRC will in turn present a tree to the Napier RSA. Source: Hawke’s Bay (NZ)
28/08/2012: NZ moves quickly on new forest and wood strategy
The forest and wood processing industries are moving quickly on a strategy to transform the sector. The Wood Council in New Zealand (Woodco) has just given the go-ahead to a NZ$400,000 ($311,651) research-based initiative that aims to get the highest value out of every cubic metre of timber harvested. Source: Scoop (NZ), Radio New Zealand
28/08/2012: WA forest management plan under scrutiny
Details of the 10-year draft forest management plan for the future of West Australia’s forests have been released. The draft Forest Management Plan 2014-23 (FMP) was released by the Conservation Commission and will enjoy a 12-week consultation period. Source: Timberbiz
23/08/2012: SA forest sale to Campbell prompts protest
A protest followed the announcement by Treasurer Jack Snelling in Mount Gambier of the successful bidder for the rights to harvest timber plantations in the South East of South Australia. The Campbell Group, based in the US, put forward the highest bid, which was not disclosed. Sources: Herald Sun, Adelaide Now, ABC News, The Australian
23/08/2012: Australian illegal logging bill closer to fruition
Legislation to outlaw the importing of illegally logged timber into Australia has passed the House of Representatives. The Federal Government said the trade in timber logged illegally overseas threatens Australian forestry jobs by undercutting local product. Source: ABC News, Ninemsn
23/08/2012: Australia and New Zealand arrangement on illegal logging
Australia and New Zealand have strengthened their long-standing cooperation on forestry issues by signing the Arrangement on Combating Illegal Logging and Promoting Sustainable Forest Management. This illustrates a shared commitment to addressing illegal logging and promotion of sustainable forest management. Sources: Voxy (NZ), Ninemsn
23/08/2012: New Zealand timber design awards finalists
A coffee table-sized puzzle designed by a Dunedin furniture-maker is a finalist in the 2012 New Zealand Timber Design Awards. James Jagger's design is in the indigenous timber showcase award, for the use of indigenous timber in furniture or a building that best highlights its characteristics. Source: Otago Daily Times
23/08/2012: NZ cautious of Australian illegal logging bill
The New Zealand forest and timber processing industries are watching the passage of illegal logging legislation in Australia, because it has the potential to disrupt the country’s export trade in forest products across the Tasman. Source: Radio New Zealand
23/08/2012: Forest Industries ask Libs for Tasmanian plan
The Forest Industries Association of Tasmania (FIAT) confirmed to The Australian newspaper that it wrote to Liberal leader Will Hodgman expressing a willingness to engage on his alternative plan. Mr Hodgman's plan locks in resource security for the industry without further trees being protected. Source: The Australian, ABC News
21/08/2012: Australians on front line of DNA timber testing
DNA tests are the latest weapon in the fight to stop illegal timber. Wood samples can pinpoint the species and origin to ensure shipments are legal with an Australian company already considering its use, and an Australian scientist behind the invention. Source: Vancouver Sun
21/08/2012: Dollars flow for Carter Holt Harvey but workers strike
South Australia’s government has offered a multi-million dollar bailout to Carter Holt Harvey after the company warned of mass retrenchments. Treasurer Jack Snelling confirmed the offer is similar though smaller to the Holden bailout, which was around $50 million. Source: AdelaideNow, Herald Sun, The Australian, ABC News
21/08/2012: Hancock redresses grassland damage
Hancock Victorian Plantations Pty Ltd is to repair damage done to critically endangered grassland in south-western Victoria after the federal government secured a legally enforceable $305,000 pledge from the company. Source: Timberbiz
21/08/2012: NZ tree harvester a design leader
tree-harvesting device has won the New Zealand division of the 12th annual James Dyson Award, one of the major international product design competitions. Harvesting methods currently require return visits to a forest, causing soil erosion and damage to surrounding trees. Source: National Business Review
21/08/2012: Queensland alliance to further forestry
Gympie in Queensland is the centre for a strategic alliance between the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), the CSIRO and the Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for research into the future of forestry. Source: The Gympie Times
21/08/2012: Creative timber project winners
Five projects emerged as the winners of the 2012 Intergrain Timber Vision Awards for creative and non-conventional use of timber. The Awards aim to recognize and celebrate the valuable role timber plays in Australian architecture and design. Sources: Architecture and Design, Timberbiz
16/08/2012: WA draft forest plan open for discussion
West Australia’s draft Forest Management Plan has been released for public consultation. The Plan covers an area of 2.5 million hectares in the south west of the state stretching from Lancelin to Denmark. Sources: ABC New, Perth Now
16/08/2012: Heyfield sawmill faces expansion with ASH
Australian Sustainable Hardwoods (ASH), the company that bought the former Gunns sawmill at Heyfield, is gearing up to expand its presence in Victoria's residential and commercial construction market. ASH is owned by three private investors and aims to buy the latest technology to increase output and add a new manufacturing line. Source: The Brisbane Times
16/08/2012: Carter Holt Harvey at logger heads with SA Government
South Australia’s Opposition said that 1000 jobs are at risk after a warning by New Zealand timber company Carter Holt Harvey that its Mount Gambier mill facilities cannot continue incurring losses. The company said it would close its four operations in Mt Gambier and Nangwarry if a new contract with Forestry SA was not struck. Source: ABC News, Adelaide Now
16/08/2012: Tassie sawmillers buyout by government
Federal taxpayers will immediately begin funding at least $15 million to buy out Tasmanian sawmillers in a final attempt to secure a lasting forest peace deal in the state. The move was backed in an "interim agreement" between forest industry and green groups. Source: The Australian
16/08/2012: Interim peace deal brokered in Tasmania
An interim forest peace deal was announced in Tasmania but there is still no agreement on wood supply or forest reserves. Industry and environmental groups have been negotiating for two years and have twice extended the talks beyond their initial deadlines. Sources: The Tasmanian Mercury
14/08/2012: EDS conference heralds changes in forestry for NZ
The Environmental Defence Society’s 2012 (EDS) national conference was called Growing Green: Transformation of farming, fishing and forestry. It was held recently one of the focus areas was how could the country improve forestry and speed the development of low carbon, low environmental impact goods and services. Sources: Voxy (NZ)
14/08/2012: Schrapnel reports future increase for Australian timber
According to BIS Shrapnel’s Sawn Timber in Australia, 2012 to 2026 report demand for sawn timber in Australia during the next decade will be driven by sharp growth in the building and construction sector. Source: IHB
14/08/2012: ABARES releases plantation data for 2012
Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARES) has release a new report on Australia’s coniferous and broadleaved plantation estate that indicates that it has increased by 7600 hectares in 2010-2011 to a total of 2,017,000 hectares compared with 2,009,000 hectares in 2009-2010. Source: ABARES
14/08/2012: NZ cabinetmaker turns to caskets in tough times
From speaker boxes to caskets, a timber manufacturer from Masterton in New Zealand is showing how flexibility counts in tough economic times. Taylormade Furniture started making solid pine caskets for funeral homes two years ago and has seen production grow steadily as orders come in. Source: Stuff NZ
14/08/2012: Latest South Australian rules for WA timber
Biosecurity SA has alerted South Australian pest control exterminators to be on the look out for any signs of destructive European House Borers (EHB) when inspecting dwellings. The warning follows the introduction of new regulations restricting movement of pine timber products from Western Australia. Source: Stock Journal
09/08/2012: Management of red gum under question
The ability of national parks to effectively manage river red gum forests along the Murray River in NSW has been called into question at a public lands inquiry. The inquiry is investigating the economic, environmental and social impacts of converting state forests and agricultural land into national parks. Source: ABC Rural
09/08/2012: No numbats harmed while logging
Timber harvesting operations in Warrup block near Bridgetown have concluded without any harm to numbats, according to Forest Industries Federation (FIFWA) deputy executive director Melissa Haslam. Source: Donnybrook Bridgetown Mail
09/08/2012: Leaked email won’t endanger forestry peace
A timber industry negotiator believes the historic Tasmanian forest peace talks with green groups are only continuing largely because neither side "wants to be the first to walk". This was the message in an email from Timber Communities Australia chief executive Jim Adams to his branch presidents, obtained by The Australian newspaper, which suggests there is little hope of a deal from the talks. Sources: The Australian, ABC News
09/08/2012: Furniture award rises from the ashes
Despite losing its best native timber drying stacks in the November 2011 bushfires, Jahroc of Margaret River has won a category in the 2012 Australian Furniture of the Year Awards in Melbourne. Source: Augusta Margaret River Mail
09/08/2012: Sawmills drowning in waste wood
Growing mountains of waste wood are said to be threatening the future of several sawmills in southern Tasmania. Many have started to run out of room to store thousands of tonnes of residue, which has been piling up since the closure of the Triabunna woodchip mill last year. Source: ABC News
09/08/2012: Thin trees for power poles seeks commercial partners
Small, thin trees that are usually removed from forest plantations to make way for larger trees could help meet the growing demand for power poles, street lighting and signage posts. The Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) is seeking commercial partners interested in producing power poles made from these plantation “thinnings”. Sources: Queensland Country Life, The Gympie Times
07/08/2012: Tasmanian timber company goes under
Tasmanian Timber Engineering, which employs 32 people and manufactures wood products including trusses, frames and laminated timber beams, has gone into voluntary administration. The company is one of Tasmania’s largest building suppliers. Source: ABC News
07/08/2012: AFTA advice not heeded now company collapses
The $1.6 million collapse of Perth Floor Centre, a timber flooring business, has left customers out of pocket with little chance of getting their money back. The company shut its four retail outlets in the metropolitan area last month and did not notify customers. Source: The West Australian
07/08/2012: Deanmill fire causes extensive damage
A blaze that broke out at the Deanmill timber mill in Manjimup, Western Australia and has caused an estimated $2 million damage. Authorities are still assessing the damage but the Fire and Emergency Services Authority said the cause of the fire was accidental. Source: ABC Rural Broadcasting, ABC News, The West Australian
07/08/2012: Eucalypt to replace Peruvian hardwood in NZ
The failure of railway sleepers imported from Peru highlights the potential for New Zealand-grown eucalypt timber if an industry can get off the ground, according to Marlborough New Zealand forester Paul Millen. Millen is the manager of the New Zealand Dryland Forests Initiative. Source: Marlborough News
07/08/2012: Gunns’ mill stalls as does forestry deal
The deadline was up and the result is that Tasmania's forest peace-deal negotiators have asked the federal and state governments to help them reach an agreement after failing to settle their differences despite a second deadline extension. Sources: Ninemsn News, ABC News, The Australian
02/08/2012: Scion signs MoU with University of Waikato
Scion and the University of Waikato have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will see the two organisations working together in research and teaching and to enhance their contribution to the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions, New Zealand. Source: Timberbiz
02/08/2012: Vigilante action by professor stuns forest owners
Forest owners are dismayed at Otago University Professor Sir Alan Mark’s suggestion that he might assemble a group of activists to rip out forest seedlings on a farm near Dunedin. At issue is a 189 hectare block of Douglas-fir planted as a carbon forest by Landcorp at Waipori Station. Source: Timberbiz
02/08/2012: Craigmore to build plantation on NZ North Island
Craigmore Forestry Fund, which is managed by Forbes Elworthy's Craigmore Sustainables, paid $2 million for 511 hectares of land it wants to convert into forestry as it looks to build plantations down the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Source: The National Business Review (NZ)
02/08/2012: Metcash now owns Mitre 10
Grocery wholesaler Metcash Ltd has paid $46.5 million to take complete ownership of hardware chain Mitre 10. Metcash has held a 50.1% stake in Mitre 10 for more than two years, and in June said it would take full control of the chain if Mitre 10's financial performance in the year to June 30 met expectations. Sources: AAP, T&L News
02/08/2012: Craftsmen lament Tasmanian peace deal
Craftsmen from Tasmania's speciality timbers industry say the forest peace deal announcement could be the death knell for their sector. They say an artificial and inadequate ceiling on timber production is not backed by research and $70 million's worth of economic activity and more than 2000 jobs are at stake. Source: The Mercury
02/08/2012: Greens attack Planet Ark
ABC1's 7.30 Report has revealed the harsh line the Greens party is taking unless groups that claim to advance environmental interests support its positions. Source: The Australian
31/07/2012: Tours above and below NZ virgin forests
A New Zealand-first zipline canopy tour through virgin native forest will open for business on the Mamaku Plateau near Rotorua. Rotorua Canopy Tours will take visitors deep into the New Zealand bush on an incredible journey from forest floor to canopy via a network of walking trails, treetop platforms, ziplines and canopy swing-bridges. Source: Breaking Travel News
31/07/2012: HIA campaign against non-compliant products
The Housing Industry of Australia (HIA) is spearheading an industry campaign to ensure building products meet Australian Standards and comply with the Building Code of Australia. The HIA has identified a significant and growing number of non-compliant products are being used for residential buildings. Source: Timberbiz
31/07/2012: Gunns blazing with sales of Green Triangle
Gunns is raising $64 million through the sale of part of its stake in a plantation forest investment trust. The company has told the Stock Exchange it will sell 58 per cent of its stake in the Green Triangle Forest Trust, which owns plantations in Victoria and South Australia. Sources: ABC News, AAP, ABC Rural, Hedgeweek
31/07/2012: Harvard rewarded by NZ forests
Harvard University is reaping the rewards of investing in plantation forests in New Zealand when forestry investments were unfashionable. At a CNBC Delivering Alpha Conference Jane Mendillo, chief executive of Harvard Management Company, said she really liked natural resources, and in particular timberland. Source: The Herald Sun
31/07/2012: Pacific Island loans financing illegal tree felling
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Australia’s Westpac Bank is financing some of the Pacific's most unsustainable and destructive logging operations and has provided loans to companies in the Solomon Islands linked to illegal tree felling. Sources: Brisbane Times, Sydney Morning Herald
31/07/2012: Frame & Truss Award for Pryda
Pryda has won the 2012 Frame & Truss Manufacturers Association (FTMA) Supplier of the Year award. Source: Timberbiz
26/07/2012: Council finds better use for trees than mulch
Coff Harbour City Council has found a more sustainable and profitable way to re-use the trees on public land. Previously council turned these trees, including hardwoods, into mulch for playgrounds, parks, roundabouts and reserves. Now the timber is being milled and put to better use. Source: The Coffs Coast Advocate
26/07/2012: ANZ seeks review of Gunns balance sheet
Gunns' move to recapitalisation has been slow and full of setbacks and there is no end in sight. It appears that lenders to the embattled timber company are becoming nervous about the $500 million they are owed by the end of the year. Sources: Business Spectator, ABC News, The Australian Financial Review
26/07/2012: Tasmanian sawmill buyouts with forest peace deal
Taxpayers could be forced to fund more sawmill buyouts to ensure the success of Tasmania's forest peace deal. There is $15 million in the forest peace deal to buy out contracts owned by sawmills that will be affected by a reduction in native forest logging. Source: Yahoo 7 News, The Mercury, The Australian
26/07/2012: Jobs saved in Milton NZ wood processing
A wood-processing plant near Milton in New Zealand will not be mothballed, although just how many of the 31 jobs under threat have been saved remains unclear after news that a Southland timber company has secured the mill's lease. The news follows City Forests' decision in April to progressively downsize the plant and have it closed by September. Source: Otago Daily Times
26/07/2012: Timber Queensland blames Bligh for local woes
The Bligh government's asset sell-off has been linked to forecast problems affecting the Newman Government's newly announced Timber Industry Plan. Timber Queensland CEO Rod McInnes says a working group of government officials had begun to develop a vision for the plan, which would take shape over the next six months. Source: The Gympie Times
26/07/2012: NZ conference on carbon forestry a must
New Zealand, the only country outside Europe with a comprehensive Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), has announced important amendments to strengthen its ETS in face of weak global market conditions. So with significant and on-going changes in carbon trading markets, interest is high for the upcoming international Carbon Forestry 2012 conference in August. Source: Timberbiz
24/07/2012: Drop Kyoto for the Framework Convention in New Zealand
New Zealand company City Forests says its Government should abandon the Kyoto Protocol, rather than commit to revised rules it fears could lumber forestry companies with "massive" additional costs. City Forests chief executive Grant Dodson said changes to the Kyoto Protocol agreed last year, and due to come into force next year, included the removal of the "fast forest fix" rule. Source: The Otago Daily Times
24/07/2012: Tasmanian modelling may be the compromise
The fate of a landmark deal to end 35 years of conflict over forestry in Tasmania rests with experts who will run detailed modelling to see if a proposed compromise is feasible. Timber and green groups revealed they had agreed to test a single "scenario" for new forest reserves to see if it would leave enough timber to support industry needs. Source: The Australian
24/07/2012: NZ Timber Design Awards receives 93 entries
New Zealand's only Timber Design Awards achieved a massive jump in entries this year, reflecting the desire of professionals to differentiate themselves and their practices from the rest according to NZ Wood CEO Jane Arnott. This year 93 entries were received across nine categories, more than three times the number in 2011 and a record in the more than 30-year history of the Timber Design Awards. Source: Voxy.co.nz
24/07/2012: Gunns board resignation
The board of Tasmanian timber company Gunns has decreased and now has just four members following the resignation of one of its directors. Paul Teisseire resigned from the board on July 20. Source: Timberbiz
24/07/2012: New NZ association for specialty timbers
The NZ Farm Forestry Association has set up a national industry body representing the interests of local specialty timber producers and those with an interest in specialty timbers. To promote the practice a web resource with information about a range of local timber species, a photographic showcase of each timber in use and an online marketplace for products and services has been launched. Source: Timberbiz
19/07/2012: Local timber workers recognized in Shoalhaven
Timber workers will be recognised for their contribution to the industry at the inaugural Timber Worker of the Year awards held at the annual Southern Shoalhaven Timber Festival in New South Wales. Woodworkers and builders will be commended for their creative and innovative use of timber. Source: Milton Ulladulla Times
19/07/2012: CIT funding for capital investment
Log sawmilling, wood chipping, timber re-sawing and dressing, prefabricated wooden building manufacturing, veneer and plywood manufacturing and pulp, paper and paperboard manufacturing are among those eligible to apply for grants under the Clean Investment Technology (CIT) program. Source: Timberbiz
19/07/2012: Podcast number two on wood production
The University of Tasmania’s Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAWW) has presented the second podcast in its new timber education and skills series to partner its Graduate Certificate in Timber (Processing and Building). CSAWW announced the release of the centre’s second podcast: short online videos on fundamental aspects of using or producing timber and wood products. Source: Timberbiz
19/07/2012: Additional income from bioenergy Mallee eucalypts
Australia can be prominent in the development of bioenergy industries. Energy tree cropping can be designed to integrate with agricultural enterprises across the wheat belt farming areas without compromising food and fibre production or security of water supply. Source: Timberbiz
19/07/2012: CRC Forestry wind-up delayed
Professor Gordon Duff, CEO of the CRC for Forestry recently updated the industry on the state of play with the CRC for Forestry and the National Centre for Future Forest Industries (NCFFI) now that the Australian Government has contributed $2.5 million of seed funding to establish the NCFFI. Source: Timberbiz
19/07/2012: Forestry forward sale ‘based on a false assumption’
A State Parliament inquiry has called for the sale of South Australia’s South East forest harvesting rights to be abandoned. Family First MP Rob Brokenshire tabled the Upper House committee's final report and termed it "embarrassing" for the State Government. However, it is unlikely to halt the process. Source: Timberbiz
17/07/2012: Markets for Change still interfering in Tasmania
Timber groups are being urged to pull the plug on Tasmania's forest peace talks, just days away from a final deadline. Source: Yahoo News
17/07/2012: Gunn’s confirms Portland sale
Australian Bluegum Plantations and Gunns Limited have entered into an agreement for the Portland woodchip export facility, with Gunns to receive $61.8 million for the transaction. Source: Timberbiz, AAP
17/07/2012: NZ union hits out at forestry safety
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly believes that the Forest Owners Association needs to do more to prevent workplace accidents. Source: Gisborne Herald New Zealand
17/07/2012: WA Labor may halt native logging
The West Australian State Labor party is planning to ban old-growth logging with a new forest policy that could include a halt to all native logging or ban the felling of jarrah. Source: The West Australian
17/07/2012: Mayor of Grant backs forestry tariffs
The Mayor of the Grant District Council in South Australia says both the state and federal governments need to offer more support to the timber industry. Source: ABC News
17/07/2012: VicForests high-energy efficiency presentation tomorrow
Wood and the use of renewable energy for high-energy efficiency buildings is the title of the presentation to be given by David Coote tomorrow evening at VicForests in Bourke Street, Melbourne. Source: Timberbiz
12/07/2012: High-tech timber industry gears up for world conference
Superior disaster resilience of new high tech engineered timber products are being touted at a world timber conference being held Auckland next week. Source: NZ Herald
12/07/2012: NZIF Forester of the Year
The New Zealand Institute of Forestry Forester of the Year Award for 2012 was presented to Mr Brett Gilmore, a Registered Forester from Napier at the Institute’s annual conference in Christchurch last week. Source: Timberbiz
12/07/2012: Applications open for 2013 Gottstein Trust awards
The Joseph William Gottstein Memorial Trust invites applications for Gottstein Fellowships and Gottstein Industry Awards. Source: Timberbiz
12/07/2012: MP pleads for bigger focus on timber 'dumping'
Federal Liberal MP Dan Tehan is urging the Government to prevent the dumping of cheap housing timber onto the Australian market. Source: ABC
12/07/2012: Forestry peace deal 'alive'
The Tasmanian Premier, Lara Giddings, has dismissed a former Tasmanian leader's claim the state's forestry peace deal is dead. Source: ABC
12/07/2012: $60m lift on cards for Gunns
EMBATTLED timber company Gunns Limited is close to finalising a sale of its Portland woodchip loading facility in Victoria for about $60 million. Source: The Mercury
10/07/2012: VicForests' 2012 Community Support Program
The forestry industry plays a key role in building and supporting rural and regional communities through its business activities and by sponsoring local community events and activities. Source: Timberbiz
10/07/2012: Gunns hit with $42m tax bill
STRUGGLING Tasmanian forestry group Gunns has been hit with a tax bill of $42.5 million over a 2007 deal involving its woodchipping equipment. Source: Brisbane Times
10/07/2012: China baby boom a blessing for NZ forest growers
China's auspicious Year of the Dragon has proved particularly fortuitous for New Zealand's forestry industry as a Chinese baby boom fuels demand for high quality knot-free wood, according to an industry leader. Source: Timberbiz
10/07/2012: Timber building innovators in world spotlight
Australasia's role as world leaders in timber engineering will come to the fore this month, as a host of researchers from a local research consortium take to the stage at a significant international gathering. Source: Timberbiz
10/07/2012: Danks reveals its top retailers
Danks has recognised outstanding achievements by its trade retailers and suppliers at its biennial National Trade Show and conference. Source: Inside Retail
10/07/2012: Outlook depends on downstream demand
The Plywood, Veneer and Fabricated Wood Manufacturing industry in Australia is influenced by demand for plywood, veneer and fabricated wood from downstream industries, particularly within the housing and commercial construction sector. According to IBISWorld industry analyst Alen Allday, “with weaker residential and non-residential building construction activity in 2011- 12, industry revenue is estimated to decrease 2.6% for the year to $1.67 billion”. Source: Timberbiz
05/07/2012: Plastic forest in Broken Hill
Residents of Broken Hill woke to a surprise this week, with a Lego forest blooming from the red soil overnight to create a colourful contrast against the vibrant desert landscape. Source: The Australian
05/07/2012: Gunns mine restoration no go
Local businessmen have given up on the restoration of a former Gunns timber mill in Collie, Western Australia, which was closed in 2007. Source: Collie Mail
05/07/2012: WA forests to protect Aboriginal heritage
Traditional owners of south-west forests will meet staff from the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) to discuss ways of protecting the cultural values of Western Australian forests. Source: ABC News
05/07/2012: Buildings on the rise
Building approvals were strong in May 2012, in a rare piece of positive news for the new home building sector, said the Housing Industry Association, the voice of Australia’s residential building industry. Source: Timberbiz
05/07/2012: Friday is Chippy’s day
Now in its fourth year, National Carpenters Day is celebrated with free barbecues held throughout Australia. In fact, 10,000 carpenters are expected to attend nearly 200 barbecues. Source: Timberbiz
05/07/2012: Markets for Change up a tree with koalas
Markets for Change continues its hallmark deceit and trickery with a sham report into koala habitat and forestry in New South Wales according to Senator Richard Colbeck. Source: Timberbiz
03/07/2012: Wood heaters regain popularity
Rising electricity and gas prices are forcing consumers to switch to wood heaters to heat their homes. Source: Adelaide Now
03/07/2012: Australian Timber Flooring seminar in July
The Australian Timber Flooring Association (AFTA) alongside Flooring & Finishes will hold an AFTA Business and Industry Seminar Series on 20 July 2012 at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. Source: Timberbiz
03/07/2012: ETS scheme in New Zealand delayed
Forest owners say the New Zealand government appears to be unconcerned about the tide of European carbon credits flooding onto the New Zealand market. Source: New Zealand Herald, voxy.co.nz
03/07/2012: Farm Forestry Toolbox Training in Queensland
The national Farm Forestry Toolbox is a set of tools to assist farmers and forest managers manage shelterbelts, plantations and native forests. These user-friendly tools offer ways to estimate the volume and value of potential wood production from plantations under different management options. Source: Timberbiz
03/07/2012: Gunns revalues assets
Gunns has said that it has been forced to revalue its forestry assets because of the ailing woodchip market. The revaluing of assets includes its 200,000-hectare Tasmanian forest estate. Source: ABC News, The Australian
28/06/2012: Timber town Glenreagh celebrates
The Glenreagh Timber Festival in northern New South Wales has an unashamed focus on all things to do with wood. Source: Timberbiz, The Coffs Harbour News
28/06/2012: Tasmanian transport scheme under threat
The Tasmanian Liberal Senate Team has demanded the Federal Government act immediately to remove any threat to funding of the three vital Bass Strait transport schemes that underpin Tasmania’s viability following the High Court ruling in the case of Williams v the Commonwealth. Source: Timberbiz
28/06/2012: Forestry not bad guys in NZ soil erosion
Forestry leaders are tired of being labelled as the major culprits for hill country erosion in New Zealand and say other land uses and extreme weather events have played a part. Source: The Gisborne Herald New Zealand
28/06/2012: Forest Alliance stirs pot for Deanmill
WA Forest Alliance spokeswoman Jess Beckerling said the state government had guaranteed about $80 million of taxpayers' money to the big native forest sawmills to keep them in business. Source: The Donnybrook-Bridgetown Mail, The West Australian
28/06/2012: Financial storm over SA forestry sale
South Australian Liberals say the sale of southeast forestry assets will cost taxpayers millions of dollars in the long run. Source: ABC News
26/06/2012: Tasmanian government breaks from wooden discussions
The State Government is not ready to release the second stage of an independent review of Forestry Tasmania and now the Parliament will not sit again until August. The opposition said major changes are in the pipeline for Forestry Tasmania. Source: ABC News, Timberbiz
26/06/2012: Elders investors caught between a tree and hard place
There are questions as to whether a group of schemes managed by Elders has lived up to its moral responsibilities. After the GFC hit, Elders reassured its investors with letters of comfort to Elders Forestry. These effectively meant Elders was underwriting the operations. Source: The Brisbane Times
26/06/2012: NSW student of the year is in forestry
Forests NSW Grafton-based supervising forestry officer (SFO) Matt Beetson has been named North Coast TAFE Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year. Source: Timberbiz
26/06/2012: AFPA says green groups spread misinformation
The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) said that it is deeply concerned by the latest round of misinformation being spread by extreme green groups that may damage manufacturing and cause job losses in Australia. Source: Timberbiz
26/06/2012: Canadian architect speaks on engineered wood at NZ event
The New Zealand Institute of Forestry’s Southern North Island Section has arranged a presentation by NZIF Conference guest speaker and Canadian architect Jim Taggart in Wellington this Thursday 28 June. Source: Timberbiz
21/06/2012: Earth summits disrupts Tassie summit
Negotiations concerning native forest logging in Tasmania have been delayed, in part to allow some peace deal signatories to attend an Earth Summit in Brazil. Source: ABC News
21/06/2012: ATFA Flooring & Finishes seminar
Flooring & Finishes with the Australian Timber Flooring Association (AFTA) have announced the inaugural AFTA Business and Industry Seminar Series, which will be held 20 July at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. Source: Timberbiz
21/06/2012: Fox supports Gunns to sort Tasmanian troubles
Lindsay Fox of Fox Transport has weighed into the argument on Tasmania’s forestry future says the Tasmania could reach depression-era levels of unemployment if project such as the Gunns pulp mill don’t go ahead. Source: AAP, Nine MSN, Tasmanian Times, ABC News
21/06/2012: Ta Ann scales down for peace
Veneer processor Ta Ann Tasmania is considering overhauling its operations to help the forest peace talks. Source: ABC News
21/06/2012: NZ world-first, post-tensioned timber building
Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand has a world-first in its post-tensioned timber seismic frame building. Source: Timberbiz
21/06/2012: Job losses from Hancock
Australia's largest timber company has said that jobs losses will be the end result of an American company's stranglehold on timber supply. Source: ABC News
19/06/2012: ForestrySA to host a weekend of forest activities
In November last year six South Australian artists took part in ForestrySA’s ‘Artists in Residence Program’ at ForestrySA’s Thomas Hill Study Centre at Cudlee Creek in the Adelaide Hills. Source: Timberbiz
19/06/2012: Auswest Timber reopens mill in WA
A major sawmill in Western Australia's south-west region has reopened after shocking the community when it closed early last year. Source: ABC News
19/06/2012: Draft Safety Codes of Practice Released
Safe Work Australia has now released the fourth set of draft model Codes of Practice for public comment. These new draft Codes include: Managing Risk in Forestry Operations (draft Code) and the associated Managing Risks associated with Cable Logging (draft Guide). Public comment to Safe Work Australia closes on 24 August 2012. Source: AFPA
19/06/2012: Wood Innovations for 2012
Wood Innovations 2012 is a new technology program being set-up with a wide cross section of Australian and New Zealand companies to address concerns regarding regaining a competitive advantage. “It’s a new initiative and it’s been a long time coming” says Brent Apthorp, Director of the industry grouping, the Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA). Source: Timberbiz
19/06/2012: NZ Scion 20 years of fire research
Crown Research Institute Scion has celebrated the 20th anniversary of its fire research program at the 4th Fire Research Workshop in Rotorua on 14-15 June. Source: Timberbiz
14/06/2012: Mega Mitre 10 for Rotorua
The developers of the new Mitre 10 Mega site in Rotorua are looking to attract more businesses to the largest development project to take place in the city for more than five years. Source: Rotorua News
14/06/2012: Bioenergy NZ getting serious
The Bioenergy Association says the forestry sector is getting far more serious about the potential for extracting high value chemicals, biofuels and other new products from wood. Source: Radio New Zealand
14/06/2012: Poles add extra income to landowners
Property owners in New South Wales are being offered the chance to find out if logging timber on their land may be possible to meet a growing demand for new power poles. Source: The Coffs Coast Advocate
14/06/2012: New Zealand carbon trading update
Following the purchase of its Kiernan Creek Forest in Marlborough, NZ Carbon Farming managing director Matt Walsh said his company intended growing their investments in New Zealand. They remain positive about gaining more forests to lease for the carbon market and more land to plant. Source: Scoop News
14/06/2012: Bombala Timber Precinct gets $9 million
Regional Development Australia has announced $4.7 million of funding for the Bombala Timber Precinct Infrastructure Project following a successful application by Bombala Council in New South Wales. Source: Bombala Times
12/06/2012: Abbott against clearfelling
Parliamentary secretary for forestry Sid Sidebottom has attacked opposition leader Tony Abbott over logging. Source: The Weekly Times
12/06/2012: Tasmania granted Future Forest help
Two significant research facilities will be developed at the University of Tasmania thanks to a $5 million grant announced by the Gillard Government. Source: Timberbiz
12/06/2012: Strong NZ dollar may impact forestry
The risk of the kiwi dollar remaining higher than expected over the next four years is the biggest risk to Government forecasts for growth in the nation's farm, forestry and seafood exports, a new Government report says. Source: New Zealand Herald News
12/06/2012: Institute of Foresters critical of IVG
The Institute of Foresters of Australia has released a paper titled Critique of the Work of the Independent Verification Group saying the IFA has been ignored throughout the Tasmanian Forests Intergovernmental Agreement process (IGA). Source: Timberbiz
12/06/2012: SA forest deal is closer
The Future Fund-backed The Campbell Group, US-based Hancock Natural Resource Group, and Sydney-based New Forests have commenced detailed due diligence on ForestrySA. Sources: Australian Financial Review, The Stock Journal
07/06/2012: Masters webstore goes live
After announcing early this year that the Masters hardware stores would offer an online product the company has now gone live with its website. Source: Power Retail
07/06/2012: QMI clinic on carbon tax efficiency
QMI Solutions will be running a breakfast clinic on how to improve energy and water efficiency for manufacturers in the lead-up to the carbon tax. The clinic will be held at the Burke & Wills Hotel in Toowoomba on Wednesday 13 June 2012 from 7am to 9.30am. Source: Timberbiz
07/06/2012: Mallee biofuel closer to reality
Interest in converting mallee eucalypts into fuel for aircraft has given added impetus to the commercial biofuel industry. Source: The Weekly Times Now
07/06/2012: PEFC International-Australian Certification Roadshow
Ben Gunneberg, Secretary General, PEFC International, will be presenting at six events across Australia this month. Source: Timberbiz
07/06/2012: Bombala mill on schedule for November
Tasco, owners of a major timber mill development at Bombala in south east New South Wales, said construction was on track to begin processing logs in November 2012. Sources: ABC News, ABC South East NSW
07/06/2012: Three million pines for NSW
Three million pine seedlings will be planted in local forests at Bathurst, Orange, Oberon and Lithgow from this week according to the NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson. Source: Timberbiz
05/06/2012: Sandalwood plantations spread
The world's largest producer of Indian sandalwood will plant another 1500 hectares of timber this year, but for the first time the bulk of its plantings won't be in Western Australia. Source: ABC Rural
05/06/2012: Sore point for saw mills
A Queensland timber lobby group says it is not surprised by a report that shows a rapid decline in the number of sawmills. The report by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences shows log processing mills have declined 70 per cent over the past decade to just 332. Source: ABC News
05/06/2012: NZ World conference has 450 abstracts
The World Conference on Timber Engineering will be held from 15-19 July 2012 in Auckland hosted by New Zealand and Australian timber engineers. It is the next in a series of world timber conferences that have taken place in Italy, Japan, the US, Finland, Malaysia, Canada, Switzerland and England. Source: Timberbiz
05/06/2012: Prepare to be floored by ATFA
Flooring & Finishes and the Australian Timber Flooring Association (ATFA) will showcase an impressive line-up of more than 80 companies’ products for the first time at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre from 19-22 July 2012. Source: Timberbiz
05/06/2012: Gunns road to nowhere
The future of a road that links the Tasman Peninsula and the East Coast is uncertain now timber company Gunns has divested itself of responsibility for the former logging road. Source: The Mercury
05/06/2012: Awarding timber design in Australia and NZ
The Australian Timber Design Awards and the New Zealand Timber Design Awards are both calling for entries. Source: Timberbiz, Timber & Design International
31/05/2012: Gunns’ Heyfield finally sold
The future of the Heyfield sawmill has finally been secured after a contractual dispute was settled this week. Source: ABC Local
31/05/2012: Monitor signals the end for termites
The building and electrical distribution industries could save millions of dollars thanks to the development of a smart timber monitor that is used to accurately measure decay and insect infestations such as termites. Source: The Australian
31/05/2012: Toy inspires Wellington building
A Wellington New Zealand building has been designed with an earthquake protection mechanism inspired by a child's 'push puppet toy'. Source: Stuff.nz.co
31/05/2012: FPC preserves 9 hectares at Warrup
The Forest Products Commission (FPC) has received mixed reactions from conservation groups after agreeing to preserve nine hectares of forest along the historic tramway in Warrup forest Western Australia. Source: Donnybrook-Bridgetown Mail
31/05/2012: ABARES shows increase in log harvesting
The volume of logs harvested in Australia increased by 3.6 per cent in 2010–11, the first increase in three years taking the total value of logs harvested in 2010-11 to over $1.8 billion. Source: Timberbiz
29/05/2012: Carbon Conscious plants 10 million trees
More than 10,000 hectares of mallee eucalypt trees are being planted as part of one of the largest carbon forestry projects in Australia. Sources: Timberbiz, Stock Journal
29/05/2012: Lend Lease beats Grocon in CLT
Lend Lease will construct the first high-rise building using Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) in Australia at Docklands in Melbourne. The project is due for completion in October 2012 and the company aims to develop 30-50 per cent of its apartments using CLT. Source: Timberbiz
29/05/2012: CSIRO also with mining industry group
Following the CSIRO’s decision to pay $10,000 membership to the Australian Forest Products Association it has conceded that it suffers from a policy gap when it comes to its relationships with industry groups and it now conducting a review to address this. Sources: ABC Radio and Radio National
29/05/2012: Forestry Tasmania sends residues to China
The Tasmanian Government has confirmed that Forestry Tasmania (FT), in partnership with the private sector, is sending a small quantity of export peeler quality blackwood logs to China. Source: Timberbiz
24/05/2012: International Research Group on Wood Protection outcomes
Jack Norton, president of the International Research Group (IRG) on Wood Protection, spoke at the Wood Preservation 2012 conference on the outcomes of the recent International Research Group meeting in Malaysia held in early May. Source: Timberbiz
24/05/2012: Is Australia’s economic outlook wooden?
At the Wood Preservation 2012 conference in Melbourne Andrew Harvey, Senior Economist HIA presented his economic opinions for the industry – though he was quick to point out that an economist’s opinions are always nebulous. Source: Timberbiz
24/05/2012: Wood preservation on the agenda
The 2-day Wood Preservation 2012 conference run by the Forest Industries Engineering Association (FIEA), which is being held in Melbourne and was held recently in Rotorua, New Zealand, is bringing together the industry and covering more than just processes and technologies. Source: Timberbiz
22/05/2012: Nominations open for new FWPA directors
Forest and Wood Products Australia Limited (FWPA) is seeking to appoint up to four directors to its board, including at least one independent director. Source: Timberbiz
22/05/2012: CSIRO joins AFPA - environmentalists protest
The CSIRO’s decision to join the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) was criticized by environmentalists who took the matter to the Commonwealth Ombudsman. Source: ABC Melbourne
22/05/2012: ACCC reviews a Master plan
Masters Home Improvement, the Woolworths' joint venture with US company Lowe's, is seeking regulatory approval to buy three hardware stores in the Victorian town of Ballarat. Sources: The Australian, The Ballarat Courier
22/05/2012: Roundtable approves sales of state timber
The South East Forestry Industry Roundtable has given final approval regarding the conditions of the sale of state timber forests. Source: ABC News
22/05/2012: ABS indicates housing industry flatlining
The outlook for the housing industry in Australia remains gloomy after data showing the value of lending to the sector is still heading lower. Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show the number of loans approved to home buyers rose by an insignificant 0.3 per cent, after seasonal adjustment. Sources: AAP, Industry Search
16/05/2012: Brown votes against his conscience
Former Australian Greens leader Senator Bob Brown voted against his own opinion on forest regeneration. Source: Timberbiz
16/05/2012: New GM to trade at Danks
A strategic re-alignment of Danks' business model and its vision for the trade sector has seen the hardware company appoint a general manager for its trade market. Source: Franchising
16/05/2012: NSW new pest inspection Code of Practice
A new Code of Practice has been launched designed to protect property buyers from being eaten out of house and home, by setting stringent standards for pre-purchase pest inspections. Source: Timberbiz
16/05/2012: Trade mission to UAE & Turkey for TES
The Victorian Government is leading a trade mission to the United Arab Emirates and Turkey in May, which includes Bruce Bell managing director of Timber Engineered Structures (TES). Source: Timberbiz
16/05/2012: No jobs lost in Heyfield hardwood mill sale
A contract for the sale of Gunns’ Heyfield hardwood sawn timber business for $28 million is expected to be completed later this month. Source: Timberbiz
16/05/2012: Queensland manufacturers prepare for skills-led revolution
The manufacturing sector is vital to the Queensland economy as it underpins the resources boom and major infrastructure program supporting the growth of the mining and gas sectors and the 2012 Manufacturing Skills Conference, to be held in Brisbane on 18 May, aims to start a skills-led revolution to ensure that the sector is positioned to meet the future economic growth of Queensland. Source: Timberbiz
15/05/2012: Greens not as green as they seem
A north coast timber mill owner has accused Labor of hypocrisy and the Greens of trying to shut down the native hardwood industry. Source: ABC Mid North Coast
15/05/2012: Two NT mahogany plantations for sale
Administrators have put up Theyona and Blackbull, two Northern Territory mahogany plantations totalling around 14,342 hectares, for sale. Source: Property Observer
15/05/2012: Forests NSW one step removed from government
NSW Minister for Primary Industries Katrina Hodgkinson announced that the NSW Government is to make Forests NSW a state owned corporation (SOC). In NSW there are 540 state forests covering an area of around 2.2 million hectares. Sources: Timberbiz, ABC North Coast NSW, The Sydney Morning Herald
15/05/2012: Ta Ann Tasmania sets the record straight
In a sourced story that appeared in Daily Timber News on 8 May 2012 from the Star On Line, the summary referred to Ta Ann’s ecofriendly line being from its plantations in Tasmania. Source: Timberbiz
15/05/2012: WA’s Forest Management Plan meets opposition
The Conservation Commission of WA’s Forest Management Plan 2014–2023 Environmental Scoping Document is meeting with opposition from academic and environmental groups. Of major concern is the expansion of native forest logging. Source: Science Network WA
15/05/2012: Supply-demand conference on woodchips
DANA Ltd has secured notable industry speakers for its one-day conference which is on 7 June 2012 and titled “Pacific Rim Woodchip Trade Supply and Demand Trends – A Focus on Australia and its Competitors”. Source: Timberbiz
10/05/2012: Logging Bill not on the horizon
Now that the focus is on the Federal Budget and the impending carbon tax it is unlikely that the Gillard Government’s Illegal Logging Prohibition Bill 2011 will see the light of day before the end of this year. Source: Timber and Design International
10/05/2012: Canker killing Marri trees
Murdoch University researchers and international scientists are warning that thousands of Marri trees throughout the South West, including in the winery regions, are dying or are already dead. Disease and drought are threatening Warrup, Yabberup, Arcacia and Kingston-Perup. Source: Indymedia
10/05/2012: Clean tech competition opens for business
Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Innovation, Mark Dreyfus, has opened the 2012 Australian Clean Technologies Competition for nominations. Source: Timberbiz
10/05/2012: Australian high standards for review
The Australian Forestry Standard Ltd (AFS Ltd) has announced that the first public comment period for the review the “Australian Forestry Standard (AS4708)” ends on 18 May 2012. Source: Timberbiz
10/05/2012: Doom, boom or bust for NZ timber
The New Zealand forest industry has been called on to move away from its boom-and bust export log trade and to avoid destructive behaviour in international markets. Source: Timber and Design International
10/05/2012: Comfort sought in SE SA forest sale
State Treasury officials and Crown law solicitors have handed over a document detailing the sale conditions of southeast South Australian forests. Source: ABC News
10/05/2012: Pryda specification guide for floor and rafter trusses
Pryda has released its latest specification guide for floor and rafter trusses – an extensive design manual developed specifically for design and construction audiences. Source: Timberbiz
08/05/2012: MAF now MPI in NZ
The name of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has changed to the Ministry for Primary Industries. Source: Timberman
08/05/2012: Parliamentary Committee to examine Prof West's claims
The Report of Chairman Professor Jonathan West, as part of the Tasmanian Forests Intergovernmental Agreement Independent Verification Group, is to come under scrutiny by a Legislative Council Committee Inquiry. Source: Timberman
08/05/2012: Bioenergy project manager position
The Wimmera and Central Highlands Bioenergy Project is seeking a Bioenergy Project Manager to be a conduit between the Project Control Group, Reference Group members and project partners. Source: Timberman
08/05/2012: Build & Design Queensland expo opens
The Build and Design Queensland expo will open its doors to the design, architecture, building, construction and property development industry for the first time on Wednesday 9 May. Source: Timberman
08/05/2012: CSAW podcasts timber education and skills
The University of Tasmania’s Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW) is offering free podcasts covering many of the fundamental aspects of using or producing timber and wood products. Source: Timberman
08/05/2012: More funds for Dryland Forests
The Dryland Forests Initiative is seeking more funding to continue its development of a New Zealand-grown hardwood timber industry. Source: Radio New Zealand
03/05/2012: Industry welcomes increased threatened species surveys
The Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI) has welcomed the announcement by the Victorian Government that a $1.86 million project is being undertaken to collect new information on threatened species. Source: Timberman
03/05/2012: Tassie outlook bleak and worse without Gunns
Tasmania remains Australiaʼs worst performing state in terms of construction and the outlook for property industry capital growth and should Gunns pulp mill not proceed virtually no growth in overall civil construction activity is slated to occur over the next three years. Source: DesignBuild Source
03/05/2012: Building materials & paper tops manufacturing
It was a good sign that the building materials sub-sector has set a scorching pace to the top of the manufacturing table in April and also heartening that the only other sector to experience expanded manufacturing activity was paper, printing and publishing. Sources: Timberman, DesignBuild Source
03/05/2012: No peace yet in Tassie forests
It has been revealed negotiations to finalise the boundaries of new native forest reserves under Tasmania's peace deal have not started yet, despite a June 2012 deadline. Source: ABC News
03/05/2012: NZ Super out to purchase Kaingaroa forest
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund confirmed that it and global investment firm GMO Renewable Resources were in discussions with Harvard Management Company over the possible purchase of Harvard’s majority stake in the Kaingaroa forest estate. Sources: Timberman, Television New Zealand
03/05/2012: Kangaroo island to burn bluegums
Residents of Kangaroo Island in South Australia say a managed investment scheme disaster could be salvaged by burning bluegums for energy and harvesting them for sawn timber. Source: The Weekly Times
01/05/2012: FTMA national awards
The FTMA Australia National Awards for the Australian frame industry provide members with an opportunity to have their business audited by independent judges against a set criterion and receive a detailed report identifying strengths and opportunities for improvement. Source: Timberman
01/05/2012: Ballarat earmarked as bioenergy centre
Ballarat City Council in Victoria has voted on sending its public spaces and environment manager Ian Rossiter to the World BioEnergy 2012 conference in Sweden this month. Sources: Ballarat Courier, Timberman
01/05/2012: National carpenter award nominations
The National Carpenter of the Year and National Apprentice Carpenter of the Year awards are now open for nominations. Source Timberman
01/05/2012: Gunns raising $400 million
Gunns Ltd has said that it is in confidential discussions with institutional investors about a $400 million capital-raising venture. Sources: ABC, The Mercury Tasmania
01/05/2012: Forest & timber feature event a definite winner
“I’ve been involved in events like this for many years, all over the world and AUSTimber 2012 is the best I have experienced.” That quote from Robert Sanders, Market Development Engineer/Demo Operator, Caterpillar, summed it all up for the four-yearly feature event of the forest and timber industry, held on a specially designed site about 22km from Mount Gambier (the forestry capital of South Australia). Source: Timberman
25/04/2012: EIA petitions US government on illegal logging
The non-profit Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has formally petitioned the US Government to take action under the US-Peru Free Trade Agreement to investigate and verify the legal origin of shipments from at least two Peruvian companies and to audit dozens more. Source: Timberman
25/04/2012: Master stroke by Woolworths
Newly established hardware chain, Masters Home Improvement, which is a joint venture between Woolworths and US hardware giant Lowe’s, is a hit with shoppers according to its chief executive Don Stallings. Source: The Australian
25/04/2012: Weak home building becoming weaker
Latest residential land updates signal persistent weakness in new home building in 2012 . The HIA-RP Data Residential Land Report provided by the Housing Industry Association and RP Data showed land sales hitting a new low and median land values rising further in the December 2011 quarter. Source: Timberman
25/04/2012: Forests are different AFPA tells MDBA
The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) is concerned that the Murray Darling Basin Authority’s (MDBA) draft plan groups plantation forestry alongside mining and coal seam gas. Source: Timberman
25/04/2012: Caring, now sharing on natural resource management
The final report on the review of the Caring for our Country natural resource management initiative found that it is on track to meet its goals and support the community in protecting and conserving the environment and increase the adoption of sustainable land management practices. Source: Timberman
25/04/2012: Christchurch plans cardboard cathedral
Wood and timber products in buildings are usually not of the cardboard and paper type, but in Christchurch, New Zealand a temporary cardboard cathedral will be built at a cost of NZ$5 million ($3.9 million). Sources: New Zealand Herald, Sydney Morning Herald
24/04/2012: Gunns losses court bid and says ignore financial information
Gunns has lost its court bid to have the Tasmanian Conservation Trust pay upfront for its legal costs in its challenge against the Tamar Valley pulp mill. The company has also told investors to ignore financial information it provided about the Bell Bay pulp mill. Sources: The Mercury, The ABC
24/04/2012: Make durability durable in Tasmania
Any durability clause agreed to as part of the Tasmanian forest negotiations must be committed to by all anti-forestry groups, not just those inside the talks, Coalition Forestry Spokesman Richard Colbeck said. Source: Timberman
24/04/2012: Timber investment by QIC
Australian institutional investor QIC's Alternative Beta Fund has invested in US timberland specialist Molpus Woodlands Group according to a report in The Australian.
24/04/2012: Collie concerns aired over forestry practices
Western Australia’s opposition leader Mark McGowan said he would follow up conservationists’ concerns about logging and poisoning of non-jarrah trees in the Arcadia and Yabberup forests after a recent visit to the area. Source: Collie Mail
19/04/2012: Weak housing quarter continues
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures confirm a very weak quarter in new housing and major alterations during December 2011. Source: Timbernews
19/04/2012: Elders sells forestry interests
Elders will sell most of its forestry assets in the Green Triangle, Albany and Bunbury for more than $45 million. Source: Adelaide Now
19/04/2012: NZ proposal for levy on logs
The New Zealand Forest Owners Association (NZFOA) is developing a proposal for a commodity levy on harvested logs to support industry activities. Source: Bay of Plenty Times
19/04/2012: Timber Queensland wants native forest access
Queensland's timber industry has asked the new LNP state government to consider allowing harvesters back into some native forests. Source: ABC Rural
19/04/2012: Integrity Commission powerless with Gunns
Comments made by Tasmania’s anti-corruption watchdog saying it is a toothless tiger lacking sufficient powers to properly investigate the Lennon government’s possible collusion with Gunns to fast-track its pulp mill were reported by The Australian. Source: The Australian
17/04/2012: Commercial looting in Victorian forests
Commercial looting from firewood collection areas is putting the plantation industry out of business according to the Bendigo Advertiser. Source: Bendigo Advertiser
17/04/2012: Speakers and topics for Frame Australia 2012
Speakers and topics for Frame Australia 2012
A growing interest in pre-fabricated panellised buildings and new concept engineered wood construction systems developed both in Australia and overseas are just two of a comprehensive range of topics to be presented at the Frame Australia 2012 conference and exhibition. Source: Timbernews
17/04/2012: Commercial looting in Victorian forests
Commercial looting from firewood collection areas is putting the plantation industry out of business according to the Bendigo Advertiser. Source: Bendigo Advertiser
17/04/2012: WA fire risk up with less controlled burns
WA’s Department of Environment and Conservation has a new ban on controlled burns near towns but that raises the fear of increased fire risks. Source: The West Australian.
17/04/2012: Dieback in Arcadia forest.
The Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) in Western Australia has been accused of breaching dieback rules. Dieback is a plant disease that has been found in some parts of the Arcadia forest. Source: ABC News
17/04/2012: Speakers and topics for Frame Australia 2012
Speakers and topics for Frame Australia 2012
A growing interest in pre-fabricated panellised buildings and new concept engineered wood construction systems developed both in Australia and overseas are just two of a comprehensive range of topics to be presented at the Frame Australia 2012 conference and exhibition. Source: Timbernews
15/03/2012: “Transformations” - Wood Sculpture Exhibition at the Riddoch Art Gallery
In 2004 the Riddoch Art Gallery launched its first wood sculpture competition, with ForestrySA becoming the major sponsor. Four exhibitions later and ForestrySA is still proud to be the sponsor of this event. The exhibition promotes the beauty and uses of wood, and assists in the cultural development of one of Australia’s most significant timber producing areas, the South East of South Australia.
15/03/2012: ForestrySA School Photography Competition – AUSTimber People’s Choice Award!
ForestrySA and the Riddoch Art Gallery invite you to view a small exhibition at Moumt Gambier’s Riddoch Art Gallery showcasing the local talent of the Limestone Coast’s junior photographers.
15/03/2012: How other countries are using advanced precision technology to increase profitability
The AUSTimber 2012 Forestworks’ Conference 29 March has a theme ‘precision forestry in action’. Organisers have secured speakers from around the world prepared to share their experiences applying precision technology to businesses and forestry agencies in a variety of different countries.
15/03/2012: Appointment of new executive director of Ta Ann Tasmania
Evan Rolley, a former managing director of Forestry Tasmania, has been appointed an executive director of Ta Ann Tasmania Pty Ltd.
15/03/2012: Everyone seems to agree to disagree!
Disagreements and conflict over the future of Tasmania’s forestry industry continue to dominate the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) process.
15/03/2012: Supreme Court rules on logging resumption
The Victorian Supreme Court has ruled that logging could resume in the region's Gun Barrel forest coupe, and has dismissed claims that proposed logging projects in two further coupes posed a threat to the environment.
13/03/2012: Biomass lifts off in WA
Representatives from major international companies were in Western Australia this week to inspect biomass developments as the state continues plans to create a viable renewable energy sector.
28/02/2012: Value adding our landscape – Media Release
With more than 50 hectares in the ground and another 35 hectares in the preparation stages, the Re-forest.net project is well on its way to establishing 180 hectares of commercial plantation in south east Queensland by June 2013.
28/02/2012: Queensland Government fails flood-hit businesses
The CEO of peak industry body Timber Queensland has blamed the Queensland Government for failing to provide adequate support for flood-hit businesses in the state.
23/02/2012: trial effort
This is just a trial
22/02/2012: New mill back on track for completion this year
WORK ON a new timber mill in New South Wales has recommenced after a temporary halt. The December halt was caused by an administrative issue. However, Tasco’s managing director Bart Crawley said the Bombala Mill was on track for completion in December 2012.
22/02/2012: New FWPA director brings supply chain focus
The Board of Forest and Wood Products Australia Limited (FWPA) has invited John Simon, CEO of Simmonds Lumber Group, to fill a casual vacancy following the resignation of Jim Snelson.
22/02/2012: Cuts to forest rotations denied by Government
The Minister for Forests says the South Australian Government has not said it will slash forest rotations in the south-east.
22/02/2012: Regeneration program changes
Minimising smoke nuisance in populated areas will again be the number one priority for this year’s regeneration burning program. Forestry Tasmania’s key concern is to ensure it does not cause any breach of the national air quality standard.
22/02/2012: Government facing up to challenges facing forest industry
After meeting woodchip buyers in Singapore this morning the Deputy Premier Bryan Green said the facts were irrefutable over the challenges facing Tasmania’s forest industry.
22/02/2012: McKay okay: A mill, a will and a way
By Steve Holland
Down but not out, McKay Timber - the largest family-owned sawmilling business in Tasmania’s south - is back online.
20/02/2012: Information sessions on illegal logging bill
The Australian Government will be holding public information sessions around the country to inform industry and other interested parties on the Illegal Logging Prohibition Bill 2011 that was introduced into Parliament on 23 November 2011.
20/02/2012: Moderation needed in forest debate
Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings has called for moderation and calm from all parties involved in the forest debate. She said compromise and goodwill were needed to allow for a resolution that ensures the industry can remain on a sustainable footing while delivering improved environmental outcomes.
20/02/2012: Exit packages for 61 in the forestry and timber industry
The Tasmanian Forest Contractors Association has welcomed the announcement by Federal Minister Senator Joe Ludwig of the completion of the assessment and approval of 61 successful applicants under the IGA Contractor Exit Assistance Program. Successful applicants can expect to be made offers over the next few days.
20/02/2012: Government urged to retain support for biofuels
The Bioenergy Association of New Zealand (BANZ) says that it is urging the Government to renew its commitment to supporting biofuels as a way of providing the nation’s transport fleet with alternative energy supplies and maintaining New Zealand’s adherence to a low carbon environment.
20/02/2012: Time for Premier Giddings to stand up to Nick McKim
The Tasmanian Premier must not allow Nick McKim as a member of her cabinet go overseas on a mission to destroy Tasmania's reputation.
20/02/2012: New Forests announces launch of forest carbon partners: investment fund to supply Californian carbon market
Sydney-based New Forests Inc. has announced the launch of Forest Carbon Partners, L.P. – an investment vehicle for California-compliant forest carbon offset projects – and the close of the fund’s first two transactions.
15/02/2012: Industry dismay over job losses
The Australian Forest Products Association has joined the chorus of anger and dismay felt by Tasmania’s community and industry leaders following the news of recent job losses in the forest industry. These lost jobs are a direct result of market sabotage by green groups with a distinct lack of goodwill toward the Forest Agreement process.
13/02/2012: Ta Ann latest victim of Labor-Green sham
Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings must take full responsibility for the loss of business and jobs announced at Ta Ann’s Tasmanian mills today, Coalition Forestry Spokesman Richard Colbeck said.
13/02/2012: Welcome function to raise funds for local kids
The official AUSTimber Welcome function will be held on Thursday 29 March 2012 at the prestigious Barn Steak House in Mount Gambier and hold a charity auction to raise funds for local disadvantaged children.
13/02/2012: Investment coup as Melbourne wins world leading training centre
Melbourne is home to a world-leading simulation training centre, the Executive Director of the Master Builders Association of Victoria (Master Builders), Brian Welch, said.
13/02/2012: Common sense decision for renewable energy
The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) has welcomed a decision by New South Wales independent MPs Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor to pass a motion to disallow recent regulations that ban native forest wood waste for renewable energy.
08/02/2012: Leading industry print magazines now online
Following 21 years as the major Australian forests and timber industry magazine and in line with current publishing trends, Australian Forests & Timber News is now available in both print and online on the forest and timber industries’ leading web portal, www.timberbiz.com.au.
08/02/2012: Bid to win State seat at coming elections
Simon Dorries, chief executive of the EWPAA, believes it’s time for him to try and make a difference in the political field and will be standing as a CanDo Candidate for seat of Woodridge in Queensland’s State elections on 24 March.
08/02/2012: Forestry conference will highlight importance of China
China is now the world’s largest importer of softwood logs and lumber, as reported by Wood Resources International. The importance of China to forestry’s export earnings will be a key focus at the Future Forestry Finance conference series.
06/02/2012: Forestry Tasmania would prefer to be developing new value added opportunities
By Bob Gordon
Managing Director, Forestry Tasmania
I note the Tasmanian Government's decision to release the first stage of the Strategic Review of Forestry Tasmania by consultants URS. Given that the timber industry in Tasmania is in the grip of a crisis, solutions can only be found if clear factual information is made readily available to the Tasmanian community, and it is my sincere hope the release of this report will go some way to achieving that outcome. I will not pretend that I agree completely with every line of the report, but in general terms it provides a useful synopsis of the challenges facing Forestry Tasmania and the wider Tasmanian timber industry.
06/02/2012: Forestry saga drags on
By Senator Richard Colbeck
When is enough enough? An Interim Conservation Agreement was signed last month between the State and Commonwealth Governments and didn't it produce a commotion!
06/02/2012: Tasmanian Premier taken to task over ‘lack of action’
Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings has been taken to task for her seeming lack of action over attacks on Ta Ann.
06/02/2012: Space scientist to speak at timber conference
An internationally renowned, award winning space scientist will be speaking at the AUSTimber 2012 Forestworks’ conference in Mount Gambier, 29 March 2012.
06/02/2012: Online education and training can change the game for wood products industry
Associate Professor Greg Nolan, Director of the University of Tasmania’s Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW), predicts that online education and training can change the game for the Australian and New Zealand timber and wood products industry.
06/02/2012: Weekend programs teach forest facts to families
Forests NSW has launched a new program of weekend and school holiday activities at Cumberland State Forest at West Pennant Hills to encourage people to learn more about forests. Activities will be run in school holidays and every Sunday morning.
06/02/2012: Sandalwood plantations on the rise
TFS Corporation Ltd has entered into a contract to buy another property as it attempts to expand its Sandalwood plantations.
01/02/2012: US bid for ForestrySA
The Future Fund is helping to finance a move by United States timber investment manager The Campbell Group in a A$600 million offer for South Australian forestry assets.
01/02/2012: Mill staff stood down
McKay's Timber, the largest family-owned sawmill in Tasmania’s south, has stood down 30 of its workers - about a third its staff.
01/02/2012: Forestry Tasmania comes out fighting
Forestry Tasmania has come out swinging in the latest round of the fight with anti-forestry activists. FT managing director Bob Gordon landed some heavy blows when he released a report entitled Forest management in Tasmania - the Truth.
01/02/2012: Banks give Gunns respite
THE ANZ Bank and nine other banks have extended Gunns Limited's $340 million senior debt and $200 million working capital facility until December 31, 2012, according to Nick Clark writing in The Mercury.
01/02/2012: The Native Forest Biomass for Bio-energy Forum
Timber Communities Australia has issued an invitation to attend the ‘Native forest biomass for bio-energy forum; social, environmental and economic considerations’ on 7 March.
01/02/2012: Victorian Native Hardwood Residual Timber - Request for Proposals
VicForests is seeking markets for approximately 837,000 tonnes per annum of residual log material, available from Victoria's commercial native forest estate.
01/02/2012: Softwood joint venture sale approved
On a more positive note, we are pleased to advise that the sale of the softwood joint venture plantations was finalised today. The Deputy Premier Bryan Green and Forestry Tasmania's chairman Adrian Kloeden announced back in early December that Taswood Growers had reached agreement to sell rights to the plantation estate to Sydney based firm New Forests for $156m. The sale process, which included Foreign Investment Review Board approval, was finalised today, and our share of the proceeds will be used to retire debt.
01/02/2012: Illegal logging information sessions
The Australian Government will be holding public information sessions around the country to inform industry and other interested parties on the Illegal Logging Prohibition Bill 2011 that was introduced into Parliament on 23 November 2011.
25/01/2012: Wood chip exports from Latin America reached a record high in 2011
Wood chip exports from Latin America are on track to reach a record high of almost eight million tons in 2011, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly.
25/01/2012: Scholarships & Prizes – applications still open
FWPA has three Scholarships and Prizes that remain open for application until 31 January 2012.
25/01/2012: Tasmania’s sham forest deal should be torn up, says Senator
“THE CURRENT debate over who should be doing what, if anything, in 430,000ha of possible High Conservation Value Tasmanian forest actually highlights a much more serious issue with the Tasmanian forests agreements– it’s a sham deal and it should be torn up,” says Coalition Forestry Spokesman Senator Richard Colbeck.
25/01/2012: New light on the opportunities for precision forestry
The AUSTimber 2012 Forestworks’ conference ‘Precision Forestry in action’ intends to be hard hitting and controversial, casting new light on the opportunities for precision forestry in action.
23/01/2012: Winning by cooperation
THE MOST important international meeting of the forestry sector in 2012 is calling for Australian and Kiwi forest industry people to get involved.
23/01/2012: Further land acquisitions
TFS Corporation has entered into a contract to purchase the farming property known as “Midway Station” in the Katherine region of the Northern Territory for $4,450,000.
23/01/2012: Scientists help tackle forest pests with genomics
SIMON FRASER University Beedie School of Business professor Jeremy Hall is leading the social science research component in a new project dedicated to significantly reducing forest pests in Canada, and ultimately globally.
23/01/2012: The latest in forestry and logging on show
FOREXPO, THE European forestry and logging show, will take place at the heart of the largest European reforestation project, Mimizan, in the Landes, from 6 - 8 June 2012.
23/01/2012: Put yourself in the driver’s seat
LITA TRAINING has committed to a number of exciting career development opportunities at AUSTimber 2012.
18/01/2012: Chips become new income-generating source
IN THE tapioca business, Sang Thai Bangpakong is second to none in terms of sales, volume and its more than four decades of service and it uses the same facilities to process and export wood chips. Source: Timberbiz
18/01/2012: Parlay with Marlay
Just prior to Christmas, David Marlay completed a long and successful career with Hyne - for the last several years as General Manager, Marketing . Does that mean he's going to go fishing for ever? Oh no! With many good memories of his experiences and of the special friends made in the timber industry over the past 35 years, it may come as no surprise that he's not hanging out the ‘retired‘ shingle just yet. Source: TPAA
18/01/2012: The CFA Young Forester Award
The Commonwealth Forestry Association (CFA) has launched the Young Forester Award 2012.
18/01/2012: World’s largest sandalwood plantation established in Western Australia
PERTH-BASED company WA Sandalwood Plantations has established what is believed to be the world’s largest single sandalwood plantation east of Perth in the State’s central wheatbelt.
With site preparation work completed in April, more than five million trees have been planted on 2200 hectares.
16/01/2012: FWPA Scholarship applications closing 31 January 2012.
Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) is offering a number of opportunities to students to support their studies in the forest and wood products sector in 2012. These programs have been developed as part of FWPA’s commitment to building skills capacity to promote careers in the forest and wood products industry.
16/01/2012: Industry supply must continue following Conservation Agreement
The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) says the signing of the Conservation Agreement between the Federal and Tasmanian State Governments today was a step forward, but reiterated the importance that the supply of logs to industry be guaranteed.
16/01/2012: MILESTONE IN TASMANIAN FORESTRY AGREEMENT
The signing of an interim Conservation Agreement is another major milestone for the Tasmanian Forests Agreement that will provide certainty to industry while protecting high conservation value forests, the Minister for Energy and Resources, Bryan Green said.
11/01/2012: Winning by cooperation
THE MOST important international meeting of the forestry sector in 2012 is calling for Australian and Kiwi forest industry people to get involved.
11/01/2012: Help us keep you safe in State forests
With warm temperatures and fire conditions starting to pick up again across south-east NSW, Forests NSW is reminding visitors and the local community to take care in State forests. Source: Timberbiz
Australian Forestry News, Association News
06/09/2012: Breakfast with plenty of ‘meet’
The Frame & Truss Manufacturers Association (FTMA) has turned its hand to serving breakfast with a menu chock-a-block with food and information to keep its members satisfied. The event will be run concurrently with the FTMA’s annual general meeting. Source: Timberbiz
Australian Forestry News, Events
05/02/2013: Canberra for IFA national conference
‘Managing our Forests into the 21st Century' is the theme for the Institute of Foresters of Australia (IFA) national conference in Canberra from 7-11 April. Source: Timberbiz
Australian Forestry News, Health & Safety
03/07/2012: New restrictions for treated timber
New restrictions on the use of copper chrome arsenate (CCA) for treating timber came into place from 1 July 2012. Source: Timberbiz
Australian Forestry News, Overseas Forestry News
Events
17/01/2013: Dutch forestry enthusiast leads way to Elmia Wood
AT ELMIA Wood 2009 Dutch nationals were the third-largest group of foreign visitors from outside the Nordic area. Yet the Netherlands is better known for growing tomatoes and tulips than trees. The man behind this interest in the fair is Johan Burgers, Elmia Wood’s first ambassador. Source: Timberbiz
19/06/2012: Forte already turns two - storeys
Andrew Neiland of Lend Lease has said that the first two storeys of its Forte cross laminated timber (CLT) building have been constructed and the project is going to schedule. Mr Neiland presented an update at the Frame Australia Conference. Source: Timberbiz
19/06/2012: MiTek SAPPHIRE ipad app
MiTek has already announced SAPPHIRE, the company’s “whole of house” software program. At the Frame Australia conference the company announced that there is also an ipad app specially configured to work with SAPPHIRE to use onsite. Source: Timberbiz
19/06/2012: Frame Conference now on
This week the national Frame Australia 2012 conference has been running at the Park Hyatt in Melbourne. This is the 14th conference and organizer Kevin Ezard said that this year there is a record number of participants. Source: Timberbiz
01/03/2012: Materials handling solutions for the timber industry
FOR THE first time Combilift Australia coupled with Adaptalift Hyster will be exhibiting at AUSTimber 2012 in Mount Gambier, 29-31 March. Visit Combilift Australia on stand S19 in the outdoor area where there will be various products on show designed and built specifically for the timber industries needs and applications in mind.
28/02/2012: Perfect balance on World Forestry Day
World Forestry day has been a major event on the forestry calendar since the concept emerged at the General Assembly of the European Confederation of Agriculture in 1971.
20/02/2012: Planet Ark announces winners of national ‘Snap Some Wood’ photo competition
Photographs of a former asylum in Queensland, a picturesque jetty in Albany and a magical Tasmanian gorge have been named winners of Planet Ark’s national photography competition ‘Snap Some Wood’.
20/02/2012: Australian and world record holder will inspire at AUSTimber Welcome Function charity auction
AUSTimber 2012 organisers are excited to announce that Michael Milton – world and Australian record holder, Australia’s fastest skier ever, cyclist, trekker, triathlete, Paralympian, Olympian - will be the speaker for the AUSTimber Welcome Function charity auction on 29 March.
15/02/2012: Part of a critically important chain
“Each time we choose to build in wood, we are part of a critically important chain of responsibility that will see the elegance of the living tree through to a new life in a building.” That’s the way Jim Taggart, Dipl. Arch., M.A.,FRAIC, sees it and he will be a keynote speaker at NZIF 2012 Conference "Engineering Value Growing & Harvesting Forests for Novel Wood Structures" to be held in Christchurch from 1-4 July.
15/02/2012: State of Origin extra for Wood Preservation 2012
Details of the Wood Preservation 2012 event have been circulated now to industry. Last run in April 2009, the 2012 program runs in Melbourne on 23-24 May 2012. As an extra for those attending the Wood Preservation 2012 event this year the organisers in conjunction with local industry have added a bonus to the two-day program.
13/02/2012: Wood Preservation 2012 programs confirmed
Three years have passed since the last Australasian wood preservation event ran for local wood treatment operations. “In 2009, we had over 200 delegates participating in the Forest Industry Engineering (FIEA) technology series” says Brent Apthorp, FIEA Director.
General Industry News
Health & Safety
Overseas Forestry News
23/05/2013: Deforestation addressed in Spain
Centuries of deforestation have turned Spain's forests into barren scrublands, making them vulnerable to erosion. But volunteers are working to revive the landscape and protect local water sources. Source: DW.DE
23/05/2013: Award winning elm film
Forty years ago Dutch elm disease swept through Britain killing millions of trees. Now a conservation charity, which helped bring elm trees back to the streets of Fitzrovia has won an award for its short film about London elms. Source: Fitzrovia
21/05/2013: Big three US timber REITs
With homebuilding stocks on a tear over the past 12 months, what are some other industries that could be big benefactors from the surge in housing? Source: Seeking Alpha
21/05/2013: Illegal logging in Malaysia less than 1%
The problem of illegal logging in the Malaysian peninsula is under control according to Forestry Department director-general (peninsula) Professor Datuk Dr Abd Rahman Abd Rahim. Source: AsiaOne News
16/05/2013: Ireland to focus on tree growth
Despite being in the depths of a global economic recession, timber has never been in greater demand for use both in construction and as an energy source. Source: Irish Independent
16/05/2013: Paper cuts hurt in Finland
In the wake of mobile giant Nokia's spectacular fall, another pillar of the Finnish economy is struggling to adapt to the digital age: the paper industry. Source: The Nation
14/05/2013: Timber seized in Indonesia
Police seized 115 containers with more than 2264 cubic meters of Merbau logs with an estimated street value of US$8.2 million at Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya, East Java. Source: The Jakarta Post
14/05/2013: Five star tree houses in UK
As English country house hotels go, Chewton Glen is one of the more traditional – a slice of five-star luxury on the edge of the New Forest in Hampshire. Source: Illawarra Mercury
09/05/2013: US advisers say invest in Latvian forestry
A number of US investment advisers are encouraging clients to purchase forestry properties in Europe. Source: KMS Baltics
09/05/2013: US hardwood council backs EU timber regulations
The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), an international trade association for the American hardwood industry, has announced its support and endorsement of the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR), which came into effect in March this year and aims to eradicate illegal timber trade within the EU. Sources: Zawya, Timberbiz
07/05/2013: Hungry moths killing trees and harming humans
Scientists are fighting to stop a poisonous caterpillar from threatening to kill off thousands of oak trees. Source: Mail Online
07/05/2013: Chinese plywood faces anti-dumping in US
The US Department of Commerce has issued preliminary antidumping duty rates ranging from 22.14% to 63.96% in its ongoing investigation of Chinese-made hardwood plywood. Source: Furniture Today
02/05/2013: North America starts work on its tallest timber building
Construction is due to commence on North America’s tallest timber building, the Wood Innovation and Design Centre (WIDC) in British Columbia. Source: DesignBuildSource
02/05/2013: Jakarta hosts transnational meeting to stop illegal logging
Law enforcement officials from Indonesia and six other countries have gathered in Jakarta to discuss greater transnational cooperation to tackle illegal logging and other forestry crimes. The Jakarta Globe
30/04/2013: Indonesia reclassifying protected forest as production forest
The Indonesian government has said it aims to approve within a month a plan that would free up protected virgin rainforest on Sumatra island for commercial exploitation. Source: Channel News Asia
30/04/2013: Will the Canandian agreement stand test of time?
Back before the oil sands became the environmental movement’s preferred symbol of Canadian delinquency, sparking Greenpeace demonstrations at our embassies in Europe and arrests outside the White House, it was our forest industry that got all the bad press abroad. Source: The Globe and Mail
26/04/2013: Canadians use social media to recruit students
The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) has successfully used social media to recruit deserving students to work this summer at leading forest products companies. Source: Newswire CNW
26/04/2013: Wood pellet exports from US reach record highs
Exportation of wood pellets from North America to Europe reached a new record of 3.2 million tons in 2012, with US exporters more than doubling their shipments, according to the North American Wood Fiber Review. Source: Timberbiz
18/04/2013: Forest ecology: Splinters of the Amazon
Decades after Thomas Lovejoy isolated fragments of the Brazilian rainforest in a grand experiment, researchers are building on his legacy around the world. Source: Nature News
18/04/2013: Russian forests and tigers left floored by illegal logging
The forests of the Russian Far East are being pushed to the brink of destruction due to pervasive, large-scale illegal logging, largely to supply Chinese furniture and flooring manufacturers, according to a new report by WWF-Russia. Source: World Wildlife Fund
16/04/2013: Abstract wooden show
And now for something very different – modern timber art in abstract displays, including one where you put your head through a panel and watch a piece of wood being drilled. You can take the drilled piece home as a memento. Source: Artinfo
16/04/2013: Obama renews funding for bioenergy
The Department of Energy announced that it would continue to fund its three bioenergy research centres for another five years. The funding is subject to congressional appropriations. Here are the details. Source: Yahoo News
11/04/2013: International Paper joins with conservation groups
International Paper Inc. and a forest conservation group announced a plan to protect endangered forests in key paper-producing areas of the South of the US. Source: Ventura County Star
11/04/2013: Finland’s chapel of silence
Wood has long been used in acoustic architecture for its ability to absorb unwanted noise but many architects believe it holds even more potential than most people think. Certainly in Finland one group has built and designed a haven in wood.
09/04/2013: Is biomass really the fuel of the future?
Which source of renewable energy is most important to the European Union? Solar power, perhaps? The answer is neither. By far the largest so-called renewable fuel used in Europe is wood. Source: The Economist
09/04/2013: Global sawlog prices
Sawlog prices in North and Central Europe have trended downward the past two years, while prices in Eastern Europe have increased slightly, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly. Source: Scoop Independent News
04/04/2013: Signatories against merger of Forestry Commission England
The Woodland Trust and forestry body Confor have brought together 17 signatories to a letter to Defra Secretary of State Owen Paterson, calling on him not to merge Forestry Commission England with Natural England or the Environment Agency. Source: Horticulture Week (UK)
04/04/2013: Bamboo bikes a big hit overseas
Yorkshire-based Bamboo Bikes has added a cyclocross model to their bow, alongside their standard 26in-wheel mountain bike. Source: Bike Radar
02/04/2013: Canada building code changes to allow wooden condos
Canada’s forestry sector is touting a new generation of high-tech lumber as a way to gain a foothold in a part of the construction industry from which it has long been shut out: condominiums. Source: The Globe and Mail
02/04/2013: US Forest Service demands millions in pay back
The US Forest Service’s demands that rural timber counties pay back millions of dollars in federal subsidies under automatic budget cuts have outraged members of Congress from both parties and caused concern in those counties with struggling economies. Source: The Washington Post
28/03/2013: International wood fibre conference in Turkey
With just under two weeks left to go, 227 participants from 35 countries have signed up to attend the 6th International Wood Fibre Resources and Trade Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, from April 8-10. Source: Timberbiz
28/03/2013: Plywood market report
A new market research report analyzing markets for plywood is now available. Source: Reportlinker
26/03/2013: Forest leads US recovery
Lumber prices hit an eight-year high last week, thanks in large part to the US housing market thawing out after a long deep freeze and rising overseas demand. Source: MSN Money
26/03/2013: Chinese implements to get the chop
A National People’s Congress member has highlighted the dire situation of China's deforestation during a parliamentary meeting, saying that the country produces as many as 80 billion pairs of disposable chopsticks each year. Source: South China Morning Post
21/03/2013: Hong Kong ships chase logs for export
The combination of Chinese demand for homes, New Zealand’s pine forests and a Russian tax have been a boon amid an industry slump for Pacific Basin Shipping Hong Kong’s largest dry-bulk carrier. Source: Bloomberg
21/03/2013: Giant petrified trees found in Thailand
Fossil trees that approached the heights of today’s tallest redwoods have been found in northern Thailand. Source: Discovery News
19/03/2013: New forestry battle in the Solomons
Asian loggers … one step ahead of government in a new forestry battle in the Solomon Islands. Source: Islands Business
19/03/2013: Dial before you dig, call before you cut
The Missouri Department of Conservation recommends that landowners considering a timber sale “Call Before You Cut” to get professional advice that can help them maximize benefits to their wallets, families and land. Source: Daily Journal Online
13/03/2013: New book showcases Malaysian timber
The latest publication from Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) titled ‘Re-Think: A New Paradigm for Malaysian Timber’ showcases a collection of beautiful timber projects. Source: Borneo Post
13/03/2013: Vietnamese timber products win overseas favour
Australia’s Midway Tasmania Wood Imports director Wayne Smith believes Vietnamese timber products boast better quality for lower prices than comparable products. Source: VietNamNet
12/03/2013: New study says tropical forests resilient to climate change
The world's tropical forests are less likely to lose biomass, or plant material, this century due to the effects of global warming than previously thought, scientists said in a paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience. Sources: Reuters, Sydney Morning Herald
07/03/2013: Global Timber and Wood Products Market Update
Log imports to China from New Zealand and the US were up 26% in the second half of 2012 from the 1H/12, and Chinese log prices reached new record highs. Source: Scoop News
05/03/2013: RISI program dates for 2013
RISI, a leading information provider for the global forest products industry, has announced dates and locations for its 2013 conference schedule. Source: The Sacramento Bee
05/03/2013: World Forests Summit on now
The World Forests Summit, hosted by The Economist, is where CEOs, government ministers, scientists and activists will meet to discuss the framework for future sustainable management of this global resource. Source: The Economist
28/02/2013: Asian bank rolls Heart of Borneo
Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing nearly US$4.5 million to help conserve one of the world’s most critical but threatened forest areas in the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. Source: The Jakarta Post
28/02/2013: Ireland to sell off forest to pay debts
A dark cloud is looming over Ireland’s forests. Under the terms of its 67.5 billion euro international bailout, the government is being forced to sell off assets and has decided to sell harvesting rights to timber as a way of raising cash. Source: The Washington Post
26/02/2013: Placing a dollar value on priceless trees
Next month, a federal court judge will try to put a value on something that’s somewhat priceless, trees stolen from the Olympic National Forest in the US. Source: Seattle Times
26/02/2013: This fireplace rules
In Oslo, Norway a TV program aired on the topic of firewood, it consisted mostly of people in parkas chatting and chopping and then eight hours of a fire burning in a fireplace. Sources: The Age, The New York Times
21/02/2013: INTERPOL hits illegal loggers in the South Americas
One-hundred-and-ninety-seven illegal loggers across a dozen Central and South American countries were arrested during INTERPOL's first strike against widespread forestry crime. Source: Mongabay
21/02/2013: India is wood’s next frontier
India's wood fiber deficit is forecast to more than double between 2011 and 2021 placing increased emphasis on imports, according to a study released today by RISI, a leading information provider for the global forest products industry. Source: Timberbiz
19/02/2013: Uganda timber prices escalate
Timber prices have doubled in the last two years, following increasing demand in the construction industry. Source: New Vision (Uganda)
19/02/2013: Earth Hour helps forests in Uganda
Earth Hour forest Preparations across the globe kick-off for Earth Hour 2013 with the creation of the world's first Earth Hour Forest in the East African nation of Uganda. Source: Scoop
14/02/2013: Wood tops the list in UK building
Wood is back on Britain's building agenda after Hackney council followed Europe's lead in introducing timber in its sustainable project policy. Source: Construction Digital
14/02/2013: Sudan turns to teak
One of the hardest woods in the world may help to soften the effects of conflict over oil in East Africa. Source: The National
12/02/2013: Taiwan’s tree man
With his blue stetson and thick grey jacket, Lai Pei-yuan looks like a modern-day cowboy, but rather than raising cattle, he grows trees. Sources: Australian Network News, ABC
12/02/2013: UK close to implementing EU timber legislation
From next month companies will have to ensure they only sell wood that has been legally logged from known sources in the UK. Source: Business Green
07/02/2013: Green dream for Canadian youth
The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), with support from the Government of Canada, has launched TheGreenestWorkforce.ca, a resource tool for information on direction of the industry and career opportunities. Source: The Sacramento Bee
07/02/2013: Asia Pulp Paper no longer to log virgin forests
Conservationists say they are suspicious of an announcement by one of the world's biggest pulp and paper companies that it will no longer log virgin rainforest. Source: ABC News
05/02/2013: James Hardie rebuilds America
James Hardie joins 84 Lumber's “We Build American” initiative, along with builders and more than 180 companies in more than 40 states that sell American made building materials and products.
05/02/2013: US housing lifts lumber
There was a higher lumber demand in the US in the third quarter of 2012, but sawlog prices have remained unchanged since 2011. Source: Wood Resource Quarterly
31/01/2013: 100 companies report on their forest footprints
One hundred companies have reported on the impact of their operations on the world's forests. Source: Monga Bay
31/01/2013: Timber shortage in Fiji
Timber shortage and infrastructure damage caused by Tropical Cyclone Evan are among some of the biggest issues facing the Fiji Pine Group of Companies. Source: The Fiji Times Online
29/01/2013: Plastic fantastic from bio-based products
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed a technique to significantly improve the quality of bio-based plastic packaging. Source: Timberbiz
29/01/2013: Partnership for environmental supply chain
Norske Skog and the environmental foundation Bellona signed a partnership agreement to create a more environmentally friendly supply chain. Source: Timberbiz
24/01/2013: SVLK certificate for Indonesia
The Jakarta government said timber and its by products that have obtained a Timber Legality Verification System (SVLK) certificate will not have to go through a system of due diligence when they are exported to the European Union (EU) in March. Source: The Jakarta Post
24/01/2013: Real estate investment trusts in timber
Rayonier is not the highest-profile business in Jacksonville in the US but its corporate fingers spread far and wide. Source: The Florida Times Union, Equities.com
22/01/2013: Forest certification key to sustainability of biomass
Woody biomass is becoming a major part of the renewable energy portfolio, with PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) leading the discussion on necessary adaptations to strengthen the link between sustainable biomass and forest certification. Source: Timberbiz
08/01/2013: Logging company flouts Liberian President's timber export ban
Logging company Atlantic Resources has shipped millions of dollars worth of illegal timber from Liberia in breach of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's August order to halt timber exports, the London-based Global Witness has revealed. These are the most significant illegal log exports since the timber-fuelled civil wars of the Charles Taylor era, and threaten to undermine the progress the President has made in bringing order to the forest sector. Source: Timberbiz
20/12/2012: China launches African agriculture, forestry research center
China's first research institution on African agriculture and forestry was launched in east China's Zhejiang Province on Sunday. Source: Shanghai Daily.com
20/12/2012: CCTV cameras protecting Christmas trees
CCTV cameras installed to catch thieves stealing Christmas trees in County Durham have themselves been stolen. Source: BBC News
20/12/2012: Holiday traditions: Apples, ornaments and upsidedown Christmas trees
No holiday season has more traditions than Christmas, but few of us have any idea about their origins. Did you know that Germany and France are responsible for many of our yuletide rituals? This is a special Christmas item from Bob Taylor, Washington Times Communities.
20/12/2012: Sprinkler system developed for frame sites
Trials are set to begin early next year on a self-contained modular sprinkler system to protect timber frame construction sites. Source: Timber Trades Journal Online
18/12/2012: EU shuts Nigeria from timber market
The European Union will no longer allow timber products from Nigeria into the its markets as from March 2013, according to a Nigerian official. Source: Leadership NG
18/12/2012: Christmas tree is a monster
To millions of people, the Christmas tree is a cheerful sight. To scientists who decipher the DNA codes of plants and animals, it's a monster. Apart from their Yuletide popularity, they play big roles in the lumber industry and in healthy forest ecosystems. Source: Grand Forks Herald
13/12/2012: Climate change is killing the world’s oldest trees
Colorado’s old lodgepoles aren’t the only forest giants that are dying. Around the world, the biggest, oldest trees that harbor and sustain countless birds and other wildlife are meeting the same fate. Source: Think Progress
13/12/2012: Germans to build largest mill in North America
The owner of an Allendale lumber mill is joining environmentalists in questioning whether the state can handle a mill as large as the one being proposed for Rowesville. German-based Klausner Holding USA is considering placing a lumber mill on approximately 248 acres at 3374 Rowesville Road, between Rowesville and Orangeburg. Source: The T&D
11/12/2012: Swedish sawmills close as outlook grim
SCA Timber is to close two of its seven sawmills with the loss of 98 jobs citing the worst economic conditions for Swedish sawmilling in 40 years. Source: TTJ Online
11/12/2012: Go to Canada for timber jobs
The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) has welcomed an announcement by the Minister of Citizen, Immigration and Multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, concerning a new Federal Skilled Trades Program to help address labour shortages in skilled trades. Source: The Sacramento Bee
06/12/2012: Timber generates power in Germany
Getting a wind turbine to a decent height to allow it to reach stronger winds than those found closer to the ground generally means sitting them atop a tower. Despite the eco-credentials of wind turbines, these towers are usually constructed from steel. Source: DesignBuildSource
06/12/2012: Indonesia approves rainforest conservation
Indonesia yesterday approved a rainforest conservation project that sets aside an area roughly the size of Singapore and rewards investors with tradeable carbon credits in the first of its kind to win formal backing in the country. Source: Business Times Asia-Pacific
04/12/2012: FSC has varying sustainability standards
As organizations like the Federal Trade Commission issue revised guides to help ensure marketers make accurate claims about their products' environmental benefits, the American Consumer Institute (ACI) Center for Citizen Research today issued a new report that compares competing forest certification systems. Sources: International Business Times, American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research
04/12/2012: Illegal wood found in Chinese hands
The preservation of the world's forests is in China's hands according to an environmental campaign group that is accusing the biggest wood importer and consumer of fuelling the illegal timber trade. Sources: Mysinchew, Construction Source
29/11/2012: Scientists pinpoint activities driving deforestation
For the first time scientists have assessed the main activities driving deforestation and forest degradation at the national level in most developing countries — providing essential information for countries negotiating climate change policies at this fortnight’s UN climate talks in Doha. Source: Alert Net
29/11/2012: The EU’s ‘voluntary’ coercion
The EU is stalling on a timber legality agreement with Indonesia. Indonesia should consider economic retaliation. Indonesia’s forestry officials are wondering why the EU has stalled a complex, multi-year program that enables Indonesian wood and paper producers to demonstrate that their products are legal. Source: The Jakarta Post
27/11/2012: Rosewood sparks gunfights and corruption in Asia
A Thai force dubbed the "Rambo Army" couldn't stop the gangs, armed with battlefield weaponry, as they scoured the forests. Neither could an activist, gunned down when he came to investigate. Nor, apparently, can governments across Southeast Asia. Source: Kitsap Sun
27/11/2012: More aggressive approach needed to survive
The younger generation of timber players must continually strive to develop innovative and sophisticated timber-based products in order to thrive in the market that has grown very competitive of late. Source: Timberbiz
22/11/2012: Certifying Vietnam’s plantations to help smallholders profit
If Vietnam wants its timber producers to benefit from the growing eco-conscious and more lucrative international furniture market, national forest institutions should look for ways to get smallholder plantation forests certified, said Louis Putzel, a senior scientist at the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). Source: CIFOR
22/11/2012: OH&S safety accord welcomed
An enthusiastic reception greeted the launch of the newly formed Forest Industry Safety Accord. Source: Institute of Occupational Health and Safety UK
20/11/2012: Ghana to import timber from Cameroun
Ghana has concluded discussions with Cameroun for the importation of timber to increase raw material supply in the timber industry said Mr Mike Hammah, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources. Source: Ghana Newsagency
20/11/2012: US CLT earns international code approval
The International Code Council (ICC) has approved the American Wood Council's (AWC) proposed code change to expand the use of cross laminated timber (CLT) in nonresidential buildings. Source: Building-products.com
15/11/2012: Wales' wood works in new panel system
An innovative timber construction system being developed in Wales, in the UK could revolutionise the building sector and open up major new markets for farm grown wood. Source: Farm Guardian
15/11/2012: Asia Pulp & Paper secures certification
Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) announced it secured SVLK certification for all of its nine mills. SVLK is the Indonesian Wood Legality Verification System, and APP confirmed that the full scope of its operations is now SVLK certified, meeting the highest global standards for wood legality. Source: Financial Post
13/11/2012: Canadians onboard the wooden train with awards
Canadian architecture is jumping on board the recent trend toward wooden structures. Newly developed engineering processes have revolutionised the use of timber in structures, making it hardier and far more workable than ever before for large-scale urban development. Source: Design Build Source
13/11/2012: Zambia suspends timber licences to protect forests
The Zambian government has suspended all timber licences to protect the depleting forests around the country. Meanwhile, Parliament heard that more than 25 million trees equivalent to 20,000 hectares will be planted during the 2012/2013 tree planting season to help address depleting forests. Source: The Times of Zambia
08/11/2012: Ash dieback spreads as government makes plans
The spread of the deadly fungus threatening British ash trees cannot be stopped, a leading Government scientist has said, and Britain’s woods and forests will have to undergo major change as a result. Source: The Independent
08/11/2012: Canadian government backs timber industry
The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) is asking the federal government to use Budget 2013 to continue to build on the existing momentum of innovation and transformation in the job-rich forest sector. Source: Sacramento Bee
06/11/2012: Viet Nam and Europe plan agreement on timber
Nguyen Ton Quyen, general secretary of the Viet Nam Timber and Forest Product Association (VIFORES), said there are currently about 300 timber processing handicraft villages in Viet Nam, creating jobs for 300,000 labourers. – Source: Vietnam News
06/11/2012: Ash dieback disease invades UK
A deadly fungus disease threatening ash trees in Britain may be impossible to eradicate, a government scientist has said. Ash dieback disease, or chalara fraxinea, has been confirmed at 52 locations across the United Kingdom. Source: UPI
01/11/2012: Austrian Cree starts up in US
Austrian green building firm CREE GmbH has opened US operations in San Francisco, CREE Buildings. The company's timber and concrete hybrid technology enables architects to design wood buildings up to 30 stories, that can be erected as quickly as a story a day. Source: Azocleantech
01/11/2012: US storm to boost timber trade
The US lumber futures hit a 19-month high amid expectations for demand to surge as thousands of homes, damaged by the superstorm Sandy, are rebuilt in the coming months. Source: Reuters
30/10/2012: Congo line of illegal timber
Officials in Democratic Republic of Congo are colluding with foreign logging firms to support illegal logging, harming local communities and risking the destruction of the world's second largest forest, according to a report by a campaign group. Source: The West Australian
30/10/2012: Actor promotes straw paper
Actor Woody Harrelson is supporting a company called Prairie Pulp and Paper that produces paper made from waste wheat straw. Harrelson said he wants to get in on the movement that will see North America's first non-wood pulp-and-paper mill set up. Source: The Canadian Press, CBC News
25/10/2012: Viet Nam timber imports rising
Timber imports are on the rise in Viet Nam, as local supply has not met demand according to Huynh Van Hanh, deputy chairman of the Handicrafts and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Min City (Hawa). Source: Viet Nam News
25/10/2012: Jamaica, no it imports its wood
Jamaica imports around US$3 billion worth of lumber each year, despite the island being known as the 'land of wood and water'. This has forced at least one local producer of lumber to appeal to more Jamaicans to invest in the planting of lumber trees. Source: Jamaica Observer
23/10/2012: Ghana 30,000 jobs lost in timber
About 60 local timber companies have collapsed in the last 10 years, leading to the loss of about 30,000 jobs in Ghana. Companies that had managed to survive the turbulence in the industry are currently producing below 50% capacity.
Source: Daily Graphic
23/10/2012: Russian sawlog prices
Wood Resources International LLC WRQ reported that domestic sawlog prices in Russia have gone up 25% in three years despite higher log export tariffs. Will they climb even higher now that Russia is a member of WTO? Source: Timberbiz
18/10/2012: Google Treemetrics to see the wood and the trees
There are two forestry entrepreneurs whose software is revolutionising the harvesting of timber. A UK company is leading a quiet revolution to change the global forestry industry. Source: Independent (UK)
18/10/2012: US now world’s biggest wood pellet exporter
The US surpassed Canada as the largest wood pellet exporter in the world in the first half of 2012, according to the North American Wood Fiber Review. The expansion of wood pellet capacity in the US South has enabled the growth. Source: Timberbiz
16/10/2012: Wood wins for heat and power and building
The University of British Columbia's (UBC) Bioenergy Research and Demonstration Facility is one of six Canadian projects picked as some of the 100 most innovative and inspiring urban infrastructure projects in the world in KPMG's Infrastructure 100: World Cities Edition. Source: The Journal of Commerce
16/10/2012: China demand drops for logs and lumber
Log and lumber imports to China were down 19% during first eight months of 2012, year-on-year, with the biggest declines seen of logs imported from Russia and the US reported the Wood Resource Quarterly. Source: Timberbiz
11/10/2012: Government does well in Canada
The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) congratulated the Government of Canada for the success of its Can$1Billion Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program (PPGTP) and for continued commitment to the ongoing transformation of the forest products sector. Source: Lesprom
11/10/2012: Timberland good buy not goodbye
According to a 2011 report published by Bank of America (BAC) timberland has produced annual returns that have often matched or outpaced the S&P 500 Index over the long term but with notably less risk. Source: Nasdaq
09/10/2012: Hybrid system wins in UK
Senior Architectural Systems’ award for ‘Best Building Envelop Product’ was presented for the company’s Hybrid Door, Window and Curtain Walling Systems at the Timber Expo in Coventry, England. Source: Specification Online (UK)
09/10/2012: DEAR house
Collaboration between acclaimed French designer Philippe Starck and Slovenian timber engineering specialists Riko will see the partners’ first sustainable prefabricated wooden house completed later this year. Source: Design Build Source
04/10/2012: Malaysia timber certification improved
The European Forest Institute (EFI) Malaysia's effort in improving the quality of its timber products via the certification scheme under Malaysian Timber Certification Council is a positive step forward. Source: Bernama
04/10/2012: New year taxes in California
Californian governor Jerry Brown signed legislation that charges consumers a 1% tax on lumber products starting in January 2013 and restricts damages landowners
pay for sparking wildfires. Source: Sacramento Bee
02/10/2012: INTERPOL report on black trade in timber
The list of crimes perpetrated by gangs involved in the trade of illegal timber is extensive. According to the "Green Carbon: Black Trade" report by INTERPOL and the United Nations' Environment Program, illegal logging has been linked to a rise in cases of murder, corruption, fraud and theft. Source: Radio Australia
02/10/2012: THRIVE in the US with wood composites
Weyerhaeuser in the US has announced that it has found a new market for tree fibres. The company has developed a new thermoplastic composite that incorporates specially engineered cellulose fibre. Source: Woodworking Network
27/09/2012: Russian forest study by UN released
The forest sector in the Russian Federation needs to use innovations and breakthrough technologies to maximise its potential as a global mitigator of climate change and an important source of timber, according to a new study by the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of the Russian Federation. Source: Food & Beverage News (India)
27/09/2012: UK to have a central information point for wood
Wood for Good, the timber industry sustainability and promotion campaign, has announced the start of a collaborative research and development project: Wood First Plus! The aim of the project is to create a central point of information. Source: Builders Merchants News (UK)
25/09/2012: Philippines struggles with Euro certification
Only 10 furniture exporters can meet the standards of the European Union's forestry certification system, the Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines said. Source: GMA News
25/09/2012: Malaysian timber show grows in size and stature
The MTC Global WoodMart (MGW) 2012 has enticed 110 exhibitors from as far away as Brazil, Canada, Chile, Finland, the UAE and Germany. Source: Borneo Post
20/09/2012: US publishers join for sustainable forests
Four leaders of the North American publishing industry announced that they would partner with the North American-based PEFC member Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) to promote the growth of certification to preserve and protect forests. Source: Timberbiz
20/09/2012: Wood fibre prices fall for second quarter
Wood fibre costs for the world’s pulp mills were down again in the second quarter of 2012. Prices for wood chips and pulp logs in both local currencies and in US dollars fell in most of the 17 regions tracked by the Wood Resource Quarterly. Source: Packaging Europe
18/09/2012: Japan’s lone pine felled for posterity
Japan's "miracle" lone pine tree, a symbol of hope after last year's horrendous tsunami was felled and delivered to a lumber mill in Yatomi, Aichi Prefecture. The company will start treating the trunk as part of preservation efforts. Source: Asahi Shimbun
18/09/2012: Indonesia wants Australia to drop timber bill
Indonesia has amplified its call for Australia to drop attempts at imposing restrictions on timber imports. Denny Lesmana, First Secretary for Economic Affairs at Indonesia’s embassy in Canberra, said he lamented Australia’s refusal to postpone the landmark timber trade bill. Sources: International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, BBC News, Australian Financial Review
13/09/2012: Belarus to increase processing facilities by 10
Ten processing facilities will come on stream in Belarus by 2015 according to Belarus Forestry Minister Mikhail Amelyanovich. The minister recalled that the head of state ordered to stop export of round timber by 2015 and to shift the focus on processing. Source: Belta (Belarus)
13/09/2012: Irish forestry calls for more plantations
The Irish Forestry and Forest Products Association (IFFPA) published its 2012 Annual Review. In 2011, 77% of the forest products, which were manufactured in Ireland were exported. However, the IFFPA said that the failure to reach Government afforestation targets meant that the industry may not have enough indigenous raw material in the coming years to meet demand. Sources: Irish Finance News, The Score (Ireland)
11/09/2012: Russia – China deal gains money and momentum
Russian Forest Products will receive at least $193 million in a deal that will allow it to produce products of greater added value than the logs it now exports mainly to China. Source: The Moscow Times
11/09/2012: Germans make first timber wind power generator
Wind power generators can be made from timber according to German company TimberTower GmbH. The company has a 100m high tower made from wood that saves around 300 tons of steel additionally, emissions generated in the manufacture of the towers are offset by the wood which acts as a carbon sink. Source: Energy Matters
06/09/2012: Timber chosen for Commonwealth Games
Stewart Milne Timber Systems has been awarded a major contract in support of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2014. The company will supply and erect the timber frames for 184 housing units in the purpose-built Athletes’ Village in Glasgow’s East End. Source: The Construction Index (UK)
06/09/2012: Liberia’s illegal logging under scrutiny
Environmental group Global Witness has been involved in investigating the destruction of forests in the developing world. Now the group has turned its attention to Liberia in South Africa with instant repercussions. Source: New York Times
04/09/2012: US pilot plant for wood material stronger than Kevlar
The Forest Products Laboratory of the US Forest Service has opened a $1.66 million (US$1.7 million) pilot plant for the production of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) from wood by-products materials such as wood chips and sawdust. Prepared properly CNCs are stronger and stiffer than Kevlar or carbon fibers. Source: Gizmag
04/09/2012: South African Arbor Week
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) in South Africa launched Arbor Week with the theme, "Our Forests - Our Future”. South Africa will be celebrating Arbor Week from 1-7 September to raise awareness about the importance and value of trees. Source: Timberbiz
30/08/2012: Russia in WTO means lower tariffs
Russia's membership to the World Trade Organization (WTO) is not expected to reflect in rising timber imports until next spring what it signals is a reduction in high tariffs on timber exports from Russia. Source: UUTISET
30/08/2012: What a racket!
Ashrita Furman, a New York based Guinness record holder has built a 50-feet-long tennis racket and claimed it to be the largest in the world. Furman and 20 others built the racket within seven days. Sources: Google News, The Economic Times
28/08/2012: Finland’s industry faces hard times
Finlandʼs sawn goods industry is facing increasingly hard times according to the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), this means that another recession is close.
The competitiveness of Finnish sawmills has weakened continuously since the beginning of the year and market share has decreased. Source: UUTISET
28/08/2012: Past 12 months sawlog prices down
Sawlog prices trended downward worldwide in past 12 months with the Global Sawlog Price Index (GSPI) falling 11% from the second quarter of 2011 to the second quarter of 2012, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly. The Index is based on sawlog prices in 20 regions around the world. Source: Wood Resources International
28/08/2012: Canadian companies profit from US and China
Canadian lumber producers West Fraser Timber (WFT) and Western Forest Products (WEF) have announced the biggest combined profit since 2006 as mills run at five year highs to feed the US housing rebound and near-record Chinese demand. Source: Bloomberg
23/08/2012: African forest symposium - focus on the future
The recent 5th Forest Science Symposium co-hosted by the Institute for Commercial Forestry Research (ICFR) and the South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries (DAFF) provided the southern African forest research community with an opportunity to interact and share knowledge around the diverse research being carried out across this important sector of the economy. Source: African Brains
23/08/2012: Pallet and packaging congress in Europe
The European Federation of Wooden Pallet and Packaging Manufacturers (FEFPEB) is holding its 63rd congress from 3-5 October 2012. The FEFPEB Secretariat said all 14 member countries would be represented to discuss progress on the main issues affecting the pallet and packaging business. Source: Packaging Europe
21/08/2012: Limber up your controller for Jack Lumber
So you don’t get enough of felling trees and chopping wood at work, take your work home with Jack Lumber, a new Sega game where players chop flying logs. While the end result - chopped wood - is the same, the tools will really put you to the test. Source: USA Today
21/08/2012: Ta Ann Holding earnings fall significantly
Ta Ann Holdings earnings fell 73.7% in the second quarter ended June 30, 2012 from a year ago due to lower sales by oil palm and timber segments, but the company expects the second half to be better. Source: The Star Online
16/08/2012: Resolute in planting one billion trees
Resolute Forest Products celebrated the planting of one billion trees at its forestry operations in northern Ontario, Canada. This achievement is the result of collective efforts made over the past 30 years by the company, its employees, numerous contractors and suppliers, and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Source: Lesprom Network.
16/08/2012: US recognizes greater Asian demand for lumber
Lumber prices are rising in the US because of greater demand in Asia, which is a sign of recovery in the international real estate market. The exchange traded fund for lumber, Claymore Beacon Global Timber Index has climbed more than 5.22% in market action for the month. Source: Nasdaq
14/08/2012: Forestry cover in Belize threatened by Guatemala
Whereas Belize, located in South America, has upheld forest preservation efforts, its immediate western neighbor Guatemala is grappling with one of the highest deforestation rates in Central America. The deforestation problem now appears to be extending into Belizean forests. Source: Amandala (Belize)
14/08/2012: Vietnam forests suffering from agriculture
Vietnam's forests, depleted by illegal logging, encroachment, mining and hydropower projects as well as bad management, have been struggling with another threat – the agriculture sector. Source: VietNamNet
09/08/2012: Wooden compute?
Employees at the MicroPro Company in Ireland, working in collaboration with colleagues at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM in Berlin, have engineered a wooden-frame computer with reduced environmental impacts. Source: Product Design & Development
09/08/2012: Gibson pays the piper for illegal timber
The US government has settled its legal case against the Gibson Guitar company over use of illegal timber from Madagascar in its instruments. Nashville-based Gibson, whose products are used by artists in every genre of music, will pay a US$300,000 ($284,000) fine and a US$50,000 ($47,000) community payment. Source: BBC News
07/08/2012: UK to promote forestry with new agency
the UK, the Forestry Commission is on the hunt for new agencies to help as part of a landmark rethink of its communications work. The organisation is looking to bring in agencies to handle PR for the whole of England in a brief worth £750,000 overall. Source: PR Week (UK)
07/08/2012: Euro rules preclude Thai timber
The Thai timber and wood product industry will be hurt by the European Union's strict new regulations on timber imports according to the president of the Thai Parawood Association (TPA). The EU has introduced legislation banning the import of illegally felled timber. Source: The Bangkok Post
02/08/2012: Commercialization of shrub willow as bioenergy crop
The commercialization of shrub willow as a bioenergy crop could be years closer, thanks to a $1.37 million grant that will allow Cornell researchers to take advantage of the newly mapped shrub willow genome to study hybrid vigor and yield. Source: R&D Mag (US)
02/08/2012: Indonesia behind with certification
Indonesia is urging its national timber industry to immediately verify their timber production. Director of Education on Processing and Marketing of Forest Products at the Forestry Ministry, Dwi Sudharto, said verification under the Timber Legality Verification System (SVLK) must be done so that timber products are considered legal. Source: Tempo Interactive
31/07/2012: Nanoscience to benefit wood adhesives
Research to improve wood adhesives through the use of nanotechnology earned Dr Joseph Jakes a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).
Jakes is a research materials engineer and his exploration of wood at the nanoscale has resulted in the development of new high-performance wood-based composite materials, including those utilizing nanocellulose. Source: Woodworking Network
31/07/2012: PNG logging report damning
Papua New Guinea's new government has been handed a report into an alleged giveaway of the country's tropical forests. The present caretaker prime minister, Mr Peter O'Neill, initiated a commission of inquiry into controversial forestry concessions granted over the previous decade when Sir Michael Somare held power. Sources: Sydney Morning Herald, ABC Radio, The Australian
26/07/2012: Asia Pulp & Paper achieves US and EU certification
Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) announced that its production mills are achieving SVLK certification under Indonesia’s new Wood Legality Verification System in a major stride towards addressing requirements to supply to countries such as the US and those in the EU. Source: Lesprom
26/07/2012: Malaysia facilitates timber exports to Europe
In a move to boost exports of Malaysian timber and construction products to Europe, the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) is working with the United Kingdom’s Trada Technology Ltd (TTL) as an approved testing laboratory. Malaysia recognizes that the only way to ensure its products are used overseas is to comply with international standards. Source: Borneo Post Online
24/07/2012: Philippines government seizes illegal timber
Around 60,142 board feet of illegal logs, lumber flitches and other forest products have been seized across the Soccsksargen Region of the Philippines from January until May this year according to a report from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Source: Philippine Information Agency (PIA)
24/07/2012: Biomass use falls in the US as gas is cheap
Prices for mill and forest biomass fell in most major consuming regions of the US in the second quarter of 2012, according to the North American Wood Fiber Review.
The main reason for the declining prices is the continued fall of natural gas prices to levels not seen in 10 years. Source: Global Wood Products and Market Update
24/07/2012: CPR in UK timber will be flaming necessity
The timber industry must prepare for upcoming Construction Products Regulation (CPR), according to Meyer Timber market executive Stephen Cope. The CPR has the ability to change the way the UK timber trade operates and it will supersede the Construction Products Directive (CPD) next year. Source: Lesprom
19/07/2012: Liberian forests granted to logging companies
More than half of Liberia's forests have been granted to logging companies according to figures released to the Guardian newspaper in the UK from Global Witness – and all of the contracts have been issued during Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's government. Global Witness is an international non-government organization established in 1993 that investigates and monitors environmental issues. Source: The Guardian UK
19/07/2012: British Columbia demand for lumber decline
The timber harvest in British Columbia, Cananda reached a record 90 million cubic metres in 2005 but fell dramatically the following four years to a 25-year low of just over 52 million cubic metres in 2009. Reduced demand for lumber in the US market, high manufacturing costs, high export tariffs to the US and deteriorating sawlog quality were the major reasons for the decline. Source: The Timber Network
17/07/2012: Wining is floored in the USA
In the US a company that has spent years working out how to turn wine barrels into flooring has succeeded with help from the Forest Services Products Laboratory. Source: USDA Gov
17/07/2012: UK industry has support from government
Some of the biggest names in the UK timber sector have pledged widespread support for the Government's Independent Panel on Forestry Report. Source: Lesprom
12/07/2012: Genes may hold the secret to forest survival
ZOOM IN - way in - from the macro view of B.C.’s vast forests, right down to the micro level where researchers are looking into genes that could lead to improved forest health, productivity and economic opportunities. Source: Heather Amos, University of British Columbia
12/07/2012: Biomass pellets becoming a hot commodity in Europe
Chatham-based Canadian Biofuel is generating a lot of heat on the foreign market.
The Ontario company has signed a five-year $36 million contract with Italy’s Green Dot Biomass Energy Company Inc. to export wood pellets. Source: Mayerthorpe Freelancer
10/07/2012: Wood Resources Quarterly figures show strong timber demand
New figures from Wood Resources Quarterly show that China’s wood imports have increased hugely over the past ten years – which is great news for those investing in sustainable forestry, claims Forestry Research Associates (FRA). Source: Timberbiz
05/07/2012: China calls for countries to accept its certification
Representatives from the State Forestry Administration of China (SFA) called on countries worldwide to adopt China Forest Certification Council (CFCC) certified products in their national procurement policies. Source: Financial Post
05/07/2012: World first biomass to diesel plant
A new pilot plant heralded as “the world’s first direct solid biomass-into-diesel fuel operation” has opened onsite at an ONV refinery in Schwechat, Austria. Source: Bioenergy News
03/07/2012: Scottish forests – high land value
Returns on Scottish forests hit record highs in 2011 as demand for “alternative assets” among investors continued to rise, a report is set to reveal this week. Source: The Scotsman
03/07/2012: Wood pellets use embodied in federal law
Pending legislation in the US could open up wider domestic markets for wood fuel pellets and force federal agencies to give preferential consideration to the product. Source: Biomass magazine
28/06/2012: UK wood recycling defies recession
Britain’s growing network of community wood recycling enterprises has defied the recession to reach a key milestone. Source: Green Building Press
28/06/2012: Canadian mill - largest single line sawmill to service Australia
A Vancouver-based manufacturer of wood products has an ambitious plan to operate the largest single line sawmill on the coast of British Columbia. Source: Journal of Commerce
28/06/2012: New online tool to determine legal timber
The World Resources Institute (WRI) has announced the launch of the Forest Legality Risk Information Tool, an open-access global information website designed to assist purchasers of forest products in securing fiber from legal sources. Source: Sustainable Forestry Initiative
26/06/2012: Japan could supply timber to China and Korea
Japan has two huge potential areas rich in natural resources, which have remained untapped one of them is timber. In Japan forests cover 68 percent of the land. Source: The Japan Times online
26/06/2012: Canada hunting timber trade in Pacific
Canada has stepped into negotiations to reach a Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) aimed at reaching a free trade agreement with a group of markets including Australia. Source: Timberbiz
21/06/2012: Turning over a new Leaf for forest crime
Project Leaf, an initiative by Interpol and the United Nations (UN) to tackle global forest crime will target criminals involved in illegal logging and timber trafficking. Source: BBC News, Wood & Panel Europe
21/06/2012: UN gives forests and timber the green tick
At the Rio+20 conference the word is that world's forests have a major role in the transition to a new, greener economy. However, governments must have programs and policies to unlock their potential and to create sustainable management according to the Food & Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). Source: Timberbiz
19/06/2012: Direct forestry investments: real assets for diversification and as an inflation hedge
Forestry and timber investing - the very concept seems either dull or extremely alien. However any investors - especially those looking for true diversification and stable returns - are making a real oversight by ignoring the value timber and forestry investments could bring to their overall portfolio. Source: SeekingAlpha.com
19/06/2012: CLT in the USA
Cross-laminated timber panel construction has begun to make inroads in North America. Source: Woodworking Network
14/06/2012: Resolute has largest FSC forests
Resolute Forest Products of Cananda has become the largest manager of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified forests in the world. Source: Timberbiz
14/06/2012: Global demand for sawlogs down
The global sawlog price index for the first quarter of 2012 was down almost nine percent from early 2011, with Europe experiencing the biggest decline in prices according to the Wood Resource Quarterly. Source: Forest Industry Network
12/06/2012: Net gain of 60 million hectares of forest
China's total forest area has increased to 195 million hectares from 134 million hectares in 1992, making a net gain of 60 million hectares within 20 years, according to a statement from the State Forestry Administration (SFA). Source: Forestry Industry Engineering Association
12/06/2012: Australia sees REDD with Indonesia project
Indonesia’s change of government in the province of Aceh may cause a large Australian-owned forest-carbon project to be abandoned. Sources: The Sydney Morning Herald, The Brisbane Times, Maribyrnong Weekly
12/06/2012: China invests in Russian forestry
A multibillion-dollar investment fund set up by Russia and China is expected to make its first investment in a Russian forestry company, as economic ties between the neighboring countries grow closer. Source: Reuters
07/06/2012: Biomass gas for Texas
Biomass gasification is being considered as a possible technology for converting 60 million acres of Texas brush into biofuel, according to Dr Jim Ansley, Texas AgriLife Research rangeland ecologist in the US. Source: North Texas eNews
07/06/2012: Russia spies on its forests
A global provider of high-resolution earth imagery solutions announced it would significantly expand delivery of high-resolution imagery to Roslesinforg, a division of the Federal Forestry Agency of Russia. Source: Market Watch
05/06/2012: Mexico loan to develop woodlands
Mexico received US$392 million, of which US$350 million is a loan from the World Bank and US$42 million from the Forest Investment Program (FIP) for developing woodlands. Source: Fox News Latino
05/06/2012: Pacific community forestry assistance
Timber processing and sustainable management of forest resources of the Wallis and Futuna island state is expected to improve following an assistance program facilitated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Source: The Fiji Times
31/05/2012: Sulphur Directive to Finnish timber
Tripartite talks between the EU Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Europe concluded by adding a minimum €200 in extra costs to the Finnish forest industry due to the Sulphur Directive. Source: Timberbiz
31/05/2012: China ban on US logs ends
The US SC Forestry Commission has said that a ban by China on imported South Carolina and Virginia grown logs is close to ending now that a small delegation of Chinese authorities has visited the areas. Sources: Traditional BreakBulk, The Times and Democrat
31/05/2012: Ikea’s Russian wood not good
Ikea is facing heavy criticism for the logging and clear-cutting of old-growth forests in the north of Russian Karelia by its wholly owned subsidiary Swedwood. Source: The Guardian
29/05/2012: Indonesia’s bucket load of trouble
Greenpeace International has published a report that KFCs chicken buckets and other paper products are denuding Indonesia’s rain forests. Source: The Mail Online
29/05/2012: Ta Ann cuts workforce in Malaysia
Timber conglomerate Ta Ann Holdings in Malaysia is expecting its labour cost to drastically increase once the national minimum wage policy is implemented. Source: The Star Online
29/05/2012: US timber investments restructured
Historically, timber acreage has appreciated at a rate that outpaces inflation in the US. This has made many who expect a coming bout of inflation to invest in timber acreage. Lately just like most other commodities and natural resources timber prices have come under pressure. Source: Seeking Alpha
29/05/2012: Singapore hosts US hardwood conference
Architects and designers will be gathering in Singapore from June 14-17 2012 for the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) Southeast Asia and Greater China Convention. Source: Timberbiz
24/05/2012: Global investment in biomass
Global investment in biomass power generation will total $104 billion in 2021 according to Pike Research. This is just one aspect that will be discussed at the Bioenergy Finance Forum to be run in September this year. Sources: Ecoseed, Pike Research
24/05/2012: Malaysia speeds up forest plantation
Malaysia’s government plans to allocate RM3 billion to expand the country's forest plantation by up to 375,000ha by 2020 to ensure a sustainable and guaranteed supply of raw materials for wood related industries. Source: The Star Online
24/05/2012: Hawaii Electric Light is bioenergy fuelled
Hawaii Electric Light is to buy Hu Honua Bioenergy. Hu Honua is converting the old Hilo Coast Power Co. facility at the Pepeekeo Sugar Mill into an electric generation facility that will be powered by locally grown biomass such as eucalyptus. Source: Pacific Business News
24/05/2012: US to LEED changes for timber
US Congressman Glenn Thompson sent a bipartisan letter to US Green Building Council (USGBC) urging changes to the treatment of forest products under the Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 2012 rating system. Source: North Central PA
22/05/2012: Finnish results for timber
Finland produced 2.6 million tonnes of paper and paperboard in January-March 2012. The Finnish forest industry's production environment was difficult in the first quarter and demand for several product categories was sluggish in the main market areas. Sources: Lesprom Network, Wood & Panel Europe
22/05/2012: US homes affordable
Nationwide housing affordability hit a new record high in the US for a second consecutive quarter in the first three months of this year, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI). Source: Wood & Panel America
22/05/2012: Sustainable Bioenergy Day
World Bioenergy 2012 launched Sustainable Bioenergy Day, dedicating 31 May to the development of a sustainable bioenergy market. Source: World Bioenergy Association
16/05/2012: Scotland's forests need restructure says minister
The Forestry Commission Scotland has released a new publication to address growing business and environmental challenges that may be posed to forests in the future. Source: Farming UK
16/05/2012: Pacific Island forestry chases Chinese market
How the Pacific region’s agriculture and forestry industries can gain access to the booming Chinese economy and its growing need for food and timber is what the European Union-funded Facilitating Agricultural Commodity Trade (FACT) project is examining. Source: Islands Business
15/05/2012: Wood for Good and for UK planning authorities
Wood for Good, the UK timber industry's sustainability campaign has launched its 2012 campaign: "Wood First" that calls for the introduction of a "Wood First" rule in local authority planning guidance. Source: Confor
15/05/2012: Vietnam sua timber illegally logged
Forest rangers seized another 300kg of valuable sua timber after seizing the first 366kg lot of sua timber in the protected Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in early May. Source: Viet Nam News
10/05/2012: Canada surpasses Russia as China's largest lumber supplier
Led by British Columbia, Canada emerged as the largest exporter of lumber in the world to China in 2011, surpassing Russia as the Middle Kingdom's No. 1 source for lumber. Source: Vancouver Sun
10/05/2012: Sino-Forest CDS payout determined, asset value still unknown
Investors and speculators on the receiving end of Sino-Forest’s credit default swaps, which act as insurance on the company’s bonds, will be paid 71 cents on the dollar for their holdings. Source: Globe and Mail
10/05/2012: Asia report on wood panel demand
Asia’s dominant position in the global panel demand and supply cannot be challenged, but in the future the real game changes will be raw material supply security, uncertain and high cost energy, access to the state-of-art technology and best-in-class industry practices. Source: Timberbiz
08/05/2012: New drying method for veneers
A new type of contact drying method has been developed by Aalto University in Finland, the research was reported in the International Wood Products Journal. Source: Ingentaconnect
08/05/2012: Ta Ann to produce hybrid acacia plywood
Ta Ann Holdings in Malaysia is increasing the harvest of its plantation logs to produce hybrid plywood and started planting acacia trees last year to fulfill this plan as it is a fast growing commercial timber. Source: The Star
08/05/2012: Ghana to import logs from Cameroon
Ghana will import logs from Cameroon after losing its forest cover, which stood at 8.2 million hectares a little over a century ago. The imports will feed mills in Ghana. Source: IHB
08/05/2012: Combat illegal logging using DNA
A new strategy aimed at monitoring the supply chain of timber products using genetic and stable isotope markers will play a vital role in international efforts to combat illegal logging. Source: CIFOR Forests Blog
03/05/2012: Indonesia chases EU with SVLK
Indonesia's trade minister, Gita Wirjawan, will travel to Europe to press the case for more timber trade with all member states of the European Union with the support of Indonesia’s forestry sector. Source European Voice
03/05/2012: Measuring the impact of forest fires
A team of scientists from the USDA Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station and the University of Córdoba in Spain recently developed a new methodology that measures the economic impact of forest fires on timber resources. Source: Timberman
03/05/2012: UK Government bioenergy strategy report
Up to half of the UK government’s 2020 renewable energy target could be met by energy crops, wood and other forms of biomass according to a recent government report. Source: Farmers Weekly
01/05/2012: Green Timberland has Greenheart for China
The Greenheart Group Limited of Hong Kong has appointed Green Timberland Development Limited, a New Zealand incorporated company specializing in softwood sales in China, as its non-exclusive sales agent for the sales and marketing of New Zealand softwood for Greenheart in China. Source: Timberman
01/05/2012: US sells more to China, NZ sells less
Over the past decade, China’s fast expanding economy and boom in housing lifted the country to being the world’s largest importer of sawlogs and the second largest importer of softwood lumber after the U.S. Source: Troy Media www.troymedia.com
01/05/2012: EU rules offence to sell illegal timber products
New European Union Timber Regulations coming into force on 3 March 2013 will affect all British retailers. This means that from this date it will be an offence to sell products that contain timber that has been harvested illegally within the EU. Source: Bdaily Business Network
25/04/2012: Dual prize in timber for London Olympics
The entire London 2012 Olympic Park development has achieved dual Project Certification from the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) schemes for its timber usage —the first dual Project Certification in the world. Source: Timberman
25/04/2012: EIA petitions US government on illegal logging
The non-profit Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has formally petitioned the US Government to take action under the US-Peru Free Trade Agreement to investigate and verify the legal origin of shipments from at least two Peruvian companies and to audit dozens more. Source: Timberman
25/04/2012: Green case for tall buildings
Michael Green, principal at Michael Green Architecture has made available his 200+ page book looking at the case for tall wood buildings which shows how safe, economical and environmentally friendly this solution is for the building industry. Sources: WoodSolutions, Arch Daily
25/04/2012: Deforestation, biodiversity loss top list of major woes
Massive deforestation and the need to rehabilitate the country’s degraded forests in the face of climate change tops the list of many environmental challenges faced by the Aquino administration. Source: Business Mirror (Philippines)
24/04/2012: Sanctions dropped against Burma
European Union foreign ministers in Luxembourg agreed to suspend sanctions against Myanmar/Burma for one year, based on wide-ranging democratic reforms over the past year and democratic elections April 1. They are encouraging the government to begin a dialogue with the EU on ways to ensure sustainable management of the forest and harvesting of timber. Source: Environment New Service.
24/04/2012: Bioenergy awards candidates named
Six final candidates have been chosen for the World Bioenergy Award 2012, the winner will be announced on May 29 at the opening of World Bioenergy 2012 in Sweden. This will be just the second time that this award is to be presented. Source: World Bioenergy 2012.
24/04/2012: Asia hits back against environmental groups
Representatives from Asia's paper and timber industries are gathering in Bangkok amid harsh criticism from western environmental organisations. These groups claim, despite evidence to the contrary, that Asian timber and paper companies are harming the environment. Source: Bangkok Post
24/04/2012: Ta Ann bonus issue of shares
Ta Ann is proposing a bonus issue of up to 61.796 million new ordinary shares of Ta Ann on a 1-for-5 basis on an entitlement date yet to be determined. Source: The Malaysian Insider
19/04/2012: FSC welcomes European Union proposal
The European Union (EU) has presented a number of proposals that according to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) can combine the need to protect forest biodiversity with social needs and a green economy. Source: Sustainable-timber-action
19/04/2012: Bioenergy stories at International Biomass Conference
Reaching the point of ground breaking is no easy task for a bioenergy project developer. Panelists in the second-day general session discussion at the International Biomass Conference & Expo held April 16-19 in Denver, Colo., shared their ground breaking stories with attendees, delivering valuable pieces of advice and a wide breadth of knowledge. Source: Biomass Magazine.
19/04/2012: Africa deforestation must be addressed
Africa will continue to feel the effects of severe climate change but efforts continue to save the continent’s forests. Source: Newstime Africa.
17/04/2012: US companies continue importing illegal timber
A multi-year investigative report released by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) says that since 2008 more than 20 US companies have imported illegally logged timber worth millions from the Peruvian Amazon. Source: AlertNet Thomson Reuters
17/04/2012: Biomass plant for Lincolnshire UK
In the North East Lincolnshire area of the UK the council has approved a biomass-fuelled plant that will be built at a cost of around £130 million. Source: Bioenergy News.
17/04/2012: Timber frame market in UK shows growth
The UK’s timber frames market is performing well with the segment expected to grow by around 60 per cent in volume and 80 per cent in value by 2016. Source: DesignBuild Source
17/04/2012: Vietnam takes lead in world chip exports
Australia has lost its right as the world’s largest supplier of wood chips to pulp mills in Asia. Vietnam has taken over exporting an estimated 5.4 million tons. Source: Wood Resources International
17/04/2012: Wood Biomass Boost to New Zealand Economy
New Zealand is looking at the value that may be obtained from wood through bioenergy and it may add NZ$6 billion to the economy according to the New Zealand Bioenergy Association. Source: The Bioenergy Site
17/04/2012: IBIS update on Australian logging industry
Australia’s logging industry has been affected by the construction cycle with lower construction activity resulting in a decline in revenue which is the reason research company IBISWorld updated its report on Australia’s logging industry. Source: San Francisco Chronicle
17/04/2012: IBIS update on Australian logging industry
Australia’s logging industry has been affected by the construction cycle with lower construction activity resulting in a decline in revenue which is the reason research company IBISWorld updated its report on Australia’s logging industry. Source: San Francisco Chronicle
01/03/2012: More efficient timber plantations
RESEARCH FROM Switzerland holds the key to “more efficient” timber plantations, claims research and analysis consultancy, Forestry Research Associates (FRA).
01/03/2012: Furore over forest ownership
SCOTLAND has the smallest amount of forest in public ownership of any country in Europe. The vast majority of forestry in Scotland is in the possession of a small number of landed estates, with many of the owners living abroad.
15/02/2012: Eldorado Brasil makes major investment in forestry equipment
FOREST MACHINE manufacturer Komatsu Forest has signed a major deal with the new Brazilian pulp mill Eldorado Brasil in the state of Mato Grosso. In its entirety, the contract is worth about 1.4 billion Swedish kronor (US$200 million).
01/02/2012: China is now the world’s largest importer of softwood lumber and logs
Importation of softwood logs and lumber to China has increased continuously over the past 15 years, and in 2011 the country was the largest importer of softwood lumber and logs in the world, according to the Wood Resource Quarterly. Total import value equaled almost eight billion US dollars last year, which was an increase of 57 percent from 2010, and up from only 70 million dollars 15 years ago.
25/01/2012: Certification exhibition
An exhibition promoting forest certification by the Forestry Bureau was held in Taipei, teaching the public about the internationally recognized certification mechanisms and how consumers can support a sustainable environment by purchasing certified wood products.
25/01/2012: New video reveals global resistance to forest-ca
Global Forest Coalition and Global Justice Ecology Project have produced a new video entitled A Darker Shade of Green: REDD Alert and the Future of Forests. The 28 minute video, documents opposition around the globe to controversial programs that claim to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) by putting forests into the carbon market.
Overseas Forestry News, Events
