Simon Gatt and his team at the new Gippsland Forest Industries Hub have a big job ahead of them. The new hub is one of 12 Regional Forestry Hubs announced by the Prime Minister Scott Morrison in February last year. Source: Bruce Mitchell The others are in Tasmania, Western Australia,

The Gippsland Forest Industries Hub has officially been launched and stands ready to contribute to the future of the forest and wood products industry in regional Victoria. The Gippsland forest and wood products industry is a dynamic and sustainable provider of regional employment in

TAFE Gippsland Timber Training Unit manager, Kevin Nunn, is now Australia’s VET Teacher/Trainer of the Year. The Bairnsdale-based teacher was announced as the winner of the VET Teacher/Trainer of the Year category in the 2020 Australian Training Awards, having secured the title of Vic

The total hard lockdown in South Australia to help prevent a second COVID-19 wave was only going to last six days. But what an impact it had in just two. And we’re not talking about having to stay home and not walk the dog or play golf. Source: Bruce Mitchell The lockdown had imposed

The Federal Government has been urged by a Portland business group to negotiate with China to ensure all Victorian timber log exports can resume as soon as possible. The call comes after China suspended the import of Victorian timber logs last week. Source: Timberbiz Chinese authoriti

Up to 500 forestry jobs could be lost in South Australia’s Green Triangle by Christmas if China’s ban on Victorian timber remains unresolved, according to the CFMEU. China is no longer accepting log exports from Victoria, citing concerns about the detection of live bark beetle in cons

So now China has placed an indefinite ban on imports of timber from Victoria. This is not surprising, and it would seem China has “legitimate” biosecurity reasons for imposing the ban. Source: Bruce Mitchell Chinese authorities claimed shipments were infected with the live bark beetle

The Australian Forest Products Association has congratulated Ed Husic on his appointment as Australia’s Shadow Agriculture Minister following the resignation this week of Joel Fitzgibbon. Source: Timberbiz AFPA CEO Ross Hampton said the AFPA looked forward to working with Mr Husic and

Reports of a ban by China on imports of Australian timber as well as lobster, copper, sugar, wine and coal mooted last week and set to begin on Saturday seems to have so far done little more than create anxiety and rumours among exposed businesses. Source: Timberbiz There were no imme

Everyone seems to be holding his or her collective breaths right now. There are lots of rumours, little real facts. Lots of speculation and predictions, but no definitive information. This applies to just about everything; the pandemic and the opening of State borders, China’s bans on

Australia’s $1.6 billion timber export business with China could come to an abrupt halt Friday after unconfirmed instructions from Chinese customs authorities. Also under threat is Australian wine, copper, barley, coal, sugar, and lobster. Source: Timberbiz The notice, distributed by

The Bushfire Royal Commission’s recommendations released Friday have been labelled as everything from underwhelming to common sense and overdue. In its report, the Commission made 80 recommendations to improve Australia’s national natural disaster arrangements. Source: Timberbiz Among

Timber Queensland has certainly put in the work in the lead-up to Saturday’s Queensland election. And in doing so, they may have set something of a benchmark for other State timber organisations to follow, if they haven’t already. Source: Bruce Mitchell By formulating a five-point pla

The Auditor-General has cast doubts on the Victorian Government’s ‘Safer Together’ bushfire policy, citing insufficient information to judge its effectiveness, while the amount of prescribed burns is well below target. Source: Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz The Auditor-Generals’ ‘Reduci

The Bush Fire Royal Commission must not simply audit and implement the last 58 inquiries, reviews and Royal Commissions on the issue, if it wants to see meaningful forest management in Australia according to the Institute of Foresters. Source: Timberbiz On the eve of the Commission br

Tumbarumba is in trouble. Big trouble. To be more specific Hyne’s Tumbarumba Mill is in trouble, and that means the entire district is in trouble. Put simply, there is just not enough timber to go around following last summer’s bushfires which decimated 40% of Hyne’s local log supply

The Queensland hardwood timber industry is concerned that rising native log exports are eroding opportunities to grow local jobs and the economic benefits generated from downstream processing and value adding. Source: Timberbiz “There are significant opportunities for growth in our ha

The Victorian State Government’s announcements around timber plantations in Eastern Victoria have been described as hollow and doing nothing for security of the local industry. Source: Timberbiz “When you have the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union (CFMMEU), slammi

Someone needs to tell the Victorian State Government how long it takes trees to grow. In fact, someone needs to really tell the Victorian State Government about trees in general. Because as has been mentioned before, it isn’t listening. Source: Bruce Mitchell The Victorian Government

VicForests has responded to media criticism attacking its failure to be granted FSC status. VicForests reported last week results from an audit taken in November last year, but that was not completed because of the impacts of the coronavirus, remaining challenges arising from last sum

An expression of interest released by the Victorian State Government has shown the plan to transition native timber to plantation by 2030 is a false promise for those in the industry, according to Assistant Shadow Minister for Forestry Gary Blackwood. Source: Timberbiz Mr Blackwood sa

The Victorian State Government is certainly getting busy spruiking its transition plans and projects to “compensate” for its closure of the native timber industry by 2030. Last week it was a new state-owned nursery growing, apparently, Mountain Ash seedlings for bushfire affected area

Sustainable Timber Tasmania has agreed to pause forestry activity in 19 coupes in Tasmania, effective immediately. The Bob Brown Foundation launched legal action two weeks ago against STT, claiming its logging of native forests in Tasmania did not accord with the Regional Forest Agree

The Victorian State Government has committed $3.5 million to upgrades to the Maryvale rail siding in Gippsland to ensure products from Australian Paper’s Gippsland mill will continue to be sent by rail for years to come. Source: Timberiz Sleepers and ballasts will be replaced, and gro

So, the Victorian Government’s transition plan for Eastern Gippsland post the end of native timber logging in 2030 is to create a new state-owned nursery growing, apparently, mountain Ash seedlings for bushfire affected areas and then blue gum for pulp. Source: Bruce Mitchell Planning

A protest which disrupted operations at Helms forest near Nannup in Western Australia has been described as little more than a publicity stunt in the lead-up to the State elections in March next year. Source: Timberbiz Employees of a family-owned logging contractor were forced to stop

The Tasmanian forest industry’s new peak body has raised concerns that the Bob Brown Foundation’s legal action, if successful, will totally destroy forestry across all tenures (public and private land), including native forests and plantations, in the state. Source: Timberbiz “What we

The various reviews, inquires and commissions into the nation’s devastating 2019-2020 bushfires seem to be having some mixed, if not conflicting results. The South Australian Government is to be applauded for biting the bullet and committing $100 million to increase hazard reduction b

AKD will recommence operations at its Irrewarra sawmilling site to provide more Australian produced timber for customers, and to provide employment opportunities in the Colac region.  Source: Timberbiz In May because of CoVid-19, the business made the decision to idle its Irrewarra sa

At a time when good news can be a bit hard to find, Alliance Timber’s decision to extend its Dartmoor operations in the Green Triangle is a tiny ray of light. Source: Bruce Mitchell The Alliance Timber Group’s Dartmoor mill site is looking to extend its opening hours to 6am to 10pm se

Dartmoor looks set to receive a major boost with one of the area’s largest employers eyeing off a significant expansion. Source: Hamilton Spectator Alliance Timber Group is looking to significantly boost its workforce at the same time it also received two unexpected boosts from the co

VicForests has lodged its appeal in the Full Federal Court following the Federal Court’s Orders relating to the Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum case. The appeal papers were lodged late last Friday. Source: Timberbiz Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries Jonno Duniam has welcome

It’s one thing to offer a solution to a problem. It’s another thing to deliver the solution. And the Victorian Government has been caught out failing to deliver to the state’s native timber industry, again. Source: Bruce Mitchell This time it’s the revelation that rather than planting

If you’ve a timber yard, or driven past a timber truck, you’ve seen the rows upon rows of stacked timber, all cut to uniform lengths and widths. Have you ever wondered why we’re so fixated on this uniformity, rather than embracing the natural variation or ‘imperfections’ in timber tha

The family-owned 138-year-old Hyne Timber company is continuing to call for government support to direct Australian saw logs destined for China to their mill in Tumbarumba. Source: Timberbiz Chief Executive Officer Jon Kleinschmidt said employees and the community were increasingly co

So, a peer-reviewed scientific paper, written by Professor James Kirkpatrick, Suyanti Winoto-Lewin and Jenny Sanger from the University of Tasmania’s Discipline of Geography and Spatial Sciences, has been retracted from the MDPI journal Fire. The journal has apologised to its readers.

FSC Australia is under pressure over governance issues, with FSC headquarters in Germany believed to have threatened to deregister the Australian branch or appoint an administrator if the local certification body does not get its act together. Source: Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz The

A scientific paper that was the basis of an opinion piece by Professor James Kirkpatrick claiming that timber harvesting makes forests more flammable has been withdrawn from academic publication because it contains errors. Source: Philip Hopkins The peer-reviewed paper, written by Pro

The Federal and State governments, understandably, have a lot on their minds. Apart from running the country – a big enough job by any measure – they have had to handle a pandemic and in New South Wales’ and Victoria’s case the recovery from the bushfires. Source: Bruce Mitchell To th

OneFortyOne Plantations’ CEO Linda Sewell has resigned effective almost immediately. She will finish on Friday. In a statement yesterday board chairman John S Gilleland said the news came with “regret but also great respect and support for Linda in her decision”. Source: Timberbiz “Af

VicForests will move quickly to lodge an appeal now the Federal Court has finalised its Orders relating to the Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum case. Strict conditions to stop logging of threatened species habitat in Victoria’s Central Highlands were issued by the Federal Court on Frida

Last week we suggested that the conservation lobby had changed tactics in its battle to shut down the native timber industry in this country. That, it seems, was something of an understatement. Source: Bruce Mitchell To say that today’s news that the Bob Brown Foundation has launched

Tasmania’s Forest Products Association (TFPA) has backed Sustainable Timber Tasmania’s sustainable forest management practices following the public release of its Forest Stewardship Council Australia audit report, which found STT met almost all FSC indicators applicable to it. Source:

Wodonga-based national transport company SCT Logistics will transport millions of tonnes of plantation timber burnt in NSW during the summer bushfires that would otherwise go to waste, thanks to support from the Victorian Government.  Source: Timberbiz Minister for Regional Developmen

It’s an understatement to say that CoVid-19 has disrupted the entire world. No country is immune. It is of course virulent, disruptive, debilitating and deadly. It is also a distraction. Source: Bruce Mitchell Australia’s attention has been fixed on the daily press briefings detailing

More time and wider eligibility have been given to primary producers impacted by the 2019-20 bushfires to apply for the $75,000 Special Disaster Grant. Small businesses have also been given more time to request support, with time frames extended for small business bushfire recovery gr

VicForests is seeking stakeholder and community comment on its proposed Timber Release Plan (TRP) and Timber Utilisation Plan (TUP) changes. The TRP and TUP identify potential timber harvesting areas for the coming years and are being prepared as part of VicForests’ regular planning p

The protestors are back, frustrating timber industry workers in New South Wales and Western Australia and leaving others in Tasmania slightly bemused. And then there is the Wilderness Society which has taken its aim to shut down the native timber industry in Australia to the world. Th

Claims by the Bob Brown Foundation that Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT) plan to harvest giant trees and shut the Styx road in mid-August, are a new low according to Tasmania’s Resources Minister Guy Barnett. Source: Timberbiz “Facts have never been high on the agenda for environment

Logging has been stopped at Bagawa State Forest this morning. It is the fourth time logging has been halted on the NSW Mid North Coast over the past six weeks by the Gumbaynggirr Conservation Group (GCG). Source: Timberbiz One individual is in a tree attached to two machines, effectiv

VicForests has launched a strong attack on FSC Australia, calling for the sacking of three Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) directors for allegedly breaching FSC standards and damaging FSC’s reputation, in a letter of complaint to the certification body’s international headquarters in

A former Tasmanian MP who twice voted in favour of tough anti-protest laws says she is now prepared to join the protest against Bunnings. Former Braddon Liberal member Joan Rylah, who announced her retirement on Monday morning, said on her Facebook page that “if Bunnings try to pull t

The protests this week against Bunnings’ decision to refuse to stock Victorian timber sourced from VicForests was well organised and well supported. The Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union’s blockade at Traralgon was inspired. Source: Bruce Mitchell Anyone who has e

Four log trucks this morning blocked the entrance to the Bunnings store at Traralgon in defence of forestry jobs. A Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union (CFMMEU) statement this morning said the trucks were blocking the entrance to the Bunnings’ car park in protest of

Every year, since 2007, forestry resource managers, remote sensing, GIS and mapping specialists, inventory foresters, researchers and key technology suppliers from across Australasia attend the forestry technology series, ForestTECH. Source: Timberbiz It has now well and truly establi

Just about everyone will be, at some stage, the victim of “spin”. It’s a given. Not all spin is bad, if the benefits described by the sender of the message are real and truly add value to the receiver of the message. Source: Bruce Mitchell Spinning becomes dysfunctional when the sende

COVID-19 has meant conferences, exhibitions, seminars and symposiums have been cancelled, postponed or rescheduled. But conferences and exhibitions have an important role to play in any industry. To fill that void, Australasian Timber Magazine with Frame Australia will publish a Timbe

A world-first robotic innovation that scans and measures export logs on trucks has landed its Kiwi developers on the 2020 RBR50, Robotics Business Review’s prestigious global list recognising the 50 most innovative and transformative robotics companies of the year. Source: Timberbiz T

It probably seems a little incongruous that fire brigades are getting ready in July for the bushfire “season” some five or so months away. It’s a regular exercise. Organisations such as the Forestry Corporation of NSW each year put their firefighters through fitness tests to ensure th

The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) has welcomed the announcement by the Federal Government that it will invest in Australia’s waste and recycling capacity and help enable more wastepaper and cardboard to be recycled domestically. Source: Timberbiz The Morrison Governmen

Over the coming months, the market will start to see AKD products being wrapped in a new plastic design. AKD has always been Australian grown and made, but the company believes it is timely to ensure this is understood and prominent in its supply chain and particularly in customers’ y

What a week it has been for the timber industry, capped off by the Climate Solutions Fund decision by the Federal Government. In a nutshell, the decision will simplify access to carbon funding for new forestry projects in five regional forestry hubs, including communities hard hit by

An easing in residential construction and increased export uncertainty loom as major challenges for forestry and wood processors in the wake of summer’s bushfires and COVID-19, according to an ABARES Insights report released yesterday. Source: Timberbiz The analysis of effects of bush

VicForests is seeking feedback on the proposed changes to its Timber Release Plan. The TRP change proposes an additional 59 new coupes in the Benalla-Mansfield, North-East and Tambo Forest Management Areas. Source: Timberbiz VicForests CEO Monique Dawson says that as part of this chan

There are signs the timber industry is getting organized for a fight in Victoria. Well, better organized. The Australian Forest Products Association started the ball rolling some time ago working at times with joint media releases with the Victorian Association of Forest Industries (V

All Victoria’s processors of hardwood timber have formed a new association to fight the Victorian State Government’s decision to shut the native forest industry. The Victorian Hardwood Sawmillers Association maintains the decision will lead to huge job losses and damage or decimate th

A national study is underway to identify the wood resource characteristics of private forest estates (private native forests and farm forests) and indigenous managed forests suitable for commercial uses. Source: Timberbiz Led by the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Econom

Some great news for the timber industry in general this week has been tempered by the bad news still coming out of East Gippsland. The Buy Australian Timber First campaign sees a much-welcomed united push from all the big operators – AKD, Boral, Hyne, OneFortyOne, Timberlink and Wespi

The House Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources has launched an inquiry into timber supply chain constraints in the Australian plantation sector. Australia’s forest productions manufacturing sector is worth more than $23 billion each year and currently, Australian plan

Victorian Federal Coalition MPs are seeking a meeting this week with the Environment Minister, Sussan Ley, urging her to override a Federal Court decision that threatens the future of the native forestry industry. Source: Timberbiz – Philip Hopkins Gippsland MP Darren Chester, who has

There is no escaping some issues, they resurface over and over but despite very learned reports, researched and written by very learned men and women knee jerk reactions remain – of course I am talking about our Leadbeater’s possum. Clearly cute but clearly not as endangered as we are

Forest industry icon Rob de Fegely was honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours with a Member of the Order of Australia for “Significant service to the forestry industry through business and advisory roles.” Source: Timberbiz Tasmanian Minister Guy Barnett congratulated Mr de Fegely s

There seems to have been wins all-round this week for foresters, the building industry, and the Australian Forest Products Association. Starting with the AFPA, it had a big win over the ABC with a complaint of unbalanced reporting and biased coverage being upheld. Source: Bruce Mitche

A complaint of unbalanced reporting and biased coverage of the Victorian Regional Forest Agreement made by AFPA has been upheld by the ABC. In early April ABC Radio Melbourne interviewed a member of the Goongera Environment Centre which was highly critical of the recently re-signed Vi

The Western Australian state government’s latest “foolhardy” experiment with outsourcing forest industry governance to activists has blown up in the face of Environment Minister Stephen Dawson. Source: Timberbiz That’s the view of the state’s peak timber industry body, the Forest Indu

It’s hard not to applaud Liberal Senator Claire Chandler’s call for the Bob Brown Foundation’s charity status to be revoked. What has irked the Tasmanian Senator is the foundation’s online funding page which seeks tax-deductible donations for its activism. This, she says, should be th

Log exports from New Zealand fell sharply in April 2020 after logging operations were suspended during alert level 4, but average prices per cubic metre picked up according to Stats NZ. Source: Timberbiz In contrast, dairy and fruit exports were strong despite fears of port congestion

A housing stimulus plan that includes $40,000 cash grants for people building a new property as its centrepiece has been released by the Master Builders Association (MBA). Current industry forecasting indicates new home building will fall by almost 50%, putting half a million jobs at

It is surprisingly hard to put into words the bastardry being inflicted on Tasmania’s mill operators. Spikes have been found in several trees at two Tasmanian sawmills leaving political parties at loggerheads over who is responsible for the industrial sabotage. Source: Bruce Mitchell

The Australian Forest Products Association has doubled down on its call for an urgent housing stimulus package with the latest Housing Industry Association forecasting, released today, showing a devastating decline in new housing construction. Source: Timberbiz The forecasting indicat

With COVID-19 front and centre of industry challenges right now and for the foreseeable future, there has never been a greater need for the latest news and information to be delivered to the forests and timber industry sectors. Ryan Media, as an independent and Australian-owned media

It’s fair to say that everyone agrees there is a lot of work to be done for Australia to come out of the CoVid-19 fog economically as well off as possible. Well, almost everyone. But more on that later. Source: Bruce Mitchell So, it’s great to see Allied Natural Wood Exports (AWNE) ha

The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) has welcomed the inclusion of $15 million in freight support for burnt timber, as part of the National Bushfire Industry Recovery Package announced today but urges more is needed to help the industry recover. Source: Timberbiz In annou

Shadow Assistant Minister for Forestry, Gary Blackwood, is calling on Victoria’s Police Minister Lisa Neville to confirm if forestry protesters will be fined under strict COVID-19 Stay-at-Home directions. Source: Timberbiz Mr Blackwood said a number of protests in recent weeks had gre

The laws, restrictions and even the recommendations introduced to combat the spread of Covid-19 are, to most intelligent people, pretty clear. Don’t leave home unless you need to. Very simply put you can go to work, you can seek medical help, you can shop, and you can exercise sensibl

The State Government in Victoria has been slammed following a report that indicates East Gippsland – because of the bushfires and Covid-19 – will be the hardest hit region economically in the coronavirus fallout. The State Opposition says the report highlights the need to retain the n

Australasia’s newest fibre packaging and paper company was launched on 1 May 2020 after Nippon Paper Industries confirmed it had successfully completed its $1.72 billion acquisition of the Orora Fibre Businesses that have been combined with Australian Paper to form Opal. Source: Timbe

It’s not hard to see the importance of the Federal seat of Eden-Monaro. It has long been held up as a bellwether seat; from the 1972 election until the 2013 election, Eden-Monaro was won by the party that also won the election. During that time, all of its sitting members were defeate

The organisers of AUSTimber 2020 have rescheduled this year’s event over CoVid-19 concerns and will now work on delivering the event in November 2021. Source: Timberbiz It was planned for April this year, and then was postponed until November because of the bushfires in the Gippsland

The global spread of COVID-19 is making the short-term outlook for Australia’s agricultural sectors increasingly uncertain according to the ABARES Impacts of COVID-19 on Australian agriculture, forestry and fisheries trade report. Source: Timberbiz ABARES Actng Executive Director, Pet

The timber industry in its various forms is justifiably nervous about the impact of the COVID-19 virus. The virus has been described as a wrecking ball for the house construction industry, with the impact hitting the timber manufacturing sector. Source: Bruce Mitchell Manufacturers of

The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) is forecasting a “calamitous decline” in housing construction and says an urgent recovery package is needed. The AFPA is calling on Australia’s leaders to urgently put in place a stimulus recovery package for the sector to counter the

John Deere Construction and Forestry Equipment has a new home at two of New Zealand’s most respected machinery dealers to bring a greater range of sought-after machinery and cutting-edge technology to operators and contractors across the country. Source: Timberbiz From 1 July, the ful

For almost four weeks now, pubs, cinemas, restaurants, and indoor sports have been closed. Concerts, festivals, sports, weddings have been cancelled. Churches are closed. Only 10 people can attend funerals. We all seem focused on COVID-19 as we should be. But life does go on. Source:

Australia’s new house building pipeline appears to be stable in mid-April, with construction work able to continue in most situations. The rush by builders to complete work to the next payment stage, over concern of an imminent sector or site closure is reportedly following through th

People illegally cutting down protected redgum and stringybark trees from Green Triangle plantations are being warned the ‘forest is watching’. Police and forest landowners have joined forces to target reckless wood thieves who are fearlessly entering privately owned forestry estates

NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons is stepping down as head of the volunteer organisation to take on a new government role. Source: Timberbiz Mr Fitzsimmons was RFS Commissioner for 12 years and his decision to leave comes after overseeing an unprecedented 2019-2020

This week marked the official end to the most devastating bush fire season in New South Wales’ history. Nationally the fire season, which is still in force in Victoria and South Australia, was unprecedented in terms of conditions experienced, the loss of lives and property, and the th

The peak associations representing Victoria’s sustainable native timber industries have cautiously welcomed today’s announcement of the Regional Forest Agreements extension, but still believe considerable uncertainty surrounds the Andrews Government’s plan to close down the industry b

Claims have been made by the Wilderness Society that paper Australians are printing on is produced from illegally sourced wood taken from Victoria’s state forests. In particular, the Wilderness Society has claimed that Nippon-owned Australian Paper has illegally processed more than ha

If a week is a long time in politics, then 24 hours is an even longer time in a world effectively shut down by COVID-19. There is the occasional trickle of good news, but that is rare. This current crisis comes on the heels of the devastating bushfires during December and January and

Australia’s timber mills are continuing to operate during the COVID-19 lockdown as normal and will do so until ordered otherwise. Building sites have been already been deemed essential activities by the Federal Government, spared from the tight restrictions placed on restaurants, pubs

A number of substantial challenges confront the timber industry in Australia and in New Zealand. Daily Timber News, and Timberbiz, have been challenged in covering the Victorian Native Timber decision, the State Environmental Planning Policy (Koala Habitat Protection) issue in New Sou

We have all become almost immune to government inertia at nearly every level. But some governments – well, one in particular – seem to have made an art form out of it. If you could call it art. To quote Yes, Minister it’s more the art of jiggery-pokery. Source: Bruce Mitchell The Oppo

Australian Sustainable Hardwoods has commissioned its new $3 million timber manufacturing plant in Heyfield. The centrepiece of the new plant at ASH’s Greenmill in Firebrace Road is a high-strain twin band resaw, which uses German sawing technology to maximise the amount of useable ti

The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements has begun receiving public submissions. Individuals, organisations, community groups and the broader community can make a submission about the 2019-20 bushfire season by telephone or online. Source: Timberbiz The Federal

Central Victoria’s first planned burn of 2020 will take place on Wednesday in the first of about 30 burns planned before next season’s fire danger period. Forest Fire Management Victoria will burn 81 hectares two kilometres to the west of St Arnaud at the town’s Towe

Victorian Government MPs will face flying pickets, mass community meetings and rolling stoppages as timber workers ramp up their campaign to highlight the turmoil facing the industry. The crisis facing the forestry sector escalated last week after a court injunction halted harvesting

In a week when the industry as a whole seemed to take a deep breath, there were three or four events of note. In Tasmania, the State Government has made a clear and bold decision to legislate for mechanical fuel reduction to tackle bushfires. Source: Bruce Mitchell Premier Peter Gutwe

The ACCC will not oppose the proposed acquisition of Orora Fibre by Australian Paper. Australian Paper is the only independent, non-vertically integrated, domestic supplier of certain paper packaging inputs made from kraft fibre. Source: Timberbiz Following the proposed acquisition, i

Victorian taxpayers will pay $200 million to the privately-owned Australian Paper in Maryvale to try to shield workers from a state ban on native forest logging, according to the Herald Sun newspaper in Melbourne. Source: Herald Sun The secret deal between the Andrews Government and A

So much is happening, and the scene is changing daily from so many different directions. It can be difficult to keep up, but here we go. It is clear the Coronavirus, or perhaps more accurately the COVID-19 virus, cannot be ignored by Australia’s timber industry. By Bruce Mitchell Whil

The Bob Brown Foundation has lodged a court appeal against a ban on forest protests. Worksafe Tasmania boss Mark Cocker last week issued a ban on protest activities deemed to be a safety risk until further notice, with the threat of potential fines up to $500,000. Source: Timberbiz Th

The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) and Forest Industries Association of Tasmania (FIAT) have welcomed the Work Health and Safety Regulator’s “common-sense decision” to order the Bob Brown Foundation to cease all illegal forestry protests, which have endangered lives and

So, there is to be a Royal Commission in the summer’s exhausting bushfire. That’s got to be a good thing, right? There is so much to be explored by the Royal Commission which, as the Prime Minister Scott Morrison promised in January, will be quick. Not a long-winded, strung-out junket

Adrian O’Connell, Standards Australia’s Chief Executive Officer and Karen Andrews MP, Minister for Industry, Science and Technology announced a joint funding agreement for access to AS 3959:2018, Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas, for all Australians. This jointly fund

The Victorian Government is in talks to sell its $61 million share in the Heyfield mill in Gippsland. The State Government bought a minority share in the privately-owned Heyfield mill in 2017 after the then-owner threatened to close its doors. Source: Timberbiz Deputy Premier James Me

To paraphrase former US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld, the timber industry in Australia and New Zealand currently have some known knowns, and some unknown unknowns. To put it another way, the timber industry hopes it has a future, it just isn’t certain of what that future looks

The Victorian State Government is still refusing to release bushfire fuel load maps for Victoria, despite an order from State Parliament to make the documents public. The maps, published in August, show the build-up of fuel loads across East Gippsland and North East Victoria. Source:

VicForests has committed to the continued support of 10 contractors and 90 workers who have been impacted by a force majeure notice because fires have meant timber supply cannot be guaranteed in the foreseeable future from East Gippsland. Source: Timberbiz Almost all – estimated to be

There is now no denying it. The Victorian timber industry is under siege from all fronts. Even VicForests seems to have turned against it. By Bruce Mitchell This week alone has seen: Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews hint that the Government “may well have to revise” its plan to shut d

The operator of a private farm near Portland in Victoria, where at least 40 koalas have reportedly died and 80 others were reportedly found injured, has defended his management of the property, as Victoria’s state government launches an investigation into the incident. Source: Timberb

Kangaroo Island Plantation Timber’s (KIPT) managing director John Sergeant is disappointed that the island’s mayor Michael Pengilly is criticizing the timber industry rather than working with it to create that future. Mr Sergeant was commenting on an item on the ABC’s Landline program

South Buchan logging contractor Reece Reynolds has been putting in 11-hour days to help contain the fires which continue to threaten East Gippsland. He is one of many forestry contractors who have put their machines to work around the clock in the effort to clear roads, remove hazardo

High Country Truss & Frames and Dahlsens have also joined the efforts to help with the bushfire recovery in New South Wales and Victoria respectively. Source: Timberbiz Owners David and Elizabeth van der Plaat from High Country Truss & Frames have been helping transport feed t

Leading forest and ecosystem scientists from the University of Melbourne have backed the scientific merit of forest thinning to reduce the risk and severity of bushfires in Australia, refuting the strident activist voices demanding Australia make no change to its fuel reduction strate

Alpine Truss Wangaratta has donated $15,000 to assist with bushfire recovery in North East Victoria, some of which will go towards stationery packs to help children get back to school. Basic necessities such as the back to school packs for children will take a load off parents’

This week’s decision to postpone AUSTimber2020 until November because of the devastating bushfires in East Gippsland has been met with wide-spread industry and community support. The decision to reschedule AUSTimber2020 from April required careful consideration of the impact on commit

Firefighters in Eastern Australia are capitalising on calmer weather conditions forecast for the rest of this week with authorities still unable to accurately assess the damage to harvestable timber stocks. Source: Timberbiz In Victoria, where fires have burned an estimated 1.2 millio

Pressure is mounting on State governments to better manage national parks through hazard reduction burning and selective logging, to avoid a repeat of the bushfire crisis sweeping the nation. Fires yesterday in extreme conditions continued to threaten areas in south eastern  NSW, east

There are fears two massive bushfires burning on the NSW-Victorian border could join in coming days, creating one massive fire front. CFA state response controller Gavin Freeman said there was a “real potential” the fires burning along the state border could combine. The Corryong fire

Tens of thousands of voters in regional Victoria have received robocalls over the past 48 hours, highlighting Labor’s betrayal of timber workers, their families and timber communities. Source: Timberbiz The calls feature a timber worker and Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and En

The peak industry bodies representing scores of businesses that employ thousands of men and women in the front line to be impacted by Premier Andrews’ poor policy announcement to shut down Victoria’s native timber industry are seriously questioning the government’s commitment to engag

A $20.35 million road funding grant applied for by the Softwoods Working Group (SWG) under the NSW Government’s Growing Local Economies Program has been successful. SWG Chair Peter Crowe said the grant was tremendous news for the regional economy. Source: Timberbiz The $20.35 million

The Victorian State Government has been slammed for its appalling devaluation of native timber industry workers. The Nationals Member for Eastern Victoria Region Melina Bath said a State Government statement boasted Labor’s funding of $744 million for level crossings in Edithvale, Che

VicForests is inviting the community to learn more about proposed changes to the Timber Release Plan (TRP) 2019 at an Open House in Traralgon on 11 December 2019. Regular revision of the TRP is an important part of VicForests’ routine planning for timber harvesting in Victoria’s east.

Federal Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Resources Joel Fitzgibbon has strongly backed Victoria’s native forest industries as sustainable, this is at odds with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews who plans to shut it down. Source: Timberbiz Speaking at the Australian Forest Products A

At the protest rally held in Melbourne on Tuesday 26 November outside Parliament House, the leader of the Victorian opposition, Michael O’Brien, stated that he would instigate an inquiry into the closing down of the native forestry industry in Victoria. The proposed Legislative Counci

  Victoria’s opposition leader, Michael O’Brien speaking at the first of what may be many such protests, stated that he would put the facts on the table about native forestry in Victoria and his party would push for an upper house inquiry in 2020. The proposed Legislative Council

Representatives from Gippsland’s native timber industry have agreed to fight for the future of the industry and are calling for an urgent meeting with the State Premier following a meeting in Bairnsdale this week with local, state and federal government representatives. Source: Timber

Not surprisingly no Victorian Labor politician showed his face at the Victorian Association of Forestry Industries (VAFI) awards dinner held on Friday 15 November in Melbourne. However, the number of opposition politicians was impressive including long time timber industry supporter M

The Andrews Government in Victoria on Wednesday voted down a motion in State Parliament seeking support for the native timber industry. The Nationals Member for Eastern Victoria Region Melina Bath who raised the motion said the Andrews Government would go down as the most anti-regiona

Corryong sawmill operator and pallet manufacturer Graham Walker received a letter in October from Victoria’s Minister for Regional Development, Agriculture and Resources Jaclyn Symes good enough to take to the bank. In fact, he did. The letter recommended he continue to work with VicF

Yesterday’s announcement that native timber logging in Victoria will be phased out by 2030 has left the industry in shock and people in regional areas such as Gippsland reeling.The State Government in Victoria revealed its plans yesterday for the current level of native timber availab

Logging of native trees will be phased out in Victoria by 2030. Source: Timberbiz The State Government in Victoria revealed its plans today for the current level of native timber available for logging to be reduced from 2024-25. It has been reported a financial assistance package for

OneFortyOne’s Jubilee Sawmill has been recognised for its commitment to the timber industry with the Supreme Timber Industry Award at the Green Triangle Timber Industry Awards (GTTIA). Source: Timberbiz In front of a sell-out 500-plus audience on Friday night Jubilee Sawmill – OneFort

Victoria’s Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio has been urged to read and use data from a Gippsland Youth Symposium’s Future of our Forests report. But State MLC Melina Bath, who represents Victoria’s eastern region, said she did not expect the Minister to read the document. So

An Australian forest industries delegation to Japan accompanying the Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries Senator Jonathan Duniam will build a stronger relationship and help expand the market for high-quality Australian forest products, Chief Executive Officer of the Australi

OneFortyOne (OFO) has made its submission to the SA Legislative Council Select Committee on Matters Relating to the Timber Industry in the Limestone Coast. Chief executive officer, Linda Sewell, stated that the company had responded to the question of whether the export of wood fibre

The Annual Australian Timber Design Award winners for 2019 were announced recently in Melbourne and fitzpatrick + partners claimed first prize for their stunning Castlecrag home aptly named The Seed House. Source: Timberbiz The Seed House blends in seamlessly with the surrounding bush

Responsible Wood, Australia’s largest forest certification scheme, has announced that the University of South Australia’s Mount Gambier Campus will be hosting its Annual General Meeting next Tuesday, 22 October 2019. Source:  Timberbiz Responsible Wood will be awarding the coveted Ric

Nippon Paper Industries (Nippon Paper) has announced an agreement with Orora Limited to acquire its Australia and New Zealand fibre packaging division. The contract was signed following the Nippon Paper board of directors meeting held in Tokyo, Japan. The purchase will be subject to f

Concerns have been raised by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) over a proposed sale of Tasmanian hardwood plantations owned by Resource Management Service to New Forests and Global Forest Partners. Source: Timberbiz Resource Management Service has made its plan

Young people in Gippsland came together last week for a regional symposium on the future of our forests. Organised by Shadow Assistant Minister for Public Land and The Nationals Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Melina Bath, the day was an opportunity for young Gippslanders to have

The Victorian State Government has cancelled its community consultation process into reforms to the code of practice for timber production. State Environment Minister Lily D’Ambosio took the odd step of announcing the community engagement on the code through a release on Twitter. Sour

The Forest Industries Association of Tasmania (FIAT) has made no request for access to log native Tasmanian forests despite reports of a potential short-fall in supply. FIAT acting chief executive Terry Edwards said all the industry has requested was an assessment of 357,000ha of fore

A new report by the World Green Building Council (WGBC) has highlighted the huge potential of timber product building solutions to reduce emissions in Australia’s built environment. Source: Timberbiz The report, Bringing Embodied Carbon Upfront, says renewable timber products will pla

VicForests has launched a radical policy on native forest operations that involves revised harvesting and regeneration techniques as part of its campaign to achieve FSC certification. The policy centres on preserving “high conservation value” (HCV) native forest and removing perceived

Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) is working to uncover new opportunities in the detached housing market, with the development of a technical extension program that will encourage the use of wood products in residential Class 1 properties.  Source: Timberbiz The recently launc

A new approach to tech transfer and skills development was delivered through a workshop to help the softwood sector improve its understanding of how to better use the massive quantities of data collected during mill operations, with a view to improving processing activities. Source: T

Record temperatures globally over the past few years have generated unprecedented high Forest Fire Danger Index conditions. These conditions have extended the duration of the traditional fire season in many regions and, of more concern, have been the catalyst for losses in regions not

The NSW Government is looking at the “viability” of a long-term lease of the State’s commercial softwood plantation business, consistent with its asset recycling strategy. Forestry Corporation’s profitable softwood division consists of around 230,000 hectares of radiata pine forests p

Margules Groome Consulting’s Rob de Fegely has been awarded the NW Jolly Medal for his services to the Australian forest industry at an Australian and New Zealand Institute of Forestry conference in Christchurch. Source: Timberbiz Mr de Fegely is also chairman of Sustainable Timber Ta

The Victorian Association of Forest Industries Inc. (VAFI) has called for immediate action from the State Government after a protest in a timber harvesting coupe in Kinglake has again stopped forest contractors from making a living. Source: Timberbiz VAFI CEO, Tim Johnston, said the G

The Australian public must be protected through safe, compliant buildings and that will only be achieved through buy-in by everyone involved in the building and construction industry and with everyone being accountable for their own work, a NSW upper house inquiry has been told. Sourc

Up to 4500 hectares of red gum forest, fringing creeks, wetland and habitat will be replenished over the next 60 days thanks to a planned watering event in the Koondrook and Perricoota State Forests. Source: Timberbiz Forestry Corporation of NSW’s The Living Murray Program Manager for

The Queensland State Government has been urged to reject an “absurd, outrageous and highly destructive proposal to close our pine plantations”. Gympie MP and opposition spokesman for agricultural industry development and fisheries and forestry Tony Perrett was responding to a proposal

Sustainable timber harvesting is not a significant threat to koalas in New South Wales, a State Government inquiry has been told. The Forestry Corporation of NSW told the Inquiry into koala populations and habitat in New South Wales last week that known threats to koala populations ar

Western Australia has joined Tasmania to become the second state government to adopt a state-wide Wood Encouragement Policy (WEP). A WEP requires responsibly sourced wood be considered, where feasible, as the primary construction material in all new-build and refurbishment projects. S

An intergovernmental report on climate change released late last week highlights the need for a whole-of-landscape approach to tackling climate change, and the vital role the agriculture and forestry sector can play in reducing emissions and storing carbon, according to Climate Proofi

Australian Paper is moving ahead with its five-year, $200 million capital investment program at its Maryvale paper mill in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley. The company committed $51 million in the second year of the program to upgrade key strategic infrastructure, according to AP’s 2018 Sus

A big deficit in the supply of hardwood woodchips is expected in the Asia-Pacific in the next three-to-five years, with demand in China, already the world’s biggest importer, expected to continue growing, according to Australian forestry giant Midway Group. Source: Philip Hopkins for

People in Victoria’s regions are far more interested maintaining jobs and economic opportunities from the state’s forests than people in the city, according to early feedback from the Future of Our Forests program. The RFA modernisation process is an integral part of the program. Sour

Russia is emerging as a major timber exporter that could potentially swamp markets in Australia and New Zealand, a forestry conference has been told. Dennis Nielson, director of NZ-based consultancy DANA, said Russia as a country was overwhelming in its scale, with a forestry industry

The Australian forestry market remains attractive to international investors despite a few headwinds, according to Hancock’s Australasian chief, Bill McCallum, who also signalled that an integrated timberland/farmland investment strategy expanded the opportunities for investors. Sourc

Careful planning is aiming to ensure the mistakes of the past in establishing plantations and farm forestry are not repeated, the new federal Minister for Forests, Jonathon Duniam, said yesterday. Senator Duniam, speaking to a DANA conference in Brisbane, reiterated the Government’s s

Big River has started on its global expansion strategy to better serve its customers across the Tasman and grow its business in the plywood and specialty segments in New Zealand with the acquisition of Plytech, Auckland and Decortech in Penrose, Auckland. Source: Timberbiz “Plytech an

Building industry groups have signed a joint call for urgent Australia-wide action on building regulations. The letter, signed by the Property Council of Australia, the Insurance Council of Australia, Ai Group and the Australian Construction Industry Forum, says Australia’s fragmented

A market research company is visiting country towns in Victoria to test the water on the public’s reaction to shutting down the native timber industry. The most recent of several events was in Maryborough on Wednesday night. Others are understood to have taken place in Shepparton and

The RFA modernisation paper understates the existing levels of protection for biodiversity in Victoria and misrepresents the role of the state’s native forest timber industry, according to the Institute of Foresters of Australia (IFA). Source: Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz The paper bo

Western Australia has launched a plan that sets a new strategic direction for the state’s forestry industry based on local Aborigines’ spiritual outlook. The state’s Wood Encouragement Policy is a key part of what is called the Djarlma Plan, which was inspired by Djarlma – the N

VEAC’s estimate of $270 million in economic value driven by forest protection in Victoria’s Central West is a mathematical fantasy that ignores real money from a functioning timber industry, according to a regional-based forestry group. The South East Timber Association (SETA) said in

The Victorian Environment Assessment Council (VEAC) has been accused of ignoring its legal obligations with its final report into Victoria’s Central West, while the forestry industry has condemned its recommendations. The VEAC report, released last week, dramatically cut the timber in

Australia’s forestry industry continues to show signs of growth according to a new report released by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARES). Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries, Senator Jonathon Duniam, said the report’s findings were great ne

The Australian construction industry needs to focus more on industry skilling and the enabling of modern construction enterprise capability, a leading construction industry expert has warned. Source: Timberbiz Adjunct Professor at the Centre for Smart Modern Construction at Western Sy

Offsite construction in Australia, despite the hype, is wallowing in disillusionment, with some prominent failures undermining confidence in the sector, according to one of Australia’s leading construction experts. Source: Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz “Despite all the hype, 20 years i

Timber industry stalwart Paul Madden from Barham on the Murray River has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday 2019 Honours List for his service to primary industry and to the community of the Riverina. Source:  Timberbiz Mr Madden is general m

The inaugural chairman of Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA), Ronald Adams, has been recognised with an Order of Australia on the Queen’s Birthday 2019 Honours List for his career-long contributions to benefiting Australia’s forestry and wood sector as well as the communi

A new forestry advertising campaign with the logo, ‘Wood: The Ultimate Renewable’, is set to hit the screens, not just as a re-invigorated branding, but as a strategic reframing and an organising idea for the whole forestry sector. The campaign, launched in Melbourne on Tuesday night,

Forestry deals in Australia and New Zealand over the past 20 years have totalled up to $18 billion, according to a leading forestry analyst. Managing director Indufor Asia-Pacific (Australia), Andrew Morton, said the value of 93 transactions in Australasia over the 20-year period was

Senator Jonathan Duniam, the new assistant federal minister in charge of forestry, was a senior member of Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman’s staff during the development of the new Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement. Senator Duniam grew up in the north-west of Tasmania and went to univ

Australia’s forest industries congratulate the new Minister for Agriculture, Victorian Senator Bridget McKenzie and Assistant Minister with responsibility for Forestry and Fisheries, Tasmanian Senator Jonathon Duniam. Source: Timberbiz “Prime Minister Morrison’s new Cabinet demonstrat

New Zealand’s Wellbeing Budget will enable further transformation of the country’s forestry sector after the successful rollout of the Government’s One Billion Trees program, according to Forestry Minister Shane Jones. The NZ government has called it the Wellbeing Budget as it says it

Advanced technology to map Victoria’s forests is being used as part of the State Government’s plans to modernise forest management, particularly for the Regional Forest Agreements. The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DEWLP) has acquired Victoria’s largest ever acq

South Australia’s Liberal Government says that it successfully delivered a positive forestry inquiry despite a negative, divisive approach by the Labor Opposition according to Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Tim Whetstone. Source: Timberbiz “The Shadow Ministe

The State Government of South Australia has appointed BDO Advisory (SA) Pty Ltd to undertake an independent audit on the Plantation Lease Agreement with OneFortyOne Plantations Pty Ltd. Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Tim Whetstone said BDO has partnered with

Both major political parties have committed to spend more on forestry research and development to reverse the plunge in both industry R&D spending and the number of research scientists over the past decade. Source: Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz R&D was a key theme of last week’

The Federal Government will provide $500 million in low interest loans to plantation growers if it is re-elected as part of its plan to dramatically expand plantations in Australia. However, the Government’s backtracking on allowing farm forestry and plantations full access to the Emi

The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) has welcomed Federal Labor’s policy package, which agrees to several AFPA policy priorities to grow Australia’s renewable forest industries. Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) CEO Ross Hampton said there were three key commi

The Forest Industries Election Debate run by AFPA will be an important policy debate ahead of the Federal Election, focusing entirely on policy that directly affects Australia’s full value chain of forest industries. Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Richard Colbe

Veteran firefighter Ewan Waller has called for fuel reduction burning to be an integral part of a visionary, long-term policy for managing fire in the forest. His thoughts were prompted by the recent fires in Gippsland and his memories of the Black Saturday inferno when he experienced

In a boost to Australian paper manufacturing, the Federal Government has imposed duties on copy paper imports from four countries after finding the countries have been dumping A4 copy paper onto the Australian market. The Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Kevin Andrews, a

Victoria’s native forest industry would be closed to generate carbon credits under the Victorian Regional Forest Agreements in a proposal pushed by the state’s Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio. The potential move has been strongly criticised as misunderstan

“Despite reports in ‘The Guardian’, the beekeeping industry wishes to work collaboratively with the forestry industry and state governments to ensure access to resources in state forests,” he said in a statement. “ALL values and uses of the forests need to be recognised throughout Aus

The Western Australian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) has been extended for another 20 years with an annual sustainable yield of at least 191,000 cubic metres of high-quality jarrah and karri saw logs. The landmark RFA agreement for WA’s $1.4 billion was signed on Friday by the Prime

Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT) has launched a process to gain certification for its forestry activities from the Forest Stewardship Council. SCS Global Services will conduct an audit of STT’s forestry practices, starting on 20 May, against the new FSC Australian Forest Stewardship

Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Nationals, Michael McCormack, has backed a Regional Forestry Hub in the South West Slopes (Tumut-Tumbarumba region) of southern NSW. In a letter released by the South West Slopes’ Softwoods Working Group (SWG), the Deputy Prime Minister expresse

A $30 million federal government farm biodiversity program that includes potential carbon benefits for tree planting has been backed by the forest industry and Labor Party. Under the $30 million pilot Agriculture Biodiversity Stewardship Program, farmers could receive incentives for p

The peak forestry body in New South Wales says the election of the Coalition Government has removed the threat from the proposed new koala national park but much work remains to be done. Timber NSW General Manager Maree McCaskill said the proposed Great Koala National Park in northern

The Australian Liberal National Government is delivering $200,000 for two new education initiatives in partnership with Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA) to educate the next generation to help the industry thrive into the future. Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Re

Uncertainty over the future of Victoria’s native forest industry has deepened as more sites of the official “critically endangered” Leadbeater’s Possum have been found, and negotiations continue over the East Gippsland forest set aside for industry where the Andrews Government designa

The New South Wales Codes of Practice and controls governing private native forest ignore long-term ecological sustainability, and are too complex and should be simplified, with the over-regulation sending a message of lack of trust, according to the state’s peak forestry body. The ch

Forestry experts have described as “a weak rant” and “gross misrepresentation” arguments by Fairfax economics editor Ross Gittins that the native forest industry in Central Gippsland is uneconomic and deprives Melbourne of huge amounts of water through logging of water catchments. Mr

According to Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Senator Richard Colbeck the outlook for the forest, seafood and horticulture sectors is bright despite clear risks, with continued growth in Australia and overseas providing new markets and opportunities. That was th

Bushfires now in Victoria and previously in Tasmania have had a devastating affect not only on forestry but also and more importantly livelihoods, livestock and lives with firefighters in Victoria currently building containment lines around fires burning east of Melbourne before “gust

New South Wales Government Minister for Forestry Paul Toole announced that the Government is investing almost $40 million to support innovation and training for NSW’s forestry industry and has allocated $4.6 million to support the development of a training and certification scheme for

Two forestry scientists have harshly criticised “false science” and its links to environmental activism as completely distorting the truth about the native forestry industry and the endangered status of the Leadbeater’s Possum. Forestry consultant and author Mark Poynter and Mike Ryan

About 150 million tonnes of carbon are stored in Australian wood products, clear felling only makes up 9% of native forest harvesting, and forest activities pose relatively little danger to threatened species. Those are some of the conclusions of Australia’s State of the Forests 2018

Forestry ministers from the Commonwealth, the states and territories met in Melbourne on 15 February 2019 at the Forestry Ministers Meeting to discuss ways to continue to support Australia’s forestry industries. There was one similar meeting in June last year and three in 2017.

International House in Sydney, the first commercial office building in Australia made from timber, has won a major award at the World Architecture Festival in Amsterdam. The seven-floor structure, which is also the world’s tallest commercial building made from engineered wood, was awa

The Ta Ann Mill at Southwood and its surrounding plantations were a high priority for firefighters following widespread fire in the Huon Valley last week. There was some superficial damage to buildings as an ember attack in the wake of the fire front damaged a skylight and entered the

The bushfires in Tasmania are having a big impact on the state’s private forestry industry, with tens of thousands of hectares burnt. Private Forests Tasmania (PFT) said that as of February 5, a total of 35,325 hectares of the private forest estate had been burnt in the fires. Source:

Business Tasmania is a Tasmanian Government service which provides the business community with a range of support and assistance. In times of extreme weather events or other emergencies, Business Tasmania can help impacted businesses access necessary information and services. Source:

The Queensland Hardwood Timber Industry is coming under increasing pressure from many directions. Demand for timber products is increasing at a rapid rate and Queensland has the potential to become a significant supplier and processor of world-class, sustainable and durable wood. Sour

The Institute of Foresters of Australia has voted overwhelmingly to merge with Australian Forest Growers, creating a body with potentially more punch in the forest industry. More than 90% of IFA voters supported the merger, at an extraordinary general meeting last week. The AFG had al

Kirk Architects and Hyne Timber have been chosen to build a new centre known as a ‘diagrid’ for turtles in Queensland using Spotted Gum. The Mon Repos structure itself is known as a ‘diagrid’ which presents an innovative resistance against cyclonic conditions. It is believed to be the

The National Farmers Federation has a forestry expert running the government and industry drive to encourage farmers to plant more trees to alleviate Australia’s plantation shortage. Warwick Ragg, the NFF’s general manager of natural resource management, was the chief executive of Aus

The New South Wales forestry industry will have access to about 340,000 cubic metres of quality saw logs annually from native forests over the next five years under the recommitted 20-year regional forest agreements. More than 1 million cubic metres of non-high quality logs will also

Tim Woods has taken on the role of acting general manager of ForestWorks following the resignation of general manager Diana Lloyd after more than two years in the role. Mr Woods is a well known and respected industry figure and a regular contributor to Timberbiz. Source: Timberbiz 

New Zealand has deepened the environmental role of forestry as part of its $NZ480 million, 10-year plan to plant one billion new trees by 2028. The Minister for Forests, Shane Jones, said NZ had now included permanent forests as part of changes to its Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) sh

VicForests made a net profit of $1.2 million on sales of about $101 million in 2017-18 despite big cutbacks in the state’s timber resource, according to the annual report of the government’s commercial forestry operator. The state-owned company, despite a small drop in the value of sa

Victorian Environment Assessment Council (VEAC) draft forestry proposals for Central West Victoria slug the region’s timber industry, while ignoring its economic importance and its role in fighting fires and maintaining biodiversity, according to the state’s peak forestry body. The dr

Quintessential Equity has hailed the opening of a new Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) processing and offsite manufacturing factory at Avalon Airport’s new industrial precinct, as a major win for both the City of Geelong and the building industry’s march toward more sustainable methods of

Exciting times are ahead for the Institute of Foresters of Australia (IFA) and Australian Forest Growers (AFG) as they facilitate Extraordinary General Meetings for their members to vote on the proposed merger of IFA and AFG, a proposal endorsed by both boards of the two not-for-profi

The Norske Skog group has decided to invest about AUD$7 million to upgrade the Nature’s Flame wood pellets facility in New Zealand to more than double its annual production capacity to 85,000 tonnes. The increased production capacity will be commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Australia’s renewable pulp and paper industries are leading the way in global sustainability and innovation, according to the 2018 National Pulp and Paper Sustainability Report. “The report confirms Australia’s renewable pulp and paper industries are setting the agenda with ambitious

Australian Paper’s $600 million energy from waste proposal at its Latrobe Valley plant has been given an ‘environmental tick’ from EPA Victoria. The EPA has issued a Works Approval, which means the project meets the EPA’s stringent emissions standards. Source: Philip Hopkins for Timbe

Eucalyptus species are grown throughout the world for their hardwood qualities and rapid growth. As a plantation species, their most common use is for pulp production and in many developing countries for utility poles and fuel wood. In Australia, there are approximately 900,000 hectar

Former Victorian forestry chief, Philip Dalidakis, has been dumped from the new Victorian Labor Cabinet because half the ministers will be women. Mr Dalidakis, a former chief executive of the Victorian Forest Industries Association and a strong forestry supporter, was omitted from the

The Andrews Government – senior ministers and relevant departments – has strongly rejected allegations made on the ABC that VicForests has illegally harvested native forest timber on a massive scale. ABC’s 7:30 Report, three days before Saturday’s state election, accused VicForests of

Just recently FSC Australia was making the news with what it called its ‘groundbreaking’ Australian version of the world’s strongest forestry standard. In FSC’s media release it pointed to a certification standard “jointly agreed by industry, environment and community interests”. Whil

Wood pellets, which can play a big role in cutting carbon dioxide when used in pulverised coal power stations, are a growing export opportunity for Australia, according to Australia’s peak wood researcher. Wood pellet exports are increasing and their future looks bright, says Forest &

About 400 tonnes of logs and a selection of sawn timber are up for auction on Saturday 24 November in Western Australia. The auction, for timber from the South West and Goldfields regions, will take place at the WA Forest Products Commission Harvey Mill. It will kick off at 10am. The

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has developed a new forest certification standard specifically for Australia to support the sustainable management of forests across the country. Source: Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz FSC Australia’s National Forest Stewardship Standard joins the ex

Australian Paper is forging ahead with its $7.5 million feasibility study into building a $600 million energy from waste plant at the Maryvale paper mill in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley, according to the company’s 2017-18 Sustainability Report. Source: Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz The pr

Revenue from the sale of Tasmanian forest products from public land rose by more than 19% last year to $144.86 million, according to Sustainable Timber Tasmania’s annual report. Source: Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz A $26.6 million increase in the value of the managed forest, plus othe

Victoria’s plantation estate needs to be increased by about 20% to 500,000 hectares over the next decade, according to one of Victoria’s peak industry bodies. Source: Philip Hopkins for  Timberbiz Victoria now has about 421,700 hectares of hardwood and softwood plantations, the Victor

A young female forester, Emma Gall from HVP Plantations, was one of four winners at this year’s Victorian forestry industry awards, which covered individual excellence, sustainability and contributions to the economy and community. Source: Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz The awards were

The Board of Kangaroo Island Plantation Timbers (KIPT) has planned a transition to a governance and management structure better suited to an operating timber export business. Source: Timberbiz As the development phase of the company’s growth approaches its conclusion and the productio

A leading Andrews Government minister, Philip Dalidakis, vowed to the Victorian forestry industry on Friday night that he would boycott Bunnings and Officeworks if they refused to sell Victorian forestry products. Source: Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz “As far as I am aware, I’m the onl

The Federal Government has foreshadowed a tough approach towards retailers who refuse to sell goods certified under the internationally recognised Australian Forestry Standard (AFS). Source: Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz The Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Senator Richard Colbeck,

The Federal Government’s $20 million forestry plan to plant one billion trees is a big policy step, but is inadequate as it amounts to only two cents per tree. Source: Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz That was a key point made by the chairman of the Australian Forest Products Association,

According to HIA economist Diwa Hopkins Australia’s home building industry beat expectations in commencing construction of 228,480 homes in the 2017/18 financial year. Source: Timberbiz This represents a 3.3% increase on home starts in the previous financial year.  The ABS today relea

VicForests released the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) audit report (May 2018) and reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing certification of FSC Controlled Wood standard. In conjunction with the results, VicForests released its FSC 2020: VicForests Controlled Wood Roadmap outlining the

The NSW Government has opened round 1 of applications under the Forest Industries Innovation Fund loan scheme – a $34 million fund to assist industry in adopting new technology and innovative practices. Source: Timberbiz The scheme aims to attract projects that will better address the

Aborigines’ fire management skills should be integrated into Victoria’s fire-fighting planning to complement fuel reduction burning, according to the state’s forestry experts. Source: Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz “The traditional owners of the land have unique skills and expertise in

The NSW Government will fund new innovative forestry projects aimed at improving profitability, opening up new local and international markets, and preparing for future opportunities. Source: Timberbiz Minister for Lands and Forestry Paul Toole said applications would soon open for th

A total of 30 key plantation regions will be created under the Federal Government’s national forestry plan, with farmers playing a big role in planting trees. Source: Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz The $20 million, four-year plan aims to plant an additional 400,000 hectares of forests –

The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) has released its annual report for the 2017/2018 year and in it  Chief Executive Officer Ross Hampton said the association has had a strong year, growing in membership, capacity, capability and influence. Source: Timberbiz He said that

Robots are likely to have a bigger role in timber processing as they take over work that is dirty, dangerous or difficult. By Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz That was a key message of Troy Krogh, regional director of Scott Automation & Robotics, to the WoodTech conference in Melbourn

Australia’s renewable timber and wood-fibre industry will be better prepared for future challenges and opportunities with the support of the Australian Government’s National Forest Industries Plan – Growing a better Australia. Source: Timberbiz Minister for Agriculture and Water Resou

The new owner of Nelson Forests OneFortyOne (OFO) has marked the settlement of its purchase with the announcement of two significant new initiatives – the establishment of a substantial fund for sedimentation research and a school leaver program that will provide trade apprenticeships

The Australian Forest Products Association SA Branch (AFPA SA) has welcomed the forest industries measures announced in the South Australian State Budget. Source: Timberbiz “It’s great to see that the SA Government has heeded the advice of AFPA SA provided during the state election ca

Timberlink has approved a $100 million upgrade program to its Australian sawmills. This generational investment will see the total processing capacity of the Australasian sawmilling company increase by more than 15%. Source: Timberbiz The investment will secure more than 1350 direct a

After the Federal government’s recent political spill a change has come that will certainly be welcomed by most of the forestry industry as well as Tasmanians. Richard Colbeck has been given the portfolio of Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources assuming responsibilit

Australia’s ‘new look’ government is due to launch the National Forest Industries Plan in September 2018. The plan is to be released by the Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Senator Anne Ruston, who remains responsible for forestry.  Source: Timberbiz The developm

A new pilot program has been launched by Weathertex and Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to understand the chemical changes that take place during the production of external timber cladding. Sources: FWPA, Timberbiz A collaboration between industry and academia, the intended

A recent article in ‘The Age’ shows how easy it is for the mainstream media to feed negative perceptions about the native forest industry, according to forestry writer and consultant, Mark Poynter. By Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz Mr Poynter, in an address to the National Timber Counci

The federal Labor Party has promised a forestry plan that emphasises science over environmental hysteria, and includes carbon farming and bioenergy as chief ways for the sector to fight climate change. Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz “Labor’s principle – it has to be informed by the fact

OneFortyOne Plantations(OFO) is consolidating its position as a new vertically integrated company, including potentially using bioenergy as it maps future growth in Australia and New Zealand. Source: Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz The company’s executive general manger – forestry,

A multi million dollar court action seeking damages from building products giant Carter Holt Harvey has been filed at the Auckland High Court. Sources: Newshub, Stuff NZ It is seeking at least NZ$40 million in damages on behalf of owners of properties constructed with Shadowclad. Shad

About 60,000 tonnes of plantation pine residue is up for grabs over two years in Western Australia. By Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz The WA Government has let a tender for the product, with the successful bidder or bidders expected to be announced this month. WA’s Forest Products Commi

The Federal and State Governments must learn from the Greek fire tragedy before we experience another Black Saturday bushfire in Australia. That is the stark warning from the Institute of Foresters of Australia. Source: Timberbiz and IFA Bob Gordon, National President of the Institute

Forests cover almost one-third of the world’s land area and over one billion people rely on them for their livelihoods. Source: Steve Nicholson, director of sustainability at Solaris Paper As of March 2017, nearly 450 companies had made 760 commitments to curb forest destruction in su

LINX Cargo Care Group, and its subsidiary C3 Limited, has been successful in its bid to acquire Pedersen Group, a market leading provider of wood chipping and wood yard management services to pulp and paper mills, and forest owners in Australia and New Zealand. Source: Timberbiz Peder

Leadbeater’s Possum (LP) should retain its status as “critically endangered” but more information and research is needed to finalise this designation, according to a federal government scientific body. Source: Phillip Hopkins for Timberbiz Future bushfires, triggered considerably by c

The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) is launching a $10 million plan to turbo-charge forest industries in Tasmania, and specifically in the federal electorate of Braddon, ahead of the July 28 by-election poll. Source: Timberbiz “Forest industries are incredibly important

Bushfire policy, the nature of conservation and the implications for the timber industry form the key themes of a new book on native forestry. “Going ‘Green’: Forests, Fire and a Flawed Conservation Culture”, by forestry expert Mark Poynter was launched in Melbourne last Friday. Mr Po

Opportunities for Southern Tasmania – a private forestry forum for landowners, foresters, processors and land-use managers will be held at the Royal Hobart Showground, Glenorchy on 8 August. Source: Timberbiz The forum, from 6-9.30pm, will be addressed by keynote speaker Guy Barnett,

The controversy surrounding the harvesting of a coupe at a traditional timber town, Noojee in West Gippsland, highlights the issues facing the native forest industry. By Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz. A full hearing of the Federal Court, likely in February, will hear a claim by the Fri

A new online platform called AREMI identifies the location, availability and volume of biomass, and has been flagged as a pivotal tool to boost investment in Australia’s renewable energy sector. Source: Timberbiz Businesses and investors now have access to a data-rich platform which m

American group The Conservation Fund, which combines protecting forests and creating jobs in partnership with business, offers a model that Australia could follow. By Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz That was the key message of the Vice-President of The Conservation Fund, Robin Murphy, in

Australia now has the third highest number of tall buildings in the world made from wood. More than 50 buildings in Australia have been built from engineered timber in the past five years, with Australia now having the third highest number of tall buildings in the world made from wood

The Australian and Tasmanian governments are supporting advances in a sustainable and productive forestry industry with wood product innovation they hope will grow the sector. Source: Timberbiz Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Senator Anne Ruston, and Tasmanian

The Victorian Association of Forest Industries Annual Dinner will be held on 19 October at the RACV Club, Melbourne. Source: Timberbiz One of the premier events for the state’s forest and wood products industry and of particular significance with 2018 being a state election year, the

Australia-based forestry company New Forests will use landmark Australian genetic technology to boost productivity in its tropical eucalyptus plantations. By Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz New Forests has forged a partnership with Gondwana Genomics, a private company founded in 2014 wit

Australia’s housing approvals surged in March, rising 9.2% compared with February, totalling 19,452 separate approvals. While the monthly data was positive, the big stories are that free-standing house approvals are still growing and Victoria’s approvals remain at record levels. Sourc

The new National Institute of Forest Products Innovation has kicked into gear in South Australia, with an inaugural meeting of its industry-driven advisory committee electing Tammy Auld as Chair and planning a workshop to discuss the research priorities and strategy with all intereste

Representatives from the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) and the National Farmers Federation (NFF), including AFPA Chair Greg McCormack and NFF President Fiona Simson visited New Zealand to examine farm forestry operations near Rotorua. Source: Timberbiz The joint delega

513,811 bdmt – projected woodchip exports from Australia in April 2018, measured in bone dry metric tonnes, based on IndustryEdge’s unique vessel tracking and analysis -$23.03/m3 – the February 2018 discount for softwood log exports that were <15 cm diameter. Their exports averaged

Institutional investors, superannuation funds and trusts are a likely source of funds for a new venture by universities and industry that aims to establish tree plantations to meet Australia’s growing demand for wood. Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz The immediate focus is on Gippsland an

The Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI), has thrown its support behind its members’ drive to extend their contracts with VicForests, the state government’s commercial forestry arm. From Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz Tim Johnston, the chief executive of VAFI said processor

Six Gippsland sawmills have renewed pressure on the Victorian Government, urging Premier Daniel Andrews in an Open Letter to save jobs, protect regional communities and return confidence to the timber industry. Source: Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz The G6, as the new group calls itself

448,686m3 – Australia’s log exports in February 2018, dominated by 403,136m3 of softwood logs AUD14.895 million – the value of dressed sawn softwood imports to New South Wales in February 2018, on a free-on-board basis 12.4% – growth in the value of timber windows imported to Australi

VicForests said that it respected the sentiments of South Gippsland Shire Council, that voted against native timber harvesting in Mirboo North.  “We urge the Council and the community to continue talking with us,” Alex Messina, VicForests General Manager Corporate Affairs said.  “Ther

Australia’s woodchip exports totalled 580,785 bone dry metric tonnes (bdmt) in February 2018, with hardwood chips at 494,345 (bdmt). Softwood chips continued their recent strength, totalling 86,440 bdmt. Source: IndustryEdge, Timberbiz Latest data analysed for the Australian industry

Landscape-scale forest planning and security of supply are key demands of the Victorian forestry industry for the next generation of the 20-year regional forest agreements (RFAs). By Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz All five Victorian RFAs, which are to be finalised by March 2020, must re

Victoria’s forest industry jobs and the environment have been assured certainty with the Australian and Victorian governments extending the Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) for East Gippsland, Central Highlands and the North-East regions. Source: Timberbiz The extension of the three

Australia’s forestry industry is finding it difficult to attract qualified or experienced people to work in this interesting and rewarding sector. Source: Timberbiz This is despite the fact that Australia’s forest industry is a dynamic and sustainable provider of regional employment,

Swedish forest group Södra has launched Liquid Forest, a range of bioproducts: biomethanol, tall oil and turpentine. The Liquid Forest brand is a concept that offers an opportunity to choose climate-smart products derived from sustainably managed forests from the company’s 53,000 fore

The United Steelworkers union (USW) has welcomed the announcement from the US Department of Commerce that tariffs for some Canadian lumber products are being reduced, but the union maintains that solving the softwood lumber dispute must be made a priority in Canada. Source: Timberbiz

A glance through international and Australian architecture and design publications, both traditional and online, will show the growing use of wood and wood products, in decorative and structural roles. However, independent research has shown that lack of knowledge about designing with

A study to better understand the economic benefits generated by the timber harvest and haulage contractors in the South East of South Australia has been funded by the SA Government.  Source: Timberbiz Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development David Basham said the contr

A forestry company barred from harvesting is considering leaving Marlborough after ending a court battle. Zindia Limited was stopped from processing its block in the Queen Charlotte Sound after the Marlborough District Council issued a cease-and-desist notice, saying it breached its r

Forest & Wood Communities Australia has lodged a complaint with the Australian Press Council following a story on the timber industry published in The Monthly. It has also complained directly to the editor and provided a detailed critique to outline dozens of issues with the work

Two new directors have joined the Australian Forest Contractors Association. Theresa Lonergan from Lonergan Logging in NSW and Dale Cameron from C3 Australia in Western Australia are the two new directors. Source: Timberbiz They were elected unopposed at the association’s AGM at the e

New fire detection technology and the upgrade of fire-spotting towers across the Limestone Coast forestry estate will be funded as part of a $1.1m State Government investment. Source: The Border Watch The investment will see the fire-tower network staffed, as well as the continuation

With all the talk of the much-hoped-for Trans-Tasman bubble and the benefits it would bring to the tourism sector and our economy in general, you’d think it could only be positive. However, when the eventual euphoria of getting easier access to Australia turns into reality, and in par