Australasia's home for timber news and information

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.
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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 Austr
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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 M
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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 pr
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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 tak
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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
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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: Philip
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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. So
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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 ye
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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, m
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