Australasia's home for timber news and information

Sawmills of Finland – a different philosophy

The faint smell of burnt wood permeates Finland. The likely culprit: with a population of about 5.5 million, it is estimated there are four million saunas. Many of those saunas are heated with wood – a valued commodity, and part of Finland’s culture. Source: Woodbusiness About 65% of
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PNG to tax forestry

Papua New Guinea’s government is to start taxing the forestry industry in a bid to grow revenue. Source: Radio New Zealand It’s one of the announcements in the $US4.5 billion national budget for 2018 delivered by Treasurer Charles Abel. The latest budget has the Peter O
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Forest Harvesting Optimisation Project Approved

The Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) has approved the Case for Endorsement for the updated and revised units of competency, along with a Companion Volume Implementation Guide. Source: Timberbiz The revised units will be released on to training.gov.au by the end of 2017,
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ARC of the future

The recently launched ARC Future Timber Hub (Australian Research Council) is Australia’s leading timber research collaboration, bringing together experts from industry, government and academia. Source: Timberbiz It was founded as an interdisciplinary partnership between Hyne Tim
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NZ policy of genuine benefit

Forestry Minister Shane Jones says overseas investment in forestry that brings genuine benefits to New Zealand’s economy and its environment will be welcomed by the Government. Sources: Timberbiz, Scoop NZ Mr Jones says he is pleased with the inclusion of a Forestry Directive in the n
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Tea trees get a financial boost from government

The Australian tea tree industry is set to benefit from the Coalition Government’s $5 million Leadership in Agricultural Industries Fund. Source: Timberbiz Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Luke Hartsuyker, said the fund would provide $102,368 to assist the Austr
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Piloting a drone revolution

At the just completed ForestTECH 2017 series, we heard from major forestry companies in both New Zealand and Australia that are investing heavily in drones, training in-company pilots and using the technology operationally across their estates. Source: Timberbiz Timberlands who manage
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Small scale foresters should check timber prices

Small-scale forest owners are being encouraged to check what local timber processors can offer before they sell their woodlots. Source: Otago Daily Times While the New Zealand Farm Forestry Association accepted growers had the “absolute right” to sell their trees to their best advanta
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Cann River awards prizes with help from VicForests

Cann River Community Centre this year awarded two prizes worth $250 each as part of its 2017 Arts, Crafts and Photography Expo thanks to VicForests’ Community Support Program contributions. Source: Timberbiz The Expo, running from 3 to 7 November, had 189 entries from 61 artists, whic
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Change for forestry safety

A major step change must occur to take mechanisation to a whole new level to help improve forestry safety, a forestry safety seminar has heard. Source: New Zealand Herald Forest Enterprises’ Dan Fraser, who has been involved in the forestry industry in New Zealand for close to two dec
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