Australian timber industry news

Simon Dorries, chief executive of the EWPAA, believes it’s time for him to try and make a difference in the political field and will be standing as a CanDo Candidate for seat of Woodridge in Queensland’s State elections on 24 March.

China is now the world’s largest importer of softwood logs and lumber, as reported by Wood Resources International. The importance of China to forestry’s export earnings will be a key focus at the Future Forestry Finance conference series.

Following 21 years as the major Australian forests and timber industry magazine and in line with current publishing trends, Australian Forests & Timber News is now available in both print and online on the forest and timber industries’ leading web portal, www.timberbiz.com.au.

The 66th Appita Conference & Exhibition, will be held 15 - 18 April, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne.

An internationally renowned, award winning space scientist will be speaking at the AUSTimber 2012 Forestworks’ conference in Mount Gambier, 29 March 2012.

Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings has been taken to task for her seeming lack of action over attacks on Ta Ann.

By Senator Richard Colbeck When is enough enough? An Interim Conservation Agreement was signed last month between the State and Commonwealth Governments and didn't it produce a commotion!

By Bob Gordon Managing Director, Forestry Tasmania I note the Tasmanian Government's decision to release the first stage of the Strategic Review of Forestry Tasmania by consultants URS. Given that the timber industry in Tasmania is in the grip of a crisis, solutions can only be found if clear factual information is made readily available to the Tasmanian community, and it is my sincere hope the release of this report will go some way to achieving that outcome. I will not pretend that I agree completely with every line of the report, but in general terms it provides a useful synopsis of the challenges facing Forestry Tasmania and the wider Tasmanian timber industry.

Sydney Hoo Hoo Club 215, will hold its annual general meeting at Heritage Profiles, 7 Kerr Road, Ingleburn, from 7pm on 22 February.

Forests NSW has launched a new program of weekend and school holiday activities at Cumberland State Forest at West Pennant Hills to encourage people to learn more about forests. Activities will be run in school holidays and every Sunday morning.

TFS Corporation Ltd has entered into a contract to buy another property as it attempts to expand its Sandalwood plantations.

Associate Professor Greg Nolan, Director of the University of Tasmania’s Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood (CSAW), predicts that online education and training can change the game for the Australian and New Zealand timber and wood products industry.

VicForests is seeking markets for approximately 837,000 tonnes per annum of residual log material, available from Victoria's commercial native forest estate.

Timber Communities Australia has issued an invitation to attend the ‘Native forest biomass for bio-energy forum; social, environmental and economic considerations’ on 7 March.

The Australian Government will be holding public information sessions around the country to inform industry and other interested parties on the Illegal Logging Prohibition Bill 2011 that was introduced into Parliament on 23 November 2011.

The Future Fund is helping to finance a move by United States timber investment manager The Campbell Group in a A$600 million offer for South Australian forestry assets.

THE ANZ Bank and nine other banks have extended Gunns Limited's $340 million senior debt and $200 million working capital facility until December 31, 2012, according to Nick Clark writing in The Mercury.

On a more positive note, we are pleased to advise that the sale of the softwood joint venture plantations was finalised today. The Deputy Premier Bryan Green and Forestry Tasmania's chairman Adrian Kloeden announced back in early December that Taswood Growers had reached agreement to sell rights to the plantation estate to Sydney based firm New Forests for $156m. The sale process, which included Foreign Investment Review Board approval, was finalised today, and our share of the proceeds will be used to retire debt.

McKay's Timber, the largest family-owned sawmill in Tasmania’s south, has stood down 30 of its workers - about a third its staff.

Forestry Tasmania has come out swinging in the latest round of the fight with anti-forestry activists. FT managing director Bob Gordon landed some heavy blows when he released a report entitled Forest management in Tasmania - the Truth.