Feed aggregator

US Representatives Glenn “GT” Thompson and Andrea Salinas introduced the Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act. This bipartisan legislation provides incentives for the use of mass timber building materials in federal contracting, giving timber and other forest products companies the ability to compete for construction, renovation, or acquisition of public buildings, and for military construction. Source: Timberbiz The bill creates a two-tier contracting preference for mass timber and other innovative wood projects. The first-tier preference applies to mass timber that is made within the US and responsibly sourced from state, federal, private, and Tribal forestlands. The optional second tier applies to mass timber products that are sourced from restoration practices, fire mitigation projects, and forest owners. Additionally, this bill contains a reporting requirement for a whole building lifecycle assessment. The results of this assessment will help provide additional evidence of the environmental benefits of the use of timber and forest products in buildings. “Timber and forest products have long been an important economic engine for the hardworking families and rural communities of Pennsylvania,” Mr Thompson said. “American forests, such as the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania, are tremendous natural resources, and when managed responsibly, they serve as a long-term source of high-quality timber. We aim to expand markets for timber and innovative wood products that Pennsylvania’s foresters and mills are ready to support.” Ms Salinas said that Oregon has always been a leader in the US mass timber industry, which has supported economic growth across the Pacific Northwest. “Our wood products are sustainable and cost-effective building materials,” she said. “Incentivizing the use of mass timber in federal buildings will expand our state’s industry, support good jobs, and drive down the cost of construction, which will help address the housing crisis. By supporting Oregon timber, we reduce wildfire risk, increase forest resiliency, and shrink the carbon footprint of federal buildings.” Amy Shields, Executive Director of the Allegheny Hardwood Utilization Group (AHUG) applauded Congressman Thompson for introducing the Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act of 2026. “Federal leadership in mass timber construction sends exactly the right signal to spur the research, innovation, and private sector investment needed to grow this market,” said Ms Shields. “The legislation strengthens forest health, expands opportunities for Pennsylvania’s emerging hardwood CLT and mass timber sector, and delivers meaningful economic and workforce benefits for the forest reliant communities of the Allegheny region and across the Commonwealth. We’re grateful for Congressman Thompson’s steadfast support of America’s forest products industry, both softwood and hardwood, as we work together to build a stronger, more sustainable future.”

The post Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act introduced to US government appeared first on Timberbiz.

PEFC has launched its new Project Sourcing standard, a major step forward in helping the built environment sector demonstrate responsible sourcing and traceability, while increasing demand for certified wood across the construction sector globally. Source: Timberbiz The new standard provides an independent, third-party system that enables organisations to demonstrate that the forest and tree-based materials used within a project are responsibly sourced, traceable, and supported by evidence. As demand grows for timber and forest and tree-based materials, including mass engineered timber elements such as cross laminated timber (CLT), laminated veneer lumber (LVL), and glulam, the need for credible and verifiable sourcing claims has never been greater. The standard provides a practical system for developers, architects, contractors, designers, and specifiers to demonstrate their commitment to responsible sourcing and strengthen the link between sustainable forest management and the construction sector. Downland the Project Sourcing standard here.

The post PEFC Project Sourcing standard for the built environment appeared first on Timberbiz.

A tree, thought to be up to 1,200 years old, at the heart of Sherwood Forest and linked to the legend of Robin Hood is believed by experts to have died. Source: Timberbiz The gigantic Oak tree, known as the Major Oak, has been in visible decline for several years, despite tireless efforts to improve its health and prolong its life. This spring, the Major Oak failed to come into leaf and is now believed to have died. Although this marks the end of the Major Oak as a living tree, it does not mark the end of its story. The iconic oak tree remains a powerful presence in the landscape and an enduring part of our cultural heritage. The tree and soil beneath it will continue to be a vital refuge for wildlife and the knowledge we have gained by looking after the Major Oak will help preserve other ancient oaks across the country. Its legacy will live on through its saplings and the legends associated with it, with plans being drawn up with our partners, and the tree will continue to be a vital refuge for wildlife. For centuries, the Major Oak has been woven into the story of Sherwood Forest and the legend of Robin Hood. With a trunk circumference of around 11 metres and a crown of 28 metres, it captivated imaginations and sparked an affection that saw it win the Woodland Trust’s Tree of the Year title in 2014. The Major Oak was also the very first tree recorded on the Woodland Trust’s Ancient Tree Inventory. Ancient oaks, the name given to oaks when they reach 400 years old, are biodiversity powerhouses, providing food and shelter for hundreds of species of insects, fungi, birds and mammals. Sherwood Forest holds one of the largest concentrations of ancient and veteran oaks in Western Europe. Protecting the remaining trees and nurturing the next generation of ancient and veteran trees is essential for the future health of the forest and the survival of many rare and threatened species. It is impossible to determine one exact cause of the oak’s demise, as it is the result of a complex combination of issues. For more than a century, well intentioned efforts to preserve the tree’s impressive shape – including metal bracing, props, concrete and coverings – prevented it from ageing naturally and in fact created added challenges to its survival. Millions of visitors also compacted the sandy soil around its roots, making it difficult for water, nutrients and oxygen to reach the tree. Recent investigations carried out by the site team with the UK’s leading soil scientists and arboricultural experts, revealed that the soil was extremely hard and lacking in life, and the root system was far smaller and weaker than earlier scans suggested. This combination of poor soil, human interventions and a weakened root system has been a major factor in the decline of the Major Oak. Additionally, climate change and the associated recent heat waves and droughts have compounded the challenges faced by the tree. Read the entire story at https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/the-major-oak  

The post Robin Hood’s oak has died in Sherwood Forest appeared first on Timberbiz.

Australia’s annualised softwood log exports peaked year-ended September 2017 at 4.071 million m3, only ever breaching the 4.0 million m3 mark that month and the following month. By contrast to the current export volumes, 2017 seems a long distant memory. Source: Industry Edge As the chart below shows, annualised export volumes may have slipped away since then, but annual weighted average export prices peaked roughly one year ago, in April 2025, reaching AUDFob180.92/m3. Most recently, annualised export volumes have been stable, but export prices have been crumbling away rapidly but remain well above historic average prices.   Annual exports of softwood logs boost to 1.391million m3 Exports of softwood logs over the year-ended February 2026 totalled 1.391 million m3. In February, exports totalled 116,320 m3, at a weighted average price of AUDFob129.09/m3. Formal reporting shows India received 76% of the total, while shipments to China accounted for 21%. Tiny volumes continue to make their way to Vietnam and South Korea. Softwood Log Exports Over the year-ended February 2026, Australia’s total exports of softwood logs were 14.6% higher than the prior year, totaling 1.450 million m3. Reported monthly exports totaled 175,332 m3 in February 2026. For exports, softwood logs are differentiated as smaller or larger than 15 cm diameter. The distinction between log sizes was previously more noteworthy, but analysis becomes challenging as monthly export volumes are increasingly erratic, as seen in the chart. If the chart retains validity in current markets, it is in part to show the contrast over time. Larger logs (diameter >15cm) are dominating Australia’s exports. As the chart shows, trom 2021, the trend shifted away from favouring exports of the smaller diameter (<15 cm) logs. That appears to have changed again in recent years, with larger dimension logs again dominating export data reports and growing strongly from some regions of Australia. Although these logs are >15cm diameter at the small-end, industry reports demonstrate they are rarely sawlogs, with most <22cm SED. Over the year ending February 2026, exports of the smaller logs totalled 0.183 million m3 or 13.2% of the total, while shipments of larger logs totalled 1.207 million m3 (86.8%). Differentiation of exports based on diameter also allows for some price analysis. Export prices for the smaller logs have remained relatively stable in recent months, moving through a narrow range, while the average price of the larger diameter logs has fluctuated moderately more. Both are however trending down. In February, exports of the smaller logs tallied an average AUDFob131.81/m3 while the larger diameter logs saw prices at AUDFob128.21/m3. Originally published in Wood Market Edge online

The post Softwood log exports are low appeared first on Timberbiz.

Australia needed to build more than 250,000 homes last year just to keep pace with demand growth and begin reducing the housing shortage but commenced less than 200,000 homes, according to the HIA. Source: Timberbiz “This is why home prices and rents are rising,” Tim Reardon, HIA’s Chief Economist, said. The ABS yesterday released its national, state and territory population data for the 2025 calendar year, covering births, deaths and migration. This shows that population grew by 412,500 and Net Overseas Migration (NOM) by 301,000 in the calendar year. “Australia’s housing shortage should be viewed as trying to squeeze 11 million households into 10 million homes,” Mr Reardon said. “Rising home prices, rising rents, elevated investor activity and a shortage of rental accommodation are all symptoms of a shortage of housing stock, not the cause of the shortage. “On top of that existing shortage, additional demand for homes continues to exceed.” Mr Reardon said that the National Housing Supply and Affordability Council (NHSFC) had forecast that Australia would continue to under-supply housing each year through to at least 2030. He said HIA’s modelling indicated that Australia’s housing shortage was likely to worsen more rapidly than NHSAC forecasts as population growth was likely to remain elevated, occupancy rates were likely to continue declining over time and unemployment is expected to remain low. “For those attempting to forecast housing demand based on the population growth in 2025, a common mistake that is made is as simple as dividing the population growth by 2.5 to calculate the demand for housing. This is wrong and dangerous and is part of the reason states and local councils have undersupplied housing for decades,”  Mr Reardon said. This week HIA released Beyond Population ÷ 2.5: Understanding Housing Demand in Australia which claimed that there weren’t one million vacant homes in Australia and why housing demand wasn’t just derived from migration. “With unemployment around 4.5 per cent last year, Australia would need to build more than 100,000 homes per year, even without population growth,” Mr Reardon said. “Demand for housing rises when the economy is strong. Households seek more housing space, occupancy rates decline, household formation increases and demand for second homes rises. It shouldn’t be the role of housing policy to deny households the ability to go on holidays. “Migration contributes to housing demand directly through population growth and indirectly through stronger economic growth. This means the relationship between migration and housing demand is not linear. A growing economy generates additional housing demand from the existing population,” he said. “The industry has always sought stable and reliable migration and has observed the opposite for the past six years. “The solution is not to deny that migration creates demand for housing. The solution, consistent with the findings of the Parkinson Review, is to ensure housing supply can respond to that demand.” Mr Reardon said the Australian government was responsible for setting the rate of migration, the States were responsible for building infrastructure and local councils were responsible for building homes. The Parkinson Review had highlighted the need for these three tiers of government to coordinate their priorities to address the shortage of dwelling stock. “The consequence of failure is predictable: rents rise, prices rise and affordability deteriorates,” he said. “The $2 billion in investment in housing infrastructure, announced in the Budget is a significant step in the right direction to lowering the cost of new housing supply. To make homes more affordable, governments need to lower the cost of delivering new homes to market. “Australia did not build enough homes to meet last year’s demand growth, let alone reduce the housing shortage that already exists. “Achieving the Housing Accord target of 1.2 million homes is therefore not optional. It is essential if Australia is to restore affordability and give more Australians access to secure housing. “If we want investors to leave the housing market, the solution is to increase the supply of homes, relative to demand growth, and ensure prices stop rising, rents remain stable and to allow renters to regain some market power over landlords,” Mr Reardon said. “Then, with time, investors will leave the housing market for other industry sectors that provide better returns. Attempts to regulate or tax investors out of the housing market have failed in the past and lead to higher home price growth, as demonstrated in this year’s Budget papers.” Several states and territories are now above their pre-pandemic decade population trajectories, led by Western Australia (+166,000) and Queensland (+143,200), particularly impressive for Western Australia with just over half the total population of Queensland. This is followed by South Australia (+45,100), Tasmania (+11,500), the Northern Territory (+6,400) and the Australian Capital Territory (+800). New South Wales (-86,700) and Victoria (-228,900) are still below their pre-pandemic decade population trajectories.

The post This is why home prices and rents are rising says HIA appeared first on Timberbiz.

Applications for the first ballot to register exotic forestry on marginal land in the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) opens today. Source: Timberbiz The ballot is part of updated ETS forestry rules that took effect on 31 October last year. John Saunders, Director Forestry Operations at Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Services, says the changes establish a permit allocation system and clarify where exotic forestry can register in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). From Friday 19 June to Wednesday 22 July, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) will run the first of two annual ballots to allocate permits covering up to 15,000 hectares of Land Use Capability (LUC) Class 6 land each year. This non-arable land is generally less suitable for productive uses than LUC Classes 1–5. Each ballot allocates 7,500 hectares, with 2,000 hectares reserved for small applications of up to 100 hectares. Successful permits enable registration of post-1989 forests on LUC Class 6 land in the ETS. Under 2025 reforms, landowners may also plant and register up to 25% of their LUC Class 1 – 6 land in exotic forestry within the ETS. Land entered via ballot permits sits outside this allowance. “The updated legislation establishes a structured allocation process and provides clearer eligibility criteria,” Mr Saunders says. “Permits are allocated through a ballot system based on a random draw, and a reserved category for smaller applications aims to enable participation across a range of project sizes.

The post First ETS ballot opens for exotic forestry on marginal land appeared first on Timberbiz.

Australia’s most significant overhaul of national environmental law in a generation is about to reshape federal oversight of forest management, and many of the operators it will affect are still working out what it means for them. Source: Timberbiz To help unpack that uncertainty, Forestry Australia and the Australian Forest and Wood Innovations Centre for Climate-Smart Forestry (AFWI CCSF), are co-hosting a free webinar on Monday 22 June, drawing together legal, certification and carbon expertise to map the compliance landscape taking shape under the reformed Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. Co-hosted with the Australian Forest and Wood Innovations Centre for Climate-Smart Forestry (AFWI CCSF), the one-hour session, Understanding Australia’s EPBC Act Changes: Implications for Forest Managers, runs from 1:00pm AEST. Forestry Australia CEO Jacquie Martin said the reforms would reshape obligations across the sector. “These reforms have significant implications for forest management, not just for native forest managers but also for private forest owners and plantation operators who are already navigating complex regulatory and certification environments,” Ms Martin said. The reforms reach well beyond the public native forest estate. Private forest owners and plantation operators will also face new obligations, and the webinar is pitched squarely at the practitioners who will have to apply them day to day. It works through the incoming requirements that forest operations must navigate and demonstrate. Much of the substance of the reforms is still taking shape. New national standards, which all operations will need to meet, remain in draft, and the reforms have triggered a structural shift for areas currently covered by Regional Forest Agreements in how harvesting operations are assessed and approved. The session canvases the questions still hanging over the sector, from the role of third-party certification to how new definitions and requirements might affect operations in practice. The panel has been chosen to speak to both the policy intent and the operational reality. Leading the session is Associate Professor Philippa McCormack, Policy, Economics and Society Theme Lead at AFWI CCSF and a research fellow at the Adelaide Law School. A vice president of the National Environmental Law Association from 2021 to 2024, she brings the regulatory and legislative view of where the reforms are heading. She is joined by two practitioners who deal with compliance on the ground. David Bennett, risk and compliance manager at PF Olsen and a forester with legal qualifications, oversees the company’s Australian risk and compliance systems, with expertise spanning sustainable forest certification, auditing and heavy vehicle regulation. Tom Schraenkler, carbon and forestry manager at Sumitomo Forestry, rounds out the panel, anchoring the discussion in operational realities facing private growers. The session carries 1.00 RFP CPD point for Registered Forestry Professionals and is free to members and non-members alike. Registering is essential to receive the joining link, and a recording will be circulated to those who cannot attend live. Participants will also be invited to contribute to a follow-up survey and workshop shaping the sector’s engagement with the reform process. Registrations close at 10:00am on Sunday 21 June, ahead of the session running from 1:00pm AEST on Monday 22 June. Go to https://www.forestry.org.au/webinar-understanding-australias-epbc-act-changes-implications-for-forest-managers/ to register for the Webinar.

The post Environmental law free webinar to unpack the EPBC Act appeared first on Timberbiz.

Forest & Wood Products Australia is evolving its strategic focus in response to member feedback, with an increased emphasis on broader stakeholder and community engagement. Source: Timberbiz FWPA says the shift is designed to strengthen understanding of the forest and wood products industry’s role and value across the communities in which our members operate. To support the new direction, FWPA will create a new Stakeholder and Community Engagement Manager role. FWPA says the position reflects an evolution of its engagement approach, aligning resources to deliver more integrated outreach across education, community engagement and stakeholder relations, while building greater awareness, understanding and support for the industry. As part of this transition, Beth Welden’s ForestLearning Program Manager position has been made redundant as FWPA moves to a broader, organisation-wide engagement model. Beth will finish with FWPA at the end of June, after nearly nine years leading the ForestLearning program. “We thank Beth for her dedication to forest and wood product education and her significant contribution to ForestLearning,” FWPA said in a statement. “Through her work, Beth has helped strengthen educational engagement with Australia’s forest and wood products sector and establish ForestLearning as a valued national resource for teachers, students and FWPA members, including through nationally award-winning education initiatives.” ForestLearning will continue as FWPA’s dedicated forest education brand and will be supported as an important component of the organisation’s engagement activities. FWPA says it remains committed to working closely with members, educators, communities and stakeholders to ensure its programs continue to deliver value and strengthen confidence in Australia’s forest and wood products industry.

The post FWPA to strengthen its role with a newly created position appeared first on Timberbiz.

Two of New Zealand’s leading forestry businesses are celebrating the completion of their successful merger with the launch of a new name and brand identity to support ambitious growth plans. Source: Timberbiz PF Olsen and Forest360 announced their merger late last year, backed by new investment from Adamantem Capital’s Environmental Opportunities Fund, and the support of PF Olsen cornerstone investor Quayside Holdings. Uniting under the Stand brand marks a new chapter for the business which combines 75 years’ experience, a workforce of more than 200 skilled professionals and 480,000ha of forestry under management on both sides of the Tasman. Stand Forestry Group CEO Dan Gaddum says the new name proudly reflects the business’ practice and principles. “While a stand is a unit of trees it also speaks of taking a position, standing for something. It reflects our commitment to managing each stand with care, skill, knowledge and discipline and encapsulates our commitment to forestry with purpose – growing natural capital for good,” he said. “The new name also symbolises how we’re bringing together the people capabilities and cultures of PF Olsen and Forest360 under a shared identity and common purpose. “By merging two leading New Zealand forestry businesses, Stand is now stronger than its parts. We’ve not only strengthened our core forest and harvest management expertise; we’re also well positioned to accelerate growth.” As an example, Stand sees opportunities to grow its carbon consulting business on both sides of the Tasman. It recently launched a new carbon joint venture model in New Zealand making it easier for farmers and landowners to partner with specialist Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) expertise for mutual benefit. “Stand’s ambition is to lead the sector in navigating emerging opportunities, be at the forefront of new technology and smart thinking and deliver responsible outcomes to secure financial and environmental resilience for generations to come,” Mr Gaddum said. “Standing together as one united team is an important part of that. Clients and industry participants can now expect to see the Stand brand roll out across all of our communications.”

The post Standing together PF Olsen and Forest360 merger complete appeared first on Timberbiz.

Timber buildings have long defined Brisbane. From the classic Queenslander home to the bones of the Teneriffe woolstores, wood has been at the heart of the city’s-built environment for over a century. With the eyes of the world turning to Brisbane for the 2032 Games, we have an opportunity to combine this heritage with cutting-edge construction technology to demonstrate mass timber construction to a global audience. Timber is a renewable resource, it stores carbon rather than releasing it, and when a timber building is designed and built properly, can be disassembled and reused for future projects. It is one of the few ways the built environment can actively reduce emissions. But the window to influence the design and procurement for Games construction is closing. The barriers to building infrastructure projects out of timber are no longer technical, they are commercial and procedural. Instead, the holdup is now in ensuring decision makers have the confidence across five key areas: program and delivery certainty, cost escalation and commercial risk, supply capacity and sequencing, procurement integrity and compliance, and risk allocation across design, manufacture and construction. These are problems the industry can solve but require a different approach than showcasing designs. The Australian Research Council Research Hub to Advance Timber for Australia’s Future Built Environment (ARC Advance Timber Hub) researchers are creating new and innovative ways of utilising timber to increase modularity, to be designed for better disassembly, as well as improving procurement frameworks and supply chains. The proof that timber works for major buildings already exists locally and globally. In Australia, the new Sydney Fish Market, University of the Sunshine Coast’s Moreton Bay Campus, and Boola Katitjin at Murdoch University (the southern hemisphere’s largest timber building) have been leading the way. On a smaller scale, projects like QFES North Coast Regional Headquarters – Maryborough Fire & Rescue Station and Inala Infill Apartments show modern timber construction is taking place in government infrastructure and social housing across South East Queensland. Globally, the Paris Games proved that timber was a viable product for Olympic infrastructure. The Paris Olympic Aquatics Centre is a timber-led hybrid structure that successfully hosted major sporting events in a high-humidity environment. We have already convinced designers. It is the decision makers, who tend to navigate back to the materials they are used to, that we still need to convince. We are moving from a period of education and advocacy to enabling decision making. Changing the conversation from ‘can timber do this?’ to ‘this is how you manage a timber build.’ To help change this conversation, The University of Queensland is hosting the Queensland Timber Trajectory forum in June. It will feature presentations and discussions from architects, engineers, designers and suppliers that answer the questions clients ask – why timber, and how to resolve any cost and procurement challenges. Brisbane has been building with timber for over a century. In 2032, it has the chance to show the world what that looks like at its best. We have the technology; we just need to make the decision. The Queensland Timber Trajectory forum will take place at the University of Queensland on 30 June 30 12:00pm – 5:00pm at the GHD Auditorium, University of Queensland, St Lucia. This article was originally written as a Thought Leadership piece for the Property Council Australia by Dr Paul Matthew, The University of Queensland, School of Architecture, Design and Planning.

The post Opinion: Paul Matthew – Queensland has the tech to build in timber for the games appeared first on Timberbiz.