Forest Products Industry

What is the most exciting wood innovation of the year? You can have your say by voting for your favourite in the New Wood public vote throughout September. The public vote organised by the New Wood initiative, which showcases new wood-based materials and solutions, is now open. Source: Forest Fi What the nominated solutions have in common is their innovative use of wood and their contribution to sustainable development goals. The wood-based material itself may already be well known, but the commercial product or application must be new. “The new solutions included in the public vote will also be featured in the New Wood exhibition, which travels to events for decision-makers and other influential figures in Finland and around the world. Last spring, even King Charles took an interest in sustainable wood-based solutions when he visited the New Wood exhibition in London”, says Virpi Korhonen, Project Manager of the New Wood initiative. The public vote features eight new products. They replace fossil-based raw materials and use wood as a renewable raw material. Most aim to reduce the product’s carbon footprint compared with other potential materials. Almost all the nominated solutions also stand out for their Finnish origin and recyclability. The innovations featured by New Wood are presented on Forest.fi’s Innovation section, which also includes articles on the solutions nominated for the public vote. A video featuring the nominees can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pivhjt6pDNYY You can cast your vote directly at https://www.lyyti.fi/questions/a8fb909510 Everyone who votes will be entered into a raffle to win a Mysoda Glassy sparkling water maker made from wood composite, worth EUR 239. Voting is open until the end of September 2026. “Through the New Wood public vote, we want to highlight the unique wood-based products being developed in Finland. The forest bioeconomy is a sector where new, competitive products are constantly emerging”, said Mr Korhonen. The public’s favourite will be announced at the national Metsäpäivät event on 22 October 2026 at Clarion Hotel Helsinki Airport. The solutions will also be on display at the Metsäpäivät exhibition on 22–23 October 2026. The solutions nominated for the New Wood 2026 public vote are: Cellulose-based gel for low-chemical cosmetics / ChemLess Technologies Food packaging paper made of fossil-free raw materials / Metsä Tissue, Greaseproof Papers Renewable black pigment / UPM Lignin-based epoxy adhesive and coating / LignoSphere Company Knitted dress made from shipwreck / Aalto University Lignin-based interior tile / MO6 Fibre-based, recyclable and home compostable single use cutlery / Fiberdom Wood-based acoustic panel / Fiberwood

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The growing importance of short-rotation eucalyptus and acacia plantations is increasing the demand for cost-effective, durable harvesting solutions capable of sustaining high utilisation rates. The market has lacked solutions specifically suited for smaller base machines that can withstand demanding 24/7 plantation operations while maintaining low operating costs. Source: Timberbiz Kesla’s new KESLA 15RH and 15RH twinAX harvester heads have been developed to meet precisely this market need. The all-new KESLA 15RH and 15RH twinAX harvester heads have been specifically designed for harvesting small-diameter timber, particularly in eucalyptus and acacia plantations, where high utilisation rates, reliability and low operating costs are key productivity factors. The design focus has not been on achieving the lightest possible structure, but rather on durability and reliability in demanding operating conditions. The heads are engineered to withstand the stresses of excavator-based operation and continuous around-the-clock work. The hydraulics of the 15RH and 15RH twinAX heads, including valves and feed motors, can be configured in several different ways depending on the hydraulic capacity of the base machine and whether the primary objective is maximum delimbing force for challenging trees or high feeding speed for applications such as debarking. The feeding and cutting geometry has been specifically designed for so-called one-pass debarking. The head’s structures, shafts and bearings are exceptionally robust for their size class. As a result, it is the only head in its size and weight category designed to withstand continuous eucalyptus and acacia debarking operations in demanding working conditions. Thanks to its size and timber-handling capacity, the head is also well suited to light thinning harvesters. However, due to the weight resulting from its robust construction, the ideal base machine is a 6-8 tonne excavator. The KESLA 15RH is equipped with the well-proven KESLA saw unit, while the 15RH twinAX features the virtually maintenance-free twinAX cutting system. Operating costs for this shear-type cutting system are extremely low, as there are no conventional chainsaw-related expenses such as saw chains, guide bars or lubricants. Shear cutting also offers safety benefits, as there is no risk of chain shot. “As the market-leading manufacturer of independent harvesting heads, our strategy guides us towards developing products for growing market segments. We see strong growth in the cultivation and harvesting of short-rotation eucalyptus and acacia plantations, yet there has been a lack of sufficiently cost-effective mechanised harvesting solutions for this application,” said Mika Tahvanainen, Product Management Director at Kesla Oyj. “The superior cost-efficiency of our solution is based on the use of a small and affordable excavator as the base machine, combined with the KESLA twinAX cutting system, which delivers exceptionally low operating costs. Our strong presence in plantation markets and extensive expertise in excavator-based harvesting solutions enable both us and our partners to succeed in this new market segment.”

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The US Forest Service has completed its national review of regional offices and research and development facilities, identifying more than US$16 million in cost savings through local facility consolidation while minimizing impacts to employees and preserving the agency’s critical work across the country. Source: Timberbiz The review responds to a significant long-term facilities challenge facing the agency. The Forest Service owns more than 16,000 facilities and holds more than 500 leases and space-occupancy agreements. Half are rated in “poor” condition and deferred maintenance exceeds $3 billion. Currently, a third of agency office space falls below the 60% utilization standard set by the USE IT Act. “For too long, the Forest Service has carried the burden of underutilized space and buildings that sit partially vacant – square footage that drains resources without advancing the agency’s work,” said Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Vaden. “This review gives us a path to put more of those dollars to work, supporting our employees, our mission and the American people.” As part of the agency’s broader reorganization effort, the Forest Service undertook a national evaluation of its regional and research facilities to determine where its footprint could be consolidated without disrupting mission delivery or unnecessarily moving employees as the agency begins its transition to a state-based model. In March 2026, the Forest Service announced retention of 20 research and development facilities and the evaluation of 57 facilities for potential closure, and that more would be considered as the review progressed. Sixty-four locations were ultimately reviewed, and, after careful evaluation, the agency determined that 41 additional facilities will be retained. Twenty-three sites with little to no staffing were identified for closure. Employees at these affected locations will transition to other facilities within local commuting areas, allowing the agency to consolidate its physical footprint while retaining the people, the research, and the expertise needed to carry out its mission. Retained agency facilities are locations that will host state office or service centres in the future Forest Service organization, that are a primary space for the National Forest System, operate under zero-cost arrangements, have critical research and infrastructure, and/or are part of the Experimental Forest network. The decision addresses building and maintenance costs but does not affect the science that happens in the field, in the lab, and in collaboration with partners. The agency’s place-based research and development activities will continue as planned throughout the nation. The Forest Service will also proceed with the previously announced regional office shifts in Atlanta, Milwaukee and Portland. As with research facilities, employees will continue their work at local facilities. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz emphasized the closures and consolidations will not result in any forced staff reductions and that work will continue without interruption. “This announcement reflects our commitment to retain the staff our mission requires while responsibly reducing our facilities costs. Local facility consolidation will help us put more of our funding toward mission delivery and cutting-edge research, rather than brick and mortar we no longer need. “This puts us on a sustainable path, retains our employees, and ensures we have the right geographic distribution of labs and duty stations across the agency. And importantly, this produces more than $8.8 million in annual lease savings and more than $8 million in deferred maintenance savings – ensuring American taxpayers receive the maximum value for every dollar entrusted to us,” Mr Schultz said. In addition to the reorganization decisions for facilities, the Forest Service is currently completing its evaluation of other facilities associated with the National Forest System and other operations of the agency as part of our broader facilities review. Reducing facilities and prioritizing cost-effective locations for agency buildings will improve the fiscal solvency of the agency’s facility portfolio. The reorganization facilities decisions announced today can be implemented using existing authorities and currently available resources.

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The Tumbarumba Men’s Shed and the Tumbarumba Golf Club are this year’s recipients of the Hyne Community Trust 2026 round of grants. The Men’s Shed will receive funding, while the Golf Club will receive funding for replacement doors at the training and main function rooms. Source: Timberbiz Trust Chair Kerrie Downes said 2026, once again, saw a high calibre of applications as part of the competitive selection process, “The Committee’s assessment and selection meeting is the most challenging meeting of the year with consideration for budget, and maximum benefit to the broader community,” she said. “With several eligible applications received this year, robust discussion and tough decisions have resulted in what we believe, will be a great outcome for the community. “The Tumbarumba Men’s Shed is held in extremely high regard for the products they make and, the important mental health benefits in keeping people connected and engaged in the community,” Ms Downes said. “They are limited by capacity so by supporting the funding of a new, additional shed, the Trust can make a real lasting benefit for our community. “The Tumbarumba Golf Club is also recognised as a multiple use facility for our community, run by volunteers and delivering much needed training, services and events. The Trust is, once again, pleased to be supporting the improvements to the Club. “On behalf of the Trust, I congratulate the Tumbarumba Men’s Shed and the Tumbarumba Golf Club on their successful Trust applications and we look forward to the progress of their respective initiatives.” The Hyne Community Trust was established in 2007 and to date, has delivered more than $1,000,000 in funding for the Tumbarumba community. The next round of grants is scheduled to open in June 2027 and ahead of this time, the Trust will be engaging in public consultation to ensure the eligibility guidelines remain the best fit for Tumbarumba organisations. Further details on this public consultation will be released in due course.

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