Forest Products Industry

Scion’s New Zealand ForestSAT conference has opened for abstracts, the conference to be held from 9-13 September and will concentrate on demonstrating new tools and technologies that move science forward. Source: Timberbiz When submitting your abstract, you will be asked to select the main area that your abstract aligns with from the following list of Special Session and General Session topics. If your abstract fits across multiple topics, you can identify any relevant alternatives from the list as well. If you abstract does not align with any of the listed Special and General Session topics please select ‘Other’. General Session topics: Automation of data processing using cloud processing Citizen and community science to support forest monitoring Detection of drought and water stress Forest and vegetation spectroscopy Forest big data, deep learning Forest health Forest management and policy Forest monitoring Forest resilience monitoring Global Forest Observation Monitoring forest degradation and mortality Monitoring of protected forests, biodiversity and forest services Multi-source RS data integration / Fusion Precision forestry Scaling up LiDAR assessments of forest structure Synthetic forests Terrestrial laser scanning Tree species Other After completing the abstract submission process, you will receive an email confirming your submission. The closing date for submissions is 20 April 2024 you can submit here If you have any questions, please contact forestsat2024@theconferencecompany.com  

Almost 2.5-million hardwood and softwood seedlings are being dispatched from Forestry Corporation’s Grafton Nursery to be replanted in state forests across New South Wales. Source: Timberbiz The Grafton Nursery grows a mix of eucalyptus and pine seedlings, which are replanted in state forest timber plantations that have previously been harvested for renewable timber products. “These seedlings will be planted and grown for around 30 years to supply renewable timber for the next generation’s homes and infrastructure,” Forestry Corporation’s District Manager for Grafton Lyndon Orpwood said. “After timber harvest operations, state forests in New South Wales are regrown or replanted to continue the forest cycle into the future,” Mr Orpwood said. “Timber is the ultimate renewable resource and is crucial to the Australian construction industry. “Almost 100 million seedings have been raised at the Grafton nursery over the past two decades, ultimately helping to build people’s homes and to replenish vital public infrastructure including power poles, marine piers, bridges and platforms,” he said. Forestry Corporation’s pine and native hardwood seedling nursery at Grafton employs a permanent workforce of 13 staff, who are assisted with the annual dispatch by a seasonal workforce. When in full production, the Grafton Nursery produces around 50,000 seedlings a day with all stock grown from seed. The eucalypt and pine seedlings are being dispatched from the Grafton nursery across the state for replanting schedules in plantation forests. For plantation forests in southern NSW, Forestry Corporation produces seedlings at its Tumut Nursery. Since it opened in 1997, the southern NSW nursery has produced more than 176 million cold climate seedlings.

Foresta has secured a critical 10-year wood supply agreement to underpin production from its planned low emissions torrefied wood pellet manufacturing plant at Kawerau, New Zealand. Source: Timberbiz New Zealand’s largest forestry services company, PF Olsen, has agreed to supply 150,000 tonnes of logs, stumps and slash sourced from sustainably managed, Forest Stewardship Council accredited forests. “This is another significant step forward for our manufacturing plant with the supply representing around 61% of the total quantity of raw feedstock required for Stage 1AA and 1A of the plant,” said Foresta Managing Director Ray Mountfort. The plant will produce torrefied black wood pellets which are a seamless drop-in replacement for coal as a fuel source in boilers without any loss of energy intensity while also significantly reducing carbon emissions. A recent Genesis trial at Huntly power station using similar pellets reduced emissions by at least 90%. Foresta plans to invest some $300 million building the plant which at full production will employ more than 100 workers.PF Olsen is responsible for planting around 30% of all new forestry in New Zealand as well as managing over 160,000 ha in New Zealand. “We’re excited to be partnering with such a respected and significant player in the New Zealand forestry industry. “The supply agreement represents another piece in the jigsaw which means, pending funding, we can proceed with confidence with our plans to develop our manufacturing plant and begin construction later this year.” Foresta last week announced the signing of a 30-year lease (with a 20 year right of renewal) on a 9.6 ha property in Kawerau with Putauaki Trust. Foresta has also secured an off-take agreement with South Island energy distribution company Tailored Energy & Resources Ltd to supply 65,000 tonnes of pellets annually to its industrial customers and a harvesting contract with Silvertree Biomass Solutions. The planned plant will also produce natural pine-based chemicals (rosins and terpenes) from pine trees which can replace petroleum sourced chemicals. These are used in everyday items including flavours, fragrances, chewing gum, paint, ink and tyres.

A Latrobe Valley consultant has strongly criticised the lack of bushfire expertise on the state government panel investigating the future use of Victoria’s native forest estate. Source: LaTrobe Valley Express The government has established the Great Outdoors Taskforce to conduct the investigation of the state’s public land estate, which now includes forest previously used for timber harvesting. The taskforce will be chaired by a former Victorian Minister for Environment, Lisa Neville. Members of the taskforce include: Karen Cain, chair of the Eminent Panel for Community Engagement and a former chair of the Latrobe Valley Authority; Mellissa Wood, chair of the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council and member of the Eminent Panel for Community Engagement; Graham Dear, board chair of the Victorian Fisheries Authority, and; Terry Robinson, CEO of Destination Gippsland.   John Cameron, a forest and business consultant with decades of experience, said wildfire was the single most important threat to the state’s 7.5 million hectares of native forest. “There is a clear need for a fire behaviour expert to be on the Great Outdoors Taskforce,” he said. Mr Cameron said at least one of several highly qualified bushfire experts should have been chosen, including a representative from Forestry Australia, the professional body that represents forest scientists, bush practitioners and experts in forest management. The work of the late Professor Kevin Tolhurst, who died suddenly last October, should be included in the investigation. “Kevin was an expert in wildfire behaviour, prescribed burning techniques and guidelines, ecological management of landscapes, fire risk management and ecological impacts of fire,” Mr Cameron said. “Victorian bushfire policy is hopelessly misguided, and based on shonky science steeped in ideology. Against misguided political, ideological and bureaucratic impediments, Kevin continued to deliver real science and practical management options.” Mr Cameron wrote a tribute to Dr Tolhurst last year with Traralgon resident and former CSIRO bushfire expert, David Packham. “Kevin’s last message to a gathering at Mallacoota on 5 October was, that if appropriate fuel reduction had been applied prior to the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfire, Mallacoota would not have burned,” they wrote. Mr Cameron said Victoria’s black summer bushfires burnt 1.8 million ha, five lives were lost and millions of native fauna were killed. Within the region of the fire, only 0.6 per cent of the forest was fuel reduced in the four previous years, well below the five per cent recommended by the Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission, he said. Mr Cameron also said there was a glaring falsehood in the government’s announcement of the task force, which stated that 1.8 million ha’s of native forest had been allocated to the native forest industry. When harvesting ended this year, the area of the Victorian forest available for timber harvesting was only about 4-6 per cent of the 7.5 million hectares of native forest. “This was only about 375,000 ha, or 0.4mill ha. The government is misleading the public again and again on the facts,” he said. The Minister for Environment, Steve Dimopoulos, said the taskforce would also include Traditional Owner representation. Their involvement will be flexible to allow for each Traditional Owner group to determine its involvement. The taskforce will consult with communities and stakeholders to ensure all options for future uses and care of the forest are heard and explored. It will consider opportunities to protect the environment and support recreational, social and commercial opportunities in their recommendations to government. This includes investigating which areas of the estate present opportunities for recreation and tourism, such as camping, hunting, hiking, trail-bike riding and four-wheel driving. The taskforce will also explore which areas need to be protected to safeguard threatened species, areas that qualify for protection as National Parks and opportunities for Traditional Owner management. The panel will prioritise areas of state forest where some decisions can be made now and advise on where more engagement is required. The work will be undertaken over the next 12 months and consultation details will be released in the coming weeks. Mr Dimopoulos said the end of native timber harvesting was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to design new ways of caring for the state’s forests while giving Victorians more opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors. “This taskforce will play a critical role listening to Victorians about how best to manage our forests. Each member brings specialised knowledge to the panel ensuring thorough consideration of all options during consultation,” he said. For more information visit, www.deeca.vic.gov.au/futureforests/immediate-protection-areas/future-forests

Last week Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff signed an agreement with three Jacqui Lambie Network MPs, Miriam Beswick (Braddon), Andrew Jenner (Lyons), and Rebekah Pentland (Bass) which indicates that there will be stability for the timber industry. Source: Timberbiz However, support is not guaranteed as the three members have a clause in the agreement that allows them to give 24 hours’ notice if they intend to vote against the government. A discussion paper suggests that they do not agree with expanding native forest logging, but they do support more plantation timber. The JLN MPs said they would provide certainty to the Liberals by voting against all censure and no confidence motions except in cases of malfeasance or corruption and agreed to pass the government’s budget and money bills unamended. The three new MPs are not career politicians and now find themselves holding the balance of power in a hung parliament. The agreement will be reviewed after 12 months. The Rockliff Liberal Cabinet includes: Jeremy Rockliff: Premier, Tourism and Hospitality, Trade and Major Investment Eric Abetz: Business, Industry and Resources, Transport, Leader of the House Nick Duigan: Energy and Renewables, Parks and Environment Jane Howlett: Primary Industries and Water, Racing Eric Abetz served as the Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation in the Howard Government between 2006 and 2007 and has been named Industry and Resources Minister overseeing Tasmanian forestry. As TFPA Chief Executive Officer Nick Steel pointed out Mr Abetz spent many years in the Federal Parliament representing Tasmania’s forestry industry on the national stage. He has shown he’s a strong supporter of the important and sustainable work of the industry and the 5,500 Tasmanians employed by it. The organisational structure of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania includes: Secretary Jason Jacobi Primary industries and Water Deirdre Wilson Agriculture, Forestry & Water Catherine Murdoch Forest Policy Tom Byrne The organisation structure diagram can be downloaded here.