Forest Products Industry

The new Nokian Tyres Forest King TRS 3 tyre range delivers improved durability without compromising traction in demanding forestry work. As the next generation of the Forest King TRS traction tyre, it has been developed through long-term field testing and decades of industry-leading know-how in forestry tyre development. Source: Timberbiz The Nokian Tyres Forest King TRS 3 is the new generation of CTL traction tyres, introducing 15 sizes across the full range. The tyres have improved structural durability, while the tractive tread design with high tread depth delivers excellent traction and lateral grip. This tyre generation sets the new standard in forest performance with reinforced and thicker lugs, increased material thickness, and a redesigned shoulder structure. The strong diagonal structure with steel fortification offers excellent puncture protection. A wider lug design is supported by an extra terrace, while increased shoulder roundness and lug width improve durability in heavy-duty use. Special attention has been given to forestry applications where tyres are used with tracks and chains. The new shoulder and lug design enhances track-to-tire contact. Wide lugs, extra shoulder lift and optimized shoulder roundness give good performance with tracks and chains. The new generation has been engineered on the basis of detailed knowledge of real forestry operating environments. Tyres have been tested over several years in partnership with end users to validate improvements under practical working conditions. “Our development work is based on listening to customers and observing tire performance in real forestry conditions. Long-term testing and direct customer feedback ensure that each improvement reflects practical field experience,” said Teemu Vainionpää, Senior Product Manager at Nokian Tyres. To fully utilize the performance upgrade available with the new tire, Nokian Tyres makes it available as a complete wheel with a matching heavy-duty wheel and inner tube. The complete wheel is engineered to complement the tire’s properties, supporting optimal performance in forestry applications. The Nokian Tyres Forest King TRS 3 range is now available in a comprehensive selection of sizes for all CTL forestry machines. The new generation is fully compatible with its predecessor: wheels, tubes, tracks, and chains are interchangeable with the new TRS 3. The expanded lineup introduces several key additions to meet evolving industry needs. The new 780/55-30.5 size brings a high-traction, high-load capacity option to the top end of the range, while the 650/60-26.5 provides a narrow option especially for harvesters. These additions significantly increase the options available to optimize equipment.

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Waratah Forestry Equipment has launched the all-new H216X Harvesting Head, engineered specifically for the brutal demands of hardwood. Source: Timberbiz Made for tracked machines and harsh applications, the two-roller H216X has purpose-built features to withstand ruthless hardwood stresses. Ideal for harvesting late or final thinnings, it’s naturally capable in softwood or debarking applications, too. “The H216X provides operators with the heavy-duty features they need to tackle hardwood while helping to maximize accuracy at the same time,” said Brent Fisher, product marketing manager for Waratah. “It delivers the high-performance feeding, and agility crews want while providing the measuring accuracy, extra-large sawing capacity and output they need.” The H216X offers versatility and strength, with a net weight of 1591 kg and 1705 kg/3 with topsaw, a maximum upper delimb opening of 650 mm and a maximum sawing capacity of 750 mm. It incorporates reinforced, heavy-duty structural components and proven Waratah engineering to help support long service life, no matter the working conditions. “We wanted operators to have the confidence to handle crooked hardwood and harsh conditions — whatever challenge the woods throws at them,” Mr Fisher said. “So, we engineered the H216X — a true performer that’s efficient, accurate, durable, and Built To Work®.” The H216X utilizes Waratah’s TimberRiteTM H-16 system, which helps elevate head control while providing connectivity options to help keep loggers efficient, productive and in the know. As with all Waratah products, the H216X comes with easily accessible support for dealers and customers, as well as genuine Waratah parts with an industry-leading warranty.

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Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, is starting change negotiations concerning potential temporary layoffs at its Joutseno pulp mill. The negotiations will involve the entire personnel of the mill, approximately 160 people in total. Source: Timberbiz “The pulp market situation remains challenging. Due to the demand outlook and the situation in the wood market, we need to prepare for adjusting pulp production for a longer period than previously anticipated,” said Ismo Nousiainen, CEO of Metsä Fibre. “For this reason, we are now compelled to initiate new change negotiations concerning potential temporary layoffs at Joutseno.“ Metsä Group’s pulp and sawmill business Metsä Fibre produces pulp, sawn timber and other bioproducts such as biochemicals and bioenergy. The products are made from northern wood and are an alternative to fossil materials. In 2025, sales totalled EUR 2.6 billion, and the company employed about 1,400 people. Metsä Group’s parent company Metsäliitto Cooperative is owned by approximately 90,000 Finnish forest owners. The sales of the whole Metsä Group were EUR 5.8 billion.

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A new high-tech fire detection system has been activated at Mount Crawford Forest in South Australia ahead of the 2026-27 fire danger season. It’s the first time this technology has operated in a peri-urban area in South Australia after demonstrating its value as a fire detection tool across the Limestone Coast over the past three fire danger seasons. Source: Timberbiz The new fire detection camera represents a new milestone in the strategic partnership between the South Australian Government, Forestry SA and emergency fire services including the South Australian Country Fire Service, as the AI-powered technology comes online for the first time in a particularly fire-prone section of the southern Barossa and northern Adelaide Hills. The camera is located on an upgraded fire tower within Forestry SA’s Mount Crawford estate. It captures ultra-high-definition panoramic vision that is fed into a system that combines AI, satellite technology and human verification to identify potential smoke and fire activity. This system, delivered by bushfire detection and intelligence provider Pano AI, provides real-time alerts and intelligence on fire location, behaviour and proximity to people, assets and firefighting resources, supporting more informed decision-making by emergency services and land managers. It builds on the successful implementation of eight AI-powered bushfire detection cameras across the Limestone Coast forestry region, funded by the State Government and managed by the Green Triangle Fire Alliance. The Limestone Coast camera network detected nearly 90 unplanned fires over the past three fire danger seasons, delivering valuable intel to fire responders and demonstrating its value as an early bushfire detection system. The newly operational AI camera unit at Mount Crawford Forest provides the South Australian Government with a valuable opportunity to assess how the technology performs in a more complex peri-urban landscape, where plantations, native vegetation, farms, businesses, infrastructure and residential communities are closely interconnected. As the South Australian Government continues to explore how AI can potentially strengthen public sector operations and service delivery, it is also establishing a Royal Commission into Artificial Intelligence. This nation-leading inquiry will hear evidence and receive submissions from a broad cross-section of the South Australian community, including business, industry bodies, unions, technology developers, academics, independent experts and representatives of creative industries. Terms of Reference will be developed focusing on the economic and social opportunities and challenges that AI will bring to South Australia, in particular: Policy and regulatory settings, both at a state level and those that need to be managed nationally; Impacts and opportunities for education including schools and higher education (tertiary and vocational); Impacts and opportunities on public services provided by the state including health; Impacts and opportunities for South Australia’s skills and workforce; and Opportunities related to AI related infrastructure including the interrelationship with energy transformation, water usage and associated impacts (such as electricity grid implications).   South Australia has already led the nation in seizing the opportunities presented by, and managing the risks of, Artificial Intelligence. The State was the first to establish a Cabinet Minister for Artificial Intelligence, has established the Office for Artificial Intelligence, has developed a Data Centre Strategy, is home to the Australian Institute for Machine Learning at Lot Fourteen, and home to the Responsible AI Research Centre. Dates for the 2026-27 fire danger season typically vary by location and will be announced by the CFS at a later date.

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New monitoring work has revealed startling proof of possum damage to native mountain tōtara and kaikawaka/mountain cedar trees in a Mid Canterbury forest. The Department of Conservation used aerial photography to measure canopy die back in the Wilberforce and Mathias valleys last summer. Source: Timberbiz The monitoring has revealed the Wilberforce forest is now in very poor condition, with roughly 50% of the vulnerable tōtara and cedar trees impacted by possums. Cedar and tōtara are highly palatable to possums, and their browsing causes canopy die off, limits forest regeneration and accelerates forest collapse. The upper Wilberforce and Mathias catchments contain a nationally significant cedar and tōtara forest type, which is rare in New Zealand. DOC National Predator Control Programme Manager Peter Morton says an aerial pest control operation is being planned for this spring to reduce high possum numbers, as well as rats and stoats, and protect the forest from further damage. “Seeing so many dead trees was a wakeup call. This really has become urgent action for us. If we don’t control possums, these forests could collapse,” he said. Peter Morton says the Wilberforce is also a significant site for hunters, particularly for red deer trophy hunting, and DOC has engaged with hunting groups about the upcoming operation and agreed to the use of deer repellent. “DOC is also supporting a community-led initiative to undertake ground-based predator control in part of the forest which will start soon. “Stakeholders requested that operational timing avoid periods of grazing to minimise impacts on neighbouring farming activities, and avoid peak recreational use periods, including the deer hunting roar period, which we have accommodated.” Peter Morton says the last predator control operation in the Wilberforce area in 2018 was successful but possum and rodent numbers have slowly increased since. “We want to ensure these rare forests don’t disappear as these are nationally significant ecosystems found nowhere else in the world,” he said. DOC prioritises predator control to protect the most at-risk populations of native species, threatened forests and areas of high ecological value. The Wilberforce site is one of more than 60 forest sites throughout New Zealand protected through the National Predator Control Program. Most sites are returned to every 2-5 years depending on predator numbers and environmental conditions. Overall, DOC protects about 1.8 million ha or 20% of public conservation land on a sustained basis through predator control. The Wilberforce/Mathias valley aerial operation using biodegradable 1080 cereal baits is planned for the first clear weather window between 14 September and 30 November.

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