Forest Products Industry

Students at Mount Gambier’s Limestone Coast Technical College are gaining direct exposure to the future of bushfire detection and emergency response technology, following the integration of real-world bushfire footage captured by Pano AI’s advanced detection network. Source: Timberbiz Using the College’s immersive learning environment, Igloo, students recently viewed historic footage from the March 2025 Fox fire in South Australia’s south-east, a fast-moving blaze that triggered emergency warnings as crews battled extreme heat, strong winds and dense scrub. More than 100 firefighters and aerial resources were deployed as the fire burned through hundreds of hectares under challenging conditions. The footage, captured via Pano AI’s panoramic detection cameras operating in partnership with the Green Triangle Fire Alliance and supported by a $2.5 million investment from the South Australian Government, demonstrated how artificial intelligence and high-definition imaging can detect smoke signatures in their earliest stages, providing critical minutes of advanced warning to fire agencies and land managers. Pano AI’s detection network is strategically deployed across the Green Triangle region, supporting coordinated early detection capability across commercial forestry estates, agricultural land and surrounding communities. “By combining 360-degree panoramic cameras, AI-powered detection and human verification, Pano AI provides early smoke detection and real-time situational awareness for fire agencies during high-risk conditions,” said Andrew Prolov, Head of Australia GTM at Pano AI. “Across the Green Triangle, this detection network is helping protect forestry estates, farms and regional communities by identifying ignitions earlier and giving responders critical extra time to act before incidents escalate.” South Australian Forest Products Association’s Nathan Paine said that bringing operational detection footage from a real incident like the Fox fire into the classroom transformed how students understood technology’s role in emergency response. “These are the systems already protecting landscapes across the Limestone Coast. Students are not learning about hypothetical future tools, they are seeing the infrastructure that is actively protecting their own region,” he said. Limestone Coast Technical College is designed to deliver hands-on, industry-aligned training in sectors critical to South Australia’s economic future. Integrating advanced detection technology into the learning experience reinforces the evolving nature of trades, engineering and land management roles where digital systems, automation and real-time data now sit alongside traditional practical skills. “It is great to be able to work with our industry partners on real world content,” Jason Plunkett, Industry Training Specialist at the Limestone Coast Technical College said. “Having the students see how their learning can be translated into real world settings is incredibly valuable. Being able to keep the material current is an amazing opportunity and allows the students to consider recent community issues when developing their understanding.” As climate pressures intensify and bushfire seasons become more complex, early detection technology is increasingly recognised as essential infrastructure. By connecting students to live examples of AI-enabled emergency management, Limestone Coast Technical College is helping prepare a workforce capable of operating, maintaining and advancing the technologies that underpin regional resilience. Through its ongoing partnership with the Green Triangle Fire Alliance, Pano AI continues to strengthen early detection capability while contributing to the development of future-ready technical skills in South Australia’s south-east.

The post Students gain exposure to modern bushfire detection appeared first on Timberbiz.

Tasmanian farmers and landowners will have access to free resources and events to learn about how carbon forestry works as part of Private Forests Tasmania’s new Carbon Forestry 101 project. Source: Timberbiz Supported by the Tasmanian Government’s Renewables, Climate and Future Industries (ReCFIT), Carbon Forestry 101 will be rolled out from 2026-2028 to Tasmanian farmers and landowners. The project will see all information about carbon forestry brought together into the one place and unpacked in plain, easy to understand language without the jargon. This will include information on carbon science, carbon forestry methodologies, carbon markets (what are they) and governance. It will also cover off on the sustainability integration of carbon forestry projects and their benefits across entire properties. Private Forests Tasmania’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Elizabeth Pietrzykowski said Carbon Forestry 101 was a learning experience. “We hope this project will give Tasmanian farmers and landowners the knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions about carbon opportunities for their properties. “Information about carbon and carbon forestry can be complex and full of jargon. It is also available through different channels but can rarely be found in the one space or solely with a Tasmanian context. “Carbon Forestry 101 will address this exactly and will be a great way for farmers and landowners to enhance their knowledge before committing to undertake a carbon forestry project.” Dr Pietrzykowski said carbon forestry projects are not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ situation and often are most successful when they are integrated in addition to existing farming enterprises and can be navigated with clear awareness of the opportunities and risks. “We know that farmers and landowners know their land best. They understand where its most productive, least productive and are managing complex risks and changing conditions and costs every day. “Carbon forestry projects have been around for a while now but are becoming increasingly appealing for their environmental, economic and sustainability benefits. “It can be difficult to know where to go to even start to understand what it is and how it works. “Private Forests Tasmania’s Carbon Forestry 101 will bring all the pieces of carbon forestry together.” The Carbon Forestry 101 project was formally launched at Agfest, at site 809 in the TasFarmers tent. Farmers and landowners’ interested in being part of Carbon Forestry 101 are encouraged to register their interest in the project by providing their details to Private Forests Tasmania. TasFarmers Chief Executive Officer Nathan Calman welcomed the project, highlighting the role farm forestry can play in strengthening on-farm outcomes. “The TasFarmers’ Forestry Committee have worked closely on the benefits farm forestry can generate, and we’re pleased to see this project launched,” Mr Calman said. Tasmanian farmers and landowners wishing to register for Carbon Forestry 101 can do so by visiting www.pft.tas.gov.au/carbon-forestry-101 For more information about Carbon Forestry 101, contact Private Forests Tasmania by calling 1300 661 009 or emailing admin@pft.tas.gov.au  

The post Carbon Forestry 101 rolling out in Tasmania appeared first on Timberbiz.

The New Zealand Forest Owners Association (NZFOA) says the latest set of changes to the National Environmental Standards for Commercial Forestry (NES-CF) are an important step toward a more nationally consistent and risk-based framework for managing forestry activities across New Zealand. Source: Timberbiz NZFOA chief executive Dr Elizabeth Heeg says the changes, due to come into effect on 4 June as part of the wider Resource Management Act reforms, better align regulatory oversight with the site-specific risks associated with New Zealand’s diverse forestry landscapes. “Forestry operates across highly variable terrain and environmental conditions,” Dr Heeg said. “Regulation needs to reflect those differences rather than assume every site carries the same level of risk. “Ensuring there is a nationally consistent framework remains of critical importance to forest owners, but not at the expense of applying identical rules regardless of landscape, erosion profile or catchment sensitivity. “Durable environmental outcomes require regulation that is consistently applied and reflects actual environmental risk across different forestry environments. “A forest in rolling hill country, for example, presents different risks to steep land above a sensitive catchment. The updated NES-CF is better equipped to recognise those differences and risks.” Dr Heeg says the NES-CF changes are emblematic of an evidence-based approach to environmental management, particularly on steep and erosion-prone land. “Forest owners have seen how differing interpretations of environmental rules between regions can create uncertainty, duplication of rules and cost burdens without improving environmental outcomes,” she said. “The latest changes strengthen the ability to focus regulatory requirements where environmental risk is higher, while allowing decisions to better reflect site-specific conditions. This is a more practical and targeted approach to managing environmental risk.” The reform will also provide more certainty for forest owners, contractors, councils and communities. “Forestry is planned over years – often decades. Decisions about planting, roading, harvesting and replanting rely on regulation that is clear, grounded in evidence and workable in practice,” Dr Heeg said. “Greater national consistency will provide more certainty around how forestry activities and environmental risks are managed across the motu.” The Association says the introduction of a Slash Mobilisation Risk Assessment framework is a practical example of a more risk-based approach being applied in practice. It recognises assessments developed and relied on, by the sector and by councils. “Post-Cyclone Gabrielle, the sector has been adapting management practices for higher-risk environments, particularly around slash management, erosion risk, harvest planning and decision-making on more complex sites,” Dr Heeg said. “The proposed framework reflects ongoing work to continually improve how harvest residue risk is identified and managed across different environments and terrain types. “It enables higher-risk sites to be identified more consistently, so management efforts can be focused where they are most needed, while still allowing for different approaches depending on the nature of the land and the level of environmental risk involved.” Dr Heeg says it’s important that forestry regulation has scope to evolve as science, operational experience and changing climate conditions shape what best practice looks like in the field. “Forestry needs a system that supports long-term investment, protects the environment and keeps people safe, while allowing practices to continue improving over time,” she said. “That is particularly important in higher-risk environments, where operational decisions can involve steep terrain and complex conditions, and where managing the safety of people working on the ground is integral to how work is planned and carried out. “Forest owners support regulation that can adapt as science, data and operational experience evolve. But as always, the detail of how these changes are implemented will be critical to whether they achieve their intent in practice.”

The post NZFOA says new standards for commercial forestry are a step in the right direction appeared first on Timberbiz.

A major NSW forestry consultation has highlighted the Tumut region’s importance to Australia’s softwood processing industry, while revealing divisions over forest management and bushfire resilience. Source: Tumut and Adelong Times The NSW government last week published its Independent Forestry Panel Stakeholder Consultation Report, a step towards the development of a Forest Industry Action Plan (FIAP). The panel received written submissions from over 1500 individuals and 160 organisations representing a cross-section of the timber industry, environmental groups, researchers, residents and businesses from regional NSW and others, guided by six prompts based around areas to be ad-dressed in the FIAP. While the report focuses primarily on native forest harvesting, it also addresses the softwood industry in the Snowy Valleys and across the state. It groups Tumut within its Coastal (Southern) forestry region, which it described as Australia’s most concentrated softwood processing area. The report identified several shared objectives across submissions, including bushfire resilience however, stakeholders differed on how forests should be managed to achieve that. “Some [say] that timber harvesting, salvage logging, and silviculture techniques like thinning reduce bushfire risks and others [say] that harvesting, salvage logging and thinning all increase bushfire frequency and intensity,” the report reads. “Despite that divergence, the submissions clearly demonstrate a deep shared concern about bushfire risk now and in the future, and that there is urgent need for improved fire policy and management based on empirical evidence and up-to-date scientific consensus.” The report notes different cohorts have different conceptions of what ap-propriate active management of forests for fire resilience is. “Some favour hazard reduction burning and robust fuel load reduction methods … Others caution that this approach only works in some forest types and that a much more nuanced, adaptive and multifaceted approach is needed.” The report noted some stakeholders highlighted “the strong capacity of Forestry Corporation’s staff and other timber industry workers to cost-effectively prepare and respond to bushfire threats as being highly valuable.” “Previous reviews have noted that the Forestry Corporation is a statutory firefighting authority and plays a role in fire management in native forests,” the report said. “Forestry Corporation’s workforce includes trained firefighters who carry out fire mitigation and hazard reduction (including fire trail maintenance, specialist tall tree felling skills), training and maintenance programs, a large fleet of heavy machinery and equipment and supply agreements to enable quick uplift in people, plant and equipment and firefighting response in co-ordination with other agencies.” The Independent Forestry Panel is chaired by Peter Duncan with other panel members Professor Mary O’Kane and Mick Veitch. A ministerial statement from the offices of the minister for agriculture, the minister for energy and climate change, and the minister for environment and heritage thanked all those who made submissions and attended focus groups and stakeholder interviews. “Making this report available to the public is a key step towards modernising forestry in a way that protects biodiversity,” the statement reads. “Following the finalisation of the stakeholder report, the panel has been tasked to produce a considerations report. “This report will accommodate the stakeholder report findings and identify opportunities to ensure the ongoing sustainability of the NSW forestry industry and support jobs, in the context of recent and ongoing changes.” The stakeholder report can be read in full at: https://www.nsw.gov.au/departments-and-agencies/cabinet-office/resources/independent-forestry-panel-stakeholder-report

The post NSW forestry report highlights Tumut’s importance in softwood processing appeared first on Timberbiz.

Timber NSW has lodged a submission to a Senate inquiry lobbying the Federal government, the inquiry is looking at the effectiveness of sanctions against the Russian Federation. The submission is signed by Timber NSW Chief Executive Maree McCaskill. Source: Timberbiz In its submission Timber NSW says it represents the timber and forest products industry in NSW. The membership of Timber NSW comprises sawmillers, plantation owners, harvest and haul contractors in the hardwood industry, and manufacturers who use low-grade hardwood products to produce high-value products for local use and export. The submission is the result of claims that Russian timber is being moved through China and Southeast Asia and that tariffs are not enough to stop this trade. According to the submission, in 2022, Australia imposed a tariff on timber imports from the Russian Federation and on Belarusian timber products. The tariff was an additional 35% on all imports from Russia and Belarus, including timber products, effective from 25 April 2022. The Russian timber industry supplies 63% of China’s softwood lumber imports and the submission states that while tariff measures could act as a deterrent it does not capture timber products that incorporate Russian timber in manufactured goods. The submission states that China is turning Russian logs into engineered wood products with record shipments to Australia, mainly LVL formwork, which represents 40% of the Australian market, and plywood In 2024 Dr Madeline Osborn, Acting Director, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, said that between 15% and 30% of all timber traded globally is potentially illegally logged, and 10% potentially in the Australian market is illegally sourced. Dr Osborn also said that about 25% of products tested had inaccurate species and origin claims. Timber NSW says the government should reference how the EU, UK and the US have improved compliance methodologies regarding timber sanctions. Australia should utilise the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011 (Cth) and issue a declaration pursuant to section 10(1)(c), sanctioning Russian-produced timber in both direct and indirect imports. This section authorises the use of the Regulations to make such a restriction, and this might be achieved by amending the Autonomous Sanctions (Import Sanctioned Goods – Russia) Designation 2022 by the addition of the words “Item 17 Timber and timber products directly or indirectly sourced from Russia.” This inquiry will accept public submission until 12 June and report by 20 August.  It is expected that other associations in the timber trade will also make submissions in the near future. The full submission can be downloaded here.

The post Too much Russian wood entering Australia – Timber NSW submission appeared first on Timberbiz.

Timber Towns Victoria met with six Political parties in Victoria this week calling for pre-election commitments on three policies, one of which proves technology that has already detected 90 unplanned fires across Victoria in two seasons. Source: Timberbiz Timber Towns Victoria met with representatives this week from the National, Liberal, Labor, One Nation, Shooters and Fishers, and Libertarian parties at the Victorian Parliament, presenting a three-priority 2026 Government Brief ahead of the state election on November 28 this year. TTV’s priority ask is calling for multi-year funding commitments for rural road repairs and dedicated funding for freight-critical bridge upgrades, citing accelerated deterioration across key regional corridors under heavier freight loads and more frequent severe weather events. TTV President Cr Karen Stephens said roads were vital for the freight network as logs could not be moved by rail due to the rural spread of plantation areas. “We ask for a commitment to strengthening Victoria’s regional transport network by in-creasing roads and bridges maintenance funding, and prioritising long-term, durable solutions that support community safety and economic resilience,” Cr Stephens said. TTV also wants a statewide expansion of AI-enabled fire detection cameras. The network has already detected almost 90 unplanned fires across Victoria over the past two fire danger seasons — 40 in 2023-24 and 46 in 2024-25. In South Australia, the same system has detected almost 90 fires since rollout across more than one million hectares, with 90 per cent of coverage extending beyond plantations into surrounding communities. The data was provided to TTV by the Victorian Forest Products Association (VFPA) and the Green Triangle Fire Alliance (GTFA), which manages the network across both states. Cr Stephens said regional communities were looking for firm commitments. “We ask for a commitment to supporting a safer Victoria through expanded fire camera coverage, modern AI-enabled detection systems, and long-term funding that protects communities, forests, and regional industries,” she said. The technology uses AI, ultra-HD 360-degree cameras and satellite data to detect smoke and ignition points continuously across large landscapes, with all alerts verified by human analysts before dispatch. Despite the proven results, Victorian coverage remains uneven, operational funding is inconsistent, and integration with the CFA, FFMVic and the SES is limited. TTV also wants a statewide expansion, sustainable operational funding, and a fully integrated fire intelligence system connecting camera feeds with emergency services across all agencies. On forest policy, TTV is calling for Victoria’s state policy settings to align with the Australian Government’s Timber Fibre Strategy, providing the coordinated framework that plantation investors, processors and regional employers need to plan and grow with confidence. TTV will be seeking a formal response from all six parties on each priority ahead of the state election. “We ask for a commitment to develop a whole-of-government forestry and fibre growth strategy to include streamlining planning and environmental approvals for plantation and processing projects, supporting investment in engineered timber and advanced wood manufacturing, and embedding forestry and fibre in Victoria’s climate and housing strategies,” Cr Stephens said.  

The post Timber Towns’ call for pre-election commitments in Victoria appeared first on Timberbiz.

The effects of the Iran war on the oil market have brought renewed attention to the EU’s plans for domestic production of fossil-free aviation fuels. But EU rules for synthetic aviation fuels risk steering development towards production pathways that are both more expensive and more energy-intensive than necessary – making it harder to meet climate targets. This is shown in a recent study from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, that has analysed different methods for producing synthetic methanol. Last year, rules were introduced requiring a minimum blend of 2% sustainable aviation fuel at EU airports. This blending requirement will increase gradually, reaching at least 70% by 2050. By then, half of the sustainable aviation fuel must consist of a category known as RFNBO: Renewable Fuel of Non-Biological Origin. These are synthetic fuels, also known as electrofuels, produced from renewable hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology now show that the RFNBO rules favour a “detour” in the production of synthetic fuels, which risks increasing both costs and energy use. “Regulations influence not only industry’s investments in technology, but also which research and development priorities are pursued. Instead of driving innovation towards the most efficient solutions, we risk locking ourselves into less resource-efficient production methods,” said Henrik Thunman, Professor of Energy Technology at Chalmers and co-author of the scientific article. Thousands of new plants will be needed globally to meet the growing demand for sustainable aviation fuels in the coming decades. This will require very large investments in facilities with long operating lifetimes. Big differences between alternative pathways for the same product using the same raw material The research team at Chalmers has studied the production of synthetic methanol, which is an example of a fuel molecule that can be converted into sustainable aviation fuel. It provides a representative case for analysing how different production pathways affect resource use in the production of such fuel molecules. These energy-rich molecules can be produced by combining carbon atoms and hydrogen in chemical processes. In the study, the researchers compared three different production pathways for methanol in which the carbon atoms come from biomass – so-called biogenic carbon. Two of the methods are based on biomass combustion, where carbon dioxide is captured from flue gases and then mixed with hydrogen produced separately using electricity. The third is based on gasification, where heated biomass is converted directly into synthesis gas, which contains both carbon and hydrogen. All three production pathways are technically feasible, and both the raw material and the final product can be the same. However, they differ clearly in terms of energy use, cost and electricity demand. “The gasification pathway proved to be the most resource-efficient option in our analysis, with up to 46%  lower production cost and 30% lower electricity demand than the two combustion-based alternatives. The difference shows how large the energy losses can be when biomass is first combusted into carbon dioxide, which is then rebuilt into fuel molecules using large amounts of electricity and hydrogen,” said Johanna Beiron, researcher in Physical Resource Theory at Chalmers and first author of the article. Despite this, combustion is favoured much more strongly than gasification by the EU regulatory framework. The RFNBO category, which is expected to expand from close to zero today to 35 percent of all aviation fuel in the EU by 2050, includes all fuel from the combustion-based alternatives, but excludes around half of the fuel produced via gasification. The reason is that RFNBO fuels may not be produced using energy and carbon atoms that come directly from biomass, as they largely do in gasification-based production. In contrast, it is permitted to use carbon atoms from biomass in combustion-based routes, provided this is done by capturing the carbon dioxide formed when biomass is used for other energy purposes. One example is the combustion of residual material from the forest industry in combined heat and power plants. But such residual material can be used more resource-efficiently through gasification. “One of the combustion-based alternatives we analysed was the process in combined heat and power plants,” said Ms Beiron. “It has lower cost and energy efficiency than gasification, even when we include the additional electricity needed to replace, for example, the district heating that the combustion process can contribute.” One purpose of the RFNBO classification is to stimulate increased generation of renewable electricity for the production of green hydrogen, and to reduce dependence on biomass, which is a limited resource. But the carbon atoms for synthetic aviation fuel must come from somewhere. Biomass is expected to be the least costly fossil-free carbon source for RFNBO production, and the researchers expect that today’s regulatory framework will result in a very high demand for carbon dioxide from biomass combustion. Instead of reducing the need for biomass, the EU regulations risk driving a less energy-efficient use of the limited biomass resource. “The regulatory framework does not account sufficiently for how efficiently different systems use energy and resources,” said Mr Thunman. “The study therefore highlights a structural issue in EU energy and industrial policy: regulation risks working against its own objectives when definitions of sustainable fuels are not aligned with fundamental energy principles or with the Union’s broader ambitions for resource efficiency.” The researchers hope that their results will contribute to greater knowledge about the technologies and systems that are available. “It is surprising that EU rules do not provide clearer incentives for the most efficient alternatives,” said Ms Beiron. “The current regulatory framework risks causing lock-in to combustion-based energy systems, even though technically mature processes already exist that would provide both lower energy use and lower cost – such as gasification and electrification of district heating.” “Our study shows that some parts of the regulatory framework probably need to be adjusted if the EU is to achieve its long-term goals,” said Mr Thunman. “Better coordination is needed between climate targets, resource efficiency and industrial feasibility in order to address the uncertainty that currently exists. This uncertainty makes it difficult to make rational investment decisions […]

The post Friday Analysis: Regulation risks working against the objective of fossil-free fuel appeared first on Timberbiz.