Australian timber industry news

Nippon Paper Industries, Chinougijutsu and Iwakuni Sangyo Unyu have conducted a successful trial of a remote-controlled robot that scrapes wood chips in the hold of a wood-chip carrier. Source: Timberbiz This trial, which was conducted on 5 April at Nippon Paper Industries’ Iwakuni mill in Yamaguchi Prefecture, aims to address safety and the workforce shortage in wood-chip scraping operations. Through the development of the scraping robot, the four companies will work to realize a safe and sustainable cargo-handling environment. In the future, the four companies aim to realize a cargo-handling environment where not only men but also women, elderly people, and people with disabilities can engage in cargo handling by operating robots from remote locations away from the cargo-handling site. In this trial, a prototype scraping robot was operated on a wood-chip carrier engaged in a long-term transport contract with Nippon Paper Industries and NYK. The four companies operated the robot remotely in the ship’s hold for about two hours during cargo unloading and achieved the goals, including confirming the scraping robot’s functionality. Wood chips loaded into the hold of a wood-chip carrier are traditionally gathered by excavators and unloaded by cranes. The wood chips that have accumulated in the corners of the holds or adhered to the walls are collected and scraped off by workers using shovels, forks, and other tools because heavy machinery cannot reach those wood chips or may damage the hold walls when scraping. There is room for improvement in the current work environment because the scraping process requires climbing up and down the 10-meter holds, the tendency for the holds to be cold or hot due to seasonal factors, and the risk of oxygen deprivation due to the wood chips absorbing oxygen. There are also concerns about future staff shortages due to the aging of the workforce. A remote control moves the arm of the scraping robot’s hydraulic excavator and the attached scraper (spatula) and brush. The robot can extend its arm up to three metres high to remove chips from walls, while wood chips that have accumulated in corners can be directly gathered by the lowered arm or pushed out by the brush. The scraping robot can also scrape wood chips trapped in tight spaces, such as structural gaps.

Demand for mass timber, a sustainable construction alternative, has grown steadily over the past several years. However, a new trend is driving risks for the construction sector: mass timber being used for taller buildings, not just residential structures. Source: Insurance Business According to one expert, this shift is observed in Europe, Asia, and North America. Michael Bruch, global head of Risk Advisory Services at Allianz Commercial, noted that the increasing adoption of mass timber for higher-rise construction indicates a broader acceptance of the material beyond traditional low-rise buildings. “The emergence of mass timber as a sustainable construction alternative represents a significant opportunity for the building sector to reduce its carbon footprint while also satisfying a demand for a more cost-efficient material but as durable as steel and concrete,” said Bruch. “However, in any industry, deployment of new materials or processes can result in new risk scenarios, potential defects, or unexpected safety consequences, as well as bringing benefits, and mass timber is no different.” Bruch pointed to Allianz Commercial’s recent report on the risks posed by mass timber. According to the report, the construction sector is responsible for almost 40% of global CO2 emissions caused by concrete, steel, and fossil fuel-driven energy consumption. Shifting to mass timber, a more cost-efficient material as durable as concrete and steel, allows the construction industry to lower its tremendous carbon footprint. Mass timber emits significantly less CO2: around 50% less than concrete and more than 25% less than steel, Allianz Commercial said in its report. However, the potential risks associated with mass timber construction are significant, particularly regarding fire hazards and natural calamities. “The good news from our research is that you can manage these risks,” Bruch said. Fire is potentially the top risk of mass timber construction. Fire stands as the most expensive cause of all construction and engineering insurance losses, accounting for more than a quarter (27%) of the value of 22,000 claims analyzed over a five-year period, according to Allianz. To mitigate this risk, Bruch emphasized proactive measures such as designing for fire resistance, using flame-retardant materials, and implementing proper construction practices. He also noted that while natural hazards vary by region, the resilience of mass timber structures shouldn’t be underestimated. “Natural catastrophe risks like hurricanes and gale-force winds can potentially affect beams, columns and panels. But mass timber is really strong,” said Bruch. “Mass timber buildings weigh approximately only one-third of comparable concrete structures, and they have the highest strength-to-weight ratio, which enables mass timber to perform very well during seismic activity. “Natural hazards can differ from region to region, but those risks can be managed well for mass timber buildings.” Additionally, construction businesses face supply chain and labour exposures as mass timber demand grows. Mass timber must be obtained in sustainable ways, necessitating specialized production facilities. “This means thorough logistical planning and management of building materials are essential to avoid costly project delays,” said Bruch. “On top of that, construction firms may face challenges finding experienced workers for mass timber construction projects. But overall, mass timber buildings can be constructed faster than traditional buildings, so that’s a big pro that we’re seeing.” The global mass timber market is still in its nascency, but it has tremendous growth potential, according to Allianz Commercial. Despite the risks involved, Bruch is optimistic about the potential of mass timber to meet sustainability goals and lower emissions. At the same, effective risk management practices and industry collaboration are needed to ensure the widespread adoption of sustainable construction materials and technologies. Brokers and insurers can help construction clients transition to sustainable materials and technologies by providing risk management solutions and investment incentives. Bruch stressed that each mass timber building is unique and presents specific risks that must be assessed and managed throughout its lifecycle. “Given this market’s expected future growth, companies should do all they can to develop a greater understanding of their exposures, including fire, water damage, repetitive loss scenarios and even termite infestation, and ensure they have robust loss prevention measures to combat these,” said Bruch.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Assurance Services International (ASI) announce the launch of a new transaction verification (TV) loop on wood panels made out of birch in the larger Eurasian region. The objective of this TV loop is to identify and take action against instances of false claims or other violations of FSC requirements. Source: Timberbiz The scope of this Eurasia birch wood panels TV loop is: Geographic areas: China and central and eastern European countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine). Product type: Plywood Species: Birch (Betula) FSC-certified companies within the scope of this TV loop are required to submit their transaction data for 2023 that carry an FSC claim by 15 June 2024 to their certification bodies. The supply chains investigated in this TV loop include over 700 certificate holders. Until February 2022, a significant amount of FSC-certified birch was sourced from Russian forest management companies. With FSC’s withdrawal from Russia, chain of custody certificate holders in birch supply chains have had to find other sources of certified timber. With this TV loop, FSC and ASI expect to identify high-risk sources of certified birch for downstream chain of custody certificate holders. If any potential volume mismatches and false claims are identified, then those will be further investigated. The Eurasia birch wood panels TV loop and the birch plywood TV loop that was launched by ASI in 2023 will complement each other, even though this one has a much wider geographic scope. For this TV loop, FSC and ASI are exploring the possibility of combining transaction verification with two technology-based investigative tools: FSC Blockchain: This tool will enable FSC to track transactions by certificate holders, thereby identifying instances of potential volume mismatches and false claims. Wood identification (ID) technologies: This tool will enable FSC to determine species, and compare the isotope profiles of samples collected from certificate holders included within the scope of this TV loop against a reference sample library that is managed by World Forest ID. In 2022, FSC conducted pilot tests of the previous version of FSC’s blockchain tool in China and Ukraine. The learnings from the pilot tests have enabled FSC to develop a more robust tool that can be used for various purposes, such as strengthening the integrity of certified supply chains, and ensuring compliance with the new European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) requirements. In February 2024, beta trials of FSC Blockchain were started with participants who registered for the trial phase. FSC plans to launch the FSC Blockchain for all its certificate holders – as a voluntary tool – by mid-2024.  

New Zealand Lower Hutt Mayor Campbell Barry formally launched Mouri Tupu – Planting for the Future, and he is calling on the community to pick up a spade and join in. Source: Timberbiz Mouri Tupu is a community campaign to plant 114,000 native trees and plants and inspire citizens to get out planting and help reach the target. It will deliver the mayor’s 2022 campaign pledge to plant one native tree or plant for every citizen of Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai Lower Hutt. To date more than 40,000 natives have been planted across Lower Hutt since October 2022, by Hutt City Council, Greater Wellington and other partners, and community organisations. “Trees are our environment’s lungs, and by doing more planting we can mitigate our city emissions and enhance our places and spaces. This ambitious city goal can only be achieved by all of us working together. “By planting these trees and other plants, we will leave a greener legacy for our tamariki and mokopuna and will help teach the value of protecting and enhancing our environment,” he said at a community planting event at East Harbour Kindergarten. Mouri Tupu roughly translates to recognising that everything has the potential to grow and thrive, powered by the energy that flows through all things, and sustained by our interaction and care of it. “This is why we are committed to ensuring a community in which everyone thrives; and we can only thrive if we look after our environment,” said the mayor. Hutt City Council has provided more than 20,000 plants to community groups in this triennium and has committed to increasing its own planting on council land. A community planting event will be held in Korounui Stokes Valley at Delaney Park on Saturday 6 July. The council is encouraging the community to share their planting projects, which they can pin on an interactive map of the city. The campaign progress will be updated regularly on Council’s website and social media channels. “We have lots of great local groups who volunteer their time planting, and we are rolling up our sleeves to join them,” said Mayor Barry. “I would love to see the wider community join us in making Lower Hutt a greener city.” The campaign includes native trees, shrubs and grasses planted by Hutt City Council, Greater Wellington Regional Council, Forest & Bird, and many community organisations.  

It sounds peaceful and calm, but the concept of “forest gardening” has sparked a new chapter in Victoria’s forest wars, pitting an Aboriginal corporation against a prominent ecologist and his publisher, Allen and Unwin. Source: The Sydney Morning Herald Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation, which trades as DJAARA, in December concluded a 22-monthlicence with VicForests that permitted the removal of up to 600,000 cubic metres of timber damaged in the 2021storms from the Wombat State Forest near Daylesford. It was to be the first stage in a multi-generational “forest gardening” project, to restore First Nations sovereignty and oversight over Country. In his new book The Forest Wars, Australian National University forest ecology professor David Lindenmayer took aim at forest gardening, describing it as logging that “will damage, not heal, Country”, and “continue the forest destruction wrought by VicForests”. Lindenmayer argued that in “a highly cynical move”, VicForests – which will cease operations in June – had sought to develop partnerships with First Nations organisations to “continue industrial native forest logging” after Victoria ended commercial native logging in January. “[DJAARA’S] partnership with VicForests has resulted in what appears to simply be business-as-usual logging in the Wombat Forest,” he wrote. DJAARA maintains the timber removed under its licence with VicForests was storm damaged, and “nowhere near” 600,000 cubic metres of timber was removed under the arrangement. Acting chief executive Cassandra Lewis described Lindenmayer’s assessment as offensive. “I think it’s offensive to be told that the cultural application of land management, described as forest gardening, is a flawed argument, as if it were merely an idea to be discredited and not a deeply significant cultural understanding,” she said. “And it’s distressing to be told that these cultural land management practices are damaging Country when we know that not to be true.” DJAARA wrote to publisher Allen and Unwin asking for a recall of Lindenmayer’s latest book, which has sold out of its first print run and accused him of disrespecting and “speaking down” to traditional owners. In a statement, Lindenmayer’s publisher said: “Allen & Unwin can confirm DJAARA have contacted us regarding The Forest Wars, and while we respect their feedback the book will not be withdrawn from sale.” Lindenmayer, who in 2017 co-authored a paper with more than two dozen other scientists on the impacts of salvage logging on biodiversity, said: “So-called storm recovery never recovers anything – it degrades the forest.” According to a forest licence issued in March 2022 and seen by this masthead, material removed from Wombat State Forest under the partnership between DJAARA and VicForests was to be primarily “windthrown timber” that fell during wild storms in 2021. The licence also allowed for the removal of “incidentally generated timber resulting from hazard treatment or removal”. “The forest was left [after the 2021 storm] with as many, in some places, as 50% of trees on their sides, and it presented an extreme fire risk,” says DJAARA’s acting general manager, Jim Brooks. “One of the really crucial things about this is, it wasn’t just a green light to VicForests to go ahead and take out valuable timber … we actually had an agreement with VicForests about what timber would be taken, and it was timber that presented a risk.” DJAARA’s business case for forest gardening, released in October 2022, was written by forestry consultant Damien O’Reilly, who has worked extensively with the forestry industry and, more recently, consulted to government on forestry. According to the business case, DJAARA would undertake a range of land management practices including thinning (“restoring culturally recognisable structures to our forests”), revegetation, rehabilitation, regeneration and cultural burns, in partnerships with organisations and private landholders. Brooks said the comprehensive multi-generational forest gardening strategy – which entails rejuvenation, regeneration and restoring Country – had barely had a chance to begin. Almost exactly a year ago, the then-Andrews government announced it would end native forest logging in Victoria by January 1 this year. However, Lindenmayer and other forest conservationists maintain Victorian forestry is the industry that refuses to die. After DJAARA’s agreement with VicForests concluded on December 31, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action began its own timber removal operation. A government gazette in November, a month before the VicForests agreement with DJAARA expired, issued a public safety notice for tracts of the Wombat State Forest north of Trentham-Daylesford Road to allow for “timber debris extraction operations”. A Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action spokesman said the agency was conducting works “to remove storm debris in the Wombat Forest to mitigate bushfire risk”, and was ensuring “all operations comply with relevant legislation”. “There is no timber harvesting or salvage logging taking place for a commercial purpose in the Wombat State Forest,” he said. “The works underway are removing storm debris and rehabilitating the forest to reduce the risk of fire.” Photos taken in Wombat State Forest near Osborne Road within the past fortnight show log landing sites with freshly cut trees piled two metres high. Dead timber from the 2021 storms is dry and silver. By contrast, the logs pictured within the past fortnight are freshly cut, some with sap still visible on the saw marks. “In some cases,” the spokesman said, “timber not left for environmental and habitat purposes is used for highest and best uses, this includes as domestic firewood.” Brooks said the works currently underway were not a DJAARA operation. “We have no legal capacity to authorise, prevent or influence those works,” he said. “These works are unrelated to our Galk Galk Dhelkunya (Forest Gardening) strategy, principles and practice which are about recreating a healthy, bio-diverse forest ecosystem.”

The contract to deliver an aspirational vision to “recloak” Coronet Forest New Zealand with native planting has been awarded to Te Tapu o Tāne and e3Scientific Limited. Source: Timberbiz Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) General Manager Community Services Ken Bailey said the announcement followed the successful harvest of Coronet Forest. “The early harvest was carried out between January 2020 and May 2023, removing over 90,000 tonnes of timber from the site and with it, a major wilding source,” said Mr Bailey. “Getting rid of this wilding source is a huge win as we work to eliminate the spread of the pest species Douglas fir. And importantly it leaves a blank canvas for regeneration.” “The return of native species such as tawhai rauriki (mountain beech), kōwhai, kōhūhū (pittosporum) and kapuka (broadleaf) to their rightful place will help to restore the biodiversity values of the area, which is a key goal of our Climate and Biodiversity Plan,” he said. QLDC Mayor Glyn Lewers acknowledged the importance of partnering with Te Tapu o Tāne to regenerate this special area. “This partnership is bigger than a regeneration project. Ultimately this is about creating relationships and connections as we work together to restore and protect our local natural environment for generations to come,” said Mayor Lewers. “It provides a unique opportunity to be a leading example of how ecological restoration can be successfully achieved within the Otago region and throughout Aotearoa New Zealand,” he said. Te Tapu o Tāne Chief Executive Officer Jana Davis said this is a very special announcement for the organisation on behalf of Ngāi Tahu kī Murihiku and acknowledged Kāi Tahu ki Otago for all their support. “The Coronet Forest kaupapa is all about building on the partnership between QLDC, Mana Whenua, Te Tapu o Tāne and Citycare Property, as well as the kaimahi at e3Scientific. On behalf of all our partners it is a privilege to be delivering this kaupapa for our hometown and building the Whakatipu Basin towards a deafening dawn chorus of taonga manu (native birds) and providing access to the largest indigenous reforestation project in the history of the basin. He waka eke noa, we are all in this waka together,” he said. “The kaupapa will provide opportunities supporting regional development including local jobs and training.” “We plan to hold a few wānanga (workshops) over the next 12 months as we get the site ready to come alive with eco-sourced trees and plants and scale up the intensive pest control operation. The Queenstown community have spent the last few years watching the pine forest come down, it’s going to be great seeing the new direction for the maunga (mountain),” he said. e3Scientific Managing Director Glenn Davis is looking forward to working alongside Te Tapu o Tāne and QLDC to reinstate a beech forest to the slopes of the Coronet Range. “Coronet Forest stands on the shoulders of a significant network of ecological restoration work that has developed in the district over the last 20 years,” he said. “These projects have provided the ecological community with the skills, expertise and confidence to reinstate local biodiversity at a landscape scale.” “The role of e3Scientific is to bring together and impart the knowledge we have gained to maximise the performance of the plantings and ensure that the project leads the delivery of large-scale ecological restoration in Aotearoa New Zealand,” he said. The first year of work involves site preparation and planning. Native planting is expected to begin in March 2025 and take between five to seven years. There will be many opportunities for the community to be involved as the face of Coronet Forest is restored. QLDC and Te Tapu o Tāne look forward to sharing plans and celebrating milestones as they progress. To follow this project head to www.qldc.govt.nz/coronet-forest

Case IH has announced the winners of its 2024 Dealer of the Year Awards, with Larwoods Ag and Intersales claiming the top honours. Source: Timberbiz The Dealer of the Year results are based on a range of criteria, including finance and business management, performance in sales and marketing, and parts and servicing, precision technology and total market share. Intersales in NSW has claimed the award for Case IH Dealer of the Year (three branches or more). The company has branches in Temora, Griffith, Albury-Wodonga and Wagga Wagga. Other finalists were O’Connors (NSW and Victoria) and Ramsey Brothers (South Australia). Intersales CEO Amanda Blachut said the award was a testament to the hard work of their whole team. “The dedication the team put towards training, team collaboration and knocking down barriers between departments is to be admired,” she said. “We were up against some fierce competition, so this win was unbelievably unexpected.” Larwoods Ag Services, based in Kadina, SA, has been awarded Case IH Dealer of the Year (one to two branches). They came out ahead of finalists Ronco Motors with branches in South Australia and Victoria, and Farmers Centre in Western Australia. Larwoods Ag director Mathew East said it was a fantastic effort by the whole team, but particularly dealer principal Scott Mercer. Mr East said the business had faced some challenges but with the help of CNH, they have been able to turn things around. Receiving the award was a prime example of the team’s willingness to take on board feedback and evolve their business to better serve their customers. The Parts and Service Dealer of the Year honour has gone to Kenway & Clark, with nine branches in NSW and Queensland. Larwoods Ag Services and Agricentre South in New Zealand were the other finalists. Cochranes of Canterbury in New Zealand has taken out the CNH Capital Dealer of the Year, from Farmers Centre and Larwoods Ag. Aaron Bett, CNH Business Director – Agriculture ANZ, congratulated all the award winners, acknowledging the level of excellence achieved by the dealerships and the dedication to their customers. “Intersales, Larwoods Ag Services, Kenway & Clark and Cochranes of Canterbury should all be very proud of what they have achieved in the past 12 months. Their teams consistently go that extra mile, placing a high priority on delivering the service, support and advice their customers rely on,” Mr Bett said. “The standard across our network is very high, so to be successful in our Dealer of the Year Awards is an outstanding achievement, and recognition of the work that’s gone in across all aspects of the winners’ operations.”

A report recently prepared by Synergies Economic Consulting on behalf of Kimberly-Clark Australia (KCA) has been released and provides a snapshot of the socio-economic contribution of Millicent mill to the Australian economy. Source: The Border Watch The report states the company contributes $520m to Australia’s GDP annually and is one of the state’s largest non-mining base manufacturers. A highlight of the report is its investment into the local community with an emphasis on jobs being kept local with 12% of full-time manufacturing roles in the Limestone Coast provided by the mill. The independent report, commissioned by KCA, highlights the annual contribution of the company’s Millicent mill to the regional Lime-stone Coast and South Australian state economies, generating $172 million and $216 million of value, respectively. Inclusivity was mentioned in the report and has seen applications from women in production roles at the mill rise from zero in 2019 to approximately 40 per cent of new hires year-on-year. Female representation at the Millicent mill has increased five-fold since 2019, from 12 to 60 employees, and the mill directly employs 462 people in full, part-time and casual roles. Retention rates are strong and over half of the mill’s employees have worked there for 15 years or more with second and third generation family members now employed. Machine operator Cameron Haggett has worked at Millicent Mill for more than 21 years following in the footsteps of his father, Peter, who worked at KCA for 33 years before retiring in 2011. “I can only ever remember my dad as a shift worker at Kimberly-Clark when growing up, so it’s fair to say the company and Millicent mill have been a big part of my life,” Mr Haggett said. “With new technology on-site and more diversity across the workforce, the mill has changed a great deal since I first started in 2002. “It’s continued to upskill its employees and be an attractive option for local people, including my daughter Madi, who’s recently started out as a casual worker. “Working at Kimberly-Clark has given me financial stability to support my family for over two decades, and I really enjoy the team atmosphere that the mill provides too.” The report stated over $750 million has been invested into the Millicent mill since it was first established in 1966.Sustainable practices has resulted in the reduction of 457 tonnes of plastic across the entire packaging portfolio in 2022, and 98 per cent of mill waste diverted away from landfill. A goal to reduce direct emissions by 50% by 2030, against a baseline of 2015, continues and the company is exploring green energy alternatives such as green hydrogen and renewable electricity. Managing director at Kimberly-Clark ANZ Belinda Driscoll said: “I’m incredibly proud to present this report, which showcases the solid and lasting impact Kimberly-Clark Australia, and its Millicent mill has at a regional, state and national level. “It demonstrates the business’ commitment to keeping manufacturing jobs and growing the sector. “As we look ahead, we’ll continue to do all we can to make further improvements that have a positive impact on the economy and local community we serve.”

Innovation is at the heart of any successful business. Radial Timber in Yarram, Victoria with a strategy already in place for its mainstream timber operation, has embarked on a new approach to using its wood waste that takes the company deeper into the heart of the sustainable, circular economy. Source: Philip Hopkins for Timberbiz Radial has installed a pilot plant that uses pyrolysis technology; organic material, in this case wood residues, is burnt at high temperatures without oxygen to produce biochar, a stable solid that is rich in carbon and can fertilise and endure in soil for thousands of years. “The plant can also produce heat and energy, and wood vinegar – a liquid, potentially usable in agriculture, also in cooking,” said Radial’s managing director, Chris McEvoy. The heat will play a crucial role in running the timber mill, with a potential heating source for the local community. The $1 million pilot continuous biochar maker is the result of three years’ research and development and is a joint venture between Radial; Earth Systems, which provides the technology; and Spiegel Bioenergy, a South Gippsland battery supplier owned by John and Linda Ballis. “We have a pure resource, most of the biochar plant around the world are working with waste, plastic waste, arboreous waste – green leaves, different species and densities; the product that comes out is not that uniform,” said Mr McEvoy. “Our timber is all dense class, one or two timbers, all exactly the same shape. First, it should go through well, and secondly, should be a really high-value, consistent product. We’ve got plenty of resource, plenty of forestry residue. The beauty of the continuous char maker is you can put through much larger volumes. Take the biochar and put it into degraded soil’s to improve it – I love this circular economy story.” Earth Systems, the technology provider based in Port Melbourne, was originally an environmental consulting firm founded in 1993. “For about a decade, we have been doing pyrolysis systems. We’re small but have offices all over the world for our consulting work, yet this side of the business in the last couple of years has started to take off. There is a lot more interest in biochar,” said Ricky Dent, Earth systems’ environment technology specialist who is from South Gippsland and is loving being ‘back home’ installing a plant in the region. The company already runs a plant at Lysterfield in the Dandenong Ranges. Mr Dent, running his hand through the feed stock – the mill’s sawdust residue – explained how the plant works. “The residue will feed out to the first stage conveyor and go up into our shuttle drawer system. The purpose of this system is to create an air-tight seal between the outside world and the pyrolysis happening inside,” he said. “Because pyrolysis is heat in the absence of air – it’s thermal degradation, so we must keep as much air out of the process as possible. The job of our furnace is to spread the feedstock as widely as possible to maximise surface area so we get the maximum reaction in the shortest amount of time. “The feedstock will be then conveyed along the length of the furnace, where it will convert from wood biomass to pure carbon, which is the biochar that comes out at the end. The gas travels in the opposite direction to the feedstock; in that way it is able to deposit its heat onto the incoming feedstock, making the whole system closed loop with very little emissions. Ricky said in the chamber, the aim was to get the biochar to about 500 deg Celsius, with the gases jumping right up to the potentially as high as 1300 deg C. Normally we try and keep the temperature lower, but we’re talking about generating electricity from that process, so if you want to generate electricity, the higher the temperature we get, that generally means the higher efficiency. Mr Dent said the mill itself needs heat and electricity. “That will be the next stage to this project, deeming what’s most economic, what works out best for everyone. We will either capture additional heat from here to assist in their process or offset their energy use at that end, or we will aim for as much electricity generation as we can, which will go into the battery storage on site and that can go out to feed the rest of the mill,” he said. At this stage, the operation is looking at about 75 kilowatts of electrical output mainly for internal use. For external use, a bigger scale of plant, or a multiple of these plants, would be required. “The big thing about thermal technology, it doesn’t scale in a linear fashion – it’s more exponential. Should anything go mildly wrong, the machine will shut itself down. We’ve now run long enough in Australia and we have a good relationship with the CFA; they even grant us permits to run on days of extreme fire danger. We’ve even got a permit to run on total fire ban, but we choose not to.” Mr McEvoy will assess how the biochar plant fits in with Radial’s current operation. Having lost access to VicForests’ native hardwood timber, Radial’s plan is to use its own hardwood plantations to make the business self-sufficient in the long term. In the interim, in the absence of larger logs, Radial will concentrate on its new peeling plant. A small log line is part of the peeler plant, which can peel a small log down into veneer sheets, which are dried, glued and pressed. This engineered timber can theoretically be used to make mass panels “We could not run the peeling plant we want to run because of the requirements to heat the logs before they are peeled. Once peeled, you must dry the veneers through this big dryer; doing that on gas and electricity, you would never afford it. “We can’t put a peeling plant in without a bio-plant. If […]

A former minister in the Hodgman and Gutwein governments, Sarah Courtney, has been named the independent chair of the Tasmanian Forest Products Association (TFPA). Source: Timberbiz After a successful three-year tenure from Inaugural Chair Bryan Hayes, Ms Courtney says she is eager to guide the TFPA in coming years. Speaking following the announcement, outgoing acting-Chair Shawn Britton acknowledged the wealth of experience Ms Courtney brings to the role. “Sarah has considerable experience, including in the areas of governance, management, agriculture, aquaculture, finance, stakeholder management, public policy, and small business. She’s ideally placed to continue the great work of the TFPA,” Mr Britton said. “In an industry traditionally dominated by men, it’s pleasing we can now have a strong female voice representing our businesses. Having her lead the association shows the modern forestry industry is shedding off the reputation of its past.” Ms Courtney said she’s ready to represent the forest industry across all aspects of the Tasmanian business and political arenas. “The TPFA and the Tasmanian forestry industry are well respected on both sides of the chamber in Tasmanian politics,” Ms Courtney said. “I’m excited to be able to assist these great Tasmanian businesses continue to grow our economy and our communities. Tasmanian forestry employs over 5,500 people across the state, is a key driver in the Tasmanian economy, and integral in Tasmania meeting its bold climate change goals,” she said. Ms Courtney will begin her tenure as the TFPA chair immediately, representing and promoting all aspects of the forestry value chain.

Metsä Group will construct a demo plant for lignin refining in connection with its Äänekoski bioproduct mill. The equipment will be supplied by technology group ANDRITZ. Construction will begin in Summer 2024, and the demo plant will be completed in late 2025. The plant’s daily capacity will be two tonnes of the lignin product. Source: Timberbiz Lignin is a substance in wood that binds wood fibres together. In pulp production, lignin is separated from the fibres into black liquor in the chemical cycle and used as bioenergy. Lignin could also be used in chemical and material applications. Metsä Group and ANDRITZ will focus on developing the production process of the new lignin product and its integration with the bioproduct mill, as well as the product properties suitable for various end uses. The demo plant project also involves Dow, a leading material science company, which will develop high-performance bio-dispersant plasticizers for concrete and gypsum applications, based on the lignin product produced at the plant. “Our goal is to efficiently use the side streams of pulp production and ensure they produce the greatest possible added value. We want to develop new products made from renewable natural resources that can replace fossil-based raw materials and products,” says Ismo Nousiainen, CEO of Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group. ANDRITZ has been developing lignin recovery and modification technology concepts as part of its initiative to enable pulp mills to convert side streams into value-added products. Kari Tuominen, CEO & President of ANDRITZ Oy, states: “We are thrilled to be able to test this technology in continuous process conditions at the Äänekoski bioproduct mill. In addition to validating markets for the new lignin product, the demo scale gives us valuable insights for integrating the LigniOx process into a bioproduct mill and scaling it up for industrial use.” “At Dow, we are committed to collaborating with stakeholders to innovate and bring more sustainable solutions to the market,” says Raquel Fortes, Global Business Director of Dow Construction Chemicals. “This new technology would further expand Dow’s bio-based product offerings to meet the future needs of the building and construction industry.” In a pilot-scale EU project coordinated by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Metsä Group, ANDRITZ and Dow have already demonstrated the suitability of modified lignin as a replacement for fossil-based chemicals in concrete production. The Äänekoski mill area is Metsä Group’s largest, housing a paperboard, veneer and bioproduct mill. Äänekoski is also home to Metsä Group’s demo plants for the Kuura textile fibre and Muoto fibre product.

A team of researchers has unveiled a novel approach to accurately characterizing tree height composition in forests using the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology. Sources: The Journal of Remote Sensing, Phys Org This study marks a significant advancement in our understanding of forest ecosystems, shedding light on the intricacies of tree height variability and their implications for ecological studies and climate change mitigation efforts. Tree height composition, a vital ecological attribute, plays a significant role in influencing forest ecosystems, impacting biodiversity, carbon storage, and energy fluxes. Limitations have historically hindered the challenge of accurately mapping this structural diversity in scale and detail. However, the advent of recent advancements in remote sensing technologies, particularly the introduction of the spaceborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology known as the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI), has opened new pathways for detailed canopy height mapping. Tree height composition, a vital ecological attribute, plays a significant role in influencing forest ecosystems, impacting biodiversity, carbon storage, and energy fluxes. Limitations have historically hindered the challenge of accurately mapping this structural diversity in scale and detail. However, the advent of recent advancements in remote sensing technologies, particularly the introduction of the spaceborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology known as the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI), has opened new pathways for detailed canopy height mapping. This method allowed for the accurate mapping of tree heights and canopy structures across a spectrum of forest conditions, showcasing the tool’s ability to capture the nuanced details of forest structures, from the towering trees to the dense underbrush. A key innovation of the study was the development of Tree generation based on Asymmetric Generalized Gaussian (TAG) method, which markedly improved the modeling of forest scenes by precisely replicating the physical characteristics of trees within diverse ecosystems. The simulation results confirmed that GEDI waveforms are capable of reflecting complex variations within forest stands, including the differences in tree heights and canopy layer density. This revelation holds profound implications for our understanding of forest structure, providing a fresh perspective on forest biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and ecosystem processes with a level of detail previously beyond reach. Dr. Yao Zhang, the lead author of the study, emphasized the critical nature of understanding tree height composition in efforts to preserve biodiversity and tackle climate change. “The precision offered by GEDI LiDAR technology,” Dr. Zhang stated, “[it] heralds new possibilities for ecological research and forest management, unveiling the vertical complexity of forests in a manner that was once impossible.” The implications of this research are vast, touching upon ecosystem research, land surface modelling, and climate change studies. By offering a more accurate estimate of aboveground biomass and carbon storage, the findings promise to deepen our understanding of the crucial role forests play in the global carbon cycle, guiding strategies for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation.

Seaman Paper, a global manufacturer of environmentally sustainable specialty paper and packaging solutions, has announced the launch of SeaStretch, a patented lightweight paper-based alternative to single-use plastic stretch film used to wrap and contain shipping and storage loads. Source: Timberbiz Amidst growing concerns about plastic pollution and pending legislation aiming to curb single-use plastics, such as SB 54 in California, which mandates all single-use packaging must be recyclable or compostable by 2032, SeaStretch emerges as a timely and innovative solution. SeaStretch is a fully recyclable, FSC certified, crepe paper solution that is compatible with existing hand-wrapping, semi-automated, and automated pallet wrapping machines. SeaStretch is incredibly lightweight (42 gsm) and incredibly durable, stretchable, and highly resistant to tearing, making it the ideal packaging solution for pallet wrapping. “SeaStretch is a game-changer for the packaging industry, as it offers a viable and cost-effective way to reduce plastic waste while ensuring product safety and security,” said Ken Winterhalter, CEO of Seaman Paper. “We are proud to introduce this innovative and environmentally friendly product to the market, as part of our commitment to creating paper-based, sustainable solutions while further living our motto, ‘People, Paper, Packaging, for a Sustainable World.’” SeaStretch is available in natural kraft and white colors, and in various roll size sand weights to suit different applications and requirements.

In the heart of Devonport, New Zealand, two friends, Nicky Robinson and Kate Moffat, found themselves shivering on the sidelines of their kids’ football games, their feet cold and wet in the muddy terrain. It was amidst these chilly moments that the seed of an idea took root, sprouting into what would become a transformative venture in the realm of sustainable fashion. Source: Timberbiz Marlo, the brainchild of Nicky and Kate, is a brand that epitomises innovation, responsible production, and environmental consciousness within the New Zealand fashion industry. Together, Nicky and Kate have brought to life a gumboot that not only offers protection from the elements but also champions responsible sourcing amidst an industry often marred by supply chains riddled with environmental degradation and social injustice. While the production of natural rubber provides an income for millions of people in developing countries, it can also have negative impacts on forests, communities, and workers when it is not managed responsibly. In some cases, the expansion of rubber production can be a driver of deforestation and forest degradation, including areas of high conservation value. Marlo CEO and co-founder Nicky pointed out another concern, “Most gumboots are made out of various synthetic and petroleum-based materials that make them non-biodegradable, hard to recycle, and highly toxic to the environment as they break down.” In their quest for a more sustainable solution, Nicky and Kate turned to FSC-certified rubber plantations in Sri Lanka. Here, they discovered a pathway that could ensure a supply chain with integrity and verifiable responsible practices. By sourcing rubber from FSC-certified forests, Marlo not only addresses issues like deforestation and biodiversity loss but also uplifts local communities and supports FSC’s rigorous standards of social responsibility. “We aimed to set a new standard with Marlo, acknowledging our customers’ growing concerns regarding the environmental and social impacts of their purchases,” shared Kate Moffat, co-founder of Marlo. “The rubber used in our boots is locally and sustainably sourced from FSC-certified rubber plantations in Sri Lanka, and our manufacturing partner recycles the rubber sheet offcuts, producing jandals, rubber soles, and other rubber footwear to minimize wastage,” added Kate. By ensuring that the rubber in their boots is FSC certified, Marlo provides customers with the assurance that their purchase doesn’t contribute to illegal logging, habitat loss, and poor working conditions. In April, Marlo elevated its dedication to sustainable forestry by becoming a signatory of FSC’s Fashion Forever Green Pact, making it the first New Zealand fashion label to join. Marlo’s FSC-certified gumboots exemplify their efforts to raise industry awareness and combat issues like deforestation and human rights abuses within natural rubber production. By ensuring their supply chain adheres to FSC’s rigorous standards, Marlo confirms that the natural rubber used in their boots is responsibly sourced, safeguarding biodiversity, supporting local communities, and upholding workers’ rights.

Scientists Sarah Addison, Dr Steve Wakelin and Simeon Smaill are among authors who have written an invitation only review article in the scientific journal Trends in Plant Science (TIPS). This journal is highly respected, with articles prioritising and setting the direction of future research in plant sciences globally. Source: Timberbiz Their research paper, titled ‘Partner or perish: Tree microbiomes and climate change’, was led by Ms Addison at Scion. The paper is a collaborative publication between researchers from Scion, Wright State University (Ohio) and the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment at Western Sydney University where Ms Addison is undertaking a PhD. “With an invitation only review article, your work must sit at the forefront of scientific knowledge in the discipline,” Ms Addison said. “TIPS requires you to pitch your idea for a review article as well as your scientific CV. All of these factors are taken on board even before you submit an article for consideration via peer review. “We were ecstatic to get the invitation to submit an article and even more elated when we got the email to say our work would be published. It demonstrates we are at the leading edge of our work in plant-microbiome-environmental interactions.” Their research paper reviewed the current landscape of the complex relationships between plants, their microbiomes and the environmental changes happening with climate change. With the long lifecycle of trees, they might not evolve at a pace that matches the rapid environmental changes that climate change brings. But, like humans and our microbiomes, trees have also evolved with microbiomes. These tree-microbiome relationships have developed over millions of years and have endured through previous cycles of environmental change. It’s hoped these relationships will shed light on how trees can survive in a rapidly changing future. “Climate change has happened before, however the rate of change we are experiencing is unprecedented in recent history,” Ms Addison said. “As trees live for a long time and can’t easily migrate, the plants established today could be stranded in an unsuitable climate. We need new tools to support trees facing change in the future.” Microbiome associations that have been successful in helping trees in the past may be a new tool for establishing resilient, future-proof forests. “It’s about relationships. Ensuring the right relationship between the tree, the microbiome, the soil and the climate.” After reviewing the existing literature surrounding trees and their microbiomes, they identified key gaps that need further research. One of these gaps centres around more research exploring the tree and microbiome as a single entity, or a ‘holobiont’. “We need to shift our perspective from ‘trees and their microbiomes’ to one of a single, co-evolved entity interacting dynamically within and as part of the environment,” Ms Addison said. Not only are these biological systems incredibly diverse, but their relationship within the environment and changing climate has layers of complexity. “Predicting outcomes such as climate resilience, aren’t readily predictable from individual behaviours. We need approaches founded in complex systems science to advance this. We have to embrace the complexity, the systems within systems, integrate scalability, and so on.” Furthermore, the paper explores climate change mitigation with the microbiome altering and evolving to benefit both the tree and the microbiome. This work provides the knowledge to enhance tree adaptability and mitigate adverse impacts of climate change on trees. The literature and understanding that has been unearthed with this review article is currently being explored in the MBIE-funded Tree-root Microbiome Project lead by Dr Wakelin. The main aim of this large collaborative project is to understand how trees and their microbiomes work together and can be used to counter climate change by using Pinus radiata as a model. This research can then be applied to other tree species to help maintain global tree diversity.

An estimated 3000-year-old, three-tonne log has been discovered deep in a Tasmanian forest, with the item expected to fetch a whopping $120-$140,000 by the time it is crafted into furniture and other parts. Due to this scarcity, the three-tonne remains of the Huon pine are believed to have set the record for the most expensive log in the country according to Pulse Tasmania. Sources: Yahoo News, Pulse Tasmania Bronte Booth, the managing director of Timber World who is milling the log on behalf of its current owner, said the salvaged log of Huon pine is one of only a small amount left – its rarity contributing to its immense price. Speaking to 7 Tasmania News, Mr Booth said the pine’s new owners paid around $21,000. “It’s a beautiful timber and it has some really nice properties … it’s durable and it’s also ancient,” he said. “But it’s priceless really because it takes so long to grow.” On the west coast of Tasmania along the King River, Huon pine, which has been around for at least 100 million years, was once harvested commercially in the early 1800s. According to Bronte, the piners would chop the ancient trees down and leave the tops and stumps behind due to them being too heavy for horses to take. These leftover parts have since been salvaged over recent years, with numbers dwindling. The tops and stumps of Huon pine have been found by timber specialists half-buried in the ground along the forest floor near Teepookana plateau and floating in bays since the early harvesting ended, though slowly there are fewer and fewer to be found. “Recently, it’s been exhausted and there are only about eight log trucks left,” Mr Booth said. Due to this scarcity, the three-tonne remains of the Huon pine are believed to have set the record for the most expensive log in the country according to Pulse Tasmania. The tops and stumps of Huon pine have been found by timber specialists half-buried in the ground along the forest floor near Teepookana plateau and floating in bays since the early harvesting ended, though slowly there are fewer and fewer to be found. “Recently, it’s been exhausted and there are only about eight log trucks left,” Mr Booth said.

The future of forestry has been officially unveiled this week at OneFortyOne’s Glencoe Nursery to state and local representatives, following the completion of an $8m redevelopment project for the site. Source: Timberbiz South Australian Minister for Forest Industries Clare Scriven joined OneFortyOne Board Director Angie Davis and CEO Wendy Norris in officially opening the upgrades on Wednesday morning and witnessing the new state-of-the-art handling systems in action. The three-year redevelopment project includes undercover automated handling lines, new irrigation and ergonomic systems and major infrastructure upgrades, which will improve employee safety and wellbeing at the site. Also in attendance were Member for Mount Gambier Troy Bell, Member for MacKillop Nick McBride, Rob Robinson, Director of Forest Industries, Department of Primary Industries, Regions, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional South Australia Ben Hood and Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub Executive General Manager Tony Wright. South Australian Forest Products Association CEO Nathan Paine and the Australian Forest Products Association CEO Di Hallam also attended the event. OneFortyOne Board Director Angie Davis said the redevelopment demonstrates OneFortyOne’s “commitment to innovation, sustainability, and the future of forestry in the Green Triangle”. “The Glencoe Nursery has been a cornerstone of the region’s forestry operations for 40 years, growing 7.5 million trees annually to support not only OneFortyOne, but other forest growers in the region,” she said. “Innovation and safety are the key drivers of this redevelopment with a new state of the art undercover handling system that enhances seedling growth whilst reducing chemical and water use. “We can now grow an additional 4 million seedlings per season, significantly bolstering our capacity to meet the demand for timber resources in South Australia and beyond.” Ms Davis also commended Nursery Manager Craig Torney, for his long-term vision for the site and for leading the project over the last three years. “The safety and wellbeing of the nursery’s workforce was a major factor in the decision to upgrade the facility, helping enhance the safety of people and making it a better place to work, Ms Davis said. “The infrastructure upgrades are not a replacement for workers but are designed to complement our existing nursery workforce.” Ms Scriven heralded the redevelopments as “significant for the future of the Green Triangle forestry sector”. “This region is the powerhouse of the Australian forest industry with 140 years of innovation and experience in growing and producing world recognised products,” she said. “The Glencoe Nursery, which supports both OneFortyOne and other local growers, is at the very heart of a supply chain which sustains multiple major industries, from construction to plantations and logistics, which, in turn, supports the jobs of thousands of South Australians. “Today, in seeing these new systems in action and streamlining traditional operations, we are seeing the future of our forestry sector – a major economic driver for our state.”

Labor has offered to join the Liberals to find a bipartisan way to boost the Tasmanian forestry industry and head off a repeat of the forest wars. Source: The Mercury The Liberals pledged to release 40,000ha of native forest from 356,000ha set aside as Future Potential Production Forest in 2014. But the plan has the industry concerned that the strategy runs the risk of reigniting the forest wars and return to large-scale protests not seen in more than a decade. Labor leader Dean Winter said Labor was happy to work with the government to find a way ahead for the industry which included boosting local producers. “We need to make sure that industry has the confidence that it needs to go forward and that’s why I’m making sure today that Tasmania and the forest industry know that Tasmanian Labor is strongly supporting the Tasmanian native forest sector and timber mills like this right across Tasmania,” he said. “Our offer to the Tasmanian government and Jeremy Rockliff is that we are prepared to work in a bipartisan way we then going forward around future timber supply. “We don’t want to see the Tasmanian forest wars start again – the last thing that the industry needs is for the forest wars to start again.” Tasmanian Forest Products Association CEO Nick Steel said industry wanted a nuanced approach instead of fresh conflict. “We now have two major parties supporting our industry, providing certainty and confidence for our industry going forward and for the 5500 people that are employed within it,” he said. “We’ve certainly made our position clear in terms of the future potential production forest land, we see it’s better to actually review that 356,000ha as a block, instead of just targeting the production forest, to consider what best land use that may be. “That may be for conservation, that could be in terms of Aboriginal management, or there could be opportunities for productive forestry.” Torenius Timber general manager Matthew Torenius agreed that co-operation was the way forward. “There has been a lot of talk about forestry wars and I think on behalf of the Sawmillers Association, I’d like to say that we’re lovers, not haters. “We don’t want a situation where we have Tasmanians pitted against Tasmanians. “We have a sustainable industry in this state, it should be used to do as much value-adding as we can in this state as possible and provide security of supply within Tasmania so we can look after our furniture makers, our home builders, our backyard project-doers. Former Labor leader Bryan Green, who is running as a candidate for the Legislative Council in Prosser, negotiated a forest peace deal that the Liberals threw out when they came to power in 2014. “I’m very concerned that we’re going to go down the path now of forest wars that set the industry back years. What we need to be thinking about in this industry is consolidating the jobs that we’ve got, ensuring that the contracts are extended and making sure that we don’t export our jobs future to Victoria and other places,” he said. “The wood in Tasmania should be processed in Tasmania and as a result of that the work and communities that survive on that can flourish on into the future.” Liberal MP Felix Ellis denied the his party was were playing politics with forestry. “We need to grow the timber industry in Tasmania because this is a such an exciting industry for a future that is climate constrained, that is carbon constrained. “We know that Labor sadly tried to shut down the timber industry here in Tasmania, destroyed hundreds of jobs and regional communities.”

It’s all a bit gloomy really, daylight savings has finished, lambs and logs are worth bugger all, the media has lost its social license, and the economy is in the cart. No matter who you talk to in the primary and wider sectors, most are facing some significant headwinds in terms of rising costs and reducing sales prices. The days of discussions around the water cooler about what size engine you are putting on your new boat have been replaced by bemoaning about having to sell the boat to recapitalize your business. These discussions are probably no surprise as good old uncle Adrian Orr has allowed inflation to run away over the post covid era and the countries that we supply our wonderful commodities to (primarily China) have had inflation rates that barely register. This means our costs are higher and our customers don’t have the ability to pay more, which all adds up to margin squeeze and, as primary producers, we are the ones facing the squeeziest of it. The state of the China property market is old news now but still incredibly important to our industry. Current Chinese housing starts are back at post GFC 2008 levels which is down 61% from the peak level in 2021. There is a big discrepancy between starts and ‘under construction’ figures which are only down 11% over the same period, something that Goldman Sachs has labelled the ‘completions cliff’. This is explained by the time lag between kicking a project off and completion and does indicate that, once the current builds are finished, the Chinese construction industry will look vastly different. The sentiment of this is playing out in the Iron ore futures markets with a slide that would make Tesla shares look good. What has manifested with global log trade is the reduction in non-NZ log supply into China with Europe and North America significantly reducing deliveries. NZ now has a much larger share of the softwood pie, which is great, but the problem is the pie is now the size of a savory so to keep things in balance we must keep a lid on the amount of mince and cheese we try to shovel into the savory. April export prices are down around $20/m3 from March at approximately $105/m3 and, although not as bad as some have expected, it’s still low enough to see many harvest crews parked up and many of those that are still operating being slowed to minimize the pain. High Chinese port inventory and low demand are the main culprits with increased shipping costs also playing a part. Demand has started to lift post the lunar holiday shutdown and NZ supply will start to reduce both seasonally and in reaction to the lower log prices. In addition, the Gabrielle windthrow salvage in Taupo has slowed and will likely stop in the next few months which will take around 15,000m3 of supply out of the system daily. There is the expectation that we have seen the bottom of the cycle and some very faint glimmer of hope that May will see better pricing levels with softer shipping costs and increased demand, although any increase is likely to be marginal. Fixed term export prices and other averaging based price structures have enabled many forest owners to keep the gates open and this method of pricing is becoming more popular every time we have a price ‘correction’. Domestic sawlog markets continue to tick over and while not breaking any records, they are continuing to hold price and volume. There will likely be some pressure on this market as numbers from Statistics NZ show 2023 dwelling consents were down 26% on 2022 figures. Pruned logs continue to buck the trend in terms of demand and price and have led to a resurgence in demand for pruning which was almost non-existent in the private sector a few years ago. Carbon prices fell off the chair following the govt NZU auction in March and following a bit of a rebound have dipped in recent days to $55/NZU. There’s not much of an appetite from larger emitters to engage at present as most have enough to offset their obligations already and won’t need to re-enter the market for some time. As with any market, the NZU price is a victim of supply and demand economics. So, in summary, April is bad, not as bad as we thought it would be but that’s cold comfort if you’re a forest owner or out-of-work contractor. The market will bounce, as it always does, but this time it may be reminiscent of a half flat Swiss ball, it’ll still bounce but not as high as we would like and will depend on supply levels from NZ. On a positive note, at least we don’t deal in iron ore… Marcus Musson is a Forest360 Director. He holds a Bachelor of Forest Science with Honours from Canterbury University, New Zealand, and specialises in steep slope cable harvesting, marketing and value recovery initiatives.

The Forest Wars (author David Lindenmayer) purports to portray the ‘ugly truth’ about what happens in wood production forests – specifically Victoria’s tall wet forests where the author has concentrated much of his research. Given that wood production in Victoria has now ceased – albeit that the author can’t quite believe it – the book is now a somewhat academic exercise. Presumably, its purpose is to maintain outrage that can aid campaigns that are now focused on ending timber production in NSW and Tasmanian native forests. Perhaps this is why the book appears to have been put together with some urgency. Nevertheless, it is easily readable in a short, sharp, but often simplistic myth-busting style. Unfortunately, it lacks an index which would make it easier to find particular areas of interest. The writing exudes a strident, ‘I’m-the-expert’ tone. While this may be appropriate to areas of the book that address the author’s primary fields of expertise, it can fall flat when the book strays onto topics of which the author has an obviously limited practical understanding. Such topics include fire management, forest carbon, timber harvesting, resource economics, plantations, timber imports, and eco-tourism. In places, the writing is loose with put-downs. The worst is the book’s blatant misrepresentation of Forestry Australia (formerly the Institute of Foresters) as a timber industry body and ‘cheer squad’ when it is in fact a professional association for the nation’s forest scientists, who are collectively the foremost experts on practical forest management. Irrespective of such misconceptions, any book authored by a prominent scientist will – deservedly or not – be automatically anointed with a high level of credibility and trust. However, in this case, any readers expecting a scholarly, balanced and objectively considered analysis are likely to be somewhat disappointed. Instead, the book primarily reads as an exercise in finding arguments to justify the author’s long-standing belief that native forest wood production is exceedingly damaging, unviable, unnecessary, and must end. The book is comprised of 12 chapters, of which eight are specifically devoted to “busting the myths peddled by industry”. Within these eight chapters, a total of 37 “myths” have been nominated, briefly described, and summarily debunked, leading to a short “reality” statement. The problem with this myth-busting approach is that it often ignores important context and dumbs-down the subject matter leading to simple, absolutist ‘realities’ that take no account of the complexities and nuances inherent to native forest management. Unfortunately, many of the book’s so-called “industry myths” are cleverly-worded inventions perhaps designed to divert attention away from important areas of discussion. Others amongst these “industry myths” are bizarre. Indeed, from the perspective of my 45-year career in forest science and field forestry, I can only accept that a couple of the 37 so-called “myths” actually fit that label and find that the book’s supposedly myth-busting statements of “reality” are more often the real myths. Some notable examples of the book’s wrong or spurious ‘realities’ are: Logging increases the risk of high severity fire; Thinning has no effect or may even make fires worse; Only 4% of the biomass in a logged native forest ends up as sawn timber; Native forest logging is value subtracting; Logging is a loss maker; Numbers of jobs in native forest logging are small; and Breaches of Australian logging laws can be widespread. All of these can be shown to be largely false or highly contestable. Largely they have a basis in flawed research featuring the omission of important context, a reliance on wrong or misplaced assumptions, selective use of evidence, or misinterpretation of source references. For example, on the topic of sawn timber percentage, initial errors from early papers have cascaded to deliver a figure that is wrong by at least a magnitude of four. Indeed, some flawed foundation papers have been a subject of formal complaint to the author’s home institution, the ANU Fenner School, as far back as 2015. Unfortunately, countering the book’s glaring deficiencies in these areas is beyond a brief book review. Suffice to say that there are rational explanations, including peer reviewed science, that can counter or cast doubt on virtually all of the book’s many allegations This includes recollections from intimately involved foresters that are at odds with some of the author’s personal anecdotes that demonise timber production, including in relation to the multiple, concurrent activist-led court cases that have crippled the Victorian native forestry sector in recent years. To cite just one example, the book’s frequent allegation that “native forest logging” is financially unviable is based only on the accounts of the government agency that sells logs and the numbers of forestry contractors working to harvest and haul those logs. It inexplicably ignores that this in-forest activity leads to at least 10 times as many jobs.

Outside the forest in log processing and wood products manufacture, and the substantial revenue that this generates. In 2015, when Victoria’s Central Highlands native timber industry was operating with far less interference from eco-activist legal challenges, Deloitte Access Economics valued the whole industry at $0.57 billion per annum. Hardly a “loss making” activity. In keeping with most vilification of ‘native forest logging’, the book credits it with dire environmental consequences that are way out-of-step with the small proportion of public forest that is actually used for timber production. Allegations, such as extinction threats or water yield reduction, must by their nature, be strongly correlated with the extent to which forests and their values are directly exposed to logging. Yet, the book provides no specific details of proportional forest use, even though such information is easily obtainable. As if keenly aware of the potential for this major omission to be levelled against it, the book dances around it by suggesting that logging’s impacts are “about more than simply the proportion of the total forest estate that is logged… It matters what is being logged… places targeted for logging are often the most productive parts of the landscape”. While there is certainly some truth in that, the book’s reluctance to […]