Australian timber industry news

Fecon, a leading global manufacturer of heavy-duty site preparation attachments and forestry accessories, recently acquired Stumper Industries, a manufacturer of stump grinder attachments for mini and standard skid steers and compact track loaders, excavators and tractor applications. Source: Timberbiz The acquisition expands the landscaping and land maintenance solutions Fecon offers in the forestry mulching and vegetation management industries. Stumper’s attachments provide a cost-effective solution for tree service businesses, landscape companies and farm operations to remove debris safely, quickly and efficiently from job sites with equipment they already own. The Stumper series features five quick-attach models compatible with compact to heavy-duty machinery. The attachments range from 22- to 36-inch cutting diameters with up to 12-inch cut depths per pass to tackle everything from small jobs to large, stubborn stumps and roots. Additionally, the Stumper Grapple, a heavy-duty, multiuse tool, easily attaches to mini skid steers to efficiently remove logs and debris from a jobsite. Each Stumper stump grinder offers a unique, lower-speed, high-torque cutting wheel with exceptional visibility and industry-leading performance. The attachments’ drive-up and grind design minimizes setup time by primarily cutting on the face of the wheel, increasing productivity with a fast-cutting speed. Engineered and fabricated entirely in the United States, the stump grinders are ruggedly designed and built to offer minimal maintenance. The attachments’ direct drive system eliminates the use of belts, pulleys, gearboxes, actuators, or electrical connections, which means fewer parts to repair or replace. For added durability, Stumper products are assembled from durable, powder-coated steel weldments and quality hydraulic components. Each grinder is intuitive and easy to learn, enabling new operators to be fully productive quickly. The stump grinders’ performance also balances safety with efficiency due to the combination of their low-rpm processing and heavy-duty chip deflectors that reduce the debris field for safe operation and efficient clean-up. Over 30 years, Fecon has produced more than 25,000 mulcher heads with a presence on every continent. The acquisition of Stumper’s stump grinders complements Fecon’s current line of Bull Hog and stump grinder attachments and extends Fecon’s reputation as a leader in the forestry mulching and vegetation management industry.  

Researchers have discovered a fossil forest with small, palm-like trees and arthropod tracks dating back to the Middle Devonian. Source: Live Science Fossilized trees discovered by chance in southwest England belong to Earth’s earliest-known forest, new research has found. The 390 million-year-old fossils supplant the Gilboa fossil forest in New York state, which dates back 386 million years, as the world’s oldest known forest. The new discovery highlights differences between the two ecosystems, suggesting forests went from being relatively primitive to well established over the course of just a few million years, said Neil Davies, the lead author of a new study published in the Journal of the Geological Society. “Why it’s important – broadly – is it ticks the boxes of being the oldest fossil forest,” Davies, a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge in the UK, told Live Science. The finding is also remarkable because it reveals stark differences between the complex array of ancient plants found at Gilboa and the newly discovered forest, which appears to have hosted just one type of plant, Davies said. This now-extinct type of plants, known as cladoxylopsids, is thought to be closely related to ferns and sphenopsids (horsetails). “They look like palm trees, but they’re in no way related to palm trees,” Davies said. “They’ve got a long central stem and what look like palm fronds coming off, but those palm fronds aren’t really leaves, they’re actually just lots of twiglets.” These twig-crowned trees would have stood between around 6.5 and 13 feet (2 to 4 meters) high, meaning “it wouldn’t have been a very tall forest,” Davies said The fossil trees were preserved both as hollow trunks filled with sediment and as fallen logs that were flattened over the eons like “casts inside the sediment,” Davies said. Little scars where branches used to attach to the trees are still visible, he added. Davies and his colleagues stumbled upon the forest remnants during fieldwork in the Hangman Sandstone Formation, which dates to the Middle Devonian period (393 million to 383 million years ago). During the Devonian period, what is now the UK formed part of a continent called Laurentia that sat just below the equator, meaning the climate was warm and dry, Davies said. Older trees exist elsewhere in the world, with plants first colonizing land 500 million years ago, but this new discovery is the earliest example of a forest with trees growing close together and en masse. “We’ve found rocks where you’ve got standing trees in growth positions adjacent to each other over a set area,” Davies said, “so we’re looking at a snapshot where we can tell for definite that there were trees growing in that specific location and that the sediment, we’re looking at is the forest floor.” Among the fossil trees, the researchers found trackways belonging to small Devonian critters. “At this time, there’s nothing much bigger than lots of little arthropods knocking around on land,” Davies said. “You might find some more amphibian-type things and fish in some of the lakes and rivers nearby.” While the researchers had initially set out to examine sediments, the fortuitous discovery of fossil trees may reveal a turning point in Devonian plant ecology. “It kind of suggests that around 390 million years ago, there is this sudden take-off in forest-type environments,” Davies said.

The forestry industry has seen some profound changes over the last two decades. It’s altered the way companies are managed, as well as the people that are employed.  SFM is a leading natural asset manager with locations across Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia who celebrate the diverse workforce they have built. Almost half of the team at SFM is women, a significant figure above the industry average of 28%. Source: Timberbiz Leanne Chappell leads sustainability and compliance at SFM, after studying soil science at university, she didn’t expect forestry to be her career pathway. Ms Chappell knew she wanted to find a role in environmental science and land management, and assumed she would end up in agriculture, but when an opportunity came up in forestry she took a chance. And now, more than 25 years later, she’s never looked back. Despite having little experience with the world of forestry at the time, Ms Chappell dived in, and was pleasantly surprised by the support and opportunities she found. “SFM is probably the best workplace I’ve ever worked in. This comes down to the company being very family orientated and inclusive. Along with, the level of autonomy that’s afforded to staff. You can take on a role and run with it, and actually build your confidence in making decisions. You’re given opportunities to increase or develop your skills in all sorts of areas.” She said. Ms Chappell was quick to follow new opportunities as they arose, and she appreciated the positive energy that rewarded hard work, no matter who you were. “From what I’ve witnessed across the industry, if you want to work, and you have the right attitude, you could go anywhere. I don’t believe that there were any real barriers to women finding a place, whether it was supervising harvesting crews, or undertaking roading management, or in the silviculture area,” she said. “I always found those environments to be really quite inclusive. You are employed to do a job, and engaged based on your ability to do that work, rather than by male to female ratios. That’s what I saw, I actually have had a really good run. “SFM is an easy place to work. As a female in the industry, I never felt that there were any walls that you had to try and get over. It was always very respectful. If you just throw yourself into any opportunity that comes along, then you’re going to have a very rewarding career. The opportunities are there if you want to take them.” Ms Chappell thrived in an environment that rewarded initiative and a drive to work hard, but she didn’t want that to come at the expense of having a family. In her experience, it’s the businesses that recognise the value of balancing work life with family life that have a happier, more engaged staff, and most importantly, become an employer of choice. “From the top, the senior management group of SFM has a culture that doesn’t exclude people for where they’re at in their life, in terms of raising a family. If you’re a mum, and you’re choosing to work part time to then raise your children, that is not a barrier here,” she said. “I think that’s probably why we’re seeing those numbers increasing here, because there are people out there that have exceptional skills, experience that will work really well in the culture and overall context of what SFM is about.” As demand for forestry products grows, and as we rely more on new forms of technology, the range of roles in the industry is expanding. Ms Chappell has seen major shifts in the nature of work, and the different types of people it attracts. “The interesting thing is that universities aren’t offering dedicated forestry degrees anymore. But we are still seeing women coming through, I think it’s a shift in knowledge that forestry isn’t just about cutting down trees, there is a whole whole swag of different roles,” she said. “There are so many opportunities, whether that’s taking on a role in GIS or other more technical aspects such as carbon analytics, you don’t have to be limited to say, working with a local government, or in a mining industry, it’s transferable. You’re not limited to what you studied at university. The message is getting out there that forestry is open to anyone.” Ms Chappell has gone from being a forestry sceptic, to being a committed forester, excited about the evolution of the space, and the opportunities that are emerging. She hopes that people will look deeper and realise it’s about more than just trees. “I’m a classic example, I didn’t study forestry, but here I am. It’s life’s journey, it’s seeking out those opportunities, because you just don’t know what’s past that door that has forestry written on it,” Ms Chappell said. “Once you peek inside, you realise you can see more than trees. There’s a whole world in there that can open so many different avenues for anyone that wants to come in.” It’s not just technology that’s driving changes in the industry. As the impacts of climate change grow, forests are being recognised for their huge carbon sequestration potential, which has given rise to a further specialisation around carbon accounting, which is soon to be followed by biodiversity and natural capital accounting. It’s a complementary business to forestry, but it requires specialist skills and an appreciation for how to operate in a new market. “I think we’ll see that you certainly need to maintain your production levels, that’s still very important, but we’ll also look at it from a carbon perspective. It’s about your conservation values along with your production values, and it brings together both economic and social issues,” Ms Chappell said. “Plus, we’ll also see a shift into natural capital accounting and measuring biodiversity values, they’ll be recognised as offsets as well. There’s going to be a really big push into that area.”

When the United Nations first officially recognised International Women’s Day in 1977, Ruth Gadgil had already been making an impact in forestry for about a decade. More than 45 years later, her research is still a valuable resource. Source: Timberbiz Today, March 8, marks International Women’s Day. It was first observed in the United States in 1909 and in 1977 the United Nations proclaimed a Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace be observed. It is now celebrated in many countries and recognises women and their achievements. This year, the theme is ‘Invest in women: Accelerate progress’. It’s an opportunity to look back and acknowledge women like Ruth and the impact they continue to have. Scion has been home to many female pioneers during its history, including as Forest Research Institute. Mary Sutherland was the first female forester in New Zealand, the Commonwealth and possibly the world. She graduated in 1916 from the University College of North Wales, Bangor and worked for the Forest Service from 1925. Rotorua Library held a talk about Mary Sutherland this week, hosted by Viv Edwards, the author of A Path Through the Trees, a book about Ms Sutherland’s life. Display boards focused on her life were also on show last month. Ruth Gadgil joined the Forest Service in the 1960s. She died in May last year, but her pioneering work around nitrogen-fixing plants is still being cited and having an impact. An upcoming publication in the NZ Journal of Forestry Science cites Ms Gadgil multiple times. Establishing indigenous forests portfolio leader Simeon Smaill, who is an author on the paper, says her work has been invaluable. During the ‘70s and beyond, Ms Gadgil was one of few people extensively studying nitrogen-fixing plants and coastal dune stabilisation. “She was a pioneer as a female scientist in this sphere,” Smaill says. “Now, all of a sudden, it’s critically important to understand nitrogen-fixation (the biological process by which nitrogen is taken from the atmosphere and converted into nitrogen compounds useful for biochemical processes). “Without the work she had done, we would be 30 years behind.” Smaill says the work has not only been useful today, but it will continue to be so. Adding nitrogen to a plant system without relying on mineral fertiliser, could be a “significant opportunity” for sustainable management of productive forests and Ms Gadgil’s research has provided a strong and critical knowledge base for this. The paper citing Ms Gadgil’s work is written by lead author Nicki Reid along with Kathryn Walker, Aysha Nusrath, Simeon Smaill and Loretta Garrett. Ms Garrett says Ms Gadgil’s work was critical to the paper: “She did a brilliant job as a researcher and the paper we have would be very light without her contribution.” Ms Gadgil was also profiled in a 1997 book, The Characters of FRI edited by Ken Klitscher. According to the book, she wrote of wanting to be a naturalist at age eight in 1944. She studied zoology and botany and gained a PhD by 1960 before marrying, moving to New Zealand and starting work at the Forest Research Institute as a nursery forewoman in 1966. Her work to understand the nitrogen cycle was internationally recognised. “Ruth has never sought the limelight, but in some ways, she was a pioneer,” the book says. She was made a female scientist when there were only few and worked part-time from 1970 while balancing a family. Women are under-represented at all levels of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines worldwide. According to the latest UNESCO Science Report, less than 30% of the world’s researchers are women. In the New Zealand forestry sector, that number is 18%. As of January, about 49% of Scion’s 380 employees were women including 113 science technicians and 71 scientists. Women hold some of Scion’s most senior leadership roles including general managers, on the Board of Directors, and portfolio and research group leaders. The future is bright and secure in the hands of scientists like senior lab technician Anna de Lena, Bio/Organic Chemistry team lead Beatrix Theobald and bioprocess engineer Carla Cronje. The trio spoke about their experiences as women in science to mark International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11. Their messages of why women are valuable at the science table are also valid today. You can see a history of Mary Sutherland at https://youtu.be/4FkMHTsZ-7g  

This International Women’s Day, South Australia’s forest industries are celebrating the thousands of women who work in the sector, a powerful economic driver in regional Australia. Source: Timberbiz This year’s theme Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress is putting a spotlight on women’s economic empowerment, a known contributor to thriving communities. We know that when women have equal opportunity to earn, learn and lead there is a very wide positive impact beyond individual businesses and households. In 2023 approximately 23% of forest industry employees are women. Year-on-year the percentage of female employees, and women in leadership positions, increasing. Forest and timber processing businesses in South Australia are doing the work to address employment barriers for women, which incidentally, help men as well. These barriers might include recruitment strategies, workplace flexibility, pay equity and safe workplaces for all. “Women are key to ensuring we have a robust and future focused industry in South Australia. Part of the importance of International Women’s Day is demonstrating the wide-ranging roles of women and their successes so that others can be inspired to join the industry,” South Australian Forest Products Association CEO Nathan Paine said. “From CEOs and CFOs, to environmental engineers, sustainable forest managers, sales leads, lawyers, accountants, drivers, safety professionals, ecologists and apprentices, there are thousands of critical, high impact experts making a difference for the industry and Australia. “Outlined by RDA Limestone Coast (March 2022 to July 2022), data indicates there are an average of 79 vacancies every month in forestry, manufacturing and harvest and haulage – meaning there are multiple positions on offer for women to pursue,” Mr Paine said. “This International Women’s Day we celebrate the wonderful contributions women have made and continue to make in forestry and, encourage those to take the leap and work for a future-proof industry, like forestry. “Our industry is dedicated to investing in women and continuing to accelerate their valued participation. We will continue to grow women’s participation year on year. “This IWD, SAFPA congratulates all the women involved in our forest and timber industries.  It’s a unique employment experience and with global demand for fibre increasing and the amplified support the industry is receiving from State and Federal Government’s, it’s a career opportunity with no limitations,” Mr Paine said.

At every level women are inspiring positive change within their own businesses, across the industry and for the forest landscape. Source: Timberbiz Australian Forest Contractors Association board member Lauren Carter said that women have always played significant roles within Australia’s forestry businesses. “So, we are also inspiring change to the view that contracting is a male-dominated sector,” she said. “People see the fantastic machinery that we use out in the field every day, but being a successful contracting business involves so much more. “There’s leadership, risk management, stakeholder engagement, communications and marketing, finance, logistics and more. The skills, experiences and talents that women bring to the table are so valuable in creating and maintaining successful businesses. “This International Women’s Day AFCA is proud to recognise and celebrate women within the contracting sector. This year’s theme is Inspire Inclusion. For my business and so many others, we don’t just seek to inspire inclusion, we live it. “Forest contracting is often a family business, and by focusing on being inclusive and family friendly we can have the best outcome of all – sustainable, successful profitable businesses where everybody is welcome and that provide secure, high-quality jobs. And at the end of each and every day we can make sure everybody gets home to their families safe, well and happy,” she said. Lauren Carter, AFCA Board Director and General Manager of JCH Harvest,  Scottsdale, Tasmania “I am a mother of two first and foremost. I work alongside done amazing men and women at JCH Harvest, which is my family business. My partner who has always worked in the sector encouraged my jump from teaching to work alongside him and grow our business. My official title is General Manager, and I am heavily involved in the day-to-day operations on all sites across Northern Tasmania. “I love the opportunity the industry provides, and that inspires me to chase opportunities to improve our business and the conditions for our staff. “I find this industry to be inclusive for all. On an operational level our organisation is working to facilitate women that have young children and the timeframes that may come with that. This is something I think the broader industry needs to understand and adjust to, and to support contractors in facilitating. “The forest industry can provide great opportunity for women, so I encourage you to be confident to speak, be heard and add value to a process or business.” Michelle Corby, Company Accountant, Mangan Logging and Haulage, Oberon, NSW “I am a wife and a mother to three children, working full time in a third generation harvesting and haulage business. I am formally a chartered accountant and utilise the skills and techniques I have learned to help lead our business finances, business administration and people, alongside my two brothers and sister. “Growing up with hardworking, passionate, family-oriented, and supportive parents and siblings made my career choice an easy one. “This same culture has been instilled into the operational teams of the men and women that make up our business. The alignment in the culture and values of the entire business unit gives me great pride to call myself a part of the team and forest industry. “The increasing and evolving focus on safety, inclusion and business/environmental improvement within the industry is increasing the standard of professionalism and business competency. Continually trying to improve our business practices and innovate supports a healthy environment for inclusion and positive change. Our business supports and promotes a flexible working environment to encourage the work/life balance, mental and physical health for all employees. “The opportunities that exist within the forest industry stretch far beyond the bush, the opportunities are endless.” Alex Riddington, Timber Queensland Lead Forester – Policy and Projects, Brisbane, Queensland “I’m a lead forester – policy and projects at Timber Queensland. Prior to this I was employed at HQPlantations and HVP Plantations in a wide array of operational and managerial roles. “For those currently within the industry, we know it is thriving and there are endless opportunities for women, men and school leavers to join our industry. For those not involved within the industry, they’re sure missing out. The people, memories, sites and experiences are some that you can gather in no other industry. “I’m very grateful for the woman and men who have allowed and strongly advocated for the shift – I believe women being employed in the forest and timber industry is now considered as the norm!  I am a believer that we earn our positions, based on our skills, knowledge, and experience, not because of gender. So, I encourage all to jump at every opportunity and no longer fear that you’re not equal.” Karleha Brown, Director and Administration Manager, Browns Logging Operations, Manjimup, Western Australia “I am currently director and administration manager of our family run business, Browns Logging Operations. I have three children, work as a planning officer as well running the day-to-day operations of our business. “My love for the business, stems from the passion and professionalism my husband and my father-in-law have towards their profession. Browns Logging Operations has been involved in the timber industry for the past 45 years. My father-in-law, my husband and his brothers are dedicated, hardworking and loyal to the industry. It has been an honour to support their profession to assist in the administration, safety, and contract side of the harvesting operation. “The culture of the timber industry is evolving with focus on Safety and Technology which has reinforced the need for accountability and professionalism in and out of the plantations, this has resulted in more inclusion and acceptance of people within the industry. “The message I’d like to share with other women is that the timber industry is an evolving field. Employment within the industry can range from being an operator, transporting, administration or with the logistical operations. The opportunities for men and women alike, are endless in this industry.”  

HQ Plantations CEO Jason Wilson has shared a few thoughts about the importance of International Women’s Day, how diversity leads to different perspectives and better decision-making, and the significance of appointing HQP’s first female District Manager, Tracey Grigor, and the first female General Manager, Michelle McAndrew, who has joined the Executive Leadership Team. Source: Timberbiz March 8 is International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the achievements of women and a call to action for accelerating gender equality and eliminating bias. This year, Mr Wilson, says we have a lot to celebrate and more to do. “Once a year we take the time on International Women’s Day to recognise how far we have come over the last few decades to improve equality and inclusion for women. It is also a day to focus our attention on how far we have yet to go,” said Mr Wilson said. “For me, I see benefit in reflecting on what was once a completely different employment environment for women in HQP and being proud that we have progressed to a point where we have been recognised by Diversity Council Australia as an Inclusive Employer. But this has taken a long time and we have more to do. Our focus needs to be on the future more than where we have come from. “This year’s theme for IWD being ‘Inspire Inclusion’ I think is very relevant to HQPlantations and our desire to have a Growing together Culture to create OneHQP. “We have seen several changes in the relatively short time that I have been here including the recent announcement of two firsts for HQPlantations. We have appointed our first female District Manager, Ms Grigor, and our first female ELT member in Ms McAndrew. “Bringing diverse views to the Leadership table helps HQP make better decisions that are more informed, with better perspective. That relies on having qualified and capable people with the appropriate skills that are complimentary, yet in some cases different, to others at the table. “Michelle has demonstrated for many years that her knowledge and insight adds value and her inclusion into ELT should be seen as inspiring to others. I am keen for this same model to be spread more widely across HQP and the industry. Diverse views are not only sought but valued across many different teams, not just the ELT Table. “There is so much potential for us to grow and prosper by harnessing the potential that exists already in the diverse knowledge and perspectives of the HQP team. Hopefully, Michelle’s promotion inspires more inclusion at all levels in HQPlantations,” Mr Wilson said.

The Tasmanian Government has lashed out at the Opposition’s saying it fails to provide a single extra log, or a single extra job to Tasmania’s forestry industry. Source: Timberbiz “It is nothing more than a damp Green squib,” Resources Minister Felix Ellis said. Variously, it commits to stopping the current plantation log allocation process – but provides no detail about how Labor plan to reallocate this wood, reviewing the available timber resources in Tasmania; and developing a process for access to wood. “What is pointedly missing from Labor’s policy is any mention of the Future Potential Production Forest and the estimated 158,000 cubic metres of high-quality sawlog available there,” Mr Ellis said. “It is very clear that Labor is still a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Greens and still haven’t learned the lessons of 2010-2014. “In contrast, our forestry policy will secure the supply all Tasmanian sawmillers need by opening the ‘wood bank’ Tasmanians voted for, and extending contracts to 2040,” he said. “Unlike Labor, we will always act in the best interests of the State not sectional interests, and we will not be held hostage by the Greens.” Meanwhile the Australian Forest Contractors Association has welcomed the positive policy announcements from the Liberal Party. “Last week’s announcements on timber resource security recognise that the forest product supply chain needs certainty in order to facilitate investment,” AFCA general manager Tim Lester said. “Sustainable forestry offers Tasmania and Tasmanians the opportunity to achieve a triple win with secure, high-quality jobs generating an incredible, renewable and in-demand material that is ripe for value-adding, and deliver positive results for the environment, biodiversity and climate change. “Forest contractors are a critical part of the local supply chain and welcome all efforts to strengthen the industry within Tasmania to protect jobs, boost the economy and help to meet ambitious climate change targets,” he said. “Forest management needs to focus on the long-term, so we know that we can keep delivering positive results for generations of Tasmanians to come. “A political and policy environment that provides certainty for business investment is absolutely critical, and we welcome the promises from Jeremy Rockliffe and Felix Ellis that support this goal,” Mr Lester said.  

In recent developments, the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment decision not to include Forest and Wood Communities Australia (FWCA) in the Great Koala National Park has sparked controversy and raised concerns among stakeholders. The exclusion of FWCA, a representative body for forest-dependent communities, has fuelled debates about the composition of the community advisory panel, particularly the presence of what some view as extremist environmental groups. While some fringe groups believe The Great Koala National Park initiative aims to protect koala habitats and promote conservation – the NSW Government’s decision to exclude FWCA from the advisory panel has left forest-dependent communities feeling unheard and sidelined in discussions that directly impact their livelihoods and deeply suspicious of the pro-activist tendencies of the Minns Labor Government. Below is the email rejecting FWCA Executive Officer Mick Harrington from taking part in the GKNP advisory panel process. Dear Mr Harrington I refer to your email to the Minister for Climate Change, Minister for Energy, Minister for the Environment and Minister for Heritage, the Hon Penny Sharpe MLC, and the Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional New South Wales, and Minister for Western New South Wales, the Hon Tara Moriarty MLC, regarding the Great Koala National Park Industry Advisory Panel. Your email was referred to the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and I have been asked to reply. As previously advised, the member list for the advisory panels has been jointly agreed by the NSW Minister for the Environment, the Hon Penny Sharpe MLC, and the Minister for Agriculture, Minister for Regional New South Wales, and Minister for Western New South Wales, the Hon Tara Moriarty MLC. NPWS is not currently accepting nominations for additional members unless directed by the relevant Ministers. In this case, your nomination has not been agreed by the Ministers. One contentious aspect is the composition of the community advisory panel, which includes environmental groups such as Bellingen Environment Centre, Clarence Environment Centre, Nambucca Valley Conservation Association, North East Forest Alliance, and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). While these groups purport to play a role in advocating for environmental conservation, many argue that their inclusion on the panel leans much to heavily towards an extremist perspective, potentially neglecting the interests of timber communities, families and law-abiding businesses. Pro-National park groups, like the National Parks Association, have also found a place on the advisory panel. The aims of all the aforementioned groups towards locking up vast swathes of the public land estate into National Parks that reject the sustainable timber sector alongside many other law-abiding public land users has sparked concerns among those who believe that the panel should represent a balanced array of perspectives to ensure a fair and comprehensive decision-making process. Forest and Wood Communities Australia represents the interests of communities that rely on the timber industry for their livelihoods. The exclusion of this organization from the advisory panel raises questions about the extent to which the diverse voices of those directly impacted by conservation measures are being considered in the decision-making process. Critics argue that the advisory panel’s composition will likely lead to decisions that favour the lock and leave approach at the expense of sustainable forestry practices. Striking a balance between conservation efforts and the economic well-being of forest-dependent communities is essential for the success of initiatives like the Great Koala National Park. Engaging in open and inclusive dialogue with all stakeholders, including FWCA, is crucial for developing effective conservation strategies that are both environmentally sustainable and socially responsible. Excluding a representative body like FWCA from the process raises concerns about the transparency and inclusivity of the decision-making surrounding the Great Koala National Park. The NSW Government’s decision not to include Forest and Wood Communities Australia in the Great Koala National Park advisory panel has ignited debates about the representation and balance of perspectives in this very important debate. Striking a harmonious balance between environmental conservation and the interests of forest-dependent communities is essential for fostering sustainable solutions that benefit both ecosystems and livelihoods. Open dialogue and inclusive decision-making processes will be key to addressing the concerns raised and ensuring the success of initiatives like the Great Koala National Park. Mick Harrington. Executive Officer of Forest and Wood Communities Australia

As Tasmanians prepare to cast their votes in the upcoming elections, the significance of timber forestry looms large on the political landscape, with candidates and parties grappling to articulate its pivotal role. Forestry has long been the economic backbone of Tasmania, contributing significantly to the state’s GDP and providing employment opportunities for thousands of Tasmanians, particularly in rural areas where alternative industries are limited. From the logging of native forests to the cultivation of plantation timber, forestry activities span a wide spectrum, generating revenue not only through timber production but also through associated sectors such as manufacturing, transportation, and tourism. The industry’s economic importance extends beyond direct employment, with flow-on effects felt across various sectors of the economy. Sawmills, paper mills, and wood processing facilities rely on a steady supply of timber, while transport companies ferry logs and timber products to domestic and international markets. Moreover, forestry-related tourism, including eco-tours and wilderness experiences, attracts visitors eager to explore Tasmania’s natural beauty, further bolstering the state’s economy. For many Tasmanians, timber forestry is not just an economic activity, but a cultural heritage deeply ingrained in the state’s identity. Generations of Tasmanians have grown up in forestry-dependent communities, where the rhythms of life are intertwined with the cycles of logging and timber processing. The sight of logging trucks rumbling down winding roads, the smell of sawdust in the air, and the sound of chainsaws echoing through the forests evoke a sense of familiarity and belonging for many residents. Moreover, forestry plays a crucial role in preserving and promoting traditional skills and knowledge passed down through generations. From bushcraft and timber milling to forest management and conservation practices, forestry fosters a sense of pride in Tasmania’s rural communities, connecting them to the land and its resources in profound ways. Fortunately, Tasmania has made significant strides in implementing sustainable forestry practices in recent years, including the establishment of comprehensive forest management plans, certification schemes, and conservation reserves. By adopting selective logging techniques, reforestation initiatives, and habitat restoration programs, the forestry industry seeks to minimize its ecological footprint while ensuring the long-term viability of Tasmania’s forests for future generations. In the context of elections, candidates and parties must navigate the complex terrain of timber forestry, addressing concerns related to both economic growth and environmental conservation. Proposals for forestry policy reform must strike a delicate balance between supporting the industry’s economic contributions, preserving Tasmania’s cultural heritage, and safeguarding its natural environment. Ultimately, the vitality of timber forestry in Tasmania’s elections underscores its multifaceted significance, serving as a cornerstone of the state’s economy, culture, and environmental stewardship alike. While both the Liberal and Labor parties recognize the significance of timber and forestry to Tasmania’s economy and society, their policy approaches diverge on key issues such as environmental conservation, industry regulation, and community engagement. The Liberal Party prioritizes economic growth and industry expansion, advocating for a more permissive regulatory environment and greater reliance on native forest resources. In contrast, the Labor Party prioritizes environmental sustainability and community well-being, favouring stricter conservation measures, diversification strategies, and indigenous empowerment within the forestry sector. In the lead-up to elections, voters will need to carefully weigh these competing policy platforms and consider their implications for Tasmania’s future. The choice between the Liberal and Labor parties’ forestry policies will not only shape the trajectory of the timber and forestry sector but also influence the broader social, economic, and environmental landscape of the state for years to come.

Swedish property company Fabege wants to significantly scale up the amount of materials the construction sector reuses, which is why the company has opened a reuse hub – a large, physical warehouse that exclusively stocks reused materials. Source: Timberbiz The company’s 2,000-square-metre warehouse in Stockholm is currently only used for Fabege projects. However, plan is for it to be a reuse market for the entire property industry. “Getting everyone from landlords and property managers to tenants and architects to agree on an ambition level. It’s important to convey how the extent of a redevelopment affects its climate footprint –preserving existing structures and reusing building materials creates a significantly lower footprint compared to using new materials,” Sandra Holmström, Sustainability Specialist at Fabege said. “Then you have to focus on which building materials are cost-effective to reuse and which provide substantial environmental benefits. You have to think about what quality requirements you have for reused materials, so that you don’t incur additional inventory costs or pay to dismantle things that aren’t used. “Because we own properties that are also independent companies, transactions need to be conducted in such a way so that we don’t forfeit the right to deduct input VAT in property-owning companies. It’s become a rather complicated process, which should be made easier. “Our view is based on a review conducted by the Swedish Association for Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR). “According to Sweden’s Environmental Code and Waste Ordinance, it’s the owner’s intention that determines whether a material is waste or not, it has nothing to do with the condition or characteristics of a given material. So, if you have materials, it’s important that you’re careful about transparency and traceability and that you document all your reused materials.”  

For 30 years, the US’ The Home Depot has led the industry charge on sustainable wood products – and now the retailer is strengthening that commitment. Behind most products you see at The Home Depot, there are forests. Recognising this, the world’s biggest home improvement retailer takes its responsibility to those forests seriously. Source: Sustainability Founded in 1978 by Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank, The Home Depot has grown to become one of the largest and most recognisable retailers in the US, with 2,200 stores worldwide and annual revenue of US$157.29 billion. “While our business has changed since 1979, our values remain the same,” CEO Ted Decker said in the company’s recently released forestry report. “One of those values is Doing the Right Thing, and as the world’s largest home improvement retailer, we’re in a unique position to enact positive change through our sustainable forestry initiatives.” Already leading the industry charge in FSC-certified wood product sales in the US, most wood sourced by The Home Depot hails from regions with sustainable forests. But the company knows it can always do more. Recently releasing its 2023 Sustainable Forestry Report, The Home Depot announced a set of strengthened standards and commitments designed to protect more tropical ecosystems, including those most at risk and the rich biodiversity the planet needs to thrive. This means that by the end of FY26, all wood products sourced to the US and Canada from an additional set of high-risk regions will need to bear third-party certification or be plantation-grown. This covers most of Home Depot’s overall wood sourcing and includes regions such as Cerrado in Brazil, home to 5% of the planet’s animals and plants, as well as Gran Chaco and Atlantic Forest biomes in South America. Described by Green Century Funds as a “welcome step in the right direction”, the new policy is an expansion of the retailer’s long-established and continued strategy in sustainable sourcing. It’s been 30 years since the first certified-sustainable wood shelving arrived in The Home Depot aisles and 25 years since the company issued its Wood Purchasing Policy. Recognising the positive impact Home Depot could achieve by working with suppliers that adhere to set standards of forest management and tree species selection, the policy committed to stop buying from endangered regions by the end of 2002 with a particular focus on lauan, cedar and redwood. In the 25 years since, the US$369 billion business has established supply chain protocols to ensure visibility into where its products come from and to safeguard the health of these forests, updating its policy along the way. One example is the company’s preference for certified wood. Wood is considered ‘certified’ if it has been managed and harvested under strict guidelines and monitored by a third party to ensure sustainable practices are allowed. Since 2018, the retailer has required Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for wood sourced from regions most at risk for deforestation, specifically the Amazon basin, the Congo basin, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Offering FSC-certified products across various categories, from board lumber to doors to patio furniture, the company strives to choose suppliers that have secured one or more recognised certifications including FSC, Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC). Among achievements, Home Depot has transitioned many vendors to FSC-certified wood in America working with vendors to shift more than 80% of its lauan wood used in the production of doors to wood from more sustainable sources and moving more than 90% of its cedar purchases to second and third-growth forests in the US. The company has also significantly increased its FSC-certified redwood, with its two primary suppliers both delivering a strong procurement preference for FSC-certified wood. One FSC-certified supplier, Mendocino Redwood Company (MRC), is an example of how private forest management can protect and restore the ecological attributes of the forest. With around 228,800 acres of forestland, MRC harnesses a management technique to create a wildfire-resilient forest. Wildfire-resilient forests can continue to be carbon sinks and aid in global efforts to fight climate change. They also maintain wildlife habitat for various species, and water quality. Among other certified and preferred suppliers, Canada-based J.D. Irving (JDI) has proven that sustainable forestry management is good not just for trees, but also for the planet and business. With lumber products and forestry activities certified by SFI and woodlands certified by FSC, JDI’s entire forest products value chain is carbon negative, absorbing more carbon than it emits a study by the University of New Brunswick finds.

Investment managers who have bought up forestland are going tree by tree to figure out whether they should be felled for timber or kept up for carbon-credit generation. Source: WSJ Growing demand for credits means investing in forests isn’t just about producing timber, but it can take a lot of legwork to determine what role each tree should play in a portfolio, as well as ensure it is delivering its promised environmental benefit if left standing. “If you invest in a forest, the question we ask is, ‘How do you manage wood products versus carbon?’” said Brian Kernohan, chief sustainability officer, private markets, at Manulife Investment Management. “The answer to us is, ‘What do our clients want?’” Manulife, which has 5.4 million acres of forest in its investment portfolio, calculates the value of each tree to inform its harvest strategy. Every tree in a forest has to be evaluated based on species growth rates and product value. If the carbon credit value is high enough, it stays up even if for just a few more years. If not, it’s cut down for timber. Broad-leaf trees, for example, are better for carbon sequestration but take longer to grow, creating up to 500 to 600 credits per hectare but taking over 100 years to reach maturity. Conifer trees, on the other hand, create half the number of credits per hectare, but only take 35 to 40 years to mature, which can make them more useful in getting to net-zero emissions faster. Mr Kernohan said that until recently, forest land wasn’t valuable enough to be considered worth investing in solely for carbon sequestration. “We’re now able to realize that value,” he said. The voluntary carbon credit market could be worth as much as US$40 billion by 2030, up from US$2 billion in 2021, according to a report from Boston Consulting Group and Shell. It offers a way for companies to help negate the carbon emissions they produce from operations and can be especially useful for those in hard-to-abate sectors such as energy generation and heavy industry. Demand for carbon credits has grown rapidly both in the US and overseas, but in the past couple of years it has started to slow after questions were raised about whether projects are delivering what they promised. Last year, an investigation by UK newspaper the Guardian, German weekly Die Zeit and SourceMaterial, a journalism nonprofit, found that many certified carbon credits that are bought and sold didn’t actually represent genuine reductions in carbon emissions. “The issue with the whole market is the diversity in the types of credits and the methodologies used to calculate it,” said Tom Frith, investment manager at JustCarbon, a carbon-credit project financing firm. “It’s really hard to tell what is kosher. For a business, it’s much easier to think of buying carbon credits as investing in an [individual] project rather than a uniform product.” There are different types of carbon credits. Removal credits, for example, are generated by how much carbon dioxide a company removes from the atmosphere and are seen as more valuable because the carbon tonnage can be more easily calculated. Meanwhile, avoidance credits can be more difficult to accurately calculate as they are generated through an activity not happening—for example, not cutting down a tree. Tree-planting initiatives also generate removal credits because they remove carbon through photosynthesis. The potential demand is giving rise to firms known as carbon developers such as Finite Carbon based in Wayne, Pa. Finite Carbon works with institutional investors trying to establish how much people are willing to pay for carbon removal, and landowners who might be in a position to turn away from their traditional income sources in favor of carbon removal. “You have a decision to make,” Daniel Crawford, vice president of commercial operations at Finite Carbon, said. “You have acquired this tree, so what is the value and where will the value come from? There’s now this new operation of carbon value for what is sequestered and stored.” Mr Crawford said that the carbon value for existing tree assets only becomes viable if there is demand for lumber and timber within the area of the forest. If the tree was never going to be cut down, then there was never a case for carbon saving, he said. In that case, there should be no avoidance credit. Manulife in 2021 invested in a forest in Maine solely to sequester carbon. “Some wood is better for furniture or paper and some types of trees better for carbon sequestration. It’s about understanding potential,” said Mr Kernohan. He added that a forest at the south end of Penobscot Lake had a very high carbon value, giving Manulife more of a reason to invest in that land. Other firms are planting new trees to be used for carbon credits which mature over a longer period. Richard Kelly, co-founder of Foresight Sustainable Forestry based in the UK, said it is aiming to plant nine million trees by spring 2025, with half of the portfolio dedicated to carbon removal. Mr Kelly said planting trees and issuing credits based on them protects the trees from being felled and removes any debate over whether they were ever going to be cut down.  

A landmark new initiative, Catalysing Australia’s Biosecurity (CAB), will see a forecast initial co-investment of more than $55 million over six years from Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, government, industry and a range of partners to strengthen the nation’s biosecurity defences. Source: Timberbiz This is in addition to the extra $1 billion in biosecurity funding over the next four years, announced by the Australian government in the Biosecurity Sustainable Funding Package in Budget 2023-24. The CAB initiative, co-led with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), is expected to scale over time providing better coordination as well as alignment of biosecurity research development and extension outcomes in the National Biosecurity Strategy. CSIRO’s Chief Executive Dr Doug Hilton said the initiative, which falls under the CSIRO Missions program, is critical to safeguard the nation. “Biosecurity is on the frontline of keeping Australia and Australians safe – it means protecting Australia’s unique biodiversity, ensuring our food security and minimising the risk of the transmission of infectious diseases,” Dr Hilton said. “Our biosecurity defences, processes and protections have to be robust; they have to be world class and they must be science-based, which is why CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, is part of this initiative.” DAFF Secretary and Director of Biosecurity Adam Fennessy PSM said the CAB initiative would help to transform research and innovation in the nation’s current biosecurity system. “This ground-breaking initiative between CSIRO and DAFF is a significant step towards achieving the National Biosecurity Strategy’s (NBS) long-term outcome of a connected, efficient and science-based biosecurity system,” Mr Fennessy said. “Our recently launched NBS Implementation Plan highlights the need for integration supported by technology, research and data.” CAB’s initial suite of innovative projects include: Investing significantly to prepare for emergency animal diseases such as the Japanese encephalitis virus and lumpy skin disease; Trialling the BeeRight and eDNA technology to detect varroa mites in bee hives; Delivering a real-time biosecurity alerts service in partnership with Atlas of Living Australia; Deploying advanced pest management systems at the crop and landscape scale in collaboration with Hort Innovation; Developing an Australian Biosecurity Research Database to guide strategic investments and decision-making. The initiative will draw on cutting-edge developments in AI, machine learning, decision support platforms, genomics, robotics, drones, remote sensing, big data analytics and next-generation biological solutions, like advanced therapeutics and genetic control options. CAB also has a focus on empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to contribute their expertise towards national biosecurity efforts. The initiative also has the potential to enhance regional prosperity and security, particularly through providing new funding opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises. Mr Fennessy said protecting Australia’s biosecurity is a shared responsibility that demands innovative solutions and strong partnerships. “CAB is a testament to the power of partnership, with cross-sectoral efforts representing a significant step forward in our collective efforts to safeguard Australia’s agricultural industries, environment, and communities for future generations,” Mr Fennessy said.  

A fatal and fast-spreading tree disease, Dutch elm disease, has been discovered in Waipā, New Zealand. Tests this week confirmed a tree in Te Awamutu, on private property, has the fungal disease which is almost always deadly. Source: Waikato Times The council says infected trees should be removed and “immediately chipped, burnt or buried”. Checks are starting for the more than 250 council-maintained elms and parks around the district. Waipā District Council arborist planner James Richardson said Dutch elm disease is considered one of the most devastating tree diseases in the world. Elm bark beetles spread the disease by carrying the fungus from an infected tree and boring into new trees nearby. It can also be spread to other elms via the trees’ connected root systems, movement of firewood or by contaminated pruning tools. It does not affect trees unrelated to the elm species. “It is very concerning to have confirmation the disease is now in Waipā. We will be working closely with Waikato Regional Council, SPS Biosecurity and Environmental Services, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), local arborists, Cambridge Tree Trust and the community to limit the spread of the disease.” Symptoms develop quickly within a four-to-five-week period and signs of the disease include wilting, curling, yellowing of leaves or dying or dead branches, the council said. There is no known cure for infected trees. “When removing the infected trees, all material should be immediately chipped, burnt or buried on site or at a landfill site, incorrect processing can spread the disease further. People should contact MPI if they suspect their elm trees to be infected”, Richardson said. Elms can be identified by their large leaves, which feature serrated edges, symmetrical veins, an asymmetrical leaf base and feels like sandpaper. The next steps for council will be to collaborate with SPS Biosecurity and Environmental Services to monitor the spread of the disease. Waipā District Council has more than 250 elm trees it maintains in parks and streets. Staff will be monitoring and assessing them regularly to identify any trees with the disease early and manage any actions required.

Members for the Mount Gambier Research, Education and Training Precinct steering committee met last week to move forward plans for development in the area. Source: The SE Voice The steering committee discussed the planned work at the precinct on Wireless Road East which includes a Technical College, the Forestry Centre of Excellence and funding for new workshop areas at TAFE. The two-storey college will be built at the front southwest corner of the precinct and will feature workshops and classrooms on the ground level, along with short stay accommodation on the upper level to enable students from outlying towns and districts to attend the Mount Gambier Technical College. The committee was also briefed on the progress of the Forestry Centre of Excellence which will be built on the eastern side of the Mount Gambier campus of the University of South Australia. In total, $59m is being invested by the State Government into the precinct. Minister for Education, Training and Skills, Blair Boyer said the investment in the Technical College at the precinct is aimed at providing the best opportunity for students to prepare to enter the workforce or further their career path. “The technical colleges are one of the key ways the Malinauskas Labor Government is addressing the skills need for South Australia – to ensure we are driving the skills focus in sectors of demand,” Minister Boyer said. “They are about increasing choices and options for students and providing them with direct pathways to specific industry sectors where there are careers in demand right here in South Australia. “We have been widely consulting across the Limestone Coast to ensure we meet industry demand and ensure employment pathways that secure the future of the potential students, employers and the state.” The steering committee, made up of government, education and industry representatives, is providing advice to Precinct Leader Peter Gandolfi on building and strengthening the precinct’s ties with business and community organisations. Mr Gandolfi said the next 18 months will be an exciting period. “The precinct will be a hive of construction activity and the steering committee will be providing advice on how to best use the site and secure it as the premier destination for research, education and training in the region,” he said.

Last month, an uncontrollable blaze ravaged hundreds of hectares of timber plantation at Mount Lonarch, west of Ballarat, marking a significant loss for Hancock Victorian Plantation Holdings (HVP Plantations). The fire, which ignited on 22 February, destroyed 1,000 hectares of pine trees, heavily impacting the supply chain for mills in Victoria and beyond. Source: bnn Breaking HVP Plantations’ corporate fire manager, Richard Mailer, disclosed that despite the substantial loss, efforts are underway to salvage what remains of the damaged plantation. HVP Plantations rallied a force of 100 personnel from across Victoria and Queensland to combat the fire alongside the Country Fire Authority and Forest Fire Management Victoria. Their tireless work through day and night succeeded in saving 700ha of the 1,700ha estate. The company’s swift action underlines its commitment to forest management and fire prevention, especially in the face of increasing bushfire threats exacerbated by climate change. This incident has been the company’s most substantial loss since the Black Summer fires of 2019-20, which saw 6,000ha of its estate turned to ash. The devastation at Mount Lonarch is more than a temporary setback for HVP Plantations; it poses significant questions about the future sustainability of timber supply in Victoria, Australia’s largest plantation timber estate region. The company, owned by international investment funds, manages 183,000ha of plantation forests in Victoria, making fire management a strategic priority to safeguard its assets and the broader industry. Plans are already in place to replant the affected estate with radiata pine this coming winter, in an effort to mitigate the long-term impact on the supply chain. Amidst the backdrop of a changing climate, the challenges facing plantation forestry in Australia are mounting. Professor David Lindenmayer from the Australian National University Fenner School of Environment and Society highlighted the increasing frequency of extreme forest fire danger index days, a trend that underscores the urgent need for smarter plantation design and the adoption of new technologies for early fire detection and suppression. The national plantation estate’s shrinkage by 15% between 2009 and 2022, as reported by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, further emphasizes the critical role of effective fire management in the industry’s future. The recent bushfire at Mount Lonarch serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities facing the timber industry in an era of global warming. While the immediate response from HVP Plantations and firefighting teams has been commendable, the incident highlights the broader challenges of sustainable forestry management and the importance of innovation in fire prevention and control. As Victoria and the rest of Australia brace for a hotter, drier future, the lessons learned from Mount Lonarch will undoubtedly shape the strategies and technologies deployed to protect the nation’s precious forest resources.

Finalising fair timber industry departure packages and fast tracking the now four-year bushfire rebuild were yet again raised in State Parliament last week by Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull. Source: Timberbiz “It beggars belief that this Government is closing down an entire industry and the one thing it can do to support the community – get the bushfire rebuild done – continues to lag,” Mr Bull said. “It is proof this city centric government does not support rural areas or have a genuine desire to help our region through a tough period. “The one thing they could do to assist towns like Orbost is get on with the job and restore this important tourism infrastructure. “It is probably unfair on snails to say they get things done at snails’ pace. It’s not an indictment on local workers on the ground, it’s the upper echelons, but they are frozen in bureaucratic approvals and infected with a serious attitude of non-urgency,” he said. “On the issue of timber workers more specifically, Mr Bull said this was meant to be all put to bed by Christmas, and now we hear an announcement is pending to wind up VicForests in a few months’ time, but the reality is more workers remain in limbo. “Packages have been set to a budget rather than a fair outcome, down the line businesses that were promised support remain in limbo, and the government continues to haggle with mills over exit packages. “Their families have not been treated courteously or fairly. “An example of the contempt is the person who is handling the exit strategy went on holidays for much of February with an out-of-office reply saying their emails would not be monitored while they were away – all while families seek a fair outcome that they are not being offered.”

The Labor Government has promised to act immediately to provide security for the thousands of forest industry employees by ensuring open, transparent and secure access to resource by Tasmanian businesses with investments in Tasmania. Source: Timberbiz And if elected at the 23 March State elections, Labor has promised to ensure Tasmanian contractors get a fair go at Tasmanian contracts and that the special species sector can get better access to logs. “Labor has listened to the timber industry and worked very closely with them over the past few years and this policy reflects our dedication to work together to secure a sustainable future for the industry,” Labor Leader Rebecca White said. “Also, importantly, our policy will not create division and reignite the forest wars which will in fact drive away major customers and put Tasmanian timber jobs and businesses at risk. “The timber industry is a vital part of the Tasmanian economy and crucial to regional Tasmania,” she said. “A Labor Government that I lead will put Tasmanian timber workers and companies first, not mainland companies.” Shadow Resources Minister Shane Broad said that for the past 10 years the Liberal Government had taken the Tasmanian timber industry for granted by using it as a political football while failing to address growing concerns about resource security and transparency. “Under the Liberals’ watch contracted volumes have not been delivered, iconic special species logs have dwindled to almost nothing and local logging contractors have been overlooked for cashed up mainland operators,” Mr Broad said. “Labor will ensure that contracts are extended out to 2040 and include plantation sawlogs, special species are managed independently and that a 25 per cent local benefits test applies to logging and haulage contracts,” he said. “Labor agrees that an independent pricing mechanism is needed to ensure contract terms are fair and can be independently audited.” The Tasmanian Forest Products Association’s CEO Nick Steel said Labor’s plan would back Tasmanian workers, the economy and build on the important work forestry did to meet the State’s lofty climate ambitions. “This plan does offer our industry, and the 51500 Tasmanians employed in forestry, a secure, productive and responsible future,” Mr Steel said. “I thank the Tasmanian Labor Party for working directly with the TFPA and industry to develop a plan that ticks off many boxes in our election wish list.” Mr Steel said grants to encourage on-island processing, increasing the local benefit weighting to 25% on all Tasmanian timber contracts, ensuring our private foresters are included in the TasGRN rollout, and continuing to fund the Tasmanian Timber Promotions Board will all make a big difference to industry. “By backing our Home-Grown Timber Future Policy, Labor is ensuring that our businesses can compete with interstate operators,” Mr Steel said. “Improving the quality of our wood on-island will not only support thousands of jobs but will also give a significant boost to the Tasmanian economy,” Mr Steel said. “We look forward to continuing to work with the Tasmanian Labor Party to ensure that all facets of our 2024 Election Wishlist are implemented – helping our businesses employ Tasmanians, contribute to our state’s economy and continue to sequester carbon. “Regardless the result of the election, the TFPA is pleased that both major parties are backing our industry, and we’re confident forestry has a strong future after 23 March,” Mr Steel said. Labor’s plans for Tasmania: STOP the current plantation sawlog Expression of Interest process being conducted by Sustainable Timbers Tasmania (STT), a process which could see mills starved of logs, workers thrown on the scrapheap and more logs exported out of Tasmania. REVIEW the available resources – both native forest and plantation – in an open and transparent process with independent oversight. PROTECT existing Tasmanian businesses and their workers to ensure they have the highest priority to obtain long term secure contracts for wood supply. No sawlog or peelers will be exported in whole log form if they can be processed in Tasmania. DEVELOP a framework for prioritising access to STT’s wood supply capacity that is in the best interests of the State with a particular reference to regional Tasmania. PROVIDE confidence to existing STT customers by giving them the opportunity to negotiate enforceable contracts on commercial terms for their existing volumes, as a minimum until 2040. ENFORCE the local benefits weighting of 25 per cent so that Tasmanian contractors get a fair go. ENSURE the future of the special species sector by the creation of a standalone Special Timbers Authority tasked with managing all aspects of non-blackwood special species timber supply and management. ESTABLISH an independent Forest Products Price Oversight Body to ensure Tasmanians obtain a fair price for their resources. ALLOCATE $5 million towards developing new ways to process logs on-island. PROVIDE $350,000 for a heli-harvesting trial of dead Huon pine. COMMIT to funding the Tasmanian Timber Promotion Board in future Budgets. COMMIT to including private forest estate owners in the TasGRN rollout. REWRITE the STT Ministerial Charter to reflect our Tasmania First Timber Policy

Opal has told workers it plans to cut 220 jobs across Australia and New Zealand businesses. Source: Timberbiz It is understood 45 jobs, mainly office staff, will go at the company’s Maryvale plant in the LaTrobe Valley. Opal, one of the Australia’s largest paper and packaging companies,  is the local subsidiary of Japanese paper giant Nippon and runs a paper production mill at Maryvale. It also operates a stationery manufacturer in the Melbourne suburb of Preston and has a site in Botany, New South Wales, which produces container board. Two hundred jobs were cut at the company’s Maryvale mill when it ceased white paper production in December 2022. In a statement to staff seen by Timberbiz, Opal chief executive Chris Nagaura blamed the decision to axe the jobs on “a series of unplanned challenges”, including COVID-19 and rising energy costs. He also said “market disruptions” from the company’s decision to cease white paper production at the Maryvale site were “continuing to severely impact Opal’s financial performance”. “Compounding this, unnecessary complexity and inefficiency exists across Opal,” Mr Nagaura said in the statement. “Consequently, our operating costs are higher than they need to be.” According to the statement, the measures to improve Opal’s performance will affect the entire company. An Opal spokesperson told the ABC the company was reviewing its “organisation structure across salaried roles” as a result of challenges that had affected its profitability. “There will be no impact on Opal’s customers from these changes,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Opal is committed to fully supporting our valued team members as we work through this transition.” The ABC says the statement did not address which parts of the business would be affected by the cuts. Opal is one of the Latrobe Valley’s largest private employers and still manufactures brown paper products at Maryvale. It is unclear which parts of the business will be affected, but unions representing staff at the Maryvale mill believe some jobs will be lost at the site. Electrical Trades Union Gippsland organiser Peter Mooney told the ABC he understood there would be “some impact” at the Maryvale site, but did not know how many local jobs would be lost. “What impact in total is very unclear and we would like to ask some questions of the local management as soon as possible to find out exactly is going on and what this actually means for the site,” he said. “Some of our members are starting to say, ‘Is there a future with Opal in the paper manufacturing area?'” The ABC said Mr Mooney believed the workforce deserved answers to the questions raised by the announcement.