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AFRY has been tasked by Arctic Sisu, a Finnish e-fuel company, to conduct a feasibility study for a large-scale e-methane production facility in Kotka, Finland. The project, planned in three phases, aims to produce 900–950 GWh of renewable e-methane annually, using CO2 from nearby pulp production as a raw material. Source: Timberbiz The study will support Arctic Sisu in making its investment decision which is expected in 2026. The plant would be built next to the existing Kotkamills Pulp & Paper mill and would capture and reuse CO2 emissions from the pulp production process as a raw material for e-methane production, making it Europe’s first facility to capture and reuse CO2 from pulp production. The produced e-methane offers a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels in the maritime sector. Scheduled for completion by the end of 2025, the study will provide Arctic Sisu with the detailed analysis required to move forward with the investment decision, including determining the conditions under which e-methane production at the site would be feasible and optimal. If implemented, the commercial production for the first stage is planned to begin in 2028. The study follows a top-down design approach, starting from the overall project and plant goals and progressing to detailed engineering and discipline-specific decisions necessary to achieve those goals. The study incorporates the latest information from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and AFRY’s in-house data, ensuring that all evaluations are based on the most current and relevant technical and market insights. “We see clear value — and have already gained it — from AFRY’s experience in similar plant developments and other industrial projects they’ve contributed to. The collaboration has started off well, and we’re eager to see how it progresses and what this phase delivers, along with the upcoming stages of both the project and sourcing,” says Jonne Pöyhtäri, CEO of Arctic Sisu. “We are excited to partner with Arctic Sisu in this pioneering project to utilize CO2 from pulp production as e-methane raw material and to support them in their journey to become a significant e-fuel producer. We look forward to offering our insights into the entire power-to-x value chain for this project which ultimately enables the transition to more sustainable maritime and other transportation,” said Jukka Lehtonen, Head of Business Unit, Renewable and Thermal Energy at AFRY in Finland. The Kotka plant is Arctic Sisu’s first announced e-methane project. The company aims to become one of the most significant e-fuel producers in Europe by 2030.  

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John Deere has launched its large-size H Series wheeled machines, designed to elevate productivity and operational efficiency. Featuring the all-new 1270H and 1470H Harvesters and 2010H and 2510H Forwarders, these machines integrate enhanced hydraulic systems, advanced automation and ergonomic operator enhancements. By combining powerful performance with sustainability-focused fuel economy, the H Series redefines modern logging operations. Source: Timberbiz “The launch of the H Series represents a bold step forward for John Deere in forestry equipment,” said Mikko Borgstrom, global product marketing manager at John Deere. “These machines are built to deliver exceptional power, precision and fuel efficiency. With an industry-first innovation like enhanced hydraulic systems, advanced automation and an operator-first design, the H Series machines deliver exceptional productivity and performance in the field.” The 1270H and 1470H Harvesters deliver impressive engine power and torque, enabling faster cycle times and improved cutting efficiency compared to the G Series. Advanced hydraulic systems, now featuring three dedicated pumps, provide greater power for feed rollers, saw units and boom movements. Compared to the G Series, H Series Harvesters enable significantly increased productivity and remarkably lower fuel consumption per harvested cubic meter. The H Series harvesters and forwarders deliver impressive lifting and slewing power, stability, and efficiency in challenging forestry environments. Harvesters (1270H & 1470H) Intelligent Boom Control (IBC) 2.0, standard on H Series Harvesters, provides smooth, precise movements, helping to reduce fatigue and increase accuracy. Active Frame Lock brings more stability compared to our previous harvesters, whether working on steep slopes or flat ground. This makes it easier to work when the boom is sideways and gives the operator a larger working area. Forwarders (2010H & 2510H) Compared to the G Series, the new forwarders offer 25% more load capacity, helping to increase efficiency and reduce costs per cycle. F9 and F10 booms extend reach (up to 10.7m) and enhance lift torque for smoother, more efficient load handling. New frame lock system enhances stability, even with full loads on uneven terrain. Operator-First Design: Unrivaled Comfort and Visibility The new H Series cabin features an expanded glass area for improved visibility, along with a quieter interior and a rotating and leveling cabin to enhance precision and reduce operator strain. Ergonomic controls, programmable joysticks and a premium sound system create a user-friendly experience. The Intelligent Cabin Key acts as a personalized remote, unlocking the cabin, powering on the PC and automatically loading operator-specific settings to streamline workflow. The new H Series lineup integrates next-generation digital tools to simplify operations and help reduce unplanned machine downtime. TimberMatic H Automation features a redesigned interface with intuitive controls, night/day display modes, real-time data sharing and site mapping to improve planning and execution. While centralized refill points, electric engine oil level sensors and a central greasing system enhance serviceability and maintenance. The H216 Harvester Head, designed to replace the H270, is a versatile two-roller head optimized for both hardwood and softwood applications. It features a top-saw option, advanced feed motors and a find-end laser sensor, supporting precision and efficiency. Available for the 1270H Harvester with boom reach options of 8.6 and 10.0 meters, it also supports the 1470H Harvester with 8.6, 10, and 11-meter reach configurations.  

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A new study from a SUPERB project, published in Restoration Ecology, shows that planting density strongly influences forest restoration outcomes, but the effects are complex and context dependent. Source: Timberbiz After reviewing 120 studies from temperate and boreal forests, researchers found that higher planting densities tend to boost overall stand yield and carbon storage, especially in early stages. However, it also leads to increased tree mortality and reduced growth of individual trees. The timing and intensity of these opposing effects depend on various factors, such as plantation age and climate type, which creates opportunities for optimized management strategies. Over time, thinning becomes essential in longer-term plantations to maintain tree growth and quality. Where data is limited, moderate densities may offer a balanced approach. The study also calls for more localized research on tree health and biomass to help tailor restoration strategies to specific environments. To read the study go to https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/rec.70103  

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HQP’s pine plantations in the Beerburrum area of Queensland cover an area of approximately 30 000 hectares with plantations in the Bribie Island, Ningi, Toorbul, Donnybrook, Beerburrum, Woodford, Glasshouse Mountains and Landsborough areas. Source: Timberbiz Growing for generations, these plantations continue to support a thriving local economy of large and small businesses and workers such as sawmills, truss and frame manufacturers, civil construction, truck drivers, harvesters, scientists, foresters, fire fighters, nursery workers and labourers, even helicopter and drone pilots. On Saturday 19 July, with help from industry and community partners, HQP is putting it all on display from 9am to 2pm at its Beerburrum office on Red Road. Visitors will see every aspect of the plantation lifecycle. See the machines and high-tech gear – see the incredible equipment used from seedling to sawmill! Learn about fire management. There will be fire tankers and light attack vehicles on display and you may even get a chance to operate a fire hose Talk with staff from the nursery and find out how long it takes to grow a pine tree Discover upcoming harvest plans Learn about environmental and cultural heritage. There will be goody bags, lucky door prizes, plus two major prizes – a family day pass to Australia Zoo and two tickets to the Big Kart Track, Landsborough. You can fuel up on hamburgers, sausage sizzle, food trucks, and drinks from the coffee carts.  

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Each year, Sustainable Timber Tasmania invests significant time and resources to protect Wedge-tailed Eagles and White-bellied Sea Eagles. Last week, its operational teams carried out final aerial surveys in the south, north east, and north west of the state for eagle nests ahead of the main breeding season. Source: Timberbiz As part of the extensive program, operational teams conduct surveys to check the condition of existing nests identified during previous programs, search for new nests and record their locations. This year, across public production forests and adjacent land, STT has: Surveyed approximately 37,000 hectares Revisited 144 known nests Discovered 16 new nests. “This valuable information helps us protect nest sites, preserve habitat, and inform our operational planning. By monitoring the nests, we can mitigate potential disturbances, maximising the best outcomes for the breeding season,” Suzette Weeding, General Manager, Conservation and Land Management at Sustainable Timber Tasmania, said. Management of eagle species under the Tasmanian forest practices system focuses on minimising the risk of disturbance to breeding birds and associated nest sites. Wedge-tailed Eagles and White-bellied Sea-Eagles rely on mature eucalypt forests to breed. Areas sheltered from the strongest winds are almost always chosen as nesting sites by eagles. From July, Sustainable Timber Tasmania will implement management restrictions developed using scientific research methods, to adapt harvesting activities where applicable. This includes implementing a designated 10-hectare reserve around trees with eagle nests on Permanent Timber Protected Zone (PTPZ) land. Reserves around trees are required to minimise disturbance on nest sites and maintain their viability as breeding locations for eagles into the future.  

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The Federal government’s announcement that councils are to receive $1.7 billion early funding to assist with the provision of shovel ready housing projects is a key part of addressing the nation’s housing puzzle, according to HIA Chief Executive Industry & Policy, Simon Croft. Source: Timberbiz “These funds are an important investment and should predominantly be directed toward enabling infrastructure such as roads, water and sewerage to unlock residential land across a range of development settings,” Mr Croft said. “As all local governments, metropolitan and regional, are being encouraged to meet housing targets this is a key measure for investment in infrastructure where it is needed most. “Funding of infrastructure is a burden that has been unfairly placed on builders who then have little choice but to pass this cost onto home buyers. Councils have equally been struggling to fund the necessary infrastructure and this early funding from the Federal government can help ease this burden to enable the provision of more affordable housing delivery.” He said that the other key investment from this funding should be directed towards supporting council planning areas to fast-track approvals. The current resource shortages across local councils, was one of the primary reasons for protracted approval timelines being experienced across the country. “HIA would also urge that this funding have a specific percentage directed towards regional areas,” Mr Croft said. “With regional Australia now home to more than 8.5 million people and growing, it is important the funding be allocated proportionally to support the delivery of new homes in regional Australia. “We need to build 240,000 homes every year just to meet demand, yet last year we fell 60,000 homes short. This funding can play a key role in supporting local councils to bring forward housing approvals to get keys in the door faster,” he said.  

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Scrimber, a high value engineered wood product made from crushed thinnings and small trees, is roaring back into focus and could one day dominate the construction industry. Source: Jason Ross, Wood Central That is according to Stefan Zoellig, Dr Steffen Franke, and Dr Bettina Franke, who spoke to Jason Ross from Wood Central from the sidelines of the World Conference on Timber Engineering last week about new plans to commercialise the technology, which has its roots in CSIRO research dating back to the 1970s. Close to 50 years since the CSIRO established the timber technology, Scrimber CSC is working to commercialise the technology for use in engineered wood products. Mr Zoellig, CEO and founder of Scrimber CSC, said the push to revive the technology, which has failed to achieve industrial production on multiple occasions, is for three reasons. “One is to bring more yield out of the tree. Nowadays, we have a 30% yield for CLT or glulam. With scrimber, we can bring it up to 90%. (The second) to use underutilised species/assortments, which you cannot usually turn into load-bearing members. And finally, to compete with concrete, where we can prove the material that can store carbon in the buildings for hundreds of years,” Mr Zoellig said. The technology has the potential to achieve a 90% yield from a tree, much higher than the 30% yield from a standard cross-laminated timber panel. Learning from the past, Mr Zoellig and Dr Steffen Franke said that the past issues were 60% financial and 40% technical. “I don’t think they ran out of time. They ran out of money. It’s always the 3t’s – it’s the time, talent and treasury. So, if you have those three, you can make anything. The money is around. That’s not the problem. There’s plenty of money and plenty of money looking exactly for this type of investment. But you have to structure it,” Mr Zoellig said. “We are open for investments” Now speaking to interested partners, Mr Zoellig said past versions of scrimber ran into several technical problems because it failed to adopt an industrial process to its production cycle. “These include preparing the wood, crushing it, scrimming it, drying it, blending it with the glue, and finishing it.” Adding that there were major problems with crushing, which lead to very uneven strand diameters – caused issues with drying and the high-frequency press,” Dr Franke said. “We are looking at European spruce, but we are open to any other species. We know that plantation wood is coming and growing quickly, which presents an opportunity.” For example, Japanese cedar or perhaps even radiata pine. Asked if scrimber was 30, 40 or even 50 years ahead of its time, Dr Bettina Franke said. “It was maybe also too early for architects. They didn’t know how to use it. There was no mass timber movement as we have today. “Of the things happening around the world, the climate change drives us all to reduce carbon emission and instead rise carbon sequestration and storage in timber. On the other hand, we have to consider the other resources, like for example urban tree-cutoffs as well as additionalsite resources which we are not allowed to cut. And this is the way. And now we notice and want to go one step ahead for the next generation.”  

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Timberlink was thrilled to announce that two of its Bell Bay team members, Belinda Westergreen and Monique Koski, were winners at the 2025 Women in Resources and Manufacturing Tasmania Awards. Source: Timberbiz These annual awards aim to shine a spotlight on the women transforming traditionally male-dominated industries. Belinda Westergreen, Team Leader, won the Outstanding Tasmanian Tradeswoman, operator or Technician Award. Ms Westergreen started her journey at Timberlink as a night-shift cleaner and is now Green Mill Team Leader. Monique Koski, Bell Bay Site Manager, was a co-winner of the Exceptional Woman in Tasmania Manufacturing Award. Ms Koski is the first woman to lead the Bell Bay site. Congratulations to both Timberlink winners, as well as all 16 women honoured at this event.

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Forestry Corporation has embarked on the second year of an Alpine Ash and White Ash seed collection program to protect these important eucalypt forests from future fires. Source: Timberbiz Alpine Ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis) is a fast-growing eucalypt reaching heights of up to 40 metres in NSW and thriving in the high country. Although resilient in cold climates, it is highly susceptible to fire, particularly before trees reach 20 years of age. As an obligate seeder the species’ survival depends entirely on seeds released from the tree canopy following a bushfire. To protect ash forest stands from future fires, Forestry Corporation has engaged contractors Worseldine Forest Produce to collect and extract Alpine Ash seed to help build a seed bank that’s stored in a cool room at Eden. Forestry Corporation Resources Supervisor for the Southern Region Joel Dawson said alpine ash seeds have recently been collected from Maragle State Forest in the Tumbarumba area. “Expert seed collection arborists have climbed alpine ash trees in Maragle State Forest and collected seed capsules from the tree canopies in areas that we have been monitoring for the last few years. “Last year in conjunction with Worseldine Forest Produce we identified a widespread flowering event in the alpine ash stands, which meant there is mature seed present in the canopy that can be collected this year and next year,” Mr Dawson said. “These seeds will be stored until they are needed, and act as an insurance policy to the natural regeneration that is occurring in fire-affected stands as they reseed and regenerate following the Black Summer Bushfires of 2019-2020. “Should another fire impact those same forests before the ash trees reach maturity then the there is no way for the forest to regenerate without intervention, the seed bank we are building will allow us to regrow those forests.” A range of technology has been used to collect seed including the use of drones to monitor and identify flowering events and all-terrain vehicles to help navigate rough terrain while minimising environmental impact on forest vegetation. Prior to last year, Forestry Corporation held just 3kg of alpine ash seed, a volume unable to execute a long-term reseeding strategy in case of another catastrophic fire. Today 440kg of seed is held in storage, with collection efforts to continue for another month before resuming in Spring – the overall goal is to build a seed bank comprising 800kg of seed. “In NSW, across both the National Park and State Forest estates 18,850ha of alpine ash forests has burnt twice in the past 25 years,” Mr Dawson said. “Just 4,650ha, or 6% of the total alpine ash area, remains untouched by fire since before 2003—the majority of which is located in Bondo and Micalong State Forests,” he said. White Ash (Eucalyptus fraxinoides) seed collection will also continue in the tableland state forests of the Eden-Monaro. Forestry Corporation has to date collected 25kg of White Ash seed with a goal of storing 150kg of seed to support long-term regeneration efforts.

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The Forest Stewardship Council Australia and New Zealand has appointed James Felton-Taylor as the new Chair of its Board of Directors following the conclusion of Jon Dee’s second successful term in the role. Source: Timberbiz Mr Felton-Taylor is a long-standing advocate for responsible forest management. As the owner and Managing Director of Australian Sustainable Timbers (AST), he leads the first company in Australia to achieve FSC certification for native forest operations. Based on the North Coast of New South Wales, AST is known for its commitment to regenerative forestry and the sustainable use of private native forests. With a background in environmental science, farm forestry, and remnant vegetation management, James brings deep operational insight and values-driven leadership to the role. He is actively involved across AST’s operations, from management planning to harvesting and timber marketing, and oversees a group scheme of FSC-certified private forests. “James brings a valuable combination of technical expertise, business leadership, and on-the-ground insight into what responsible forestry looks like in practice,” said Melanie Robertson, CEO of FSC ANZ. “His appointment reflects our continued focus on impact, integrity and regional relevance.” Jon Dee served as Chair since 2021. A passionate advocate for sustainability, he guided the organisation through a period of strategic growth and brought clarity and strong values to Board decision-making. “Jon’s contribution to FSC ANZ cannot be overstated. His values-driven leadership and steady support for the team have had a lasting impact. We’re pleased he’ll continue to share his insight and energy as a member of the Board,” Ms Robertson said. Mr Felton-Taylor’s appointment comes at a significant time for FSC ANZ, as the organisation is poised to commence the development of its new five-year strategy later this year, planning the strategic pathway of the organisation for the medium term. “Under Jon Dee’s Chairmanship, the Board has successfully stabilised FSC ANZ both financially and organisationally,” Mr Felton-Taylor said. “I’m looking forward to building on that foundation with the Board in the development of the new strategy to extend FSC’s reach and impact across Australia and New Zealand.” Mr Felton-Taylor expressed confidence that the new strategic plan will further consolidate FSC ANZ’s work on strengthening responsible forestry in across Australia and New Zealand, which is supported by a growing network of members, certificate holders, and promotional licence holders committed to sustainable forest management.

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