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The Australian Frame & Truss Manufacturers Association (FTMA) is holding its national conference on 19 May 2026 and for the first time it includes a trade show. Source: Timberbiz Keeping with this year’s theme ‘At the Crossroads’ the FTMA has put together a program that will focus on the key decisions facing the industry. Topics span: Housing at the Crossroads. Building the Future of Lightweight Timber Framing. Reframing for Growth that Actually Works. Optimisation Lessons for Automation. Market Outlook for the Timber Frame & Truss Sector.   As part of the 2026 FTMA National Conference, there is a dedicated trade expo as a key element of the conference agenda, curating nearly three hours of dedicated networking, demonstration and exhibition time. This will be held at the conclusion of the conference. The trade expo is the first that the FTMA has held and the association says it is the biggest frame and truss-focused trade exposition in Australia, with: 40+ exhibition sites. Live demos. Dedicated mid-conference expo time. Interactive town hall style learning lab led by industry and research leaders.   The 2026 FTMA National Conference & Trade Expo will showcase exhibitors from across its Principal, Strategic, and Supporting Partners – organisations that are leaders in their field, and fundamental to the strength and success of the association. Alongside FTMA’s valued Annual Partners, there is a diverse range of additional conference sponsors to the Trade Expo each bringing specialised expertise and solutions that support the advancement of the frame and truss industry. These organisations will be showcasing products, technologies, and services that are directly relevant to driving efficiency and growth across the sector. Together, they will help create a dynamic experience, offering delegates the opportunity to connect with trusted providers, explore new ideas, and stay at the forefront of industry progress. The event will be held on 19 May at the Novotel on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. More information is at: https://conference.ftmanews.com/

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As more industrial sites transition to electric plant and equipment, the supporting infrastructure matters just as much as the fleet itself. At Timberlink’s Tarpeena site, the company is constructing a purpose-built battery charging building to support the arrival of a new electric forklift fleet in 2026. Source: Timberbiz This project brings safety, efficiency and material choice together, while also demonstrating how mass timber performs in real, working industrial environments. Introducing electric forklifts requires more than plugging in chargers. Battery charging and storage must be well ventilated, compliant and carefully managed. Without a central facility, charging points would need to be spread across the site. That approach increases traffic interaction, safety risks and operational complexity. This new building brings everything together in one controlled location. The battery charging building has been planned through a detailed HAZOP process, with a strong focus on: Traffic separation and forklift movement Risk control during battery charging and handling Clear access and servicing arrangements   The final location was approved through site review and mobile plant network planning, ensuring it fits safely within existing operations. The structure features NeXTimber Glue Laminated Timber (GLT) and Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), demonstrating how engineered timber can be used beyond traditional commercial or residential builds. In this case, timber provides: a practical structural solution a highly visible, working example of mass timber a durable material choice suited to industrial environments   The battery charging building will be a showcase demonstration of timber being used where performance and safety matter.

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Two more businesses have been held to account for the forestry road failures that killed Coromandel, New Zealand truck driver Greg Stevens, as his widow issues an emotional plea for worker safety. Source: Timberbiz Mr Stevens who was 59 years old died when his fully loaded logging truck and trailer rolled while negotiating a treacherous bend on a private forestry road in May 2023. The road had no warning signs, road markers or berms, and its sharp corner was well outside any recommended specifications for the heavy vehicle he was driving. The Thames District Court found the corner’s turning diameter was 7.5 metres less than the minimum standard for the truck configuration. Wet surfaces, mud-caked tyres, darkness, and a steep downhill approach made the bend even more dangerous. The forest owner, Specialty Timbers (1987) Limited, and the transport contractor, Trevor Masters Limited, have now been sentenced for their work health and safety failures. Judge Tompkins found each party assumed someone else was ensuring the road was safe, so nobody took responsibility. “Greg’s death was preventable, and if those companies had done what they should have done, my Greg would still be with me today,” Caroline Stevens told the Thames District Court in a victim impact statement. “Greg’s death has left both mine, and the lives of our families, in limbo. Only someone who has experienced a loss like this in such tragic and horrible circumstances will ever understand. “It is my hope that Greg’s death will serve as a reminder to prioritise safety in the workplace, so no other family has to endure this trauma. My plea is simple: let our loved ones come home from work safely,” Mrs Stevens told the court. Safe transporting of logs to the forest boundary is part of WorkSafe New Zealand’s recently released approved code of practice for forestry and harvesting operations. “No log load is worth a life. Forestry operators must understand that managing forestry roads isn’t optional. If you’re moving heavy vehicles through difficult terrain, you need proper risk assessment, proper consultation, and proper controls. If you’re not sure your roads are up to standard, stop and check before the next truck goes out,” said WorkSafe’s northern regional manager, Brad Duggan. Forestry is a priority for WorkSafe as its fatality rate is about 20 times higher than the average for all sectors. WorkSafe’s role is to influence businesses and workers to meet their responsibilities to keep people healthy and safe. The forest managers, Forest360 Limited, has separately entered into an enforceable undertaking. This is a binding agreement with WorkSafe to invest over NZ$400,000 in a range of safety actions in response to the death.

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A new education and information program on carbon forestry has been launched. Private Forests Tasmania (PFT) launched its Carbon Forestry 101 project at Agfest. Source: Tasmanian Country Rob Downie has three parcels of land across the state where he grows trees. He said that around 90% of his income is from forestry. “Initially we were leasing land to Gunns, but once they went belly-up we secured the right to the trees,” Mr Downie said. “Until last year, I hadn’t planted a tree for about 30 years. “We had trees on the property and could see that forestry was the highest and best use for the land.” Mr Downie said carbon forestry had been an absolute gamechanger for him. “I know about this more than most, but I fear for those who don’t know. “That’s where the program comes in and is going to help. “It will be an information pool.” PFT CEO Elizabeth Pietrzykowski said there is a gap between service providers and landowners with trees who want to engage in carbon forestry. “When service providers start explaining carbon projects, landowners often get lost in all the jargon and technical information,” Dr Pietrzykowski said. “We saw an opportunity here to educate people about carbon forestry and how it might work for them, which then would give them confidence to engage with a service provider.” Dr Pietrzykowski said that the number of landowners signing up to carbon projects was increasing.

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Forest and Wood Communities Australia says a new peer-reviewed study published in Australian Forestry demands an urgent reset of swift parrot conservation strategy, after independent research found that predation by introduced sugar gliders, not native forest harvesting, is the primary driver of the critically endangered species’ collapse. Source: Timberbiz “This study is a wake-up call that exposes how ideology has been allowed to hijack conservation science. For years, the native forest industry has been a convenient scapegoat for activists, while the real killers-like the sugar glider-were ignored,” Steve Dobbyns BSc (Forestry), Chairman, Forest and Wood Communities Australia said. “We see this same pattern across the board; whether it’s the swift parrot or other threatened species, the focus is routinely shifted toward stopping timber workers rather than managing the complex, primary threats like invasive predators and bushfire fuel loads.” The finding, published in Australian Forestry, challenges the widely held view that habitat loss from native forest harvesting is the central cause of the swift parrot’s decline. Independent researcher Simon Grove reviewed the body of published research to test two competing explanations, concluding that the evidence base firmly favours predation over habitat loss as the primary driver. Swift parrots breed only in Tasmania, making the species uniquely vulnerable and uniquely dependent on getting the conservation response right. Mr Grove’s paper tests two hypotheses: the forest habitat narrative, which holds that habitat loss from native forest harvesting is the critical mechanism; and the predation narrative, which holds that the population is being suppressed by sugar gliders killing nesting females, eggs and broods. Neither the straightforward forest habitat hypothesis, nor a more nuanced version linking sugar glider predation to forest disturbance, is well supported by the evidence. The predation hypothesis, by contrast, is grounded in empirical observation and supported by what the paper describes as apparently robust statistical modelling. The implications for conservation are direct. A strategy focused solely on protecting existing breeding habitat would, the study concludes, make negligible material difference to the swift parrot’s fate in the short term, doing little more than ensuring the remaining birds continue to be predated when nesting. The paper is unequivocal: an all-out focus on predation mitigation remains the only strategy with at least the potential to avoid species extinction. Mr Grove is unequivocal about what the evidence demands. “Unless we focus all-out on finding practical ways to reduce predation on nesting swift parrots at scale, the species seems doomed to extinction,” he said. “In contrast, directing outrage towards the highly regulated forestry sector does nothing to further the species’ chances of surviving into the next decade — in fact, it detracts from where the real work is needed and is therefore contributing to the problem rather than the solution.” Forest and Wood Communities Australia says the study reinforces what the industry has argued for years: that conservation campaigns targeting regulated native forestry have displaced attention and resources from the interventions most likely to make a material difference. With the swift parrot facing functional extinction by the end of this decade, FWCA is calling on conservation organisations and government agencies to reorient strategy around the predation evidence without delay. “If we keep letting anti-forestry sentiment dictate environmental policy, we aren’t just losing an industry – we are losing our biodiversity. By obsessing over harvesting and ignoring the science, we are effectively managing species into extinction,” Mr Dobbins said. “This isn’t just about the swift parrot; it’s about a fundamental need to reset how we protect all our forest-dwelling species. We must move past the ‘lock it up and leave it’ ideology and embrace active, evidence-based management that addresses the actual drivers of decline.”

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April At Wharf Gate (AWG) prices for export logs at New Zealand ports remained unchanged from March. Higher shipping costs for log exports were partially offset by increased CFR log prices in China, along with exporters absorbing a portion of the higher freight costs to maintain supply to enable vessel utilisation and meet existing shipping commitments. Softwood log inventories in China have risen slightly, as expected, following increased harvesting activity in New Zealand during March. Inventory levels are anticipated to decline due to a meaningful reduction in log supply from New Zealand. Harvesting activity is reducing in New Zealand due to weather and forest owners, managers, and contractors responding to rising fuel costs. The PF Olsen Log Price Index remains at NZ$122, which is NZ$2 above both the two-year and five-year averages. Domestic Log Market Usually log prices are locked in with domestic mills for at least each quarter. In many cases mills have agreed to around a NZ$3 per tonne increase for the higher grade structural and pruned logs. In most cases this price is agreed on month-by-month basis and will be reviewed according to the cost of fuel. The wood processing sector remains concerned about the impact of elevated construction costs on the viability of planned projects in New Zealand. While cost pressures have shown signs of stabilisation in some areas, uncertainty around future pricing, financing conditions, and overall demand continues to weigh on developer and builder confidence. This ongoing unpredictability is making it challenging for stakeholders to commit to new projects, contributing to a subdued pipeline of construction activity. The graph below shows a recovery in new dwelling consents through 2025, with annual consents increasing by approximately 9%. However, ready-mix concrete usage (an indicator of actual construction activity) declined by 4.6% in 2025 compared with 2024. This suggests a longer lag than usual between consent issuance and the commencement of physical construction. In addition, non-residential construction, which typically has a higher intensity of concrete use, continues to decline in both floor area and value. This helps explain the ongoing weakness in concrete volumes despite improving residential consent activity. Overall, this points to a two-speed recovery in New Zealand’s construction sector. Residential building, particularly townhouses and multi-unit developments, is expected to lead the upturn, while non-residential construction is likely to remain subdued in the near term due to persistent cost pressures and uncertainty around demand. China The CFR price for A-grade logs is currently in the USD 126–129 range. While exporters are offering around USD 131, the market has so far resisted breaking through the USD 130 threshold. Wholesale prices in China have remained relatively stable; however, emerging inflationary pressures, partly driven by higher oil prices, are beginning to surface. Softwood log inventories in China have increased slightly, as expected, reflecting higher harvest production in New Zealand during March. This period typically sees elevated output due to a full schedule of working days in March and favourable operating conditions before the onset of autumn weather. Much of this volume arrives in China in April. Harvest activity in New Zealand has since declined, influenced by several factors including adverse weather events, the Easter and Anzac holiday periods, and some forest owners scaling back production in response to rising costs, particularly fuel. The harvest activity will reduce further as woodlots are completed but the next woodlot owner is reluctant to start with uncertain costs. As a result, inventory levels in China are expected to ease in the coming weeks as reduced harvest volumes in New Zealand begin to constrain log supply. Daily log offtake is currently steady at around 55,000–60,000 m³ per day, following a short-lived increase in demand during the first half of April. China’s Caixin Manufacturing PMI edged up to 51.1 in March from 50.9 in February, indicating a modest but ongoing expansion in manufacturing activity. The improvement was supported by stronger output and an increase in new orders, suggesting some stabilisation in demand. However, business sentiment remains cautious, with continued weakness in the property sector and uncertainty in external demand weighing on confidence. India Labour shortages in sawmills at Gandhidham due to workers returning home for state assembly elections in April, resulted in reduced sawn timber production. This reduced supply resulted in shortages and increased prices. Labourers returning to Gandhidham after voting, may result in increased sawn timber production and decreased prices in May. The current prices of green sawn pine are (INR per CFT); USA Southern Yellow Pine – 681 NZ Radiata – 671 South American – 641 Approximately nine vessels with about 326,000 m3 pine logs have arrived in Kandla port during April. May log shipments are priced at CFR CQD Kandla USD 158 per m3 CBM, LC 159 days, for New Zealand pine logs ex Nelson and Port Chalmers, and the same price for Australian A logs. India expects increased diesel prices in May, which can increase production and logistics costs, and the INR has weakened against the USD by 2.4% in the last two weeks, adding pressure on the Indian importers. Ocean Freight Ocean freight costs have increased significantly due to increased fuel costs since the US war with Iran. Cost increases have stabilised, but there is still some upwards price pressure. Most New Zealand log exports are carried on Handysize vessels, which are not directly included in the BDI calculation, though broader freight cost trends can still exert indirect influence on this segment. Scott Downs is the General Manager Sales & Marketing for PF Olsen Limited

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