Forest Products Industry

In 2023 the FWPA-supported Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life entered an exciting new stage in its evolution with the appointment of its new Director, Professor Tripti Singh. Source: Timberbiz With more than 20 years of experience in managing collaborative, multi-million-dollar research programs, Professor Singh is a leading figure in wood protection research. She also has a long history with the Centre, having served on its international advisory committee since its launch in 2017. Operating out of the University of the Sunshine Coast, the mission of the Centre has always been to return Australia to the forefront of international best practice, underpinning consumer confidence in timber product performance. Since its establishment, it has made important inroads in working with industry to ensure Australia has access to the world’s leading research, building strong links between industry, academia and customers. As well as overseeing vital research projects of significant value to the sector, it continues to educate the next generation of durability scientists, boosting Australian research capacity. In the latest episode of FWPA’s WoodChat podcast series, listeners will hear from Professor Singh as she discusses her plans and vision for the future of the Centre, and how she’s found the first few months in her new role. “Taking over the leadership of such a vital centre for research into timber durability is a privilege, particularly during a time where so many opportunities existed for expanding timber use in Australia,” Prof. Singh said. “Industry collaboration on vital research projects will be key to ensuring the ongoing success of the centre. “At its core, I believe nurturing relationships with industry and strengthening linkages with re-search groups in the domestic and global durability community will help align centre research with industry needs and result in practical solutions ready for implementation in real-world settings.” Listeners will also hear from the lead researchers of two key projects currently being conduct-ed in collaboration with the centre. First up, Scott Kleinschmidt, Director at Australian Timber & Pest Research provides an update on his work in assessing the termite resistance of fast-grown plantation heartwood timber species. Meanwhile, Dr Pene Mitchell of the University of the Sunshine Coast discusses efforts to im-prove the environmental profile of treated timber by identifying appropriate alternative uses at end-of-life. This episode is the latest entry into the WoodChat canon which has evolved into a fascinating library of diverse information on vital forestry-related topics, neatly packaged in an engaging audio format. Other recent WoodChat episodes include a focus on work to protect Australia’s forests from the threat of exotic pests and diseases, and efforts to create a culture of smart manufacturing for wood products in Australia. Another recent entry is a two-part focus on the FWPA-supported ForestLearning education program for school children, covering everything from resources that utilise the latest technologies, to award wins, and outstanding feedback from kids and teachers. WoodChat is an example of FWPA’s ongoing commitment to harnessing a broad range of mod-ern communication methods to ensure the industry and community can easily access details of noteworthy developments in the sector. Each episode contains insights from leading industry experts on timely topics and exciting innovations relevant to the forestry and wood products space. You can listen to WoodChat on Soundcloud, iTunes and Spotify.

The Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW) has been ordered to pay a fine and legal costs totalling $104,000 after it illegally took down protected trees in a South Coast state forest. Source: About Regional A logging operation had taken place in March 2020 at Mogo State Forest, which is south of Batemans Bay. In 2022, the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) issued three $15,000 penalty infringement notices to FCNSW for allegedly felling hollow-bearing trees across three areas in the forest. The FCNSW challenged one of these notices in the Bega Local Court last year, before Magistrate Doug Dick handed down his decision in the Batemans Bay Local Court in December. Under the site-specific operating conditions that followed the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires, FCNSW was required to permanently retain all hollow-bearing trees to prevent the loss of habitat for hollow-dependent species, the EPA said. “Following the challenge, FCNSW was found guilty of the offence under the Forestry Act 2012 in Bega Local Court in November 2023,” the EPA said. “The magistrate was satisfied all four trees had visible hollows before they were cut down.” FCNSW was ordered to pay a fine of $20,000 as well as $84,340 to the EPA as legal costs. A spokesperson for the corporation said that during the operation, Forestry undertook searches and identified and preserved hundreds of hollow-bearing trees. “Forestry Corporation and the EPA had differing opinions as to whether the hollows in four trees were visible from the ground before they were felled,” the FCNSW spokesperson said. “Forestry Corporation is committed to complying with the ruleset and ensuring habitat is protected during its operations.” EPA executive director of regulatory operations Jason Gordon said the court’s decision supported the EPA’s position that the visibility of tree hollows must be assessed broadly and requires scrutiny from several angles. “All hollow-bearing trees, living or dead, are important because they provide vital habitat for endangered and native species,” he said. “They can take decades to naturally form and provide a necessary refuge for animals from the weather and predators, as well as safe sites for roosting and breeding. “Any decrease in the availability and variety of tree hollows can lead to a significant loss of species diversity and abundance.” Mr Gordon said the decision was a great result for the EPA and signified the care needed when conducting forestry operations to comply with conditions and ensure homes for wildlife were protected. Magistrate Dick also ordered FCNSW to publicise the orders made against it in media outlets to send a message of deterrence.  

Victorian residents who rely on firewood are being warned to brace for more shortages and higher prices in the coming winter. Source: Timberbiz General Manager for the Australian Forest Contractors Association Tim Lester said firewood users are facing limited supplies due to the closure of the native timber industry in Victoria and flooding in New South Wales. “Firewood supplies in Victoria have been impacted by the closure of commercial native timber harvesting from the state’s forests which officially came into effect on 1 January 2024 but which was restricted due to court-imposed injunctions since November 2022,” Mr Lester said. “And now timber businesses undertaking Community Forestry operations have been told that their activities in Victoria will cease by 5 February 2024, almost five months before the government’s revised deadline of 30 June 2024 and six years before the original deadline in 2030. Community Forestry was a key source of firewood for large parts of the state. “Industry has struggled to adjust in the face of these rapidly amended timelines, whether imposed by the government or through court actions. “But people who are just trying to heat their homes and stay warm, are also impacted here, particularly given the current cost of living crunch. “The Victorian Government’s own Better Health website says that moderate cold kills more Australians every year than extreme heat or extreme cold. The most vulnerable members of our society are the most at risk. “Wood heating is preferenced internationally for the use of renewable fuel, lower operating expenses, high quality heat and, with modern technology and standards, low emissions and al-most no smoke. “Meanwhile, a growing, regenerative and managed forest used as a resource for all its benefits including timber and firewood offers the best mitigation pathway for climate change according to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). “Last year Victoria saw an increase in the illegal collection of wood from parks and reserves, while firewood businesses were bringing in truck loads from as far away as northern NSW. “An approach of relying on someone else and somewhere else to meet our basic needs is inherently risky, as we now see with flooding in the redgum forests which will further disrupt and limit supplies. Victorian firewood users need to be prepared to pay more because the wood will now be coming from much further away if it comes at all.”

Shadow Forestry Minister Jono Duniam stated that the Federal Court decision was another vindication of a science-based and sustainable industry. Source: Timberbiz The Court rejected the claims brought by environmental groups that the North East New South Wales Regional Forest Agreement governing the industry is out of date and doesn’t take into account current environmental issues. These claims were dismissed, confirming this industry is world leading and its practices are conducted to the highest standard Minister Duniam said in a statement. In welcoming this decision, Shadow Forestry Minister Duniam said it provided a clear message from the Court to environmental groups that the facts and science stack up – native forestry is sustainable and should continue. He said that instead of repeated and vexatious attempts to shut down this industry and to interfere with decisions and laws made by the country’s parliaments, environmental groups would be better actually doing on-ground works, and conserving and repairing the environment, than clogging up our courts and wasting taxpayers’ money on green lawfare. This includes Labor’s taxpayer-funded Environmental Defenders Office, who were a party to this case.

  Several Gippsland hardwood timber processors have vowed to continue operating despite being barred from access to the region’s native forest. Source: Philip Hopkins LaTrobe Valley Express The chief executive of the Victorian Forest Products Association, Deb Kerr, said the start of 2024 marked the end of harvesting wood fibre from Victoria’s public forests, but not the end of Victoria’s sustainable native hardwood industry. “The Victorian government’s decision last May created chaos with some businesses across the native hardwood supply chain being forced to either close permanently or diversify their business,” she said. “However, a small number of processors will continue processing the native timbers that consumers love, sourcing this wood from private sources in Victoria, from other states and from overseas. Hardwood timbers are highly valued by consumers where appearance or durability are important purchase considerations, be it stairs, decks, windows, furniture, or external applications.” In Gippsland, Australian Sustainable Hardwoods (ASH) at Heyfield began importing hardwood timber from the US some time ago as the state government began restricting hardwood supplies from Gippsland forests. ASH, which employs more than 200 people, is going to import more US hardwoods to make up some of the shortfall. Radial Timber in Yarram will go into ‘survival mode’, sourcing what local plantation timber it can get until its own plantations grow. The company, which has been growing its own plantation estate for 18 years, had been relying on timber from VicForests for another six years. The Radial mill will run at 25% capacity in the intervening six-year period. The white paper line at Opal’s Maryvale Mill in the Latrobe Valley, which relied on native hardwood residues and woodchips, ceased production last year, throwing 150-200 people out of work, but the company will still require timber for its packaging production. Ms Kerr said she did not have full confirmation of how many mills had closed, but 11 mills in Victoria took compensation payments from the first round of exists before the May 2023 announcement that timber harvesting in native forests would close at the end of 2023. “Some of those closing have drying stocks of timber that will last between one-to-three years. The full effects won’t be realised until probably 2026,” she said. Ms Kerr said while the government had closed native forestry, Victoria’s forests still needed to be managed for the health and resilience of the forest. “The continued decline of Victoria’s native plants and animals is commensurate with the in-crease in the National Park estate – clearly this speaks volumes that the current management approaches do not work,” she said. “The Victorian government should use the start of this new era to radically change the way Victoria’s forests are managed for the next century – after all native forestry can no longer be blamed for the state of Victoria’s forest flora and fauna.” Ms Kerr said a recent CSIRO report showed that feral animals and invasive species were by far the biggest threat to forest fauna and flora. The report, conducted with the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, found that at least 100 unique native species had become extinct since European settlement, with three quarters due wholly or partly to invasive species. These included mammals, frogs, birds, and lizards. “Dozens more species are at high risk of extinction in the next 20 years, including mammals, birds and reptiles threatened by cats and foxes … and plants by pathogens and feral herbivores,” the report said. From 1960 to 2017, invasive species cost Australia at least $390 billion, with the current annual cost conservatively estimated to be about $25 billion. “It has increased up to six-fold every decade. Weeds cost agriculture at least $5 billion a year,” the report said.