Forestry

A peer-reviewed study concludes that predation by an introduced species is the primary driver of swift parrot decline, and that conservation strategy needs to catch up with that reality. TTV ... says a new peer-reviewed study vindicates what the forestry sector has long argued: that native forest harvesting is not the primary cause of swift parrot decline…

Forest and Wood Communities Australia has welcomed the publication of a major peer-reviewed scientific review that concludes Australia's native forests can be sustainably managed for timber production while protecting biodiversity, carbon values, water resources and other environmental outcomes.

Following a record year in 2025-26, ABARES is forecasting the value of agricultural production to fall by 5 per cent to $98.3 billion in 2026-27, ($104.5 billion when fisheries and forestry are included). Agricultural export value is expected to fall, down $7 billion to $74.8 billion in 2026–?27 ($79.3 billion including fisheries and forestry exports). 

The peak body for Tasmanian farmers has released its Rushy Lagoon Land Use North-East Community Impact Survey. TasFarmers said it had received concerns from numerous members regarding the proposed sale of Rushy Lagoon, and federal government support allowing a foreign-owned entity to purchase the property and convert it to a pine plantation.

Public claims that timber harvesting increases bushfire risk are based on narrow and contested evidence, and should not be generalised across Australia's diverse forests, according to a new evidence review released by Forestry Australia. The review, Contested Evidence About Timber Harvesting and Bushfire Risk in Australian Landscapes, examines claims that timber harvesting increases forest flammability and bushfire risk.

Renowned environmentalist Bob Brown made his ‘little bit' of contribution recently to preventing ‘pyromaniacs' from burning a national treasure – the Walpole-Nornalup National Park tingle forests. He joined the Tingle Action Group and WA Forest Alliance to see both the beauty of long-unburnt tingle forest, thriving as it has for centuries, and the impact of prescribed burning, which has felled hundreds of ancient tingle trees.

The month of May marks the approaching end of the fiscal year for many businesses and a rush to find receipts and finalise financials, but for one Tiwi Islands organisation, the focus is firmly on planting for the future. Tiwi Plantations Corporation - based 80 kilometres north of Darwin on the Tiwi Islands - has released the Tiwi Forestry Workforce Plan 2026–2030...

TTV met with six parties yesterday, calling for pre-election commitments on three policies, one of which proves technology that has already detected 90 unplanned fires across Victoria in two seasons.

South Australia’s $16 million Forestry Centre of Excellence is now complete, putting Mount Gambier on the international map of forestry research, innovation and collaboration. The centre is a key project of the Malinauskas Labor Government in its long-term commitment to deliver stronger forest and timber industries for South Australia.

Join us at the upcoming webinar exploring the Australian Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Sector Energy Transition Roadmap. Recently published and co?designed with industry, the Roadmap sets out a coordinated and practical pathway for the sector to reduce its reliance on diesel.

Australia’s primary producers have new guidance to navigate the shift in energy systems, with national research outlining both the challenges ahead and the practical pathways available. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Energy Transition Roadmap (2026–2036), released by AgriFutures Australia, provides a system-wide view of how agriculture, fisheries and forestry can adapt to changing energy markets and technologies while maintaining productivity.

A ground-breaking artificial intelligence (AI) system has detected almost 90 unplanned fires since it was rolled out across more than a million hectares in South Australia, helping firefighters coordinate earlier bushfire responses.

FWCA Chair Steve Dobbyns warns hidden cost pressures are overwhelming regional industries. Forest & Wood Communities Australia (FWCA) is warning that recent fuel relief measures are failing to deliver meaningful impact for regional industries, as underlying diesel costs continue to rise sharply across the supply chain.

Timber Towns Victoria (TTV) the peak body representing the local councils whose communities depend on forest industries, has condemned the Federal Government’s decision to list Alpine Ash and White Ash forests as endangered, warning the listing rewards ideology over evidence and risks making the forest management that these ecosystems most urgently need harder, slower, and more dangerous.

Leading scientists have issued a dire warning that the widespread death of a key eucalypt species in Australian ecosystems could be imminent, due to global heating. Scientists from eminent institutions recently gathered at the Snow Gum Summit in Jindabyne to discuss combating the loss of an iconic tree of the Australian Alps, the Snow Gum.

Dr Brookhouse and the Snow Gum Summiteers (Snow gum dieback raises fears for largest river system) should look at the history and basic ecology of chronic eucalypt decline or so-called dieback ... Pests, parasites and diseases are symptoms and contributors, not causes of chronic eucalypt decline ... Chronic decline of eucalypts is not a consequence of climate change.

New research has revealed past land clearing is increasing the vulnerability of native Australian forests to the invasive myrtle rust disease — with regrowth forests emerging as hotspots for impact.

The world’s first glue laminated timber made from Australian Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus), processed in Warrnambool, Victoria, has been unveiled at Mount Gambier’s new Forestry Centre of Excellence, marking a major breakthrough for plantation forestry and the communities that depend on it.

Australia’s cotton industry ... celebrating its contribution to the milestone set to be reached by Australian agriculture this year, with gross production value to exceed $100 billion – four years ahead of the 2030 target.

Australian agriculture is set to reach a record $101.4 billion in grosspproduction value in 2025-26 before easing in 2026–27, with both prices and output expected to soften. ABARES is forecasting combined agriculture, fisheries and forestry value to top $107.4 billion in 2025-26 – also a record - underscoring the strength of Australia’s primary industries. 

Australian agriculture is growing, adaptable, more productive, and well placed to take advantage of the transition to net zero, according to the latest ABARES Snapshot of Australian Agriculture 2026 Insights paper.