Forestry

Members of the South East Timber Association respectfully disagree with many of the assertions made by David Lindenmayer and have a few observations and questions relating to Professor Lindenmayer’s opinion. Kosciuszko State Park was established in 1944. Areas of the original dedication, now in Kosciuszko National Park (KNP), were either never harvested or last harvested more than 80 years ago ...

"A healthy working forest where native species can flourish, and where local communities can connect and co-manage the forest for future generations" ... Over the past few months, various locations within the KP Forest have been sampled for native and exotic fish abundance and biomass, as part of the annual monitoring program. This sampling has involved a combination of fyke netting...

Professor Lindenmayer responds to Robert Onfray's article, "Debunking false claims about bushfire risk and native logging in Australia" by contending that logging does indeed increase the risk of high severity wildfires, and the evidence for this worrying narrative comes from work by many scientists across Australia and in fact around the world.

Millari Group Australia has entered into a sale and purchase agreement to acquire 100 per cent of JUKEN Gisborne, NZ Facilities, including LVL and Plywood manufacturing lines and Sawmill ... ARR.News asked Millari Group some questions about the acquisition, including opportunities for the Australian industry.

Nine fire specialists from Forestry Corporation have deployed to Victorian firefronts as part of an interstate NSW firefighting contingency ... “Our firefighters are highly skilled and experienced in Australian bushland firefighting and are always ready to lend a hand in regional NSW or further afield": Rebel Talbert, FCNSW’s Senior Manager Fire and Natural Hazards.

The report of the Select Committee on Matters Relating to the Timber Industry in the Limestone Coast and Other Regions of South Australia has been tabled in Parliament, after 5 years of evidence over two parliamentary sessions ... The committee published 17 recommendations covering aspects of the industry from transparency, infrastructure investment through to industry productivity innovations and the importance of water security.

On the first anniversary of the Victorian state government’s closure of Gippsland’s native forest industry, France’s rebuilt historic Notre-Dame Cathedral has been completed in all its glory – and French timber was at the heart of this historic project. The oak hardwood timber used came from trees in French forests between 80-150 years old, with some more than 200-years-old.

A pilot international exchange program between Canada, the UK, New Zealand and Australia has been developed to offer participants an opportunity to gain diverse perspectives as well as foster personal and professional growth ... “The pilot international exchange program offers a unique opportunity for emerging leaders in forestry and forest management to participate in a 3-month paid international work placement,” Ms Martin said.

Robert Onfray critiques claims that native forest logging in Australia contributes significantly to increased bushfire risk. Some academics championed this idea, purporting to follow the scientific method, but often their work lacks scientific rigour. These claims have misled the public, skewing the debate around forest management, fire prevention, and the ecological role of logging.

With less than a quarter of the SA Murray Mallee region’s original vegetation remaining, funding from AstraZeneca’s global AZ Forest initiative is supporting large-scale restoration of this priority area. Two properties in the SA Murray Mallee received free trees in 2024 ... ARR.News asked about fire mitigation.

In August 2024, the NSW Government announced the appointment of an expert panel to lead consultation on a Forestry Industry Action Plan. The final report of the Independent Forestry Panel has been provided to the NSW Government. Whether the report will be made publicly available and the shape of the future Forestry Industry Action Plan is a matter for the Government.

Labor Government’s Environment Minister Penny Sharp’s tenuous grip on scientific truth has finally been broken. Now allowing real, scientific based research to reveal what political agendas have long suppressed in the fight over koala populations and sustainable forestry in NSW.    

Roger Underwood. I had an email from a Queensland mate the other day. “I recently took a train trip from Brisbane to Charleville” he told me, “and there were huge piles of concrete sleepers beside the line to the Toowoomba Range and elsewhere.” I knew exactly what he was talking about. In September 2024 I travelled by train from Perth to Adelaide, from Ballarat to Melbourne and from Melbourne to Sydney. Alongside every railway line along this trip were piles of “used” concrete sleepers.

The transcript of proceedings of the Independent Forestry Panel in teleconference with the Independent Koala Expert Panel on 1 November 2024 has been released. The Forestry Panel will oversee the destruction of sustainable forestry in NSW to 'save’ koalas.

Scott O’Keeffe. Around 15 years ago, people living in the Maleny area of Southeast Queensland noticed a decline in the health of some large mature bunya pines (Araucaria bidwillii). The crowns of the trees began turning brown, quickly followed by foliage well below the crown. Within a short time, all foliage would be shed, branches cast, and the affected tree would be dead ... Araucarian Dieback (AD) is on the move.

Forestry Australia has welcomed a new study published in  Australian Forestry  peer-reviewed journal by the former chief research scientist at the CSIRO, Dr John Raison. The paper, titled "A review of the impacts of sustainable harvesting, non-harvest management and wildfire on net carbon emissions from Australian native forests", investigates the science behind claims that timber harvesting increases greenhouse gas emissions.

Nationals MPs are urging the Premier to immediately intervene and pause the assessment process for the Great Koala National Park, until claims of serious conflicts of interest are investigated. NSW Nationals Leader Dugald Saunders, Shadow Minister for the North Coast Gurmesh Singh, Member for Clarence Richie Williamson, and Member for Oxley Michael Kemp made the calls in a letter sent to Chris Minns on Thursday.

Vic Jurskis. No matter what the cost of the Great Koala National Park it’s a scam and NSW’s Environment Minister has real numbers which prove it. Unfortunately, the numbers will no longer be politically dangerous once the Park has been legislated and the renewable timber industry has been destroyed to appease the Greens.

The Western Bundjalung community’s Ngullingah Jugun Aboriginal Corporation is working with Forestry Corporation to bring together knowledge of cultural burning with government bushfire management. A fire training course has been held in Jubullum Village, near Tabulam … the fire training will improve both the community and government response to wildfires.

“All the Bureau of Meteorology’s predictors in the western part of Victoria are showing a drier than usual lead up to the fire season , with soil moisture low, and a high fuel load ringing alarm bells for the next few months,” said Andrew White, CEO of the Victorian Forest Products Association.