Forestry

Environment Minister Leanne Linard has announced 54,000 hectares of greater glider habitat in South East Queensland state forest will be transitioned to a new natural capital tenure ... Of the 54,000 hectares, 7,500 hectares are set to be placed into Natural Capital Reserve as a potential strategic advance offset for the critical Borumba Pumped Hydro project.

Acting President of Forestry Australia Dr Bill Jackson says the paper answers questions around active management - and how it relates to forest management - by stating that active management is principally about human engagement in shaping forests and is  deliberate tending of forests by humans for diverse purposes and goals relating to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services and function including resilience.

“For too long successive governments have handed a timber or forest industry plan to the industry without any consultation with those businesses and people who effectively live and breathe it every day” said Maree McCaskill CEO of Timber NSW. “The Minns government is demonstrating willingness to listen and consult with those most impacted by any change and we welcome that opportunity.”

The NSW Government is today announcing the appointment of an expert panel to lead consultation on a Forestry Industry Action Plan, which will outline the path NSW will take to ensure a sustainable timber industry that aligns with the government’s key environmental priorities. The Independent Forestry Panel will be chaired by Peter Duncan AM who has more than 40 years’ experience in primary industries, infrastructure and regional NSW.

A rare Coastal Emu nest, containing nine eggs, has been discovered by Forestry Corporation staff in a State forest on the North Coast, giving hope to the future of the endangered population. The discovery near Grafton was made by Forestry Corporation Lead Forestry Officer Kurt Holzhauser during a broad area habitat search for threatened and endangered species.

In view of the Australian Koala Foundation's march in Canberra planned for 1 September 2024, and its advocacy for a federal "Koala Protection Act", Australian Rural & Regional News felt it timely to ask some questions on koala matters and maybe even start up a useful, and very probably robust discussion ... ARR.News approached Dr Brad Law, Vic Jurskis and then Deborah Tabart OAM and the AKF for their response to questions ...

The Albanese Labor Government is continuing to strengthen our illegal logging regime with the Illegal Logging Prohibition Amendment (Strengthening Measures to Prevent Illegal Timber Trade) Bill 2024 currently before the Senate.  This legislation will be supported by new rules to replace the current Illegal Logging Prohibition Regulation 2012 when it expires on 1 April 2025 which are now open for comment.  

Forestry Australia is leading an Australian initiative to expand Australia’s carbon credits across all native forest tenures, including State forests, private native forests, forests managed by Traditional Owners, national parks and conservation reserves. The Forestry Australia  ‘Enhancing Native Forest Resilience’  proposal is a forest-sector-led submission to the Australian Government’s Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee EOI process for Australian Carbon Credits Units (ACCU) Scheme methods.

The Softwoods Working Group has engaged major stakeholders to develop a strategy to safeguard the softwood forestry industry in the Murray Region Hub ahead of the upcoming bushfire season. A $13M forestry funding package from the NSW government is aimed at protecting essential timber supplies in the region and will support key fire prevention, detection and response initiatives.

Four fire specialists from Forestry Corporation are serving as part of a New South Wales deployment of firefighters assisting authorities in Canada to tackle the country’s wildfires.  A contingent of firefighters and incident management specialists have departed for Canada after AFAC, the National Council for Fire and Emergency Services received a request for assistance from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.  

The Howitt Society has condemned the state government for not including bushfire expertise on the panel that is investigating the future of Gippsland's native forest ... The Howitt Society's bushfire fears come as a cross-section of bush users, miners and prospectors are rebelling against the possibility that several hundred thousand extra hectares of forest could be included in a Great Forest National Park.

ABARES has expanded the Farmland Price Indicator to include a new series of experimental estimates by farmland type. Users can now access and download specific information for beef, dairy, cropping, forestry, orchard and even hobby farmland type via the ABARES Farmland Price Indicator dashboard.

A decision by an electricity network which covers more than 90 per cent of the state to phase out hardwood power poles in favour of composite poles made from resin and fibreglass has sparked community concerns amidst allegations the transition will increase power bills, further exacerbating financial pressures during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, as well as compromise the timber industry.

South Australian-sourced timber will form the backbone of two of the state’s new technical colleges – simultaneously reducing the carbon impact of the construction work and supporting the state’s $3 billion forestry industry ... new technical colleges at Tonsley and Mount Gambier will both be constructed with timber sourced from Timberlink Australia’s new $70 million NeXTimber manufacturing facility at Tarpeena in the state’s south east.

Wayne Hawthorne. “Out of sight, out of mind” it is said, yet this idiom can be transformed to “seeing is believing” when visiting museums ... Naracoorte Men’s Probus Club members recently visited two lesser-known gems of the South East. The Nangwarry Forestry Museum and the Kalangadoo Railway Station Museum.

Jack Bradshaw. Having killed off the native forest timber industry by edict, the WA government is now taking the next step to cement its hypocrisy in legislation. Reece Whitby, the Minister for the Environment has recently introduced an amendment to the Conservation and Land Management Act 1984 (WA) to “lock in this Labor government’s historic decision to stop the unsustainable practice of commercial native logging”.

A recent collaborative training exercise between CFA and Hancock Victorian Plantations (HVP) has been hailed as a success following an enforced break because of the pandemic. The Shelley Burn Camp is unique because it occurs in one of the highest locations in the state and is home to extensive pine plantations managed by HVP.

Production in Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors remains on track to be the third highest on record in 2024-25, supported by an improved seasonal outlook ... Executive Director of ABARES Dr Jared Greenville said this quarter’s Agricultural Commodities and Australian Crop Report show an expected improvement in agriculture following drier conditions seen in 2023-24.

Forestry Corporation has embarked on a seed collection program to safeguard some of the most iconic forests in New South Wales. The giant eucalypt forests of the NSW high country dominated by Alpine Ash were severely impacted by the Black Summer bushfires.