Timber

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 was released on Friday 20 December, at the end of the last working week before Christmas. The Forestry Panel will oversee the destruction of sustainable forestry in NSW to ‘save’ koalas.

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.

A captivating chapter of Tasmania's industrial heritage - a story of history, engineering, and environmental stewardship that celebrates innovation and resilience in Tasmania's wild west ...The story culminates with the remarkable Lake Margaret Hydroelectric Power Scheme - a testament to ingenuity and the enduring legacy of wooden pipelines.

“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.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has completed a timber testing trial investigating the best ways to implement technologies verifying claims of species and harvest origin of regulated timber and timber products ... Deputy Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Policy Matt Lowe said globally, it has been estimated that about 15-30 per cent of all wood traded is a product of illegal logging and illicit wood.

The ABARES National Wood Processing Survey 2021–22 shows that in 2021-22 there were a total of 252 mills operating. This is a fall of 47 mills since 2016-17, continuing a downward trend in the number of sawmills operating over the past 30 years.

Virtual reality is set to revolutionise Australia’s $24 billion forestry industry by training workers risk-free, remotely, and much faster. A VR immersive training tool developed by the University of South Australia with the support of the Green Triangle Forest Industry Hub is also expected to save the industry millions of dollars in the long term.

Peter Walsh MP. All roads led to Barmah at the weekend as hundreds of people scrambled for access to hundreds of tonnes of flood-damaged fallen trees rescued for use as firewood. Coming out of the Barmah Forest, the wood was originally pushed into 70 large piles and was going to be burnt by Parks Victoria staff.

Dr Gary Bacon AM. Rare it is to have a definitive historical date and place for the discovery of a natural renewable resource that is the foundation of an industry which prospers to the present day. Tuesday 21 September 1824 is that note-worthy date and we have a precise record of that discovery on the banks of the Brisbane River.

Gavin Butcher. Forest sustainability has taken on different meanings in Western Australia – changing depending on the audience. In one corner the Minister for Forestry, Jackie Jarvis, has repeatedly claimed the closure of the native forest industry was necessary because it was unsustainable. In the other corner is Stuart West, the General Manager of the Minister’s agency, the Forest Products Commission, overseeing harvesting operations in the jarrah and karri forests which have been independently certified as being sustainable.

The State Government will invest $250,000, in partnership with the South Australian Forest Products Association (SAFPA) to launch a new forest and timber industries career campaign, titled ‘This Is Wood Work’. Wood Work is a powerful tool promoting the broad diversity of career pathways and job options within the forest and timber industries...

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.

“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.

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. 

With the introduction of several new attractions including a competitive chainsaw competition and a bullock team, the 2024 Glenreagh Timber Festival attracted more than 6500 attendees to the Glenreagh Recreational Grounds ... families of all ages enjoyed themselves as they celebrated the rich heritage of the rural village.

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.