Have your say on the future of our forests: Dimopoulos
Victorians have a landmark opportunity to help design the future of the state’s public land estate – which now includes more than 1.8 million hectares of forest previously used for timber harvesting. To inform the future use and management of Victoria’s forest estate the Allan Labor Government has established the Great Outdoors Taskforce…
Minister approves new koala management plan for timber plantations on KI: Close
Harvesting of Tasmanian blue gums on Kangaroo Island can now resume after the State Government approved a new koala management plan submitted by timber company, AAG Investment Management (AAGIM). Regulations introduced by the Government following the release of footage showing koalas being killed and injured within the plantations mean timber companies on the island cannot fell blue gum plantations without an approved koala management plan.
Building opportunities for East Gippsland timber workers: Spence
Newmerella-based businesses Dahlsens Steel Truss and Frame and partners Built QA have received a $500,000 Forestry Transition Fund grant to expand their operations and directly employ up to 16 local native timber workers. The business has begun employing former sawmill workers, with the grant supporting new roles in steel truss and frame manufacturing, fabrication, labouring and administration.
Celebrating International Day of Forests 2024: VFPA
“Under the bark of trees are powerful solutions”. This year’s International Day of Forests celebrates the role of trees in providing powerful solutions for a better world.
More Opal jobs to go
About 40 salaried jobs at the Maryvale Mill will be gone by June as Opal moves to slash further positions across the company in a bid to stabilise its financial performance. The 40 are believed to be among about 220 salaried company-wide employees who will be made redundant, adding to the more than 300 workers who lost their jobs when Maryvale's white paper production plant was closed late last year.
Setting the record straight – yet again: VicForests
Monique Dawson. Recent public commentary about the closure of VicForests has included numerous false and misleading claims. VicForests knows there are individuals and organisations who are opposed to native timber harvesting who will be celebrating VicForests’ closure ... The most offensive category of false claims being made is the suggestion VicForests is “rogue” or a “cowboy agency”.
A cruel silence on VicForests shutdown
VicForests, the Victorian Government’s own forestry agency, is being treated deplorably as it braces for a June 30 shutdown ... Peter Walsh, Leader of The Nationals, said it seemed the government was intent on wiping VicForests from the history books.
Caboolture Sawmill Expansion Project complete: King, Chisholm
The Caboolture Sawmill Expansion Project is now complete, which will support an internationally competitive sawmilling business for the Sunshine Coast gateway region ... As a result of the project, the site has doubled its production capacity and is currently processing 370,000m3 of locally-grown sawlog.
Mill jobs likely to be lost amid transition
More jobs are likely to be lost at the Maryvale Paper Mill, where more than 300 workers have already been made redundant as the parent company Opal continues a major shutdown to transition to a packaging paper manufacturer. White paper production - the well-known Reflex copy paper brand - ceased before Christmas, 2023. "This unfortunate situation has led to more than 300 redundancies to-date at Opal," a company spokeswoman said.
Lessons from Tumut and Tumbarumba salvage success shared with timber industry: FCNSW
Effective collaboration across the timber industry and learning the lessons from past fire salvage efforts have been highlighted as key factors underpinning the success of the record salvage program in the Tumut and Tumbarumba regions following the Black Summer fires in a report commissioned by Forestry Corporation of NSW.
New release – Dryandra Forest – a silvicultural history
Roger Underwood. There was an unusual event in Dryandra Forest in Western Australia in November 2023: a commemoration of 100 years of forestry management. At a large gathering in the forest, beneath the shade of a 100-year-old brown mallet plantation, speeches were made, a plaque unveiled, and this book on the history of the forest was launched.
Common-sense prevails in Federal Court decision on Regional Forest Agreements: Forestry Australia
Forestry Australia President Dr Michelle Freeman has today welcomed the Federal Court’s decision to uphold a Regional Forest Agreement in New South Wales ... “Forest managers, growers, scientists and workers will breathe a sigh of relief that the challenge by the North East Forest Alliance to the Regional Forest Agreement covering North Coast NSW native timber harvesting operations has been dismissed."
New era for hardwood timbers and Victoria’s forests: VFPA
“ .. 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 ... While the Government has ceased native forestry, Victoria’s forests still need to be managed for the health and resilience of the forest": Ms Deb Kerr, CEO of the Victorian Forest Products Association.
End of an era for timber harvesting
Gippsland's hardwood industry is now largely gone, with harvesting of timber from native forests on Crown land no longer permitted. Gippsland's native forest is part of the vast swathe of forest that stretches along the Great Dividing Range from the Dandenongs to behind Brisbane. It’s integral to Australia having the seventh biggest forest estate in the world ...
Forests, fires and burns – still no consensus
Is this really how harvested forests are left? Australian Rural & Regional News looks into recent statements that highlight continuing conflicting and confusing information in the public domain about connections between forestry operations and bushfires and whether prescribed burns reduce bushfire risk.
Green construction pledge: Jack Bradshaw
Jack Bradshaw. Australia, along with 16 other countries, has recently committed to the “Initiative for Greening Construction with Sustainable Wood” at COP28 in Dubai ... How will Australia support this initiative with insufficient forest resources to service even the present demand?
Here to stay
Victoria’s native forest industry officially closes at the end of the month, but Radial Timber in Yarram is going nowhere ... it’s in survival mode. “We’re looking to source what local plantation material we can get – we’ve got two signed up at the moment and one should be starting to harvest,” said Radial’s managing director, Chris McEvoy ... Radial will concentrate on its new peeling plant and its bioenergy plant, which operates by pyrolysis.
Broken promise leads to paltry payout
The Victorian government’s support package to stranded native timber workers, announced on Friday, is a final slap in the face to an industry on death row, according to Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Emma Kealy ... "Industry leaders confirm that in effect haulage operators will be offered just 50 cents in the dollar for the next year and harvesting contractors 30 cents in the dollar for the remaining term of their contract, some of which conclude as soon as mid- 2024. This does not offer the length of security they deserve," Ms Kealy said.
New forestry initiative to create workforce opportunities
A new State Government-funded initiative will support the Limestone Coast timber and forestry sectors to address current skill gap shortages and develop the ‘workforce of the future’. Minister for Education, Skills & Training Blair Boyer officially opened the Mount Gambier Skills Centre this week, which will have a specific focus on timber and forestry, with an accompanying field-based role working directly with industry.
Calls to rethink timber closure
Dahlsens is one of more than 40 Gippsland and Victorian businesses connected to the forestry sector who have written a letter to the Premier, Jacinta Allan, urging a rethink of the policy to close the native forest industry, arguing the decision has several direct and perverse unintended consequences. The businesses represent all aspects of the forestry supply chain, from contractors through to sawmills, processors, retailers and furniture manufacturers, and have 40,000 voting members.
FOI provided no real information on native forestry
Page after page of blacked-out documents and no real information - that was the result of Wellington Shire Council's attempts over almost four years to find out why state government decided to close the native forest industry ... "After almost four years, interventions by the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC) and considerable investment, a heavily redacted document was finally received": Cr Ian Bye, Wellington Shire Mayor.
Sawmill closure hits hard
Walkers’ timber mill in Corryong powered down for the last time on Monday, putting 24 employees out of work and severely impacting the local economy ... It is the end of an era for the mill after 87 years of operation under three generations of the family.
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