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WA’s Department of Water and Environmental Regulation is managing the delivery of the WA Tree Recovery Program, working closely with residents, local governments and the Perth Zoo to replant trees lost from the effects of Polyphagous shot-hole borer (PSHB). Source: Timberbiz To support the replacement of lost trees, $7.2 million in WA Government funding over four years has been made available for replanting initiatives by local governments, residents and the Perth Zoo. The program will provide funding to local governments impacted by PSHB through round 1 of the Local Government Grant Program, which closed on 7 July 2025. Applicants will be advised on the outcome of applications week commencing 8 September 2025. Currently, the WA Tree Recovery Program is offering rebates to residents who buy a tree to replace one lost as a result of PSHB. It’s as easy as One, Two, Tree. West Australian residents impacted by tree loss as a result of Polyphagous shot-hole borer (PSHB) can now access a rebate of up to $150 for every tree replanted. PSHB, a tiny beetle that digs deep into the trunks, stems and branches of trees and plants, has been impacting trees across Perth in recent years. The State Government is committed to strengthening Perth’s urban canopy for the future. Eligible Western Australian landowners can now claim up to $150 for every tree removed by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) as a result of PSHB. Tree planting establishment items can also be included in this $150 claim. Eligible establishment items include soil, soil improver, fertiliser, mulch, soil wetting agent, tree support stakes and guards and additional eligible trees. Residential rebate program is open to Western Australians who have had a tree removed from their property under DPIRD authorisation due to PSHB. To receive the rebate you must ensure: Your replacement tree’s canopy must reach at least three metres in height when mature. Your replacement tree must not be a box elder maple (Acer negundo), coral tree (Erythrina x sykesii), or a robinia (Robinia pseudoacacia, also known as mop top robinia or black locust). These tree species are extremely susceptible to PSHB and increase the risk of infestation to surrounding trees. You have a photo of the plant label showing the tree’s scientific or common name to submit in your claim. You purchase your tree and any establishment items in one transaction and ensure you get a tax invoice as proof of purchase. You will need a valid tax invoice to claim your rebate. The national biosecurity response to PSHB has transitioned to a management phase following a decision by the National Management Group that it is no longer technically feasible to eradicate the pest. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is leading the transition to management in WA to minimise the impact of shot-hole borer on Perth’s tree canopy and help protect the State’s horticultural industries. Over the next 18 months, DPIRD will work with industry, community and local government partners to build capacity to manage the pest.

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From the forest to finished products, Tasmania’s forest and timber industries came together on Friday night to celebrate the outstanding achievements of individuals and organisations at the 2025 Tasmanian Timber Awards. Source: Timberbiz Hosted by the Tasmanian Forests and Forest Products Network (TFFPN), the biennial event drew 250 guests to the Tailrace Centre in Launceston to recognise excellence across the sector, from harvesting and forest management to innovation, sustainability, design, safety and tree farming. Deputy Premier Guy Barnett set the tone for the evening, championing the industry with his message that “wood is good – sustainable, recyclable, and the ultimate renewable”. TFFPN Board Director Dr Louise Wallis said the Awards were a proud moment for the industry. “It’s always a great moment to bring everyone together and recognise the diversity cross the forest and timber products sector,” she said. “These awards highlight the breadth of our industry – from growing and managing forests, through to fire management, harvesting, processing, innovation, design and safety. “By coincidence, this year’s outstanding and emerging leaders both came from the transport side of the industry – one through innovative engineering and manufacturing, the other through logistics. What stood out for me was their quiet leadership and generosity, always supporting their peers and helping to lift the whole industry.” Among the winners was Francis Richardson of Orana Enterprises, named Emerging Leader in the Tasmanian Timber Industry for his drive to improve innovation and efficiency in timber transport. Trainee of the Year went to Melody Reihana of Sustainable Timber Tasmania, whose passion and commitment to sustainable forestry have quickly marked her as a future industry leader. The Innovation Award was presented to Sustainable Timber Tasmania and Indicium Dynamics for Fire Foresight, Tasmania’s first end-to-end digital bushfire detection and alerting system. The night’s highest honour was awarded to Graeme Elphinstone of Elphinstone Engineering, who received the Outstanding Contribution to the Tasmanian Timber Industry Award in recognition of more than 50 years of innovation, leadership, and service. A true pioneer, Mr Elphinstone transformed timber transport with designs that set new global benchmarks for safety and efficiency, including Australia’s first on-vehicle weighing system, the folding pole jinker, and the EasySteer suspension system. Equally respected for his commitment to people and place, he kept his operations in Triabunna through industry downturns, safeguarding local jobs and mentoring future generations of timber professionals. Internationally renowned for his engineering achievements, he is admired at home for his integrity, generosity, and lifelong dedication to strengthening both his community and the industry. It was a big week of recognition for Mr Elphinstone, who was also elected to the Shell Rimula National Road Transport Wall of Fame. “Receiving the Outstanding Contribution Award was almost overwhelming. You put in the work over many years without expecting recognition, and then to hear such genuine, positive comments from across the sector is incredibly humbling. This acknowledgement means a great deal,” Mr Elphinstone said. “What I love most is seeing young people come into the sector and make their mark. I often say there are only two reasons you leave us – either you’re not quite where you need to be, or you’re moving on to better yourself. “Watching the next generation take those opportunities and shape the future is what keeps me inspired.” The Awards highlighted not only individual excellence, but the strength, resilience and collaboration that underpins Tasmania’s forest and timber products industries. 2025 Tasmanian Timber Awards Winners Emerging Leader in the Tasmanian Timber Industry Winner: Francis Richardson, Orana Enterprises Excellence in Design and/or Use of Tasmanian Timber Winner: Align Architecture & Interiors, and Saxon Hall Architecture Timber Processing Excellence Winner: Britton Timbers Excellence in Environmental Management Practices Winner: Dydee Mann Forest Growing and Management Excellence Winner: Forico Harvesting Excellence Winner: Midway and their contractors Innovation Award Winner: Sustainable Timber Tasmania & Indicium Dynamics Outstanding Contribution to the Tasmanian Timber Industry Winner: Graeme Elphinstone, Elphinstone Engineering Trainee of the Year Winner: Melody Reihana, Sustainable Timber Tasmania Tree Grower of the Year Winner: Malcolm Larner Workplace Health and Safety Excellence Winner: Forico.

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The Australian Workers’ Union and the Timber, Furnishing & Textiles Union have joined forces to condemn the NSW Government’s announcement to lock up an additional 176,000 hectares of working forest to establish a Great Koala National Park. Source: Timberbiz The unions say the area – some five times larger than the 37,000 hectares recommended by the Government’s own Industry Advisory Panel – will devastate regional communities, cost hundreds of jobs and risk thousands more across the state’s $3 billion hardwood timber industry. AWU NSW Secretary Tony Callinan said the Government’s decision represents a betrayal of working families and regional communities that have sustainably managed these forests for generations. “(Minister for the Environment, Penny Sharpe) has chosen to ignore the government’s own expert panel’s advice and to bow to an irrational, deep green ideological agenda that will gut regional towns on the NSW mid north coast,” Mr Callinan said. “The Industry Advisory Panel, which the Government itself established, recommended 37,000 hectares as a balanced approach that would protect koalas while preserving jobs. Instead, the Government has gone nearly five times larger, showing complete disregard for the workers and communities who will pay the price for this decision. “The latest CSIRO research shows koala numbers in NSW are stable and thriving. This fundamentally undermines the Government’s justification for such an extreme expansion,” TFTU NSW Secretary Alison Rudman said every timber worker’s pay cheque flowed directly into small regional economies. “When you kill the timber industry, you kill the towns. Businesses close, schools lose students, health services withdraw, and entire communities wither away. We’ve seen it happen before, yet the government seems determined to repeat those mistakes,” he said. “This is political expediency at its worst. The environment minister as the leader of the government in the Upper House has opted for a cynical trade-off over good jobs, good science, and good policy. “The Government’s own consultation process found timber workers in the region earn, on average, twice as much as those in tourism. No family can absorb a 50% pay cut in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, and let’s be clear, there are no real alternative jobs waiting for these workers.” Mr Callinan said the decision was not about being pro or anti koala. “We all want to see koalas thrive. What we’re against is the unnecessary destruction of an entire industry and the communities it supports when there is a science-based option that achieves both conservation and a viable timber industry,” he said “Forestry Corporation has a good track record of managing large areas of public land in NSW, including managing the bush risk. Without a forestry industry we are concerned that that the risk of catastrophic wildfires that kill all wildlife, including koalas will be increased.” While maintaining the decision should be reversed, the unions have presented the NSW Government with a comprehensive package of minimum requirements for any workers displaced by the park’s establishment. “It is lunacy to kill these jobs, but if the government is determined to do so our unions intend to do everything we can to ensure that the displaced workers are compensated fairly and assisted to gain alternate jobs,” Mr Callinan said.

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The announcement of the decision to create a full-size Great Koala National Park on the Mid North Coast of NSW is a missed opportunity to maintain a sustainable timber industry and a stable koala population, according to the Australian Forest Contractors Association. Instead, the AFCA says, one is being decimated while the other is built on little more than hope. Source: Timberbiz After a 14-month assessment process which included seeking input from industry and a further 9 months of delays, the government has settled on the one option with the weakest evidence and the most problems, CEO of the Australian Forest Contractors Association Tim Lester said. For the forest contracting crews the decision means they are being sacked on Father’s Day and with no notice. “The Government spoke to affected sawmills but not forest services businesses which means these employers have had any notice on what tell their staff about coming to work tomorrow,” Mr Lester said. “A temporary moratorium assumes a future return to work. Let’s call it what it is – an immediate closure. In Victoria we experienced the chaos caused by a government that did not give businesses and communities the time they need to adjust. This is spin for a political announcement. “We engaged in the assessment and consultation process in good faith on the basis of the government’s twin election commitments of a koala park and a sustainable timber industry. But the government has accepted ideology over evidence and hope over science. “National parks have a terrible record when it comes to protecting populations of threatened species because hope is not a strategy. We are at risk of repeating the same mistakes. “The greatest irony is that the NSW National Parks’ own research shows the claim that koalas are under threat in this area is wrong. The population of koalas in NSW state forests is high and stable thanks to an active and sustainable forest management regime that has been in place for more than a century. The idea that a sustainable timber industry and rich biodiversity are incompatible is pure ideology and not backed by the scientific evidence or history. “Koalas will not be ok in a forest managed through benign neglect as we have seen in the Pilliga. The tourism sector is already bustling, and the known visitation, travel and spending patterns do not support small communities, as we have seen in southern NSW. The massively increased cost of managing a national park will not improve the NSW Budget bottom line, as we have seen in Victoria. “The government is also relying on damaging the integrity of Australia’s national carbon scheme with a carbon methodology that is scientifically contested and does not meet scheme rules. This shows it is a park at all costs and everything else has been hollow and flawed. “Meanwhile it is the businesses, workers and communities who will suffer. “It is now up to the government to implement a fair and equitable package for industry that provides compensation for the businesses, workers and communities who are having their lives and livelihoods turned upside down by a flawed decision based on a flawed premise.”

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Six timber mills on the NSW mid-north coast will close today, around 300 jobs will be lost and 40% of the state’s future hardwood supply could be locked up for good following the announcement at the weekend of the proposed boundary for the Great Koala National Park. Source: Timberbiz The park will reserve 176,000 hectares of state forest and connect with existing national parks to create a 476,000-hectare reserve – one of the largest in NSW. The government says this park will protect more than 12,000 koalas, 36,000 Greater Gliders and habitat for over 100 other threatened species. “Koalas are at risk of extinction in the wild in NSW – that’s unthinkable. The Great Koala National Park is about turning that around,” NSW Premier Chris Minns said. “We’ve listened carefully and we’re making sure workers, businesses and communities are supported every step of the way.” Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said the Great Koala National Park had been a dream for more than a decade. “It will ensure koalas survive into the future so our grandchildren will still be able to see them in the wild. “These amazing old-growth forests are among the world’s top biodiversity hotspots – home to more than 100 threatened species including greater gliders, the powerful owl and yellow-bellied gliders,” she said. The Government has imposed a temporary moratorium effective today, Monday 8 September, on timber harvesting within the proposed park boundary. Department of Primary Industries officials reportedly began calling affected timber mill owners on Friday ahead of today’s moratorium. The immediate temporary moratorium will impact six out of more than 25 timber mills in the region, and approximately 300 jobs. Response has been swift with industry leaders and the unions condemning the decision. Australian Forest Contractors Association Tim Lester said that for the forest contracting crews the decision means they are being sacked on Father’s Day and with no notice. He said the government has settled on the one option with the weakest evidence and the most problems. Forestry Australia president Dr Michelle Freeman said the Great Koala National Park made a headline, not a science-led plan. “Recent research highlights that koala populations in NSW state forests remain high and stable, thanks to thoughtful regulated management,” she said. And the Australian Workers’ Union and the Timber, Furnishing & Textiles Union said the decision would devastate regional communities, cost hundreds of jobs and risk thousands more across the state’s $3 billion hardwood timber industry. The NSW government says it recognises there will be challenges as the transition begins and is committed to working with local communities every step of the way. Assistance includes JobKeeper-style payments to support workers by covering salaries, and also financial assistance towards business operating costs. As well as financial payments to cover salaries, workers and their families will have immediate free access to mental health, financial and legal counselling services and training support. The NSW Government has committed $6 million to support new opportunities for tourism and small businesses on the Mid North Coast, with the package to be developed in consultation with local communities to grow jobs and investment as the Great Koala National Park is established. An additional $60 million in funding is being announced for the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to support the establishment of the park. This is in addition to the $80 million announced in 2023. The final creation of the park is dependent on the successful registration of a carbon project under the Improved Native Forest Management Method, which is currently moving through the Federal Government assessment processes. But NSW Australian Forest Products Association chief executive James Jooste said that after two years of consultation the industry was hoping Environment Minister Penny Sharpe would take into account their concerns when announcing the size of the park. “North East NSW is the most valuable region for hardwood production in the state, and a 176,000ha park will cut supply from public forest in half overnight,” he said. The Government says the Great Koala National Park will not end forestry on the North Coast with the Independent Forestry Panel continuing to provide advice to the Government to inform the Forestry Industry Action Plan. NSW Nationals Leader Dugald Saunders told the Daily Telegraph aid the timing of the decision was appalling and would see the livelihoods of entire regional towns “obliterated” overnight. “For thousands of Dads across the North Coast region to be waking up on Father’s Day to the news they no longer have a job is gut wrenching,” he said. “This decision is almost unbelievable but sadly true to form for a government that has shown a complete disregard for this important industry and what it contributes to our state. “Labor’s Great Koala National Park will wipe out 40% of the state’s future hardwood supply and will force the price of construction materials through the roof.”

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