Forest Products Industry

In 2023, the Norwegian Forestry Agency paid out almost SEK 309 million (around $44M) in compensation to landowners who were denied felling in areas close to mountains due to high natural values. This is an increase of 25% compared with the previous year. At the same time, the area for which formal protection was established was the lowest since 1998. Source: Timberbiz Since 2020, the Norwegian Forestry Agency has paid trespass compensation to landowners who have been denied permission to fell in areas close to mountains, this after a trial in court gave the landowners the right to do so. In 2020, only individual trespass compensations were paid out as a result of denied permission to fell, but in the following years the amount of payments increased sharply due to the increase in felling applications that were then sent to the Forestry Agency. In 2021, 72 million kroner (around $10M) was paid out in trespass compensation, in 2022 it was 248 million kroner (around $54M), and most recently in 2023, 309 million kroner was paid to the landowners who were denied felling. The number of compensation cases has increased from 110 in 2022 to 188 cases in 2023. In total, trespass compensation has been paid out as a result of denied permission to harvest 16,700 hectares of forest land in the region near the mountains in the years 2020 to 2023. The biggest increase was between 2021 and 2022 when the area that was trespassed increased by almost 300%. The largest part of the area that received trespass compensation in the mountains until 2023 is in Västerbotten (62%) and Jämtland counties (36%). The remaining 2% is distributed between the counties of Dalarna and Norrbotten. In 2023, 810 hectares of biotope protection and 210 hectares of nature conservation agreements were added. Overall, this was the lowest level of new formation of the Norwegian Forestry Agency’s formal protection since 1998. It is also the fifth year in a row where less than 1,500 hectares have been formally protected. The years with the greatest new formation were during 2002 to 2005 when approximately 6,000 hectares per year became formally protected. “Those who have been refused permission to harvest have the right to compensation and we work there as quickly as we can to handle the cases. If more funds are needed to compensate forest owners for denied felling near the mountains, we will request more money for that in good time,” says Johan Åberg, specialist in area protection at the Norwegian Forestry Agency.

Shiling Pei is from the Republic of China, where he likely suffered from wood deprivation. Concrete is the material of choice. Except for ancient buildings, there are few, if any, wood frames, he says. Source: ENR Pei is not only a wannabe woodworker. He has been researching timber building systems for years. “I consider myself an experimentalist,” says Pei, also a licensed civil engineer in California. His latest wood research in resilient performance-based seismic design is historic. As principal investigator for the National Science Foundation’s Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure TallWood Project, Pei is leading a team that tested a resilient 10-story “rocking-wall” frame, composed of vertically post-tensioned cross-laminated-timber, on an outdoor shake table at the University of California San Diego. The 112-ft-tall specimen was the tallest full-scale structure ever tested on a shake table, says NHERI. The shaking simulated the 1994 Northridge quake, a magnitude-6.7 temblor in Los Angeles. Then it ran Taiwan’s 1999 Chichi quake, a magnitude-7.7 temblor. The specimen sustained no damage, except to steel clips that can be replaced, says Pei, and it performed exactly as expected, returning to its plumb position after rocking. “We found a cost-effective and practical way to build a tall wood building that is almost earthquake proof,” he says. The unbuilt 12-story Framework, designed by LEVER Architecture and KPFF, is the model for the specimen. “Ling had the most difficult position of all,” says Reid Zimmerman, a structural engineer on the NHERI team and technical director at the Portland, Oregon, office of KPFF. “He led a large, diverse team,” including six universities, “to design, supply, fabricate and construct the tallest shake-table test in the world,” he adds. And Pei leveraged multiple funding sources and numerous supplier donations while building consensus. Thomas Robinson, LEVER’s founding principal and a NHERI participant, says the rocking wall is “probably the most innovative structure put on a shake table in our lifetime.” Pei’s research focuses on multi-hazard mitigation through performance-based engineering, numerical modelling of structural dynamic behaviour and large-scale dynamic testing. “There’s something very addicting to testing large structures,” says Pei, who has a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Colorado State University. Pei first studied bridge engineering as an undergraduate at Southwest Jiaotong University, in China. He arrived in the US in 2003 to study structural engineering. It was a time when academia was interested in the seismic performance of wood structures, in the aftermath of the Northridge quake. There were few fatalities but the number of wood structures with severe damage was high, Pei says. “We thought wood could do better,” he adds. The “sweet spot” for the resilient rocking system is three to six stories, says Zimmerman. LEVER, with structural engineer Holmes, is currently designing a three-story office building with a timber rocking wall. If built, it would be the first wood rocking wall, other than the specimen. Timber rocking walls are not in the code, making it more difficult for engineers to use the system. Pei and Zimmerman hope to change that. They are co-leading an effort to write a proposal for the 2028 update of ASCE/SEI 7, Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures. Toward that, Pei has to have the NHERI report finalized by the summer of 2025.

Wood leftover from Okanagan forestry operations that would once have been burned is now being put to productive use, according to the Forest Enhancement Society of British Columbia, Canada. Source: Penticton Herald Sixty-six innovative projects undertaken around the province in the past year at a cost of almost Can$50 million have generated an environmental benefit equal to one million fewer tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, the society said. And debris wood that would have filled more than 68,000 logging trucks has been used instead for the making of wood pellets and other products. “With the help of 66 projects funded in 2023, BC is taking necessary steps in battling climate change and becoming more resilient in the face of worsening wildfire seasons,” Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston said. Along with finding new ways to use waste woods, the projects involved thinning forests and other fuel reduction efforts near towns and cities to avoid a repeat of last year’s devastating wildfire season, the worst on record in BC. “Healthy forests are essential to thriving and diverse ecosystems that support healthy people and secure communities, along with a sustainable BC economy,” Minister of Climate Change George Hayman said. The government provided the funding to the Forest Enhancement Society early last year. Forestry companies, Indigenous groups, and municipalities were invited to submit applications for grants that focused on wildfire risk reduction and better use of waste wood. A total of 17 projects were supported with Can$9.3 million of funding in the Thompson-Okanagan region. Fuel mitigation work was done on 84 hectares of land, with carbon dioxide emission reductions estimated at 193,000 tonnes. Recovery efforts have included gathering debris wood for conversion to high-efficiency wood pellets for heating, said to be a renewable energy source, and directing more material to pulp mills than would otherwise have been the case. In the South Okanagan, the Osoyoos Indian Band received funding for the enhanced use of “low value fibre”, material that’s left over from forestry operations. Debris that would have otherwise filled more than 3,200 logging trucks before being burned off was instead put to productive use. “There doesn’t need to be a trade-off between the environment and the economy – it can be, and should be, a win for both,” said Steve Kozuki, the FESBC’s executive director.

The Heyfield Timber Festival is not just an event, it’s a celebration of community, tradition, and the rich history of timber. This year the event will be held from 17-19 February with a street parade on 18 February. Source: Timberbiz The event promotes timber and forestry with its wood chop events but also celebrates local activities such as a dog high jump competition, car and truck displays, and live entertainment. Highlights will include the truck show with a display of log trucks from various eras, as well as the wood chop event which is a cornerstone of any timber festival, and the iconic parade through the main streets of Heyfield. There will also be a timber workers memorial vigil to pay respects the workers of the industry at the timber workers memorial.

Perth’s Hyde Park could lose up to 20% of its trees due to an infestation of an exotic South East Asian beetle known as ployphgous shot-hole borer which tunnels into a tree and plants a fungus that blocks nutrients and water. Source: Timberbiz A single female borer can fly up to 400 metres and start new colonies quickly. It is believed that the borer came into Perth via untreated wood from Asia. “It’s not clear how this destructive borer made its way into WA, but it is clear that we need everyone to follow the strict biosecurity rules at our airports and borders, to keep unwanted pests out,” Western Australia’s Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis said. “An unprecedented biosecurity response has been underway for more than two years to stem the spread of this pest. “DPIRD is working around the clock to eradicate it and is consulting with scientists from California and South Africa to learn from their experience in managing the borer. “However, it is imperative that we work together as a community to deal with this invasive pest.” Around 180 trees in Hyde Park are targeted for removal including old Moreton Bay Figs and London Plane Trees. The Cook Government is urging the Western Australian community to help stop the spread of the tiny beetle, which was first detected in Fremantle in mid-2021. With no known treatments currently available, tree removal is the only way to prevent this invasive pest from rapidly reproducing. This means a number of infested trees across Perth will require pruning or removal by arborists including at Hyde Park, Lake Claremont, Kings Park, and Perth Zoo. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is doing everything it can to stop the spread of the borer, as part of a national biosecurity response, and has launched the biggest surveillance program in the Department’s history. DPIRD response staff have already inspected more than 1.5 million trees on more than 50,000 properties, as well deployed 3,000 traps to help track the borer. There is also a quarantine area in place, covering most of the Perth metropolitan area. It is vital that residents are aware of the restrictions on the movement of wood and plant material from their properties, as it could spread the borer. To date there’s been excellent support from the public and local governments, however ongoing community vigilance is vital to assist the State’s efforts to stop this invasive pest. The public can help by keeping an eye out for signs of the borer, and reporting it to the My Pest Guide Reporter app or website mypestguide.agric.wa.gov.au Symptoms can include tiny holes in a tree trunk, discolouration, staining or sawdust.

A forestry innovation organisation focusing on breeding, researching and developing durable eucalypts is seeking investors to help further research. Source: Farmers Weekly New Zealand Dryland Forests IP Ltd was set up in July 2022 by New Zealand Dryland Forests Innovation (NZDFI) to separate commercial activities from the broader focus of NZDFI’s research and development program. The board of NZDFIP Ltd is now seeking expressions of interest from the forest industry for a limited offer sale of shares in the company and support for its ongoing research and development program. “After 15 years of research and breeding progress, we are ready to invite industry partners to come on board,” said Shaf van Ballekom, chair of NZDFI and general manager of Proseed NZ, Australasia’s largest tree seed producer. “Advances in tree breeding take many decades, as does the research and education that goes with delivering what is a new opportunity for the forest industry. We are on the cusp of commercialising the results of our intensive efforts to date.” Up to 49% of the NZDFIP Ltd shareholding is on offer to forest growers that have the land, capability, and a strategy to diversify by investing in large-scale planting of the elite durable eucalypts now available. A confidential expression of interest document has been circulated to a number of forestry companies that have shown interest in diversifying with durable eucalypts. “Our plan is to deliver tree-breeding, research and extension services to new shareholders in a similar way to that which the Radiata Pine Breeding Company undertakes for industry. We have exciting plans for more research, and want to focus our communication and education into building the capability needed for a New Zealand durable hardwood industry,” Van Ballekom said. Expressions of interest close 28 March.

Forestry Australia is doing a nation-wide call out for passionate scientists and forestry professionals to take part in its highly sought after Mentoring Program. Source: Timberbiz Forestry Australia CEO Jacquie Martin said the program was a great opportunity to super-charge forestry careers. “The relationship between a mentor and mentee is a powerful thing,” Ms Martin said. “It has the ability to change, shape and motivate both individuals and entire sectors, and that’s exactly what Forestry Australia’s Mentor Program is all about. “The program is carefully designed to pair experienced forestry professionals with those who are seeking to evolve their career in our exciting sector. Over nine months, mentees will expand their forestry and professional skill sets, grow their networks and enhance their careers. “The program has been developed around a framework and tool kit of resources which support participants to set career and development goals; teach time management for life, values and business ethics, forestry skills gap analysis and career planning. “It’s also an excellent opportunity for experienced professionals to give back to the sector by investing their time and sharing their experience with the next generation of forest scientists and forest managers. “I encourage anyone who is passionate about Australia’s forestry sector and sustainable forest management to join the program.” Applications for the Mentor Program are open now, and close on February 4. It is free for Forestry Australia members, and if you’re not a member it’s easy to join here

Forest & Wood Products Australia (FWPA) has announced the first tranche of successful forestry research proposals from the July 2023 open call for proposals. Source: Timberbiz The open call for forestry research proposals attracted 29 responses which were reviewed by a scientific advisory panel of experts and a committee of grower members and were subjected to a benefit cost analysis by an independent economist. Twelve proposals totalling $10m have been approved by FWPA for an investment of $5.5 million through FWPA. The projects will be funded through industry levies, voluntary cash contributions and matching funding from the Australian government, with significant in-kind contributions by industry and research partners. The successful proposals were submitted by nine research providers and involve growers from all major commercial forest growing regions of Australia. The research will address a range of challenges across forest health and biosecurity, plantation silviculture, detection of threatened fauna, impacts of fire, phytosanitary options for log exports, and alternate species from current tree crops – many by harnessing various remote sensing and molecular technologies. There are several proposals still under evaluation, and it is expected that further announcements will be made in coming weeks, following completion of the approval process. “FWPA is proud to continue our support of world class research that will have real and positive impact on the businesses of Australia’s commercial forest managers – research that our members value,” FWPA Forest Research Manager Jodie Mason said. “We thank the many research leaders and industry partners for their considerable efforts in developing high quality proposals and look forward to working with them to implement the projects, commencing in the coming months. Sharon Occhipinti, General Manager Forest Services, HVP Plantations, and an executive member of FWPA’s Grower Research Advisory Committee said that FWPA’s investment in these projects demonstrated how researchers could work with industry to solve problems identified by forest growers. The FWPA Forest Research Program supports collaborative activities that advance research, development, and extension of benefit to Australia’s commercial forest growing sector. The Forest Research Program is aligned with the Forestry RD&E Investment Plans, which were developed in consultation with Australia’s commercial forest growers to inform collaborative investment and identify priority topics.

Tasmania’s $10 million On Island Processing Program is helping boost value-adding of Tasmanian timber across the State, including at Bakes Sawmill which this week opened its upgraded mill at Gowrie Park south of Devonport. Source: Timberbiz Resources Minister Felix Ellis said that, supported by a $147,688 grant from the State Government, the sawmill had successfully completed installation and commissioning of new wood treatment equipment. “This new equipment will re-direct 420 cubic metres of timber per annum to produce treated timber for a range of products, adding value to what was previously chipped residue wood,” he said. Instead, the wood treatment equipment allows Bakes Sawmill to value-add and treat the timber to produce: Building cladding products Building framing timbers for internal and external use Landscaping and garden products in a range of profiles, and Treated natural logs for cabins. Bakes Sawmill is one of seven Tasmanian timber processing facilities to share in a $6 million investment through the first round of the On-Island Processing Program to help the forestry sector turn existing wood supplies, as well as wood residues, into higher-value products. Mr Ellis said that successful local projects are adding value to the current timber harvest, optimising the use of wood residues and waste, reducing the need for imported wood products and supporting the local construction industry. “The program is also helping to improve timber recovery processes that will see more local wood replacing imported timber, increased output of treated pine products and an expansion of the amount of sawn timber and by-products generated from lower grade logs. “Everyone knows the Rockliff Liberal Government is the strongest supporter of the forestry sector which supports more than 5600 jobs in regional Tasmania,” he said. “Tasmanians also know that they cannot trust Labor when it comes to forestry. Given half a chance they will do a deal with the Greens and shut down this industry which is vital to our building sector and also providing fibre for a plastic-free future.”

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has committed to stripping the Environmental Defenders Office of all Commonwealth funding should he win the next election. The EDO, which again began receiving money from Labor last year after a 10-year funding drought initiated by the Abbott government, recently lost a case brought by the North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) against the Commonwealth of Australia and the State of NSW with its lawyers arguing that the RFA should not have been renewed without assessment and approval under federal environment laws. Source: Timberbiz And it lost a landmark case against Santos’s $5.3bn Barossa LNG project, with claims the company’s proposed 262km pipeline off the Northern Territory would cause irreparable damage to First Nations people and their sites being rejected. In that case Federal Court Judge Natalie Charlesworth offered a stinging critique of the claims put forward by the EDO, saying that she had “drawn conclusions about the lack of integrity in some aspects of the cultural mapping exercise, which undermined my confidence in the whole of it”. Mr Dutton, speaking at a Chamber of Minerals and Energy event in Perth, said the EDO’s conduct in the case discredited the non-government organisation and it should be defunded as a result. He said a Coalition government would not allow activists to hold sway over Australia’s industries and economy. And on Monday, Northern Territory chief minister Eva Lawler confirmed she had tasked her environment minister with taking a closer look at its $100,00-a-year contract with the EDO. Shadow Minister for the Environment, Fisheries and Forestry Jonno Duniam welcomed the Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton’s announcement. “The Albanese Government should never have given the EDO $8.3 million. The only thing that the EDO has done is frustrated our courts and brought important projects to a standstill,” he said. “It is beyond belief that the Albanese Government has undermined Government environmental approvals processes by funding an organisation that appeals these decisions. “The environmental lawfare the EDO has engaged in needs to be called out. Industry partners need to have confidence that they won’t drown in green and red tape when they invest in Australia. But the Albanese Government has instead sent a clear message to partners that they should look elsewhere,” he said. “Labor has not held the EDO accountable for its inexcusable conduct in the Barossa court case and needs to do so.” Shadow Minister for Resources, Senator Susan McDonald said the EDO’s lack of integrity was exposed when Justice Charlesworth slammed it for its conduct in the Barossa court case, highlighting confected evidence and cases of witness coaching. “The Labor Government should not be funding ideological activist organisations to bring forward vexatious claims and launch actions against the government’s own regulator, just to secure votes in inner-city seats under threat from the Greens political party,” she said. “It is time the EDO comes clean and tells the Australian people whether the funding used to attack our vital energy projects was taxpayer money or whether it comes from unnamed foreign donors.”