Forest Products Industry

Accsys announced that Accoya wood was chosen for the benches within the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Garden at London’s Regent’s Park. The £5 million memorial honours the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and reflects her deep, personal appreciation of the outdoors. Source: Timberbiz Accoya wood was selected as the material of choice for a central circular bench and six linear benches due to its exceptional durability and stability in out-door environments. With a proven above ground lifespan of 50 years, it is ideally suited to a permanent public memorial, capable of withstanding year-round use and changing weather conditions while remaining aesthetically pleasing and low maintenance over time. The memorial garden has been designed by designer and manufacturer Millimetre, who worked closely with HTA Design and The Royal Parks to develop, manufacture, and install the seating. Millimetre has extensive experience of working with Accoya, having previously crafted Accoya seating for the Strand in London, and are currently working on Accoya structures for the Parkinson’s UK garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026. The memorial garden landscaping design balances heavy public use with long-term sustainability. Accoya’s resistance to decay and low maintenance requirements align with this approach, helping ensure the benches, which provide seating for up to 75 people, continue to perform and age gracefully for decades. “For a memorial like this, longevity is es-sential, it’s about creating something that will endure as a lasting tribute to HM the Queen’s life and legacy. Accoya allows us to make design choices with confidence, knowing the material will perform over the long term while retaining a timeless, natural quality that feels entirely appropriate to the setting,” Karn Sandilands, Director at Millimetre, said.

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Forest Tracks: Country-Level Market Insights 2025/2026 is a compilation of national reports submitted by countries to the 83rd session of the UNECE Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry. Source: Timberbiz The document provides a comprehensive overview of forest and forest product-related policies and market trends in Armenia, Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, German, Ireland, Kyrgyz Republic, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Each chapter offers an in-depth analysis of recent trends and an outlook for 2026, with a focus on wood and wood product markets. There is also information on general economic trends affecting the forest and forest industry sectors, policy measures taken in each country, key market drivers and their effects, recent developments, and a near-term outlook for forest and forest product markets. The sectors analysed include wood raw materials, wood energy, certified forest products, sawn softwood and hardwood (both temperate and tropical), structural and non-structural wood-based panels, pulp, paper and paperboard, as well as housing and construction, with a focus on wood construction. Downland the report at https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2026-04/forest-tracks-2025-2026-web-small.pdf  

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A Japanese group of forestry organizations has launched an online timber marketplace in February to match forest owners with buyers nationwide. Source: The Japan times About 30 businesses, mainly buyers, had registered on the platform by the end of April, with timber listings and transactions expected to increase soon. Standing timber is typically traded through negotiations. In such deals, individuals who own forests and small forestry cooperatives often have to sell at depressed prices presented by lumbering companies with large financing power and rich transaction experiences. The new platform was set up by the Tokyo-based group for promoting the use of domestic timber and protecting forests. It makes it easier for both sellers and buyers to find transaction partners from around Japan. The group aims to make the platform “an online flea market site for timber,” an official said. Organizers expect that transaction data accumulated on the site will facilitate the formation of market prices by conditions such as the tree species, volume and location, just as consumer online flea market platforms do. Forest owners could refer to market prices to consider their selling prices. If market prices become widely available, many owners would find it easier to negotiate with lumber businesses. The platform also incorporates into transaction prices reforestation costs, which are entrusted to financial institutions. Sellers can withdraw the money after replanting logged areas. This mechanism to secure reforestation funding is expected to appeal to major construction companies and home builders increasingly seeking timber sourced with consideration for forest conservation after logging.

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Biochar Network New Zealand (BNNZ) is looking forward to exhibiting at the MPI Forestry Hub again at the Fieldays from 10-13 June 2026. Source: Timberbiz The Forestry Hub will showcase the sector’s vital roles in agriculture, construction, energy and carbon management, giving visitors the chance to explore the many aspects of forestry and wood processing in NZ, including biochar. Biochar, a form of charcoal made by heating biomass such as wood residues in a low-oxygen process, is one of few negative emissions technologies (NETs) recognised by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as safe, scalable, and effective. Biochar safely stores up to half the carbon in its source material for hundreds and even thousands of years. In New Zealand and globally, biochar made from forestry residues is used for a variety of regenerative agriculture applications, saving farmers money, increasing productivity and protecting the environment. “An attractive feature of biochar production is that it also yields significant amounts of useful energy, which can be used for electricity generation or process heat,” BNNZ chair Phil Stevens said. “Timber processors in particular can get multiple income streams from what has been regarded as a waste product, and in the current energy situation that makes our case even more compelling.” Mr Stevens said the growing market for biochar applications in the primary sector as proof that scaling up commercial production will tap latent demand. “Many farmers are feeding it to their stock and reporting several direct benefits: increased weight gain, higher milk production, better overall health, and lower incidence of intestinal parasites,” he said. “The animals then do the work of spreading it around the farm, and once the carbon is in the soil it enhances fertility for the long term.” BNNZ commercial members Southland Carbon have again donated a 1000L bag of their premium biochar for a lucky prize winner and BiocharTP will be returning with their demonstrator Air Curtain Burner to show how the forestry sector’s slash problem can be turned into environmental improvement, regional jobs, and increased revenue. After a successful “Char-B-Q” outing at the 2025 Fieldays, BNNZ will be again demonstrating live action biochar production with the spare heat going to cook venison sausages made from deer culled in North Island forestry blocks. Sausages will be handed out to everyone dropping by the exhibit around midday, and samples of the biochar will also be available. The BNNZ team will also be presenting in the Forestry Hub main stage on biochar production and its applications to agriculture and the natural environment. Schedules will be posted ahead of the event.

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